With just 3 core ingredients and endless natural color and flavor options. This vegan royal icing recipe is perfect for decorating cookies for Christmas, Easter, or any special occasion.
Note: The recipe as is will make thick royal icing suitable for outlining cookies. You can then thin it with liquid colors or additional aquafaba for a runnier consistency to coat entire cookies. Make it as thick or loose in consistency as you need, just add more sugar to thicken it or more liquid (chickpea water or liquid colors as listed in the notes) for a runnier viscosity.When using powdered colors, you may want to compensate with additional liquid. Note that runnier icing will take substantially longer to dry.
Whisk the aquafaba in a mixing bowl or stand mixer with a whisk attachment until foamy for about 2 minutes.
Sift in the powdered sugar in 4 increments, whisking between each one until you have a glossy mixture. Whisk in the lemon juice.
To outline cookies: You need quite a thick consistency that holds its shape and doesn't fall into itself.To flood cookies: By covering the entire surface with icing, you may want to thin it out with a little more liquid.
Adding colors and flavors: Separate the icing into bowls and add any colors or flavors you need. The amounts needed to color the icing are shown in the recipe notes below.
Decorating cookies: Snipthe tip off of the icing bag so there is a small opening when you're ready to use it. The size of the opening will depend on how fine the lines you want to draw are. outline consistency or flood consistency.Draw an outline of icing on the cookie, and when using a different color for the center, allow it to dry for an hour. You can then flood the cookies by continuing to pipe the icing inside the outlines.Wait a couple of hours until the icing is dry to the touch before serving.
Storage: Keep the piping bag sealed and in the fridge until you are ready to use it, for up to 2 weeks. It will stay in its liquid form as long as it isn't exposed to air. Once left exposed to air, it will dry and become hard.
Notes
Aquafaba: The liquid part from tinned chickpeas.
Sift powders like raspberry powder, matcha, or cocoa before adding them to your icing to remove any lumps or seeds.