This vegan royal icing only takes 3 simple ingredients to make. Use it to decorate, cookies, cakes, donuts and cinnamon rolls.
Jump to:
- 💚Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
- 🛒Ingredients
- 👨🍳How To Make Vegan Royal Icing
- 🟣How To Color Icing
- 🍪Decorating Cookies With Vegan Royal Icing
- 🎂Decorating Cakes With Vegan Royal Icing
- 🧁Tips For Decorating
- 💡Variations
- ❄️Storage Instructions
- 🙋Frequently Asked Questions
- Craving More Vegan Recipes?
- 📖 Recipe
- Comments
If you're looking for a royal icing recipe that contains no eggs or dairy, then you're in the right place. This vegan royal icing would be perfect for loaf cakes like my vegan lemon drizzle cake or for bund cakes that work so well with beautifully dripped icing coming down the sides. And, of course it works beautifully with vegan sugar cookies.
Royal icing dries hard, unlike other cake frostings that have a bit more volume. It's perfect for a clean, flat finish or for precision decorating. See below for tips and tricks on how to use your vegan royal icing.
💚Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
💚Traditional royal icing contains egg whites or meringue powder (which contains egg whites). This is an eggless royal icing recipe, so it's perfect for anyone that has an egg allergy.
💚This is a simple one bowl icing recipe that only requires 3 simple ingredients to make.
💚You can use this vegan royal icing to decorate cupcakes, cakes, donuts, cookies or even cinnamon rolls.
💚This royal icing is gluten-free.
🛒Ingredients
- Powdered Sugar / Confectioner's Sugar: Powdered sugar is finely ground, which gives royal icing a smooth texture and helps it dissolve easily when mixed with other ingredients. This is crucial for achieving the desired smooth and glossy consistency of royal icing.
- Aquafaba: Aquafaba is the thick liquid that is found in canned or cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans). It's a versatile vegan egg substitute due to its ability to mimic the properties of egg whites. The amount of aquafaba in each can of chickpeas can vary, but a standard can typically contains around ¾ to 1 cup (approximately 180 to 240 ml) of aquafaba. You'll only need a few tablespoons for this recipe, but be sure to save the rest for other recipes, like these meringues.
- Vanilla: Vanilla adds a hint of sweetness and warmth that balances the sweetness of the sugar.
- Gel Food Colors (Optional): Gel food colors are highly concentrated, allowing you to achieve vibrant, intense colors with just a small amount. This is especially important when working with icing. You want to achieve the desired hue without adding excess moisture.
👨🍳How To Make Vegan Royal Icing
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps. This is an important step! I know it's tempting to skip sifting, but vegan royal icing is one instance where you definitely shouldn't.
- Add the aquafaba and vanilla extract to the powdered sugar. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the mixture on low speed to combine the ingredients. Be sure to keep the speed low initially to avoid powdered sugar flying out of the bowl.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue to beat the mixture for about 5-7 minutes, until the icing becomes thick, smooth, and glossy. It should hold stiff peaks.
🟣How To Color Icing
Coloring vegan royal icing is similar to coloring traditional royal icing. You can use food coloring to achieve the desired colors. Here's how you can color vegan royal icing:
Use Gel-Based Food Coloring
Gel-based food coloring is preferred for coloring royal icing because they're concentrated and won't add excess moisture to the icing. Gel colors are available in a wide range of shades and can be mixed to create custom colors.
Adding Color
Here's a step-by-step process to add color to your vegan royal icing:
- Start with a small amount of the gel-based food coloring. You can use a toothpick or a clean, small utensil to pick up a tiny bit of color.
- Add the gel color to a portion of your prepared royal icing. Remember, a little goes a long way, so start with a small amount and gradually add more if needed.
- Mix the color into the icing using a spatula, spoon, or mixer. If you're using a mixer, use the lowest setting to avoid incorporating too much air into the icing. Gradually increase the speed as the color disperses.
- If you want a more intense color, add a bit more gel color and continue mixing until you achieve the desired shade.
Mixing Custom Colors
To create custom colors, you can mix different gel colors. For example, to make purple, mix blue and red gel colors. Start with a small amount of each color, mix, and adjust as needed.
Achieving Consistency
Be mindful of the consistency of your icing while adding color. Gel colors generally won't affect the consistency significantly, but if you're concerned about the icing becoming too runny, you can compensate by adding a bit more powdered sugar.
🍪Decorating Cookies With Vegan Royal Icing
- A piping bag is what's typically used for detailed and precise designs. You can use disposable or reusable piping bags. Fit the bag with a decorating tip appropriate for the design you have in mind. Small round tips are great for outlining and detailing, while larger tips work well for flooding or filling in areas.
- A piping syringe or a cookie press can be used to create consistent and even lines. These are particularly useful for intricate designs and can provide more control over the icing flow.
