Eggless Royal Icing

A hand holds a frosting bottle and is outlining a sugar cookie in pink frosting. there are more cookies and frosting behind it.

It's easy to make your own eggless royal icing. Typical royal icing is made with egg whites, but this eggless royal icing has all the same texture, shape, and flavor!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings cups

Calories 60kcal

Author Marly McMillen

Ingredients

4 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer (see notes for homemade)
6 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon almond extract
4 cups powdered sugar
organic food coloring gel

Cups - Metric

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together the egg replacer, water, and almond extract. Stir until combined.
Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, stirring until a spreadable consistency is achieved. If icing is too thick, add a smidge of water. However, if you add food coloring in drops, that will add moisture to the icing too. Keep a mister bottle nearby and mist the frosting if it thickens.
Add food coloring to achieve the desired color intensity. Once cookies cool, either dip them in desired icing colors or fill squeeze bottles with colored icing. Decorate cookies and then allow them to sit for 2 to 3 hours up to overnight.
For the best consistency for flooding/filling, if you pull the spoon out of the bowl, the icing that drizzles off the spoon should hold its shape for several seconds before dissolving back into the rest of the frosting. If it's too thin, add a little bit more powdered sugar.
To decorate cookies: First, pipe the outline, then fill. Drop the cookie a few times on the counter, or use a toothpick to smooth the icing until it evenly distributes across the cookie.
Once the frosting sets, pack them in an airtight container. They will keep 4 to 5 days at room temperature or up to 10 days in the fridge when stored correctly. They can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Notes

Storing Royal Icing

Transfer unused royal icing to an airtight container. You can also add a piece of plastic wrap to be in direct contact with the icing. This helps prevent it from drying out. Store royal icing at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It thickens as it sits, so you will need to stir it and possibly spritz it with water before using it.

Decorating Cookies

You don't have to use piping tips unless you're doing intricate designs, such as with Vegan Gingerbread Cookies. I use a butter knife or even the back of a spoon to push the icing around on most of my cookies, and it works just fine.

Royal Icing Tools

Gel Food Coloring — I prefer organic gel food coloring (see the post for the link).
Piping Tips — I like using Wilton 3 and 4 tips because they're easy to work with.
Frosting Bottles — I prefer frosting bottles to piping bags because I find them easier to work with and clean.

Egg Replacer

You can order Ener-G Egg Replacer or use this as a substitute: 2 tablespoons potato starch, 1 tablespoon tapioca starch, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon baking soda. This is a very similar formula to the egg replacer mentioned above.

Nutrition