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royal icing

(3 ratings)
Courtney_Bailey avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Courtney Bailey
@Courtney_Bailey
Jackson, MI

There are lots of great recipes out there for royal icing. This one is my favorite and one that I have tweaked a lot to make it just what I wanted. I hope you have as much success with this recipe as I have. Enjoy!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Royal icing sounds intimidating, but it's easy to make with simple ingredients. If you have a stand mixer, the whisk attachment does all the work. There is no meringue powder in this recipe; egg whites are used instead. This is the firm icing piped onto cutout cookies or used to put together gingerbread houses. Prepare a batch of to up your cookie decorating game.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(3 ratings)
yield 24 -30
prep time 20 Min
method No-Cook or Other

Ingredients For royal icing

  • 2 lg
    egg whites
  • 2 tsp
    fresh lemon juice
  • 3-4 c
    confectioners' sugar
  • 1 tsp
    whole milk

How To Make royal icing

Test Kitchen Tips
Since there are raw eggs in this recipe, make sure to purchase store-bought eggs that are pasteurized.

A few royal icing tips: This dries pretty quickly so keep unused portions covered. If the frosting is in a piping bag, cover the tip with a damp paper towel. Add more powdered sugar for a thicker icing and thin the icing with a little milk. Also, Courtney doesn't mention this, but extracts can be added for additional flavor.
  • Egg whites and lemon juice in a bowl.
    1
    In a large mixing bowl, add the egg whites and lemon juice.
  • Slowly whisking egg whites.
    2
    Mix slowly with a wire whisk.
  • Slowly adding powdered sugar.
    3
    Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
  • Powdered sugar whisked into the egg whites until fluffy.
    4
    Mix on medium speed until well blended.
  • Tinting the royal icing.
    5
    To add coloring, I recommend using gel food colors instead of liquid, as they add brilliant color without thinning your frosting. For piping, I use all four cups of sugar and blend until stiff glossy peaks form that do not disappear into the bowl after a 3-second count. If using for "flooding" or filling, I only add 3 cups.
  • Adding milk to thin the royal icing.
    6
    If you have thickened the frosting too much add the milk, a small amount at a time, until you achieve the consistency you're looking for.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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