Description
This vegan royal icing recipe is a perfect plant-based alternative to traditional royal icing, made with aquafaba instead of eggs. It creates a thick, glossy, and versatile icing ideal for outlining and flooding cookies, cupcakes, and other baked treats. Easy to make, it whips up in minutes and can be colored and flavored naturally for customized decoration.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 60 g aquafaba (the liquid from canned chickpeas)
- 400 g powdered sugar (confectioner’s/icing sugar, organic preferred if US-based)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or orange juice
- Optional natural colors and flavors (such as powdered colors or natural extracts)
Instructions
- Prepare Aquafaba: Whisk the aquafaba in a mixing bowl or stand mixer with a whisk attachment until it becomes foamy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Powdered Sugar: Sift the powdered sugar in four increments into the aquafaba, whisking well between each addition until you achieve a glossy, thick mixture.
- Incorporate Lemon Juice: Whisk in the lemon or orange juice to the mixture to balance sweetness and help with setting.
- Adjust Consistency: For outlining cookies, keep the icing thick so it holds its shape. To flood cookies, thin the icing with additional aquafaba or liquid colors to a runnier consistency as needed. Thicker icing can be achieved by adding more powdered sugar.
- Add Colors and Flavors: Divide the icing into separate bowls and incorporate desired natural colors or extracts. Adjust liquid amounts if using powdered colors to maintain consistency.
- Decorate Cookies: Transfer icing to piping bags, snipping the tip to the preferred size depending on line thickness. Pipe outlines first, allow to dry for an hour, then flood inside outlines if desired. Let decorated cookies dry for several hours until icing is firm and dry to the touch before serving.
- Store Icing: Keep unused icing in a sealed piping bag refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. The icing remains liquid unless exposed to air, which causes it to dry and harden.
Notes
- This recipe yields a thick royal icing perfect for outlining cookies; adjust thickness by adding powdered sugar or thinning with aquafaba/liquid color.
- When using powdered colors, add extra liquid to maintain appropriate icing consistency.
- Runnier icing will take significantly longer to dry.
- Do not expose icing to air when storing to prevent hardening.
- Aquafaba is the key vegan substitute for egg whites, providing structure and sheen.
- Use organic powdered sugar if available for best quality and purity.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert Decoration
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: Vegan
