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Updated November 2025: This post has been freshened up with new tips for troubleshooting royal icing, an egg-free version, and updated photos to help you master those bakery-perfect cookies every time.
If you’ve ever wondered how bakeries get that picture-perfect cookie finish, glossy, crisp, and smooth, the secret is this Royal Icing Recipe from Scratch. It’s easy to make, sets up beautifully, and tastes so much better than the store-bought stuff.
Whether you’re decorating Christmas cookies, gingerbread houses, or sugar cookies for a baby shower, this icing is your go-to. And I’m walking you through every step, no pastry-chef degree required!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Royal Icing
- Ingredients For Royal Icing
- How to Make Royal Icing from Scratch
- Kellie’s Royal Icing Tips & Tricks
- Troubleshooting Common Icing Issues
- Egg-Free Vegan Royal Icing Option
- Royal Icing with Meringue Powder
- What is Royal Icing
- Decorating 101: Royal Icing Consistency Guide
- Is Royal Icing safe to eat?
- How long does Royal Icing take to set?
- How to Store Royal Icing
- What do you do if your Icing is too thick?
- Tools That Make It Easy
- How To Use Royal Icing
- Royal Icing Recipe (Sugar Cookie Icing)
Why You’ll Love This Royal Icing
- Customizable – Easy to color, thin, or flavor to your heart’s content.
- Sets firm but not rock-hard – Perfect for detailed piping.
- Dries glossy and smooth so your cookies look like they came from a bakery.
- Tastes amazing thanks to a hint of vanilla (and almond extract if you’re feeling fancy).
- Beginner-friendly – Just a few ingredients and a hand mixer.
I realized, there is one thing I never really shared here all by itself…and it’s my favorite cooking decorating tool….Royal Icing. I’m going to tell you just How to Make Royal Icing from Scratch with just a handful of ingredients you already have in your kitchen.
This is my go-to icing for just about any cutout cookie recipe like my favorite Gingerbread Cookies recipe. It’s fantastic year round for any occasion and it’s easy to color to fit any party.
Royal Icing from scratch is ready in just a few minutes and is a staple for cookie decorating…in my opinion and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share the recipe with you. I shared it first in this Cream Cheese Cutout recipe way back when and thought it’s awesome enough to warrant it’s own post.
Ingredients For Royal Icing
- egg whites – Egg whites are used to make this icing recipe and are safe as most grocery store eggs are pasteurized. If you would like to not use raw eggs, you can use meringue powder as instructed below.
- vanilla – Pure vanilla extract adds a light floral flavor.
- powdered sugar – Also known as icing sugar or confectioners sugar, powdered sugar ensures a smooth icing consistency.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to Make Royal Icing from Scratch
- Mix it up: In a large bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and meringue powder.
- Add water: Slowly add warm water and beat on low until combined.
- Whip: Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 5-7 minutes, until glossy stiff peaks form.
- Adjust consistency:
- For piping, keep it thick (10-second icing).
- For flooding, thin it with ½ tsp water at a time until it’s smooth in 15 seconds.
- Color and decorate: Tint with gel food coloring, a little goes a long way!
Kellie’s Royal Icing Tips & Tricks
- Storage: Keep airtight in the fridge for up to a week. Stir well before re-using.
- Humidity matters: If it’s humid, your icing may take longer to dry, use a fan to help it set.
- Avoid air bubbles: Cover your bowl with plastic wrap touching the surface. Stir gently before using.
- Shiny finish secret: Add a drop of corn syrup if you want a glossy sheen.
- Pro Tip – If you’re prepping for a big cookie-decorating day, make your royal icing the night before! Let it come to room temp, stir, and you’ll be ready to roll, no stress, no lumps.
Troubleshooting Common Icing Issues
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Icing is too runny | Too much water | Add 1-2 Tbsp powdered sugar |
| Dull finish | Over-mixing or too humid | Mix less, dry in a cool room |
| Cracks after drying | Too thick or dried too fast | Add a touch more water, dry slowly |
| Air bubbles | Whipped too high | Mix slowly, tap bowl on the countertop to release air bubbles |
Egg-Free Vegan Royal Icing Option
Don’t want to use meringue powder or eggs? Try this version:
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons aquafaba (the liquid from canned chickpeas)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract
Whip it for 5 minutes until glossy, it dries beautifully and works great for cookies!
Royal Icing with Meringue Powder
If you’d rather not use raw egg whites you can substitute with pasteurized eggs or pasteurized egg whites in a carton. OR if you want to make Royal Icing without eggs, you can sub out the raw egg whites for meringue powder by following the conversion instructions on the package.
