How to Cure a Zombie Villager in Minecraft (2025)
4/15/2025 • Daniel
Learning how to cure a zombie villager in Minecraft is one of the most useful tricks in the game—especially if you're building a trading hall or just want to save a villager from doom. This guide explains the entire process step-by-step, from finding a zombie villager to healing them using a splash potion and golden apple.
Whether you're playing in Survival mode or just want to set up an emerald farming system, this guide is for you.
🧠 Why Cure a Zombie Villager?
There are a few great reasons to cure a zombie villager:
- Discounted trades — cured villagers offer lower prices.
- Save rare professions like librarians or masons.
- Restore your village population without breeding.
- Complete an advancement ("Zombie Doctor").
🧪 What You Need to Cure a Zombie Villager
Brewing stand used to create the potion needed for curing
To successfully cure a zombie villager in Minecraft (Java or Bedrock), you need the following items:
✅ Essentials:
- 🧪 Splash Potion of Weakness
- 🍎 Golden Apple
- 🧟 Zombie Villager
Optional (but helpful):
- ⛓️ Name Tag or Boat/Minecart (to prevent despawning)
- 🧱 Enclosed area (keep zombie villager safe from sunlight or other mobs)
- 🕒 Time (the curing process takes 2–5 minutes)
🧰 How to Get the Required Items
🎯 How to Get a Splash Potion of Weakness
You can brew this using a brewing stand and the following steps:
- Place blaze powder in the fuel slot.
- Use water bottles in the bottom slots.
- Add fermented spider eye as the ingredient.
- Optional: Add gunpowder to make it a splash potion.
Fermented Spider Eye Recipe:
- 1 Sugar
- 1 Brown Mushroom
- 1 Spider Eye
🍏 How to Craft a Golden Apple
Use this crafting recipe:
🍎 Apple + 8 Gold Ingots = Golden Apple
Not to be confused with the Enchanted Golden Apple—you need the regular one!
🧟♂️ Step-by-Step: How to Cure a Zombie Villager
Zombie villager safely contained for curing
Step 1: Find a Zombie Villager
- Zombie villagers spawn naturally at night (5% of zombies).
- Or, a villager can become one if killed by a zombie (on Normal/Hard difficulty).
Step 2: Trap or Name the Zombie Villager
- Use a boat, minecart, or name tag to stop it from despawning.
- Move it to a safe, enclosed area.
Step 3: Throw Splash Potion of Weakness
- Aim and throw the potion directly at the zombie villager.
- You’ll see gray swirl particles if it works.
Step 4: Feed It a Golden Apple
- While the Weakness effect is active, right-click the zombie villager with the golden apple.
- Red particle effects will appear—this means the curing has started.
Step 5: Wait 2–5 Minutes
- The curing process takes time.
- Protect the zombie villager from sunlight, mobs, and water while it’s transforming.
✅ After the Cure: What Happens Next?
A cured villager offering trades with steep discounts
Once cured:
- The zombie villager becomes a normal villager of a random profession (or unemployed).
- If you cured them near a workstation, they may immediately claim a job.
- Their trades will now have major discounts as a "thank you" for the rescue.
⚠️ Tips and Common Mistakes
Problem | Solution |
---|---|
Zombie villager despawns | Use name tag, boat, or keep nearby |
Curing doesn’t start | Make sure Weakness effect is applied before the golden apple |
Villager burns in sunlight | Keep the area covered or underground |
No workstation after curing | Place one nearby or let them wander until they find one |
💡 Bonus: Automate Zombie Curing
Advanced players use zombie conversion chambers in their trading halls:
- Let zombies infect villagers intentionally.
- Cure them repeatedly to stack trade discounts (Java Edition).
- Combine with zombie-proof designs for maximum efficiency.
🧪 Minecraft Command: Cure Instantly (Creative Mode)
Want to simulate the cure process with commands?
/effect give @e[type=zombie_villager,limit=1,sort=nearest] minecraft:weakness 99999 1 true
/item give @p minecraft:golden_apple
then right-click the zombie villager with the golden apple.
📌 Final Thoughts: Curing Zombie Villagers in Minecraft
Knowing how to cure a zombie villager in Minecraft is one of the most useful tricks for both beginners and pros. Whether you want to save a rare NPC or build a discounted emerald empire, curing villagers unlocks the next level of Minecraft efficiency.
🔎 Related Search Queries
- how to heal a zombie villager in Minecraft
- Minecraft cure zombie villager not working
- zombie doctor Minecraft advancement
- how long does it take to cure a zombie villager
- Minecraft splash potion of weakness recipe
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