Learn how to decorate cookies with this easy royal icing recipe for Christmas, and beyond! Follow my detailed guide to making delicious royal icing, and I’ll show you how to frost with it like a pro.

decorated cutout cookies on a marble countertop

While decorating cookies with royal icing happens all year long, there’s no doubt that there’s an increase in cut-out sugar cookies and cookie decorating around Christmas. It’s easily one of the most fun and festive Christmas activities! I’ll show you how to make a simple royal icing and how to use it to create beautiful Christmas cookie designs.

What You’ll Learn From This Royal Icing Tutorial

How to make classic royal icing. Royal icing is easy to make with 3 ingredients. I’ll show you how to get the right consistency for piping, how to color the icing, and how to store it.
Outlining and flooding. My royal icing recipe does both, without having to adapt the consistency!
Easy piping techniques. Royal icing gives you better control when piping, and it’s perfect for creating more intricate designs. I’ll share some tips and techniques that you can try this Christmas!

What is Royal Icing?

Traditional royal icing is a sweet, smooth icing with meringue powder, water, and powdered sugar. Unlike frosting, royal icing hardens as it dries so that you can stack your cookies, but not so hard that you can’t bite into it. It even insulates cookies so they last longer, too!

If you’re looking for an alternative to royal icing, try my easy sugar cookie icing recipe that doesn’t use meringue.

decorated cutout sugar cookies on black background

How to decorate cutout sugar cookies with royal icing! Includes recipes, detailed instructions and a video!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Alright, so now that you’ve chosen to use royal icing to decorate your sugar cookies, let’s talk about what you’ll need. First up are your ingredients. It’s a short list. Scroll down to the recipe card below for exact measurements.

Meringue powder – This is added to the royal icing as a substitute for using actual raw egg whites. It provides stability, volume, and sheen to the icing. And since it’s shelf-stable, you don’t need to refrigerate the icing. There are lots of options available. Wilton makes one that you could probably find locally at stores such as Walmart, Michael’s or Hobby Lobby. You can also find a lot of options online.
Powdered sugar – Also adds volume to the icing and thickens it. It also dissolves easily in the icing.
Water – You’ll need water to thin the icing a bit. Aside from the vanilla, it’s the only liquid used in royal icing.
Vanilla extract – For flavor, of course. But feel free to swap it out for almond extract (or another flavor, like peppermint).
Gel icing colors – Gel colors are more potent than regular food coloring. A little goes a long way, without thinning out the icing. You’ll find Wilton icing color at stores like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Walmart, or online. I also like Americolor gels and the little squeeze bottles they come in.

How to Make Royal Icing

Let’s get to it! Royal icing isn’t hard to make, but you do have to pay attention to it. You can find the printable version of the instructions in the recipe card below.

Make the icing. First, combine the meringue powder, powdered sugar, and water. I usually start with 6 tablespoons of water and thin it out further in the next step. Beat the icing using the whisk attachment for 7-10 minutes on low to medium speed, until the icing loses its sheen.
Thin it out a bit. Now, add the vanilla and additional water to get the right consistency for piping. You can thin out the frosting before or after you add the coloring. I thin it out a bit before adding color, keeping in mind that it will thin out more as I add color.

powdered sugar, meringue powder, water and vanilla extract mixed together in mixing bowl — Combine ingredients.

whipped, thick royal icing in mixing bowl — Combine ingredients.

Lindsay’s Tip

After preparing your icing, keep it covered with a damp cloth or paper towel until you’re ready to use it, as it will dry quickly. Dampen the cloth again if you notice it’s drying out.

royal icing divided between bowls and coloring starting to be added

How To Color Royal Icing

Now that you have your icing, divide the icing into bowls, one bowl per color. For this tutorial, I colored my icing red, green, brown, and left one bowl white. Use your judgement and divide the icing based on how much you think you’ll need of each color.

Since gel colors are intense, I use toothpicks to add a small amount of color at a time. Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take it away!

Lindsay’s Tip

The color darkens as the icing sits. Black, for example, might look dark grey at first, but it will continue to darken as it dries on your cookie.

Testing Royal Icing Consistency

Many tutorials recommend two consistencies for royal icing: One that’s thicker, for outlining, and one that’s thinner for “flooding”, i.e., filling in the larger areas. Rather than preparing two consistencies in every color, I like to get my icing to a pipeable consistency somewhere in the middle. Here’s a quick way to test it:

Run a toothpick through the center of the bowl of icing (pictured below).
If the line doesn’t fill right away, your royal icing is ready!

