Royal Icing

Name: Royal Icing
Total time: 10 min
Yield: Enough for about 4 dozen cookies
Ingredients: 3 3/4 cups/1 pound/454 grams confectioners’ sugar; 3 large egg whites; 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar; Pinch kosher salt; Food coloring, as needed

By Melissa Clark

Updated July 8, 2022

Royal Icing — Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.

Total Time: 10 minutes, plus decorating
Rating: 5(1,774)
Comments: Read comments

This is a recipe for the classic icing used to decorate cut-out sugar cookies and gingerbread houses. It hardens quickly, so be sure to cover any you're not using with plastic wrap, gently pressing the wrap into the surface of the icing to prevent a crust from forming.

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Ingredients

Yield:Enough for about 4 dozen cookies

3¾cups/1 pound/454 grams confectioners’ sugar
3large egg whites
½teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch kosher salt
Food coloring, as needed

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Whisk until stiff and glossy.
Step 2
To tint the frosting, divide into small bowls. Cover the ones you aren’t using with plastic wrap; the frosting dries out very quickly. Use a rubber spatula to stir in desired food coloring. Though not necessary, it makes life easier if you make two versions of each color — one that is thick to pipe the outline on the cookie, and one that is thinned out slightly with a little water to flood the outline.
Step 3
Transfer frosting to piping bags fitted with very small round tips (sizes 1 to 2 work best). Pipe frosting onto cooled cookies and let set, at least 2 hours. Or use a pastry or paint brush to decorate cookies with the frosting.

Tips

If you plan to heavily frost your cookies, consider doubling this recipe.
Leftover icing can be refrigerated for a few days in an airtight container (for extra insurance against drying out, press plastic wrap on to the surface of the frosting before closing the lid). Before using, let icing come to room temperature, and mix to combine. If the icing is still lumpy, beat the icing in the bowl of a stand mixer for a few minutes.

Ratings

5 out of 5

1,774 user ratings

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Comments

Cait7 years ago

Easy, easy, easy. Definitely take Melissa's advice to use a slightly watered-down version of each color for filling; it saves time and looks smoother.

I didn't have piping bags, so I used ziplock bags with a corner cut off, and the icing went on beautifully.

Jenny7 years ago

A drop or two of lemon juice adds a nice tang

Cathy4 years ago

I used liquid egg whites (available in pints in the egg section of my grocery store) because they are pasteurized and I wanted to eliminate the salmonella risk. Worked beautifully.

paula7265 months ago

Not thick enough for gingerbread house. Add 1 cup more of confectioners sugar. 🎄

Lesley6 months ago

This recipe was perfect! I did add some water at the end to make the icing a little smoother for decorating!

Kath6 months ago

I added lemon juice for a tarter flavor and added some water to thin out ONLY the part for flooding. Don't add anything to colours for decoration so it stays stiffer

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