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Super Easy Royal Icing -Perfect Gingerbread House Icing

This recipe is so easy your kids can make it! Looking for a great icing recipe for cookies, or a gingerbread house maybe? Try this Super Easy Royal Icing recipe without meringue powder. Just powdered sugar, cream of tartar, egg whites, and vanilla.

If you’re looking for a Sugar Cookie Recipe that’s soft and chewy this is a true winner. I love to make these and then use the royal icing to decorate them for a fun afternoon with your kids.

Super Easy Royal Icing, no meringue powder, cookie icing, cake icing, gingerbread house icing, quick royal icing, fast royal icing

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How to make this Super Easy Royal Icing

I’ve found that you can make this easily with a stand mixer or this hand mixer. However, if you would like to get a great arm workout then this wisk is excellent for you. Just let me know in the comments how long it took you to reach stiff peaks and if you do it, just know I envy you!

Super Easy Royal Icing, no meringue powder, cookie icing, cake icing, gingerbread house icing, quick royal icing, fast royal icing

What you need to make royal icing

  • 2 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar
  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk or
  • Big Stand Mixer (this is the best)or
  • Kitchen Aid Hand Mixer
  • Spatula
  • Ziplock bags or a piping bag to pipe your icing (We went ziplock all the way)

Having no time to mess around I dumped all the ingredients in the Kitchen Aid mixer bowl and flipped the switch to on. Mix..Mix.. Mix FASTER! Seriously did I say I was short on time? I was, and this recipe turned out marvelous!

Super Easy Royal Icing, no meringue powder, cookie icing, cake icing, gingerbread house icing, quick royal icing, fast royal icing

This is what your icing will look like after 2 or 3 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate everything. You will also need to speed your mixer up a notch or two.

If you are hand mixing.. bless you because this is going to take you a bit longer than it did me. It would be a good idea to bring in your kids to whisk your icing. However, you will need to keep your eyes on them or you may not have much icing left. Their excuse was “I accidentally drank it Mom” and yes this has happened at my house!

Super Easy Royal Icing, no meringue powder, cookie icing, cake icing, gingerbread house icing, quick royal icing, fast royal icing

Don’t leave your stand mixer because it shouldn’t take long to go from the runny icing above to this thick luscious icing in the below picture. Yummy!

Super Easy Royal Icing, no meringue powder, cookie icing, cake icing, gingerbread house icing, quick royal icing, fast royal icing

Now to test your icing. We are looking for stiff peaks here! Although this icing looks like heaven, it actually needs a minute more. See the difference between this picture and the one below. Did you notice how the tip of the icing fell over? It shouldn’t!

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This royal icing recipe can not be easier. If you have any questions about the process drop them below. I am not a professional baker, just a lucky niece who was given the perfect recipe.

Super Easy Royal Icing, no meringue powder, cookie icing, cake icing, gingerbread house icing, quick royal icing, fast royal icing

Your icing needs to be stiff but be careful not to over mix the icing. That would be disastrous! This icing is perfect and doesn’t flop over! Yay! Celebrate! See I told you the name says it all! Super Easy Royal Icing!

Super Easy Royal Icing, no meringue powder, cookie icing, cake icing, gingerbread house icing, quick royal icing, fast royal icing

Keep it covered!

Make sure to keep your icing covered with a damp cloth in between use otherwise, you will have super crusty stuff that may taste ok but not pipe well at all.

Super Easy Royal Icing, no meringue powder, cookie icing, cake icing, gingerbread house icing, quick royal icing, fast royal icing

What if I don’t have a piping bag for icing?

No problem! I don’t either..

If you don’t have a piping bag just grab a zip lock bag. They work well in a pinch and there’s no cleanup! Double win! To use this just fill about half full and snip off a small amount on the end to pipe your icing through. Done!

Super Easy Royal Icing, no meringue powder, cookie icing, cake icing, gingerbread house icing, quick royal icing, fast royal icing

Happy icing!

How to make Super Easy Royal Icing -Video

Printer version of Super Easy Royal Icing Recipe

Super Easy Royal Icing

Super Easy Royal Icing

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Mix Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Easiest Royal Icing recipe ever!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar
  • Mixing bowl
  • Whisk or
  • Big Stand Mixer (this is the best)or
  • Kitchen Aid Hand Mixer
  • Spatula
  • Ziplock bags or a piping bag to pipe your icing (We went ziplock all the way)

Instructions

  1. Dump all ingredients in a bowl and mix until well incorporated.
  2. Scrap the sides with a spatula every minute or two.
  3. When the icing has stiff peaks it's finished. Don't overmix.
  4. Open a ziplock bag and spoon in the icing then close. You can also cover the bowl of icing with a damp cloth until you need it.
  5. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Did you ice cookies, a cake, or make a gingerbread house like us?

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Kathaleen Kopf

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26 Comments

  1. So you don’t have to cook the egg whites it’s my first time using egg whites and I don’t want anyone to get sick

    1. If I make a large batch can I just double everything? Even triple? We’re doing gingerbread houses for a youth activity, and want to try your recipe!

      1. Christina, I’ve doubled it not tripled it yet. Let me know how it goes. Make sure to let your houses set for about 10 minutes before you decorate the top and sides. It seems to hold the weight better. Hope you have fun!

  2. Attempting to make gingerbread from scratch with my kiddos this evening & have searched an searched for a good icing recipe & judging by how yummy yours came out an the excellent reviews from other people saying how great it worked .. I’m trying to figure out just where I went wrong over here while my children are looking at me like .. jezz, mom how long is it going to take for this icing & I followed the ingredients to a T an some how I’m still whining up with what looks like your picture where its soupy looking its somehow not getting nice an whipped like yours & I keep blending but freaking out that I’m going to blend too much an it’s just staying runny… please save me from a disappointing icing fiasco praying you have a solution to this!! Thanks again!!

  3. I did not have cream of tartar, I read lemon juice is a substitute for it. The icing never reached stiff peaks, could it be from the access liquid from the lemon juice? I will definitely invest in cream of tartar…

  4. I made this for my great nephew’s birthday cookies. LOVE LOVE LOVE this perfect recipe!! I am in no way anything more than a baking enthusiast. But this time I made Royal Icing like a pro!!! He had the cutest Moo Cow & Ear Tag decorated cookies thanks to your recipe!!Thanks again so much.

  5. My daughter really wanted to make cookies with royal icing and I felt so intimidated because I’ve tried it before and was not successful. Your directions were so clear and I was able to make the perfect consistency for icing our sugar cookies. My daughter was thrilled and we felt like we conquered it together! So fun! Thank you for a great recipe and easy to follow instructions!

  6. Thank you for sharing this recipe I was looking for a nice and easy one, but can I ask you for how long or minutes we need to keep mixing?! Thank you

    1. I actually don’t know because I usually use this frosting to build edible things with my kids.

  7. This is the best, and easiest Royal Icing I’ve come across. It works so well and it was really easy for the kids to handle! It’s a keeper for sure! Thank you.

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