3-Ingredient Royal Icing Recipe Without Meringue Powder

This is my super easy, 3-ingredient Royal Icing Recipe that is made without meringue powder. It is a classic icing recipe that is perfect for piping or spreading on Christmas cookies and hardens to make them easily stackable. It’s incredibly festive and you’ll love the texture it creates of a crunchy outside and a soft cookie inside!

This is my favorite royal icing recipe. It is a snap to whip together to make brilliantly festive Christmas cookies. They give the cookies a delicious crunch on the outside, which contrasts wonderfully with the soft centers.

This easy royal icing recipe is perfect for constructing a gingerbread house or decorating holiday cookies or gingerbread cookies.

The fresh lemon juice also gives it a lovely citrus flavor that balances out the sweetness of many holiday cookies but goes especially well with gingerbread. It isn’t super lemony just a hint of tang that makes for exceptionally delicious treats.

The icing dries quickly and sets beautifully making for easily stackable goodies but not so hard it will break your teeth.

As a bonus, my Christmas sugar cookies and this royal icing recipe go hand-in-hand. The egg yolks are used in the cookie dough and the egg whites are used here to make the icing!

Royal Icing Ingredients

Three simple ingredients is all you need to make this super easy icing. See recipe card for exact amounts.

1. Powdered sugar: Traditional royal icing recipes all start with powdered sugar (also know as confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar).
2. Egg whites: The egg whites make for a sturdy, stable icing that hardens and becomes stiff.
3. Lemon juice: Adds necessary liquid but also a lovely citrus flavor.
4. Food coloring: This is optional but if you want colored icing, you’ll need food coloring. Liquid food coloring and gel food coloring both work.

How To Make This Royal Icing Recipe Without Meringue Powder

1. Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Or in a mixing bowl if using a handheld electric mixer.
2. Whisk on high speed until glossy and stiff.
3. Leave icing white. Or divide into smaller bowls to mix different colors.

Any leftover icing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Why No Meringue Powder?

A classic royal icing recipe includes meringue powder instead of raw egg whites for food safety reasons so if you are immune compromised I recommend following a different recipe, but for those who don’t mind consuming raw eggs, this recipe is so easy and made with easy-to-find ingredients.

If you’d like to make a vegan royal icing, you can simply combine the powdered sugar with the lemon juice. It won’t set up as hard as the recipe made with eggs but it will soft-set, meaning a crust will form but it will still be a bit soft.

The Perfect Consistency

This easy sugar cookie icing can be adjusted to be as thick or as thin as you’d like. Different consistencies are required for different applications. You’ll want thicker icing for holding a gingerbread house together, for example.

To get the right consistency, simply add a little bit more lemon juice or powdered sugar. The recipe is pretty thick and ready for piping. If spreading the icing, thin by adding more lemon juice, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Decorating Cookies

Precise, intricate designs aren’t really my thing so if you are a casual cookie decorator like me here are some tricks I like to use.

1. Squeeze bottles. Instead of messing around with a piping bag and piping tip, I use these squeeze bottles for easier decorating.
2. Plastic bag. Spoon the icing into a ziplock bag and snip the corner to make a disposable piping bag.
3. Spreading. The easiest technique is to simply spread the icing on the cookies with an offset spatula or butter knife. It is the perfect icing to get a nice, clean swoop of frosting on each cookie.
4. Sprinkles. If you are adding sprinkles on top of the frosting, do it right away while the icing is still soft. They won’t stick once it hardens.

I think you’ll agree this is the best royal icing recipe for making beautiful cookies!

More Holiday Baking Inspiration

• Oatmeal Apple Muffins with Lemon Glaze
• Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Banana Bundt Cake
• Iced Pumpkin Molasses Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

3-Ingredient Royal Icing

Author: Kate

This is my super easy, 3-ingredient Royal Icing Recipe that is made without meringue powder. It is a classic icing recipe that is perfect for piping or spreading on Christmas cookies and hardens to make them easily stackable. It's incredibly festive and you’ll love the texture it creates of a crunchy outside and a soft cookie inside!

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Equipment

• Rubber spatula
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• stand mixer

Ingredients

• 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 (1-pound) box
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 5 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

• Combine ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed, stopping to scrape down the bowl, until glossy and stiff, about 5 minutes.
• This is a good consistency for piping; if spreading the frosting, thin with more lemon juice (a teaspoon at a time) until desired consistency.

Notes

1. Egg whites: Use the egg yolks to make Christmas sugar cookies. 
2. Hardening: To prevent royal icing from hardening in the bowl, place a damp paper towel directly on the icing’s surface when not in use.
3. Food coloring: To color the icing, divide into smaller bowls and add 1-2 drops liquid food coloring or gel food coloring and stir to combine. 
4. Consistency: Adjust the consistency: To make thicker, add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. To make thinner, add more lemon juice 1 teaspoon at a time.