How to Make a Jack o’Lantern in Minecraft
Home → Minecraft → How to Make a Jack o’LanternMinecraft
How to Make a Jack o’Lantern in Minecraft
Jack o’Lantern TipsThe Jack o’Lantern earns its place as one of Minecraft’s best lighting blocks through a combination of maximum brightness, structural solidity, and water resistance that no other early-accessible light source matches. A Torch is cheaper and quicker to craft but falls off walls, gets washed away, and can’t support blocks on top. A Glowstone offers identical brightness and water resistance but requires Nether access. A Jack o’Lantern needs only a Pumpkin, Shears, and a single Torch — all accessible within the first in-game day — making it the best permanent outdoor light source from very early in the game. The carved face adds genuine personality to builds, and the face-direction mechanic (always facing toward you when placed) gives builders a simple way to create symmetrical lantern arrangements without complicated placement tricks. For the full lighting toolkit, the Lantern guide covers the hanging variant and the Torch guide covers the basic light source.FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
Step-by-Step: Crafting a Jack o’LanternPlace a Carved Pumpkin on top of a Torch anywhere in a crafting grid — no Crafting Table needed. This crafts 1 Jack o’Lantern. To get a Carved Pumpkin, use Shears on a naturally grown Pumpkin block. Jack o’Lanterns emit light level 15 — the maximum in the game, same as Glowstone — and work underwater without being washed away, making them one of the best permanent light sources for outdoor and underwater builds.
1
Find a Pumpkin. Pumpkins spawn as single blocks on Grass or Dirt in most biomes — Plains, Taiga, Snowy Tundra, and Extreme Hills are the most reliable locations. They also generate in Woodland Mansions, Pillager Outposts, and Shipwrecks as loot. Pumpkins are distinct orange-coloured blocks sitting on the surface — look for them while exploring. Once you find one, you can grow more from Pumpkin Seeds (obtained by putting a Pumpkin in a crafting grid) planted on farmland next to an empty space — Pumpkins grow onto adjacent blocks, not on the seed block itself.
2
Carve the Pumpkin using Shears. Craft Shears (2 Iron Ingots placed diagonally in a crafting grid) and right-click a placed Pumpkin block with them. This carves a jack-o-lantern face into the Pumpkin, converting it into a Carved Pumpkin and dropping 4 Pumpkin Seeds as a bonus. A Carved Pumpkin looks identical to a regular Pumpkin from the sides but has a carved face on the front. You cannot craft a Jack o’Lantern from an uncarved Pumpkin — Shears are required.
3
Craft a Torch. If you don’t already have one, craft a Torch by placing 1 Coal or Charcoal on top of 1 Stick in any crafting grid — yields 4 Torches. You only need 1 Torch for the Jack o’Lantern recipe. Charcoal works just as well as Coal here — smelt any Wood Log in a Furnace for Charcoal if you don’t have Coal available.
4
Combine Carved Pumpkin + Torch in any crafting grid. Open your inventory (E key) — no Crafting Table needed. Place 1 Carved Pumpkin directly above 1 Torch in the 2×2 personal crafting grid. The output is 1 Jack o’Lantern. The recipe works in any position in either the 2×2 or 3×3 grid as long as the Carved Pumpkin is directly above the Torch.
5
Place the Jack o’Lantern — the face direction follows your facing. Right-click any solid surface to place the Jack o’Lantern. It always places with its carved face pointing toward you — face north, the Jack o’Lantern faces north. It emits light level 15 in all directions regardless of which way the face points. Unlike Torches, Jack o’Lanterns are solid full blocks — they can support other blocks on top and cannot be washed away by water, making them ideal for outdoor and underwater lighting.
6
Use Carved Pumpkins to build Snow Golems and Iron Golems. Carved Pumpkins (and Jack o’Lanterns) are the head piece for constructing utility golems. For a Snow Golem: stack 2 Snow Blocks vertically and place a Carved Pumpkin on top — it spawns instantly and leaves a snow trail. For an Iron Golem: build a T-shape with 4 Iron Blocks (2 side blocks + 1 above center + 1 below center) and place a Carved Pumpkin on the topmost center block — it spawns as a powerful defender. See the Iron Golem guide for details.
→
Jack o’Lanterns work underwater — perfect for ocean builds: unlike Torches and Redstone Torches which are destroyed by water, Jack o’Lanterns are solid blocks that survive full submersion. They emit maximum light (level 15) underwater without flickering or breaking — making them the go-to light source for underwater bases, ocean monuments, and submerged pathways. Pair with Sea Lanterns (also level 15, also waterproof) for a consistent underwater lighting scheme.
→
Wearing a Carved Pumpkin prevents Endermen from aggro-ing you: equip a Carved Pumpkin in your helmet slot — Endermen will not become hostile when you look directly at them while wearing it. This is the safest way to explore The End without triggering mass Enderman aggression. The visual effect (a pumpkin overlay on your screen) is mildly inconvenient but the protection is invaluable in The End where dozens of Endermen can instantly swarm if you accidentally look at one.
→
Jack o’Lanterns can be used as wearable head armor: like Carved Pumpkins, Jack o’Lanterns can be placed in the helmet slot for the same Enderman-neutral effect plus a slightly different visual. They provide no armor protection value, but the Enderman immunity in The End makes them situationally more useful than a helmet. Some players prefer the Jack o’Lantern variant for the glow effect it implies aesthetically.
→
Pumpkins spawn naturally and are farmable — set up a Pumpkin farm early: Pumpkins grow from seeds onto adjacent empty Farmland blocks, producing one Pumpkin per stem at a time. A row of 10 Pumpkin stems with empty spaces beside each one produces Pumpkins passively over time. Harvest only the Pumpkin block (not the stem) to keep the stem productive. A small Pumpkin farm provides all the Jack o’Lantern material you’ll ever need plus surplus for Snow Golem and Iron Golem construction.
→
Jack o’Lanterns are one of the few light sources that never need replacing: unlike Torches (which can be knocked off by mobs or players) and Redstone Torches (which burn out temporarily in rapid-pulse circuits), Jack o’Lanterns are permanent solid blocks that emit constant level-15 light indefinitely. Once placed, they require no maintenance — ideal for lighting large outdoor areas, paths, and builds where you don’t want to return and replace lights periodically.
How do you craft a Jack o’Lantern in Minecraft?
Place a Carved Pumpkin directly above a Torch in any crafting grid — your personal 2×2 inventory grid works fine. To get a Carved Pumpkin, use Shears on a natural Pumpkin block. The recipe requires a Carved Pumpkin specifically — an uncarved Pumpkin will not work.
How bright is a Jack o’Lantern in Minecraft?
Jack o’Lanterns emit light level 15 — the maximum possible in Minecraft, equal to Glowstone, Shroomlight, and Beacon beams. This fully prevents mob spawning within their illumination range and works identically whether placed on land, underwater, or in any dimension.
How do you make a Carved Pumpkin in Minecraft?
Place a Pumpkin block on the ground and right-click it with Shears (crafted from 2 Iron Ingots placed diagonally). The Pumpkin becomes a Carved Pumpkin with a face carved into one side, and drops 4 Pumpkin Seeds. You cannot carve a Pumpkin in your inventory — it must be placed as a block first.
Can Jack o’Lanterns be used underwater in Minecraft?
Yes — Jack o’Lanterns are solid blocks that are not affected by water. They maintain full light level 15 output when fully submerged and will not be washed away by flowing water. This makes them one of the best choices for underwater lighting alongside Sea Lanterns, which also emit level 15 light and are waterproof.