You’ll notice in the video that I let the icing sit for a couple of seconds, then give it a shake to come together. I do the same thing when filling in the icing on the cookies. It mostly comes together on its own, but a little shake helps even it out. You can also use a toothpick to move the icing around and help it come together.

thinned royal icing at the right consistency after dragging toothpick through it

The Best Cookies for Decorating

Before we dive into decorating, let’s choose a cookie for our canvas. I have some great cookie recipes you can use to get started, no matter the time of year. Gingerbread cookies are a great option, as are my cutout cookie recipes. My soft cut-out sugar cookies are extra tender, or you can change things up with chocolate cut-out cookies, which I use in this post.

Helpful Tools

You’re almost there! Time to get your piping bags ready. Here are the tools I’d recommend having on hand.

Piping tips – There are many options depending on the design you are creating. For most jobs, you’ll want the small round tips. I typically use a mix of Wilton tip 2, Wilton tip 3, Wilton tip 4, and Wilton tip 5. The large tips are generally for flooding. If you think you’ll be doing something super intricate, there’s a Wilton tip 1. It also wouldn’t hurt to have multiples of some sizes, so you can use multiple colors of icing at one time without moving the tips between piping bags and washing them each time.
Piping bags – I like the Wilton brand. You can get disposable ones or reusable ones. I have tried some off-brand ones, and the plastic isn’t as stiff, so you have to add more pressure to the bag, which affects the amount of control you have.
Couplers – Used to secure the piping tips to the piping bag so that you can change out the tip size, if needed.
Piping tip covers – To keep the icing from drying out in the piping tip when you aren’t using it.
Piping bag ties – To keep the icing from coming out of the top of the piping bag.

Lindsay’s Tip

Royal icing can quickly dry out, leaving your piping tip clogged, so the piping tip covers are important. If you do end up with some dried icing stuck in your piping tip, use a toothpick to help remove the blockage.

Fill the Piping Bag

Follow these steps to set up your piping bag:

Fit the coupler. Add the larger piece of the coupler to the bag, and trim the tip of the bag where needed so the coupler fits.
Secure the piping tip. Add the piping tip to the outside of the bag and coupler. Then, place the outer ring of the coupler over the piping tip and screw it securely on.
Fill the bag. Fill the piping bag with icing, and secure it with the piping bag ties. Cover with the piping bag covers, and you’re ready to go!

Tips For Piping Royal Icing

Even pressure. Keep even pressure on the bag as you squeeze out the icing. This way, you won’t have parts of your lines that are thicker or thinner. Consistency is key.
Lift the icing tip. For the most part, I don’t keep my icing tip super close to the cookie. I actually lift it a bit so that icing falls in a more natural, soft line around the cookie.
Outline vs. Flooding. The outline is the thin line that you’ll pipe around the edges of the cookie. Afterward, you can “flood” or fill the outlines with more icing, creating a smooth, even finish.
Think it through. Plan your decorating ideas before you start, so you know what details you want to include, and if the icing should dry or not before adding more details on top. In the video below, I add the hat and main body of the snowman, then let it dry before adding the rest. If you add the details before it dries, they won’t sit on top of the icing and will settle into it instead. If you prefer that look, you can do that too. But you’ll want to think it through before you begin.
Don’t give up. Decorating cutout sugar cookies with royal icing can be so fun! The first couple of times might not be perfect, and that’s OK. If you aren’t in love with your cookies the first time, don’t give up. After a few tries, you’ll develop “your touch,” and it will get easier every time.

piping a line of royal icing onto a cookie — Use even pressure.

flooding royal icing onto a cookie — Use even pressure.

How Long Does It Take the Icing to Dry?

This royal icing will start to dry as soon as it’s piped onto the cookies. Lay the cookies flat while they dry, either on parchment-lined baking sheets or cooling racks. After about 20-30 minutes, the icing will form a crust. It will still need at least a couple of hours to harden enough for stacking. Just let them dry at room temperature. Humidity changes from the fridge or freezer aren’t ideal.

How To Store Decorated Cookies

Storing. This royal icing dries firm, so you can easily stack the cookies, wrap them, etc., and transport them. You can store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. The icing helps to insulate the cookies and keeps them fresh for longer, but they are naturally going to be best the sooner you eat them.
Freezing. You can certainly freeze royal icing cookies, just keep in mind that when they thaw, the icing colors might bleed. I recommend thawing in the fridge to help avoid color bleed as much as possible.

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overhead view of chocolate cut out cookies decorated for Christmas

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