- If you're looking for a more simple and accessible option, you can use a small plastic baggie. Fill the baggie with icing and snip a small hole
🎂Decorating Cakes With Vegan Royal Icing
- Piping bags are also used for cake decorating. Depending on your design, you can use different tips to pipe lines, rosettes, flowers, and other decorative elements. Start with a larger tip for covering larger areas and switch to smaller tips for details.
- An offset spatula is a versatile tool for smoothing and spreading icing on cakes. This is great for creating a smooth and even base layer of icing before adding detailed decorations.
- Pouring icing on a cake can create a sleek, glossy finish. This technique is suitable for bundt cakes and cinnamon rolls or anytime when you want a smooth, poured icing effect. Ensure your icing is at the right consistency for pouring.
🧁Tips For Decorating
- Before applying icing to your baked goods, practice on a piece of parchment paper to get a feel for the icing's consistency and your chosen decorating tools.
- Allow one layer of icing to dry before adding another color on top. This prevents colors from bleeding into each other.
- Adjust the icing's consistency for your desired effect. Thicker icing is better for outlining and creating intricate designs, while slightly thinner icing (flooding consistency) is ideal for filling in larger areas. To thin your vegan royal icing, add water a teaspoon at a time. To make the icing thicker, add powdered sugar.
- Let your decorated items dry thoroughly before moving or stacking them. This can take a few hours to overnight, depending on humidity and thickness of your icing.
- Decorating takes practice! Don't be afraid to experiment and get creative with your designs. With time, your skills will improve.
💡Variations
There are several variations and adjustments you can make to vegan royal icing to achieve different textures, flavors, and effects. Here's a few variations you can try:
- Infuse your vegan royal icing with additional flavors to complement your baked goods. Add a drop or two of flavor extracts such as almond, lemon, orange, or peppermint. Make sure to use extracts that are compatible with the overall taste of your recipe.
- For a rich and chocolaty twist, you can incorporate cocoa powder or melted vegan chocolate into your royal icing. This will create a delightful chocolate flavor and a darker color. Adjust the consistency with powdered sugar as needed.
- Experiment with different textures by altering the consistency of your icing. Thicker icing can be used for piped designs, while slightly thinner icing can be spread with a palette knife for a more rustic look.
- For a visually stunning effect, you can marble two or more colors of icing together. Pipe or spread different colors side by side, and then use a toothpick or a thin tool to gently swirl the colors together.
- Experiment with natural colorants like beet juice for pink, spinach juice for green, or turmeric for yellow. Keep in mind that these natural ingredients may affect the taste and consistency of the icing.
❄️Storage Instructions
Transfer any unused icing to an airtight container. This can be a plastic or glass container with a tight-sealing lid. Before sealing the container, you can also press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the icing to prevent a crust from forming. You can store unused icing in the refrigerator for a short period, usually up to a week.
If you want to store the icing for an extended period, you can freeze it. Transfer the icing to an airtight container, label it with the date, and freeze for up to several months. Thaw the icing in the refrigerator and remix it to restore its consistency before using.
🙋Frequently Asked Questions
Aquafaba is the viscous liquid that is found in canned or cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans). It's commonly used as an egg substitute in vegan cooking and baking due to its ability to mimic the properties of egg whites. The name "aquafaba" is derived from Latin, where "aqua" means water and "faba" means bean.
Aquafaba contains a mixture of starches, proteins, and other plant compounds that are released from the chickpeas during the cooking or canning process. When it is drained from the chickpeas, it has a consistency similar to that of egg whites. It can be whipped into a foam, much like egg whites, and used as a binding or leavening agent in recipes that traditionally call for eggs.
There are a few reasons why your royal icing might not be hardening properly. It could be due to the humidity in your environment, which can slow down the drying process. Additionally, if the icing is too thin or runny, it might not set properly. It's important to ensure that your icing reaches the right consistency before applying it, and to allow enough drying time, potentially overnight, in a dry and cool area.
Craving More Vegan Recipes?
Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vegan Cookie Dough + Cookie Dough Truffles
📖 Recipe
Vegan Royal Icing
Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons aquafaba liquid from a can of chickpeas
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Food coloring optional
Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps.
- Add the aquafaba and vanilla extract to the powdered sugar. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the mixture on low speed to combine the ingredients. Be sure to keep the speed low initially to avoid powdered sugar flying out of the bowl.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue to beat the mixture for about 5-7 minutes, until the icing becomes thick, smooth, and glossy. It should hold stiff peaks.
- If you're using food coloring, add a drop or two at a time and mix until you achieve your desired color.
- Once the icing is ready, you can use it immediately to decorate your baked goods. If you're not using it right away, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp cloth to prevent the icing from drying out.
- To decorate, transfer the icing to piping bags fitted with small round tips. You can create intricate designs or simply outline and fill in shapes on cookies and cakes.
- Let the icing set and harden for a few hours until it's completely dry to the touch.
Notes
- Vegan royal icing can dry out faster than traditional royal icing, so it's a good idea to work quickly and keep unused icing covered.
- