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4.9 from 810 votes

Easy Royal Icing Recipe for Sugar Cookies

Beautifully decorated cut-out cookies for every celebration and holiday are totally attainable at home with this easy royal icing recipe for sugar cookies and a few tips & tricks to give you the confidence you need to try this technique yourself!

Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 81 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 4 Tablespoons meringue powder
  • 4 cups powdered sugar (about 1 pound)
  • 6 Tablespoons warm water + additional 3-4 additional tablespoons for thinning to flood consistency
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Gel food coloring (I like AmeriColor or Chefmaster)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the meringue powder and powdered sugar, then slowly mix in the water and vanilla extract while the mixer is running on medium-low speed. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form, around 5 minutes. This can be done with a hand mixer, but will take a couple minutes longer.
  2. Divide the thick white icing into individual bowls and add gel food coloring, a few drops at a time, mixing well until you achieve the shades you like. From there, you can reserve some of the thicker icing for piping borders as described in the post, or thin all of the icing to flood consistency.  
  3. To thin each color to flood consistency, add 1 teaspoon of water at a time and stir well, continuing to add water by 1/2 teaspoon increments until you reach your desired consistency. If you are thinning the entire batch of icing at once to flood consistency, it will take an additional 3-4 tablespoons for a total of 9-10 tablespoons of water.
  4. Once your icing is colored and the right consistency, scoop it into a piping bag fitted with a Wilton #2 or #3 tip. Decorate your sugar cookies by first outlining the border, then filling in the middle with flood icing which should settle into itself. Use a toothpick or scribe tool to fill in any gaps by spreading the icing around, then tap the cookie on the counter a few times to help the icing settle into a smooth, even layer.
  5. Dry cookies at room temperature for 6-8 hours until the royal icing is completely firm before adding additional layers or design or stacking for transport.

Notes

  • Be sure all bowls and utensils are totally grease-free or your icing will never reach the consistency you are going for.
  • Using Egg Whites: If you cannot find meringue powder or would rather use raw egg whites, you could just replace both the water and meringue powder called for in the recipe with 3 large egg whites. 
  • How to Thicken: If you thin out your icing too much, you might be able to save the batch by continuing to beat the icing. This incorporates more air and lets some of the liquid evaporate to theoretically thicken the icing. Or if you have additional thick icing that you haven't thinned, you can add that to the icing that is too thin to help save it.

Nutrition Information

Calories 81kcal (4%) Carbohydrates 20g (7%) Protein 1g (2%) Sodium 9mg (0%) Potassium 8mg (0%) Sugar 20g (40%) Calcium 1mg (0%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 24cookies

Amount Per Serving

Calories 81

% Daily Value*

Calories 81kcal 4%
Carbohydrates 20g 7%
Protein 1g 2%
Sodium 9mg 0%
Potassium 8mg 0%
Sugar 20g 40%
Calcium 1mg 0%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.