How to Make a Lantern in Minecraft: Recipe, Uses & Tips

A poorly lit Minecraft base can quickly turn into a mob-spawning nightmare one night of mining, and you might come back to find zombies overrunning your base. 

Covering every room and pathway with torches can fix that, but it often makes a large build feel cluttered. Lanterns give you a cleaner lighting option that works just as well for practical lighting and decorative builds.

So, how do you make a lantern in Minecraft? You need just 1 Torch, 8 Iron Nuggets, and a Crafting Table. Once crafted a lantern can sit on top of a block or hang underneath one, making it useful for bases, entrances, paths, porches and ceilings.

In this guide, you'll learn how to make a lantern in Minecraft, how to get the required materials, how to place and hang lanterns and where to find them. We'll also cover Soul Lanterns, Copper Lanterns and creative ways to use lanterns in your builds.

What Is a Lantern in Minecraft?

A lantern is a light-emitting block that you can use to light up your base, pathways, entrances, and other builds. It was introduced with the Village & Pillage update, arriving in Java Edition 1.14 and Bedrock Edition 1.10.0.

A regular lantern gives off light level 15, making it one of the brightest standard light sources in Minecraft. Unlike a torch, a lantern can be placed on top of a block or hung underneath one, giving you more options when designing ceilings, porches, paths and decorative areas.

That simple placement difference is what makes lanterns especially useful for builders. You can use them for practical lighting while also working them naturally into the design of your build.

Materials Needed to Make a Lantern in Minecraft

To make a lantern in Minecraft, you only need two ingredients: a regular Torch and 8 Iron Nuggets. 

• 1 Torch

• 8 Iron Nuggets

Once you have both, you can craft the lantern directly at a Crafting Table. You don't need any extra crafting or smelting step.

How to Get Iron Nuggets?

The easiest way to get enough Iron Nuggets is to use an Iron Ingot. One ingot can be converted into 9 Iron Nuggets, which gives you everything needed for one lantern with 1 nugget left over.

You can also get Iron Nuggets by:

• Smelting unwanted iron tools, weapons, or armor: Each item produces 1 Iron Nugget when smelted, regardless of its remaining durability.

• Finding them in loot chests: Iron Nuggets can appear in chests found in structures such as shipwrecks, villages, ruined portals and bastion remnants.

If you already have iron in your storage, converting an ingot into nuggets is usually the quickest option.

How to Make a Torch

Don't have a Torch yet? Combine 1 Stick with 1 Coal or Charcoal to make 4 Torches.You'll only need one for the regular lantern recipe, so the other three can be saved for lighting your base, mine or path.

How to Craft a Lantern in Minecraft? (Step-by-Step)

To make a lantern in Minecraft, have 1 Torch and 8 Iron Nuggets ready, then follow these simple crafting steps: 

1. Open a Crafting Table to access the 3×3 crafting grid.

2. Place the Torch in the center slot.

3. Place 8 Iron Nuggets around the Torch, filling every remaining slot.

4. Take the Lantern from the result slot and move it to your inventory.

The recipe should be arranged like this:

[Iron Nugget] [Iron Nugget] [Iron Nugget]

[Iron Nugget] [Torch]       [Iron Nugget]

[Iron Nugget] [Iron Nugget] [Iron Nugget]

The recipe gives you 1 Lantern. You can then place it on a block, hang it underneath a block, or use it with chains to create decorative lighting.

How Many Lanterns Can You Make From One Iron Ingot?

One iron ingot gives you 9 iron nuggets, while crafting a regular lantern requires 8 iron nuggets and 1 torch.

The Simple Breakdown

1. Craft 9 iron nuggets from 1 iron ingot.

2. Use 8 iron nuggets with 1 torch to craft a lantern.

3. Keep the remaining 1 iron nugget for your next lantern.

So, 1 iron ingot can make 1 lantern, provided you already have a torch. You will also have 1 iron nugget left over, which helps reduce the amount of iron you need for your next lantern.

How to Make a Lantern in Minecraft Bedrock Edition

The lantern recipe is identical on Java and Bedrock, so how to make a lantern in Minecraft is the same in both editions. The only real difference shows up in the Creative inventory menu:

• On Java Edition, lanterns sit under the Functional Blocks tab in newer versions (they used to be under Decoration Blocks before 1.19.3).

• On Bedrock Edition, you'll find them simply listed under Items.

If you're building a project across both editions or want a wider look at how the two versions diverge beyond menu placement, this Java vs Bedrock comparison breaks down the differences that actually affect building and gameplay.

How to Place and Hang a Lantern in Minecraft?

Lanterns can be placed on top of blocks or hung underneath them, which makes them more flexible than regular torches.

• To place a lantern on a surface: Aim at the top of a block and use the placement button.

• To hang a lantern: Aim at the bottom of a block above you and place the lantern underneath it.

• To hang lanterns from chains: Place a chain below a suitable overhead block, then attach the lantern to the bottom of the chain.

This makes lanterns useful for ceilings, hallways, porches, bridges, entrances, and outdoor paths. Hanging them from chains can also create a more decorative look for larger builds.

Lanterns can also be waterlogged, so they can remain underwater while still producing light. However, unlike torches, they cannot be attached directly to the side of a wall.

