Royal Icing with Meringue Powder

Made using only three ingredients, this easy royal icing recipe is great for outlining and flooding sugar cookies, decorating gingerbread houses, adding icing flowers to treats, and other intricate designs. Because this icing hardens as it dries, it’s not usually recommended for cakes and cupcakes, but it’s the perfect hard royal icing for sugar cookies with its smear-proof finish that will keep your fingers icing-free.

Prep20 min
Total Time20 min
Skill LevelBeginner

Amount3 cups of icing

Ingredients & Tools
Instructions

Ingredients

4 cups (about 1 lb.) powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
5 tablespoons warm water
3 tablespoons meringue powder

Tools
Electric mixer
Large bowl
Spatula
Small spoon

Instructions

Click to mark complete

Beat all ingredients together until icing forms peaks, about 7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy-duty mixer or 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand-held mixer.
Check the consistency of your royal icing. If icing is too stiff, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is achieved. If icing is too thin, add powdered sugar, a little at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.
For stiff consistency: Use 1 tablespoon less water. Stiff royal icing is preferred for making 3-D decorations. With stiffer royal icing, opt for larger piping tips to relieve the pressure on the piping bag.
Medium consistency for icing outlining: Add 1/8 teaspoons of water for every cup of stiff icing. Use a flat utensil like a small angled or straight silicone spatula, to mix icing in a figure-8 motion. Avoid beating or mixing vigorously.
Thin consistency for flooding: To thin for pouring, add 1 teaspoon water per cup of royal icing. Use a grease-free spoon or spatula to stir slowly. Add 1/2 teaspoon water at a time until you reach proper consistency. Use a flat utensil, like a small angled or straight silicone spatula, to mix in a figure 8-motion. Avoid beating or mixing vigorously.
- 10-second test: Take some icing on a spatula and drop it back down into the bowl to check for the correct thin consistency for flooding. If it sinks after a full count of 10, then the consistency is thin enough for flooding.
- Let icing sit for 15 minutes to an hour to let air bubbles rise naturally. Alternately, tap the bowl on the table several times to force the air bubbles up. Gently stir the top surface to release the air.

Notes

Use grease-free tools: Keep all icing utensils and bowls completely grease-free for proper icing consistency and to ensure the icing properly sets.

Use Meringue Powder: Meringue Powder is a must for this recipe. Do not substitute with raw egg whites (which can be a food safety issue) or dried egg whites; neither will produce the same results as Meringue Powder.

Don't overbeat: Do not overbeat the royal icing base. This will incorporate too much air, which will create bubbles. Vigorous stirring will also create air bubbles.

Cover with a damp towel: Cover the decorating tip with a warm, damp towel to prevent the royal icing from drying when not using.

To speed up the drying process: Royal icing can take up to 2 hours to dry. Place iced treats in front of a fan to speed up the icing's drying process.

Storage: Store royal icing in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. Before reusing, re-whip using a paddle attachment on low speed until it's back to the correct consistency.

Never store royal icing decorations in the freezer. Instead keep decorations in an airtight container in a dry, dark place to prevent fading for up to 6 months.

How To

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How to Make Royal Icing with Meringue Powder
Using only three ingredients, this royal icing recipe is great for decorating cookies, gingerbread houses and piping flowers. It dries hard, with a shiny smear-proof finish, and is easy to customize with color and flavor. This recipe makes 3 cups of icing and uses meringue powder rather than egg whites as the base.