There's no better option for decorating cookies, and this royal icing without meringue powder is as easy as it comes. With just 3 ingredients and a super easy method, you'll be on your way to cookie professional in no time at all. Even simple shapes can be made beautiful with patterns piped onto the top, but this is a great way to make use of cookie cutters that might be sitting in a drawer somewhere.
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We first shared this recipe in 2023. It’s been updated with improvements to the recipe, better instructions, and more helpful information.
One reader, Joyce, commented: "My go to for when I make Royal Icing! Thank you for the great Recipe!!"
Another reader, Natasha, said this: "Worked perfect!"
Recipe Rundown: Royal Icing Without Meringue Powder
Prep Time
5 minutes
Mixing Time
2 minutes
Total Time
7 minutes
Servings
2.5 cups
Difficulty
Beginner
Calories
50 kcal*
Primary Ingredients
Icing sugar (powdered sugar), egg whites, and vanilla.
*Calories are an estimation.
How This Recipe Works
Royal icing is a baking staple, but most recipes call for meringue powder, which you'll only ever use for one recipe! This royal icing without meringue powder is how I've been making set icing since I was a child, and it couldn't be easier. It's definitely easy enough to make with kids.
This is the icing used to decorate sugar cookies or any dessert you need to have a fine decoration on that sets hard. Once fully dry, you can even stack cookies that have been decorated or iced with royal icing. It's the best for fine piping and intricate decoration.
You need egg whites, icing or powdered sugar, and vanilla for this recipe. While we recommend using pasteurized egg whites for food safety, we've outlined the amounts needed for whole eggs and egg whites from a carton in the recipe card.
Ingredients You'll Need and Why
It's just three everyday ingredients: icing or powdered sugar, egg whites, and vanilla. That's means there's little room for adjustment, though, and you'll need the exact ingredients. These are our notes from recipe testing. You can find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.
- Powdered sugar: this will be sold as powdered or icing sugar. Don't use granulated sugar, which will make the icing very grainy. We recommend buying icing sugar rather than trying to make it at home, as even the strongest food processors struggle to make a proper powdered sugar.
- Egg whites: we recommend using pasteurized egg whites to help ensure food safety. They can be found at most grocery stores in the refrigerated or baking section. If using egg whites from whole eggs, you need to use large eggs, which weigh 57 grams with shell. The white should weigh 30 grams per egg.
- Vanilla extract: you could use another extract, like a tiny amount of almond or peppermint, to vary the flavour of the icing. We don't recommend vanilla paste and powder, which add speckles to the icing.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
How to Make Royal Icing
This icing comes together in just a couple of minutes. Don't skip sifting the sugar, as lumps will be hard to incorporate into the mix and you'll risk over-mixing.
Step 1: add the egg whites, sugar, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Be sure to sift the sugar through a fine mesh sieve or flour sifter to remove any lumps, and that the eggs are at room temperature.
Step 2: use an electric mixer to beat on low speed until very smooth and shiny. You can also mix by hand, which doesn't take too long. Use a balloon whisk for the quickest mix.
Step 3: divide the icing into smaller bowls and add food colouring as needed. Mix with a spoon rather than a whisk when adding colouring to avoid adding any more air into the icing. We like gel food colouring. Add a little at a time to avoid overdoing it.
Step 4: transfer the icing into piping bags and decorate. If you have too much, you can even freeze this icing right in the piping bags, in an airtight container.
Expert Tips for the Best Icing
- Outline vs flooding: you can use a piping tip to create intricate patterns on cookies (outlining). To cover a cookie entirely, or part of it, make sure you outline the area first to prevent the icing going over the edges. Then fill up the space with icing (flooding).
- Don't stress: it doesn't need to be complicated - take our Halloween sugar cookies, cinnamon sugar cookies, or snowflake sugar cookies as examples. They're not difficult to ice, but oh-so-cute.
- Pasteurized eggs: this refers to eggs that have been heated just enough to kill bacteria that can cause food-borne illness, but not enough to cook the egg. Usually you'll be more likely to find pasteurized egg whites sold in a carton rather than whole eggs.
- Royal icing vs decorating icing: royal icing will harden as it dries, making a set icing that's good for longer storage and more detailed decoration. Decorating icing, or plain icing, is made with just powdered sugar and water (or milk/cream) and sets soft.
- For shiny royal icing: the key is lots of air movement. Don't crowd the cookies while the icing is drying and it should dry and set quickly into a nice shiny layer.
- Don't over-mix: if you over-mix royal icing, it won't dry into a smooth, shiny layer. Make sure to mix on low speed and don't beat too much air into the mix - this is icing, not frosting, and it shouldn't be fluffy.
More Icing and Frosting Recipes
Royal Icing Without Meringue Powder
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Standing mixer or handheld electric mixer, or a large whisk
- Small mixing bowls
- Piping bags
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature, 4 tablespoons if using whites from a carton
- 4 cups icing sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the egg white, sugar, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.2 large egg whites, 4 cups icing sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Use an electric mixer to beat on low speed for about 2-3 minutes, until smooth and shiny but not fluffy. Don't over-beat, as you don't want to increase the volume much. The icing will be thick, forming stiff peaks.
- Divide the icing into smaller bowls and add food colouring as needed. Transfer to piping bags fitted with tips and decorate as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided as a courtesy. For precise nutritional data, please calculate it independently using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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My go to for when I make Royal Icing! Thank you for the great Recipe!!
Do you have any tips for thinning out the frosting? It is incredibly thick (next time, I would look up weight measurements instead!). It's like putty upon being barely mixed.
Hi Shanae, there is a metric button you can tap to get the weight for the sugar. Thin the icing out with a dribble of water if needed or use a bit more egg white. We think the cups of sugar might have been too packed, or the eggs were smaller.
Hi there,
is it safe to use raw eggs? thankyou
Hi Irma, we recommend using pasteurized egg whites to help ensure food safety. They can be found at most grocery stores in the refrigerated or baking section.