This Eggless Royal Icing is perfect for decorating cookies! With a subtle lemony taste, it’s great for anything from sugar cookies to drawing decorative shapes or gluing together a gingerbread house. It hardens when it dries so decorations stay in place.
Today, we are going to talk about royalty!
Yeap… Eggless Royal Icing.
First of all, I have to clarify that by no means I am an expert on decorating cookies. Not even close.
But…
My daughter loves to decorate cookies!! Unfortunately, most royal icing recipes and store-bought royal icing products have eggs as an ingredient. So, last year I found out a recipe and tweaked a little to my liking.
If you are not familiar, Royal icing is a thick white icing use to decorate mostly cookies. It dries hard and is very versatile. There are many techniques to work with this icing depending on the consistency and what you want to achieve.
The Eggless Royal Icing recipe I’m sharing today has a thick consistency, which makes it best for detail work, such piping border, drawing decorative shapes, or gluing together a gingerbread house.
Of course, you can thin the icing out with water, depending on how thick you want it.
TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKE EGGLESS ROYAL ICING:
- The consistency of this icing is best for detail work, such piping border, drawing decorative shapes, or gluing together a gingerbread house. To thin icing for flooding a cookie, add more water, about 1 teaspoon at the time, stirring slowly. Be careful not to stir vigorously or you will add air to the icing and it won’t flood evenly.
- If you need a thicker icing mix in a little more confectioner’s sugar.
- If you need a thinner icing add a few more drops of water.
- The lemon juice helps harden the icing, but you could substitute vanilla extract if you prefer for flavor purpose.
- Keep all utensils completely grease-free.
- To add color divide royal icing among several small bowls and stir in a few drops of gel paste.
CHECK OUT THE BEST EGGLESS SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE EVER!!
ALSO THE YUMMIEST EGGLESS GINGERBREAD COOKIE RECIPE.
I hope you find this recipe useful and that it helps you create beautiful things.
Happy Cooking!!!
This Eggless Royal Icing is perfect decorating cookies! With a subtle lemony taste, it's great for anything from sugar cookies to drawing decorative shapes or gluing together a gingerbread house. It hardens when it dries so decorations stay in place.
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 4 – 5 teaspoons water
- 4 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
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Mix confectioner's sugar and water in a glass bowl until no lumps.
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Add light corn syrup and mix until incorporated.
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Stir in lemon juice and mix until incorporated.
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Use the white icing as it is, or divide the icing into several bowls and add gel food coloring. See notes for different consistencies.
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Use immediately, or store in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the icing for up to 3 days. Stir gently with a spatula before using.
The consistency of this icing is best for detail work, such piping border, drawing decorative shapes, or gluing together a gingerbread house. To thin icing for flooding a cookie, add more water, about 1 teaspoon at the time, stirring slowly. Be careful not to stir vigorously or you will add air to the icing and it won’t flood evenly.
If you need a thicker icing mix in a little more confectioner's sugar.
If you need a thinner icing add a few more drops of water.
The lemon juice helps harden the icing, but you could substitute vanilla extract if you prefer for flavor purpose.
Keep all utensils completely grease-free.
To add color divide royal icing among several small bowls and stir in a few drops of gel paste.
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- Glass Mixing Bowl Set
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- Measuring Cups
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- Measuring Spoons
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- Disposable Decorating Bags
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Just stumbled upon your blog through Foodgawker!! EGGLESS!!!!!!! My granddaughter has severe egg allergy and finding you is a blessing. <3
Great recipe for anyone with allergies but I followed the directions exactly and it tasted weird, i don’t know why but something about it tasted off
Hello Sammi! Thanks so much for your feedback and trying my recipe.
It is impossible for 2 cups of powdered sugar to be lump free with 5 teaspoons of water!
Hello M! It’s not impossible because I’ve done it many times. I am sorry this recipe didn’t work for you. Thanks for trying my recipe though.
You could sift it first to get out the lumps.
Hey i am wondering can i use this to make sprinkles ? Also can i make them a more vanilla like flavore instead
Hello Lizzy! Sorry but I haven’t tested this recipe to make sprinkles. Yes, you can add vanilla but the color will change slightly, you can use clear vanilla though.
Will this work to dip cake pops in or will it just run off right away? My daughter can’t have eggs or white chocolate b cause of the milk so I’m trying to find Ana alternative.
Hello Michelle, I haven’t tried this recipe with cake pop but I think it could work. Please come back and let me know how you like it. 🙂
Can this work for sting work also…..
Hello Titi! Thanks for your interest in this recipe. I am sorry but since I am no expert cookie decorating I haven’t tested this icing with advanced techniques. if you do, please come back and let me know. Thanks!
