Villagers are the perfect go-to mobs in Minecraft. They are the unsung heroes that make your journey more exciting and simpler. You can use their huts as homes, chests as loot, and job sites as utility blocks. Furthermore, each new type of villager you encounter will unlock an entire set of trades to level you up. But, to fully benefit from these advantages, it's crucial to have a sufficient number of villagers in your village. So, let's dive into the mechanics and learn how to breed villagers in Minecraft!
How to Breed Villagers in Minecraft
Our guide goes over the basics of villagers and their necessities before diving into the breeding process. If you are already familiar with all the villager mechanics, please feel free to skip ahead.
What are Villagers in Minecraft
Villagers are passive mobs that spawn inside the villages of Minecraft. They are one of the smartest mobs in the game that can work, breed, and interact with each other and mobs. You can even trade with these villagers to buy a variety of items in exchange for emeralds.
In terms of variants, you can find witches, wandering traders, and even zombie villagers within your world. But, if breeding villagers do not go as planned, you can even cure zombie villagers to repopulate your villages in tough times.
Types of Villagers
In terms of the biome they spawn in, there are 7 types of villagers in Minecraft:
- Plains
- Desert
- Savanna
- Taiga
- Snow
- Jungle
- Swamp
Interestingly, the jungle and swamp villagers don't have a dedicated village for them. So, they have a hard time spawning inside the world of Minecraft. But, you can rely on our list of best Minecraft villager seeds to find them naturally.
Baby Villagers
Much like most passive mobs in the game, villagers also have their baby variants which only spawn when two villagers breed with each other. Baby villagers behave similarly to their adult counterparts but roam around freely, jump on beds, and give poppy flowers to Iron Golems.
Once twenty minutes have passed since their spawning, the babies grow up into adult villagers. In their adult state, the same villagers can take up jobs and start trading with players.
Why Should You Breed Villagers
Breeding villagers in Minecraft allows you to exponentially increase their population. But, doing so also comes with the following additional benefits:
- If you have a bunch of farmers in the group, they can help you make an automated food/crop farm.
- The villagers take up the appearance of the biome they spawn in. So, you can use breeding to unlock the rare jungle and swamp villagers in Minecraft.
- Having a variety of villagers with distinct jobs will let you trade between them to get the best deals.
Items Required to Breed Villagers
Contrary to animal mobs, villagers have some special requirements when it comes to breeding. You must satisfy their needs in order to make a baby villager spawn.
Find Two Villagers
The first step to breed any mob in Minecraft is getting two copies of that mob and villagers are no exception. So, you have to find a village in Minecraft and get two villagers close to one another.
Breeding Area with Bed
Once you have found both of the villagers, you need to create a dedicated area to keep them. Fortunately, such an area is quite easy to construct. All you have to do is create a 5x5 block area and place three new beds in it. Moreover, it's best to leave an empty space of two blocks on top of the bed to prevent any obstruction in the spawn of baby villagers.
If creating a dedicated space feels like too much work, you can even use the existing huts for the purpose. Though, creating such a space outside the village can end up improving the spawn chances of babies. As for the actual structure, we highly suggest using stone bricks for better protection.
Food Items to Improve Willingness
Similar to the concept of consent in the real world, the Minecraft villagers have to showcase willingness in order to breed. For villagers to breed, they must have access to adequate food and shelter. So, once your villagers are in a safe space, you have to keep giving them food until they breed.
Each villager can pick up a maximum of 3 bread, 12 carrots, 12 potatoes, and 12 beetroots. You just need to give them enough quantity of one of these food items to make them breed. Fortunately, each Minecraft village usually has enough resources to produce the required amount of food.
How to Breed Villagers in Minecraft
Now that you know all the basic requirements of breeding this amazing mob, follow these step-by-step to easily breed villagers in Minecraft:
1. First, you have to get two villagers to a safe breeding area. The easiest way to do so is by pushing them into a boat in Minecraft and rowing them to the spot.
2. Next, you have to close all the openings to the villager breeding area. This will protect villagers from hostile monsters and also prevent them from escaping. Also, don’t forget to add some torches to prevent hostile mobs from spawning inside the structure. 
3. Finally, place three beds around the villagers and give them their desired food. Once their willingness is satisfied, you just have to wait for a few minutes and a baby villager will spawn.
Why Do My Villagers Fail to Breed?
If following all the steps in our guide on how to breed villagers in Minecraft doesn't work for you, it might be because of the following reasons:
- Zero Unclaimed Beds: Once a villager sleeps on a bed in Minecraft it attaches itself to the furniture. But, for the breeding process to work, you must have three unclaimed beds including one for the baby.
- Lack of Food: As you might have noticed, food is an essential item when it comes to breeding. So, you must satisfy the food needs of both villagers to make them breed.
- Population Cap: If you are on the Bedrock edition, Minecraft only allows you a certain number of villagers to exist in a given area. So, you might have to take your breeding duo to a new area for a baby villager to spawn.
- Night: Villagers in Minecraft only breed during the daytime as they prefer to sleep during the nighttime. While you can give them food at night, there is no way to force them to show willingness.
Breeding Villagers in Minecraft: FAQ
How Long Does it Take to Grow a Villager?
It usually takes 20 real minutes or a complete Minecraft day cycle for a baby villager to turn into an adult.
How Many Times Can 2 Villagers Breed?
The villagers of Minecraft have a short 5-minute cooldown period before they can be bred again. However, there is no limit over how many times you can breed two villagers with one another.
Where is the Best Location to Make a Villager Breeder?
To prevent overcrowding, it's best to breed villagers away from their home village. If you are lucky, you can even find a zombie village and repopulate it with the breeding process.
Can 2 villagers with jobs breed Minecraft?
Jobs don't affect the breeding process in Minecraft. You can breed any two villagers with one another irrespective of their base biome or job.
Easiest Way to Breed Villagers in Minecraft
Now that you are ready to create your own army of villagers in Minecraft, it's also your responsibility to keep them safe. To keep hostile mobs at bay, you'll need to craft a shield and a diamond sword. Though, you can also use our ore distribution guide to acquire iron blocks and create a group of Iron Golems to guard the village. While your golems are keeping watch, you can take up the task of decorating the village with flower pots. With that said, it's time to grab your pickaxe and search for your next village. Happy crafting!