Easy Royal Icing Recipe with Egg Whites

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What is Royal Icing & What Does It Taste Like?

Royal icing is sweet and dries hard. The sweetness comes from the majority of it being powdered sugar while the egg white component helps icing dry. We use royal icing to decorate sugar cookies because dries hard, which allows us to pipe intricate designs.

Unlike American buttercream or SMBC, royal icing doesn’t have a lot of flavor. I don’t add extracts in my recipe because I think it pairs perfectly with my buttery soft cut-out sugar cookie recipe just how it is. But if you prefer to add extract, give it a try by adding a teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract.

Ingredients + Substitutes

Egg whites: Separate your egg whites from the yolks and make sure not to get any yolk in the bowl! If you’re concerned about using egg whites, look for pasteurized liquid egg whites (typically in a cardboard box in the refrigerated section at the grocery store). The process of pasteurizing egg whites is a gentle heating method to kill food born illnesses.

Meringue Powder: You can substitute meringue powder using the instructions on the package. (Usually its 2 teaspoons of meringue powder mixed with 2 tablespoons of water which equals 1 egg white). Meringue powder dries a little quicker, but I think using fresh egg whites tastes better.

Powdered sugar: Also known as icing sugar, super fine, or confectioners sugar.

Pipe-able Consistency

This recipe makes pipe-able icing consistency, which can outline/flood cookies and pipe simple details.

When it comes to royal icing, there are four different consistencies and each one has its own purpose for decorating. I have a video about icing consistencies here. In my opinion, pipe-able consistency is the easiest one to achieve when you are first learning how to make royal icing.

Helpful Tools

When making and piping royal icing, there are some tools that will help you out. They aren’t necessities but they will help you achieve smooth icing and certain designs.

• Stand Mixer – Whipping up royal icing can be made with a hand mixer but it will take a long time. A stand mixer is very helpful to get that whipped consistency.
• Gel Food Color – These colors are vibrant so you don’t need too many drops. Gel food dye doesn’t add any unnecessary liquid to the icing.
• Scribe Tool – This is my favorite cookie tool. Use it to pop air bubbles, adjust icing to make sharp details and make designs and more.
• Silicone Spatulas – It’s much easier to mix colors with a silicone spatulas than a spoon.

Royal Icing Tips

Here is a list of things that I’ve learned when it comes to getting icing the right consistency and making decorating easier.

1. Egg whites are made up of protein. Add the whites to a bowl and start by mixing on low speed so the protein breaks down slowly. Once all the powdered sugar has been added (1 cup at a time), then increase the speed. The incorporated air will make egg whites more voluminous.
2. Add powdered sugar to your mixing bowl 1 cup at a time. This avoids a mess and prevents sugar from deflating the egg whites when added all at once.
3. Cover your mixing bowl with a damp paper towel when not in use. This prevents a crust from forming. If you to mix icing after a crust has formed, it’ll be grainy.
4. Tip-less piping means cutting the tip of the piping bag with scissors and piping without a metal tip.
5. Always cut a smaller hole for outlining, then when you go to flood cookies with the outline color, cut the tip a little larger (that way we only use 1 bag).
6. Metal tips can help you when you are learning how to pipe (but they aren’t necessary). There are 4 round tips that I recommend from #1 being the smallest to #4 being the largest: Tip #1 or Tip #2 are good for filling small areas and small details. Tip #3 or Tip #4 will help with outlining or flooding.

How to Make This Recipe (Visual Guide)

Clean your mixing bowl with white vinegar to get rid of residue from butter or other fats which stops egg whites whipping up fluffy. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites. Beat the egg whites at low speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix on low-medium speed.

After all the sugar is added, set the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form. Your icing is ready! You can dye icing with food gel dye and add to piping bags to start decorating.

More sugar cookie decorating tutorials on my Youtube!

Royal Icing FAQ’s

Whats the Difference Between Royal Icing and American Buttercream?

Buttercream uses butter as its base, and powdered sugar to sweeten and stabilize it for frosting cakes. American buttercream will form a crust after a few hours because of the large amount of powdered sugar. Royal icing also uses a large amount of powdered sugar, but we combine it with egg whites for stability.

Royal icing can be made into 4 different consistencies depending on how much powdered sugar added or by adding water to to thin it out for flood consistency. Royal icing sets firmer then buttercream, think of it as being similar to glue.

How Long Does Royal Icing Take to Dry?

Typically, royal icing hardens after 10-12 hours but it can take longer depending on how hot your kitchen is, or how runny your icing was. To be on the safe side, ice your cookies and let them dry overnight.

Note that royal icing forms a very thin crusted top layer 15-20 minutes after piping, but underneath the royal icing is still soft and full of moisture.

Oven Drying Method

I have an in-depth blog post about the oven drying method if you’re interested. Turn your oven on to the lowest possible temperature and gently place iced cookies on a baking tray. To avoid moving them around too much, decorate cookies directly on the tray. Place the cookies in the oven for no more than 3-10 minutes depending on size. Smaller cookies take less time and cookies over 4in take more drying time. If cookies are in the oven too long, the icing will crack.

Can You Stack Cookies With Royal Icing?

Yes and no, they aren’t indestructible. Even though they harden, they can still crack and ruin your design when stacked. If you have to stack them, place parchment or wax paper in-between the layers, but don’t stack more than two.

Why Does My Icing Look Dull?

Over mixing your icing can cause dullness. Try to avoid this by stopping the mixer when you get stiff peaks.

Also, when your icing takes too long to harden (maybe because of a warm kitchen), it can cause dullness. Use the oven drying method as mentioned above, or turn on a fan. Don’t set the cookies right in front of a fan because sometimes rippling can happen.

Can You Make Royal Icing in Advance?

Yes! Royal icing can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week in an airtight container. Give it a few good stirs before adding to a piping bag.

Can I Freeze Royal Icing?

Yes, you can freeze it for 3 months in an airtight container. You can also freeze the leftover icing in the piping bags, just add them into a freezer bag. Make sure to get out as much air as possible and label the bag to remember when you put it in the freezer. The easiest way to thaw it is to move the icing to the refrigerator overnight. Then, take the icing out and let it reach room temperature.

Can you freeze decorated sugar cookies?

I prefer to freeze undecorated cookies, because there is a small risk of colors bleeding once cookies thaw. I also think the freezer can sometimes change the cookie’s texture. It depends on a lot of factors and how well you store them.

You can freeze decorated sugar cookies in an airtight container for up to three months. Make sure to place parchment paper in-between cookies. To un-thaw them, place frozen cookies to the refrigerator to thaw, and then let them sit at room temperature before serving.

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