Hi, I wanted to know if the corn syrup could possibly be replaced by a simple sugar syrup? It’s difficult and expensive to find corn syrup in India but a lot of people who don’t eat egg. So this recipe could be perfect.
Hello Tanvi! To be honest, I haven’t tried this recipe using sugar syrup, but I don’t think it could work because the simple sugar syrup won’t help to thick the icing. Thanks for your interest in my recipe.
You should try using the water from a can of chickpeas- whip until fluffy (about 10 mins) then add icing sugar until you reach desired consistency.
Hello Izabela! Thanks for the tip. I always have aquafaba on hand so I will try soon.🙂
I accidentally read 4-5 tablespoons of water…. oops! Added about half cup extra sugar and left everything else the same. It was perfect! Thank you!
Hello Dee! I’m very happy you liked this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know!🙂
Thanks for this wonderful recipe… I always do royal icing with Aquafaba and was in search of an alternative technique for cookies. This recipe is just awesome.
Well someone asked if it works for string work then I just want to throw some light there that string work needs the icing to have some elasticity… So this recipe would not work for advance royal icing techniques.
Hello Poornima! Thanks so much for your feedback and for trying my recipe. 🤗
I am allergic to eggs. I tried the eggless royal icing. It worked fantastic. It set beautifully. Though I would definitely color it because the white is somewhat transparent.
Hello Sandra! I’m SO GLAD you like this icing. Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know!🙂
Hey I was just wondering if using another flavoring instead of lemon juice would prevent the hardening?
(I wanted to use peppermint flavoring for some Christmas cookies)
Hello Anna! You can use any flavoring you like. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it. 🙂
Can i substitute glucose syrup for the light corn syrup?
Hello Alexis! I haven’t tested this recipe with glucose syrup but I think you may be able to use glucose without a problem because they are both made from cornstarch. If you do try using this alternative ingredient, please let me know the outcome.
Will it still harden with Soft icing sugar??
Hello Tess! Yes, it will harden. Thanks for your interest in my recipe 🙂
Thanks for sharing the recipe. It worked really well.
YAY!! Thanks so much for letting me know, Kexin! Happy Holidays 🙂
Thanks for this recipe – perfect for the holidays! Very handy if you don’t happen to have eggs, or if you’re like me and don’t have a mixer to whip the egg whites. I love the lemon flavour that comes through – I added just a bit of finely grated rind as well. I did have to add more water to the recipe to get a workable consistency for the icing. Turned out tasty!
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Shannon! I’m SO GLAD you enjoyed it 🙂
I’m hoping to use this recipe today or tomorrow for our family’s first gingerbread house! It looKs great! In the recipe it says lemon juice as an ingredient, but lemon juice extract in the instructions. Which should I use? I have both but know that the extract will be much stronger in flavour.
Hello Nic! You should use lemon juice. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it. 🙂
We used this icing with gingerbread houses yesterday (wanted to be able to eat them even after days of sitting out!) and they’re holding up really well! All four houses are still standing – even the ones made with some thick, heavy pieces!
Hello Becky! I am so happy that this recipe was helpful to you. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know!
I tried the royal icing recipe, the water and corn syrup measurements are way off, the consistency ended up in clumps — I added more syrup and water until I got it to a usable consistency.
Hello Eileen! I am sorry this recipe didn’t work for you. Thanks for trying my recipe though. Happy Holidays!
OMG… best eggless royal icing ever! After I was diagnosed with egg allergy I though all hope was list for decorating cookies before I found your recipe. THANKS!
Hello Andrea! I’m happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know!🙂
Am I storing this at room temperature? Or in my fridge for use the next day? Wasn’t sure.
Thanks!!
Hello Cindy! I recommend using immediately since it hardens with time. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it. 🙂
This recipe works okay. I like how glossy the corn syrup makes it, but 4-5 TSP of water is definitely not enough to even begin to get the powdered sugar smooth. I guess maybe if you beat it into submission with a flat beater? In the end I had to keep adding water and corn syrup, and even it came out very thick. But it did seem to work.
Hello Sarah! I glad this recipe worked for you. Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know!🙂
I made this by blending my raw sugar fine, using rice malt syrup ( which I know see I needed corn syrup to react with the lemon) and subbed the lemon for vinegar (because I had no lemon. It was more yellow and dried clear. I couldnt pipe it because I dont have one of those tools but later found you can make from rolled up baking sheet! So I found it hard to stick my ginger bread house together but once it dried it was very stuck together! I would def try again. Thank you
Hello Nikky! Thanks for trying this recipe. I’m so glad you liked it 🙂