- Place the meringue powder and sugar to a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Stir in the water and vanilla. Beat the icing mixture on high speed for 5-8 minutes.
- Transfer to a piping bag and decorate.
- If making in advance, store the Royal Icing with Meringue Powder in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Either way, your easy Royal Icing recipe will be perfect for your cookie decorating.
What is Royal Icing
Royal Icing is, basically, the same sugar cookie icing that’s used in bakeries. This is the very same cookie icing that hardens allowing you to decorate and then stack your cookies without smudging the designs.
It’s best if used in a piping bag and is easy to use to decorate just about any cookie you want.
Decorating 101: Royal Icing Consistency Guide
- Piping consistency: Thick, holds a stiff peak.
- Flood consistency: Thinner, settles smooth in 10-15 seconds.
- Detail work: Somewhere in between, add water drop by drop until it feels right.
👉 Test it by dragging a spoon through, count how many seconds it takes to disappear!
Is Royal Icing safe to eat?
Royal Icing is safe to eat but if you have concerns you can substitute the egg whites with meringue powder as instructed above.
When you make Royal Icing, you are only using the whites of the eggs. Salmonella is generally found in the yolks of the egg, according to experts.
How long does Royal Icing take to set?
Depending on how much icing is on your cookie and how thick it is, your Royal Icing may take up to 4 hours to set up properly and harden. Your sugar cookie icing may feel dry to the touch but it will still be soft underneath and the cookies should not be stacked or stored until it’s completely set.
These Gingerbread Men pictured above only took about an hour to set because they’re just a series of dots and lines but these Sugar Cookies took a few hours before I could transfer them to a cookie tin for storage.
How to Store Royal Icing
Store unused icing in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature and stir before using.
Decorated cookies can be stored at room temp in a single layer until completely dry, then stacked carefully.
What do you do if your Icing is too thick?
No worries if your royal icing recipe becomes too thick or too thin, both problems are easy to fix.
If your cookie icing is too thick, simply add a bit of water to thin it out. Start out with 1/4 tablespoon at a time until it’s thin enough to pipe.
If your royal icing is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar until your royal icing has stiff peaks when beat at high speed in your mixer.
Tools That Make It Easy
Lazy Susan or turntable – Makes decorating smoother easier.
Piping bags and tips – A #2 round tip is my go-to for decorating sugar cookies.
Gel food coloring – vibrant color without thinning.
Scribe tool or toothpick – For details and fine lines.
How To Use Royal Icing
Transfer your royal icing to piping bags with your favorite piping tips and decorate just about anything from sugar cookies to gingerbread houses.
- The BEST EVER Gingerbread Cookies
- Super easy Sugar Cookies that won’t spread when you bake them!
- These Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Cutouts are soft and heavenly.
- Halloween wouldn’t be complete without these Witch Finger shortbread cookiess
- I love to use it for these Snowman Marshmallows, too!
- These Gingerbread Mummies are super fun
This traditional royal icing recipe is perfect for cookies, cake decorating, piping flowers or as your “glue” for those super fun to make Gingerbread Houses. We just made one the other day and used this as the Gingerbread House icing, while it was a lot of fun, these Gingerbread House cookies are way easier and just as cute if you ask me. So, what’s your favorite cutout cookie to make for the holidays?
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Royal Icing Recipe (Sugar Cookie Icing)
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer
Ingredients
- 4 ounces pasteurized egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the egg whites and vanilla until frothy.
- Gradually, add the sugar and mix on low speed until the sugar is incorporated and the icing is shiny. Turn the mixer to med-high and beat until the mixture forms stiff, shiny peaks, approximately 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in food coloring if desired.
- For immediate use, transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a tip and pipe onto the cookies. (Or if you’re using a zip top bag, clip corner and pipe onto cookies.)
- Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
- Consistency: Add more water for thinner flooding icing or more sugar to thicken.
- Flavor: Swap almond extract for lemon or peppermint during holidays.
- Storage: Refrigerate up to 1 week. Bring to room temp before using.
- Vegan option: Replace meringue powder and water with 3 Tablespoons aquafaba.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How long will this keep in a airtight container? I mean can I make like quart and store what I don’t need for later use?
I usually like to use it within three days because it will begin to separate.
I goona try it soonest
I hope you do!
Im always so happy to see such sweet cookies! Pinning to make soon!
This looks like the perfect icing consistency. Nice cookies!
Love these cookies!
Thank you!
So cute! Great treat for kids.