How to Make a Soul Lantern in Minecraft? (Blue Lantern)

A Soul Lantern is sometimes called a blue lantern because of its blue-green flame. Its recipe is almost identical to a regular lantern, but it uses a Soul Torch instead of a regular torch.

Craft a Soul Torch

First, craft a Soul Torch using:

• 1 Stick

• 1 Coal or Charcoal

• 1 Soul Soil or Soul Sand

Place these ingredients in a crafting table to make a Soul Torch.

Craft the Soul Lantern

Once you have the Soul Torch:

1. Place the Soul Torch in the center of the crafting grid.

2. Surround it with 8 Iron Nuggets.

3. Take the resulting Soul Lantern from the output slot.

A Soul Lantern gives off light level 10, compared with 15 from a regular lantern. It also helps repel piglins, making it useful around Nether builds. Its cooler blue-green light also works well for Nether bases, ancient city-inspired builds and darker atmospheric designs.

How to Make a Copper Lantern in Minecraft?

The Copper Lantern uses the same basic crafting idea as a regular lantern, but replaces the iron materials with copper. Before crafting it, you first need to make a Copper Torch.

Craft a Copper Torch

You need these three items:

• 1 Stick

• 1 Coal or Charcoal

• 1 Copper Nugget

Place them in a crafting table to make 1 Copper Torch.

Craft the Copper Lantern

Once you have the Copper Torch, open a crafting table and place:

• 1 Copper Torch in the center

• 8 Copper Nuggets around it

This gives you 1 Copper Lantern.The Copper Lantern provides light level 15, matching a regular lantern. Because it is made from copper, its appearance also oxidizes over time, gradually changing as it ages.

Want to keep its current look? Use honeycomb to wax the lantern and stop further oxidation. If it has already oxidized, an axe can scrape away the oxidation and move it back to an earlier stage.

If you're playing an older Minecraft version, make sure The Copper Age features are available before looking for this recipe.

Minecraft Lanterns and Similar Light Sources

Minecraft has several light sources that can look similar or serve similar purposes, but their recipes and uses are different. Here's a quick comparison:

For underwater builds, Sea Lanterns are a useful option because they provide strong light and fit naturally into ocean-themed structures. Regular lanterns can also be waterlogged, making them another option for underwater decoration.

Where to Find Lanterns in Minecraft?

Crafting isn't the only way to get lanterns. You can also find them naturally in several locations:

• Snowy tundra villages: Lanterns can appear on lamp posts and around village buildings.

• Bastion remnants: Lanterns can hang from chains in different areas of these structures.

• Ancient cities: These structures feature soul lanterns, the blue-flame variant.

You can also trade with an apprentice-level librarian villager for a lantern in exchange for an emerald, although the trade is not guaranteed.

Creative Ways to Use Lanterns in Your Builds

Once you know how to make a lantern in Minecraft, you can use them to add both light and decoration to your builds. Here are some simple Minecraft lantern ideas worth trying.

Hang Lanterns From Ceilings

Add chains and space lanterns evenly across halls, rooms, or porches for clean, balanced lighting. See our Minecraft ceiling designs for more ideas.

Build a Lantern Chandelier

Combine lanterns with chains, slabs, and other blocks to create a decorative focal point. Our Minecraft chandelier guide has several designs to try.

Create Circular Lantern Patterns

Place lanterns around fountains, towers, or courtyards to create a symmetrical look. Use our Minecraft circle generator to plan the layout before building.

Light Up a Mine Entrance

Lanterns around an arch can make a mine entrance look more detailed while providing useful lighting. Check this Minecraft mine entrance arch guide for the build.

Frame Windows and Archways

Place lanterns on both sides of an opening for simple, balanced lighting. You can also explore these Minecraft window designs and Minecraft archway ideas.

Plan Your Lantern Spacing

For circular builds, choosing the right radius can make your lantern layout more symmetrical. Our odd vs even radius guide explains the difference.

Conclusion

Once you know how to make a lantern in Minecraft, the process is simple. You only need one torch, eight iron nuggets and a crafting table.

The real difference comes from how you use lanterns in your builds, whether you're lighting a base, hanging them from a ceiling, decorating an entrance or creating a more detailed design.

Once you know how to make a lantern in Minecraft, you can use regular, soul or copper lanterns to match different building styles and environments. 

Experiment with their placement, spacing and surrounding blocks to create lighting that feels intentional rather than simply adding light wherever it's needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you hang a lantern on a wall in Minecraft?

No. Unlike torches, lanterns can only be placed on top of a block or hung from the bottom of one. They cannot attach to the side of a wall.

Can you dye lanterns in Minecraft?

No, lanterns cannot be dyed. Their color and glow are fixed once crafted, though the soul lantern variant naturally has a blue-green tint and the copper lantern changes color as it oxidizes.

How do you get lanterns in Minecraft without crafting them?

Apprentice-level librarian villagers occasionally sell lanterns for an emerald. You can also find them naturally generated in snowy tundra villages and bastion remnants.

What's the difference between a lantern and a soul lantern?

A regular lantern emits a light level of 15 and uses a normal torch in its recipe. A soul lantern emits a light level of 10, uses a soul torch instead and repels piglins, which makes it more useful for Nether exploration.