How To Color Royal Icing
Royal icing (sometimes abbreviated to RI) is one specific type of icing that's used for cookies. What makes it different than buttercream or "frosting" is that royal icing hardens as it dries, so the people delighting in your cookies will not get sticky icing on their hands!
Without any added color, royal icing is white or sometimes off-white if you used a brown colored liquid flavoring like vanilla or almond extract.
One of the top questions we get is...
What's the best coloring for royal icing?
The best colorings for royal icing are Gel Colors.
Why? Gel colors contain bright, food-safe pigments and only a little liquid. This lack of liquid means you can add more color to your royal icing without changing the texture or the taste.
As a bonus our Cookie Countess Gel Colors are free of the 11 major allergens included gluten, soy, peanuts/tree nuts; and kosher certified!
How much gel color do I need to add to my royal icing?
The short answer is: as much as you need.
Not helpful, I know.
It's best to measure gel colors by units of "drops", one drop from the bottle will instantly add color to your icing. How many drops of you need to get your desired color depends on how much icing you have, and the color of that icing to begin with.
You can get MANY shades from a single bottle of gel color!
My rules for achieving the perfect icing color:
The One Drop Rule
Start with one drop and full mix after each addition. You are not saving yourself any time by squirting half the bottle into your icing! I promise. Sometimes for very pale colors, I even just dab a bit of color on with a toothpick!
For Pure White Icing
If you want to get true color, one that won't be tinted by brown extracts, use a clear extract like Genie's Dream Clearly Not Vanilla.
To make a bright white icing, use Whipped White Gel Icing Color. Yes, adding white to your already white icing will make it be less opaque and stand out against other colors on your cookies.
Let DARK Colors Develop
Gel Colors are pigments, and just like the 35 minutes it takes for hair dye to develop, your royal icing needs time too.
To achieve the hardest colors -- black and red: add drops of gel color, fully mixing after each addition, until your icing is close to the desired color. Cover your royal icing and let it sit on the counter for 2 - 4 hours, or place it in the fridge overnight if you're not going to use it immediately.
You will find that after a few hours the color will have developed into a darker, richer version.
When you're ready to use your developed color, give it a stir to remix any natural separation.
Can I mix gel colors?
Absolutely! You can experiment with mixing colors to achieve that perfect shade.
When custom mixing it's a good idea though to mix more icing than you think you need, as it can be hard to go back later and make more of the same exact color.
Write down your recipe as you go, so you don't forget!
Here's an example of one way to write down a color chart. You can use colored pencils to show a swatch of the color you achieved.
Bonus "Hack" - Adding Airbrush Colors to Royal Icing
You can use our water-based Edible Airbrush Colors to your royal icing to experiment with some beautiful pastel shades. They have more liquid that gel colors, so you'll want to start with a stiffer icing.
Recommended for You:
-
Black Fine Tip Food Marker
The Cookie CountessOriginal price $ 1.85 - Original price $ 1.85Original price$ 1.85$ 1.85 - $ 1.85Current price $ 1.85in stockA black edible-ink pen is essential for your decorating kit. Use these high quality markers for: Marking up baked cookies for planning designs Wri...
View full detailsOriginal price $ 1.85 - Original price $ 1.85Original price$ 1.85$ 1.85 - $ 1.85Current price $ 1.85 -
Food Safe Brushes Set of 6
The Cookie CountessOriginal price $ 6.99 - Original price $ 6.99Original price$ 6.99$ 6.99 - $ 6.99Current price $ 6.99in stockSet of 6 high quality brushes for royal icing, edible paints, dusting edible glitter, fondant work, and more. Includes 3 point tip brushes ranging ...
View full detailsOriginal price $ 6.99 - Original price $ 6.99Original price$ 6.99$ 6.99 - $ 6.99Current price $ 6.99 -
Instant Royal Icing Mix - White Base
The Cookie CountessOriginal price $ 7.00 - Original price $ 42.00Original price $ 7.00 - Original price $ 42.00Original price $ 21.00$ 7.00 - $ 22.00$ 7.00 - $ 22.00Current price $ 7.00in stockJust add water for white, stiff icing! Perfect for stenciling, dots and eyes, writing, or thin it for flooding. You can tint it any color you need!...
View full detailsOriginal price $ 7.00 - Original price $ 42.00Original price $ 7.00 - Original price $ 42.00Original price $ 21.00$ 7.00 - $ 22.00$ 7.00 - $ 22.00Current price $ 7.00Save up to 48% -
Cookie Order Form 5 x 7, 50 sheets
The Cookie CountessOriginal price $ 5.50 - Original price $ 5.50Original price$ 5.50$ 5.50 - $ 5.50Current price $ 5.50in stockThese cute sheets will help you plan your cookie orders. The back has an area for sketching and pricing planning. Size: 5" x 7" 50 Sheet Pad Tear ...
View full detailsOriginal price $ 5.50 - Original price $ 5.50Original price$ 5.50$ 5.50 - $ 5.50Current price $ 5.50 -
Cookie Lifter - Extra Wide Spatula
The Cookie CountessOriginal price $ 6.79 - Original price $ 6.79Original price$ 6.79$ 6.79 - $ 6.79Current price $ 6.79in stockEasily lift and move cookies without touching or damaging them. Use this oversized spatula for moving dough shapes on your cookie sheets, and for t...
View full detailsOriginal price $ 6.79 - Original price $ 6.79Original price$ 6.79$ 6.79 - $ 6.79Current price $ 6.79
-
Red Velvet Cutout Cookies for Cookie Cutters
Read articleHow to make red velvet flavored roll out cookies. With just a few ingredients you can make delicious cookies with all the flavor of red velvet cake. It's important to use the right type of cocoa for this recipe, a...
-
Almond Cutout Cookie Recipe for Cookie Cutters
Read articleThese almond cookies will hold their shape when cut out, bake with a soft bite, and are full of that warm and toasty almond flavor you love. The secret to a rich almond taste is to lightly toast the almond...
-
Halloween Free Stencil Download
Read articleVoting is closed for this month's poll! The winner is... Wizard Chick! What's an SVG? It's a vector image type used by cutting machines such as Cricut, Sizzix, Silhouette Cameo, and more.
Leave a comment