This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.
Jump to Recipe
My easy royal icing recipe is perfect for cookies, treats, and more! The best part is that it’s egg-free and uses ingredients you probably already have on hand.
When my daughter had her first birthday, I was kind of sad that I didn’t know how to make a beautiful cake for her like my mom used to make for me. So, I ended up taking Wilton classes at my local Michael’s store with my best friend. We took every single class that they offered and then found a few more non-Wilton classes at a local cake store. I love learning how to make all those beautiful flowers and have a huge book of recipes and ideas from those classes, but I was tired of always relying on pre-made products to make my icing. I knew there had to be a better way.
I found a from scratch royal icing recipe that was just egg whites and powdered sugar…easy enough! However, with my egg allergy I knew I needed something that I could use on cookies and and treats that I could eat so I set out to make a royal icing that was egg-free. I’ve seen some bloggers call their royal icing egg-free, but it still calls for meringue powder (which is made from egg whites by the way).
I have only used my recipe for decorating cookies and other treats and have not attempted to create any flowers with it yet. So, use it for cookies, treats, or even gingerbread houses.
Royal Icing Tips
-use super clean utensils, tips, and bags. Any grease (like leftover from a buttercream frosting) will breakdown the icing
-keep the icing covered at all times so it doesn’t harden before you use it (cover the bowl and tips with plastic wrap)
-icing will be very thick
-Royal Icing should somewhat hold it shape for a count of 10. This will make a perfect consistency for cookies and gingerbread house decorating. (EX. Scoop up some icing with a spoon and let it drizzle into the bowl. You should be able to see where you drizzled the icing for a count of 10…if it combines too quickly with the other icing it will spread out too much when decorating.)
Watch How Easy It Is To Make Royal Icing
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 tbls milk (almond, rice, soy, cow)
- 2 tsps light corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
Instructions
- Add confectioner's sugar, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla to a clean bowl. Blend with a handheld mixer until it is mostly lump free, about 45 seconds - 1 minute.
- If it's too thick, add water by the drop (a little goes a long way). If it's too thin, add more confectioner's sugar.
- Note: Royal Icing should somewhat hold it shape for a count of 10. This will make a perfect consistency for cookies and gingerbread house decorating. (Ex. Scoop up some icing with a spoon and let it drizzle into the bowl. You should be able to see where you drizzled the icing for a count of 10...if it combines too quickly with the other icing it will spread out too much when decorating.)
Notes
To decorate cookies: Royal Icing should somewhat hold it shape for a count of 10. This will make a perfect consistency for cookies and gingerbread house decorating. (Ex. Scoop up some icing with a spoon and let it drizzle into the bowl. You should be able to see where you drizzled the icing for a count of 10...if it combines too quickly with the other icing it will spread out too much when decorating.)
To build gingerbread houses: Royal Icing should be extremely thick and completely hold it's shape.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 15Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 13mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
Did you make this recipe?
Share and Tag @MyFamilyTable on Instagram...I'd love to see it. Or leave a comment!
[mpprecipe-recipe:319]
FAQs
To make royal icing, place the powdered sugar, water, and Meringue Powder in a large mixing bowl. With an eclectic mixer, beat the ingredients together until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
What is a good substitute for royal icing? ›
Cookie icing can be used in the same way that royal icing can; however, it doesn't dry as hard as royal icing does. It's great for flooding cookies or piping designs into wet icing. To thin the consistency of cookie icing, just pop it in the microwave for about 20 seconds.
Why do you need meringue powder for royal icing? ›
Meringue powder is most commonly used as a substitute for whipped egg whites in royal icing, but it can also be used to stabilize and thicken whipped cream and buttercream, helping them hold their shape when piped.
What are the disadvantages of royal icing? ›
Disadvantages: Royal icing can crack. This makes it ill-suited for covering large surface areas (for instance an entire cake) or curved surfaces. Royal icing is rarely the most nuanced of flavors, with a somewhat bland (albeit sweet) flavor.
What makes royal icing harden? ›
Royal icing is made from confectioners sugar, water, egg white, and flavorings. This is the only icing that I use to decorate my cookies. The egg white is what allows it to dry hard, which is what makes royal icing so versatile.
Does royal icing get darker as it dries? ›
Rule of thumb: if the icing is the exact color you want it in the bowl, you've added too much color! The color will continue to darken as you bag the icing, decorate and dry. So, you want the icing still to be a shade or two lighter in the bowl than you ultimately want.
What are the three types of royal icing? ›
There are three main types of royal icing: stiff consistency, piping consistency, and flood consistency. They are used for different decorating techniques, although sometimes you can use different consistencies to achieve the same result.
Is milk or water better for royal icing? ›
There are different versions of royal icing out there, but this is an easy one that comes together quickly with basic ingredients. This recipe uses milk instead of water, which gives it more flavor and just a tad of creaminess.
Is cookie icing the same as royal icing? ›
Like royal icing, cookie icing can be used to decorate your roll-out sugar and gingerbread cookies; however, unlike royal icing, cookie icing does not dry hard. Cookies decorated with cookie icing will set smooth, but the icing will remain soft and can be damaged if cookies are stacked or packaged.
What is the difference between royal icing and decorating icing? ›
Icing sugar is also called “10x”, “powdered” or “confectioner's” sugar. It's a very finely ground sugar mixed with about 3% corn starch by weight. Royal icing is made by mixing icing sugar with egg white. Generally a 3:4 ratio of egg whites to cups of icing sugar (3 egg whites to 4 cups icing sugar).
Using salt and acid (cream of tartar) balances the sugary sweetness. Silver rum adds a subtle flavor, without darkening the icing like vanilla. Creaming helps minimize the grit of powdered sugar.
What thickens royal icing? ›
The icing consistency can be adjusted at any stage of the decorating process simply by stirring in sifted powdered sugar to thicken, or water to thin. Remember, at this stage, it is important to gently stir in (not whip on the mixer) any additional water.
What is royal icing mix made of? ›
Royal icing is frosting that's made from confectioners' sugar, egg whites, and flavorings, and used in many ways to decorate cookies and cakes. The biggest difference between buttercream frosting and royal icing is texture-buttercream is creamy and soft; royal icing hardens to a candy-like texture.
Which of the following are the components of royal icing? ›
Royal icing is a hard white icing, made from softly beaten egg whites, icing sugar (powdered sugar), and sometimes lemon or lime juice.
What is royal icing sugar made of? ›
Royal Icing sugar is the cake decorating sugar of choice. Pipe to create delicious decorations. Royal Icing Ingredients: Icing sugar, Dried egg albumen, Anticaking agent: Tricalcium phosphate, Acidity regulator: Citric acid.
