Once you have slain all main mobs, collected vital resources, and explored rare biomes like the cherry grove in Minecraft, it's time to settle down. And to craft a sanctuary that radiates beauty day and night, we invite you to discover the art of lanterns in Minecraft. Our guide will walk you through the steps on how to make a lantern in Minecraft and transform your basic house into an aesthetically pleasing masterpiece. Whether you're playing Minecraft Realms and aiming to impress your friends or simply seeking to enhance your own visual delight, it's time to shed some light. With that, let's jump right in!

How to Make a Lantern in Minecraft (2023)

In this guide, we are covering everything you need to know about lanterns in Minecraft, including their types, crafting recipes, and even uses. Please explore each section thoroughly to learn everything you need to know.

What is a Lantern in Minecraft

Lanterns are one of the best-look light-based blocks in Minecraft. They are a part of the brightest light sources in the game, right alongside lava, beacons, and Froglights. In terms of design, the lanterns look like small lamps and don't take up much space. This turns them into one of the best options to decorate your bases aesthetically. So, if you don’t learn how to make a lantern in Minecraft, it’s equivalent to giving up on a free resource. 

Types of Lanterns in Minecraft

There are mainly two types of lanterns in Minecraft:

• Regular Lantern: This variant is orange and yellow in color. It has a light level of 15 making it a part of the brightest light sources in the game.
• Soul Lantern: If you want a dim light source then this variant is ideal for you. It is blue in color and only has a light level of 10.

Fortunately, learning how to make a lantern in Minecraft allows you to create both variants by replacing one ingredient in its recipe. So, it all comes down to you picking the option you want to decorate your base with.

Where to Find Lanterns in Minecraft

Naturally, lanterns only spawn inside snowy tundra villages, Bastion Remnants, and Ancient cities. You can visit any of these structures and break the lanterns with a pickaxe (any) to pick them up. Though, keeping the spawn rates in mind, your best chance is trying to find a village in Minecraft. Our linked guide will help speed up the process.

Get Lanterns by Trading

More often than not, whenever you visit a village in Minecraft, it will have a torch instead of a lantern as its light source. However, all hope isn't lost. You can trade with apprentice-level librarian villagers to purchase regular lanterns for a few emeralds. Though, there is no such trade for soul lanterns.

Items Required to Make a Lantern

To craft a lantern in Minecraft, you only need the following items:

• 8 Iron Nuggets
• A Torch (for Regular Lantern)
• A Soul Torch (for Soul Lantern)

Collecting ingredients for a lantern begins with finding iron ore in the game and mining it with a pickaxe. You can rely on our Minecraft ore distribution guide to find it in no time. When you mine the iron ore, it will drop pieces of raw iron.

Smelthing raw iron inside a furnace turns it into iron ingots. You can then place that iron ingot on a crafting table to break it down into nine iron nuggets. Crafting a lantern only requires 8 nuggets.

How to Make Torches in Minecraft

Iron is enough for constructing the frame of a lantern in Minecraft. But, you still need a light source to illuminate it and this is where torches come into play. You can create a standard torch by combining a stick with a piece of coal or charcoal on the crafting table. Using it in the recipe for a lantern will lead to its orange variant.

However, if you add soul soil or soul sand into the recipe of a regular torch, it will turn into a soul torch. Using the soul torch will help you create a blue dim variant of the lantern in Minecraft. Not to forget, since both torches have a simple vertical recipe, you can create it in any column of the crafting grid.

How to Make a Lantern in Minecraft

Once you have collected the required ingredients, follow these simple steps to make a lantern in Minecraft:

1. First, open the crafting table by right-clicking or using the secondary action key on it.

2. Then, place the torch or soul torch in the middle cell of the second row in the crafting grid.

3. Finally, fill up the rest of the crafting grid with iron nuggets. With that, your lantern is ready. You can click, drag and drop it into your inventory and start using it.

Uses of a Lantern in Minecraft

Here are all the ways in which you can use a lantern in Minecraft:

• The most common way players use lanterns is by decorating their bases and houses on the Minecraft SMP servers.
• Placing a regular lantern in your base, thanks to its brightness, will prevent hostile mobs from spawning.
• Much like torches, lanterns melt snow over time when placed directly next to or on top of it.
• Thanks to the power of soul fire, soul lanterns have a special ability to repel Piglins. This makes them a must-have item on your list while traveling through a Nether portal in Minecraft.

How to Place a Lantern

After crafting a lantern in Minecraft, you need to equip and hold it in your hand. Once equipped, you can place the lantern on top of or beneath any other block. When placed, the lantern takes on a lamp-like appearance with a handle on top of them.

However, while a lantern is hanging it has a small chain-like hook on top of it. This mechanic is similar to how hanging signs in Minecraft work. But, the best part is that you don't even need to manually light it up. Lanterns automatically get activated as soon as you place them.

Use Chains with Lanterns

Lanterns and chains have a closely intertwined relationship in Minecraft. By hanging a lantern beneath a chain, the top part of the lantern automatically attaches itself to the end of the chain, creating a visually appealing connection. To craft a chain, you need to combine two iron nuggets with one iron ingot.

Make and Use Lanterns in Minecraft Right Now!

While creating the best-looking light sources in Minecraft is a great deal, it's not worth it if they are not looking their best. So, make sure to install the best Minecraft shaders to upgrade the in-game lighting and make lanterns look their best. For players on consoles or mobile devices, the Bedrocks shaders will be the best bet. Furthermore, as you upgrade your lighting system, consider incorporating a campfire into your Minecraft experience. This versatile utility block serves as both a practical tool and a captivating light source, adding further depth to your gameplay. With that, it's time to elevate your Minecraft world with captivating visuals!