How to make red icing for cookies

A quick and easy recipe for Royal Icing that we use again and again. Learn How to Make Royal Icing – it’s easier than you might think!

Full disclosure, we don’t use Royal Icing too much.  We almost always use our The Best Buttercream Frosting to frost cookies.  But on those rare occasions when Royal Icing is the only option this is the quick and easy recipe that we use.  If you’ve been searching for an answer on How to Make Royal Icing, this post is for you!

Our Royal Icing recipe is a quick and easy one that only uses a few ingredients.  The one ingredient you may not have in your pantry is Meringue Powder. Meringue powder is an egg white substitute helps the icing harden up and gives it a bit of sheen.  You can find it in the baking aisles of most stores and also here at Amazon.

Mix the powdered sugar with the meringue powder in a mixing bowl.

One tablespoon at a time, add warm water to the mixer and mix.

This is the consistency of the icing with a single tablespoon of water. 

You will need to add water until you reach the consistency you desire.  That will depend on if you are doing outlining or flooding.

Here is our pretty and shiny final product.

Add food coloring as required.  We have a fun post with all of our food coloring formulas for our most favorite frosting colors.  You can find our  Frosting Color Guide here.

Pretty red icing all ready for a decorating bag!

If you are looking for a quick and easy Royal Icing recipe, this one has never let us down.  Happy Cookie Decorating!

Continue to Content

Print

How to Make Royal Icing

Yield 2 1/2 cups

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

A quick and easy recipe for Royal Icing that we use again and again.

Ingredients

• 4 cups Powdered Sugar
• 5 tablespoons Meringue Powder
• Up to 1/2 cup Warm Water

Instructions

1. Mix the powdered sugar with the meringue powder in a mixing bowl.
2. Add warm water, a tablespoon at a time until you have the consistency of Royal Icing that you desire.
3. Add food coloring and mix until combined.

Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!

What colors make red icing?

But a pink base coloring makes it easier to make red frosting. You can achieve this by using either pink gel food coloring, or a natural base like strawberry powder or beet powder.

How do you make white icing red?

The red food coloring is available in the primary color set (which also includes yellow, green and blue)..

Light Shade: 1 cup white buttercream icing + 10 drops of color..

Medium Shade: 1 cup white buttercream icing + 20 drops of color..

Dark Shade: 1 cup white buttercream icing + 100 drops of color..