decorvow Royal Icing Recipe (With Video)

Prep Time:

5 mins

Total Time:

5 mins

Servings:

20

Yield:

2 1/3 cups

This royal icing recipe is our favorite for decorating holiday cookies and taking them to the next level. It's stiffer and glossier than other frostings and glazes, designed to hold the shape of fine piped details. Leave it white for a brilliant contrast to spicy gingerbread, or tint it with food coloring to add a vibrant touch to cutouts. Our easy recipe lets you use either meringue powder or raw egg whites, which you’ll mix with confectioners’ sugar until thick and pourable. In just a few minutes you’ll have a smooth, stable icing that’s easy to work with and dries hard and shiny.

overhead view of two gingerbread cookies and frosting bowl

What Is Royal Icing?

Royal icing is a sweet, thick, and white icing that hardens as it dries. It is made from just two ingredients: egg whites or meringue powder and confectioners’ sugar (plus water, if using meringue powder). It's stiffer and glossier than a frosting or glaze, which means that you can create finer details because it holds its shape. It was originally used only by professional bakers, but is now beloved by home bakers, too.

Using Meringue Powder Versus Egg Whites for Royal Icing

Meringue powder is found in the baking aisle of most markets. You can also find it in some craft stores or purchase it online.

Matte vs. glossy finish: For royal icing with a glossy finish, use egg whites; for a more matte finish, use meringue powder.

Food safety: If you're decorating cookies with royal icing and will be sharing the treats with someone with a compromised immune system, use meringue powder instead of raw egg whites.

What You Need to Make and Decorate With Royal Icing

We use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to make royal icing, but you can use a hand mixer or whisk and a mixing bowl.

For Piping Royal Icing:

Use either a small pastry bag and icing tip or a plastic squeeze bottle.
A long toothpick or metal cake tester is another useful tool to get the royal icing in every nook and cranny of a cookie.

Directions

Combine ingredients in mixer bowl:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar and meringue powder.
Mix; add water:

Mix on low speed to combine. If using meringue powder, add a scant 1/2 cup water. If using egg whites, you may need to add a splash of water to get mixer moving; do not add too much, however, or you'll risk the icing becoming runny.
Continue mixing:

Mix until icing holds a ribbonlike trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the paddle. Adjust consistency with water, adding it a tablespoon at a time, as needed.

Use a thinner consistency for flooding and a thicker consistency for outlining and adding details.

How to Store Royal Icing

Leftover royal icing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Before using, let it come to room temperature, then whisk well until smooth.

How to Decorate Cookies With Royal Icing

In addition to sugar cookies, royal icing is often used to decorate cakes, cupcakes, and gingerbread houses.

Pipe a border around your cookie shape with the icing; this technique is known as a "dam."
Fill in the border (a method known as "flooding") and use a toothpick to blend in any spaces and smooth out the icing.
Embellish the cookies using sanding sugar, candied citrus, pearls, and other sugary decorations.

In addition to covering the surface of a cookie with royal icing, you can use it sparingly to add details and embellishments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you overmix royal icing?

Yes, you can overmix royal icing. Mixing royal icing is not the same as whipping egg whites, you are not trying to incorporate air into the royal icing so use low speed to combine the egg whites or meringue powder with the confectioners’ sugar.
Is confectioners' sugar different to powdered sugar?

Yes, though confectioners' sugar and powdered sugar look very similar, they are actually different. Powdered sugar is granulated sugar that has been ground to a very fine powder. In contrast, confectioners' sugar is powdered sugar with starch added (usually cornstarch), to prevent it from caking as it sits. Both types of sugar are finely milled and are most often used for glazes and frostings.
Why is corn syrup added to royal icing?

Corn syrup is sometimes added to royal icing to make the icing more shiny. This is not something we do. We prefer not to use corn syrup and enjoy the look of the icing as is. (As noted earlier, a different way to make royal icing more shiny is to use raw egg whites, not meringue powder to make it.)
How long does royal icing take to dry?

How long royal icing takes to dry depends on how thickly it was applied. For a thin coating of icing, let cookies sit for 2 to 3 hours before serving; for thicker icing, opt for 6 to 8 hours. If you'll be packaging cookies to gift or mail, let them sit at room temperature for a full 24 hours before handling.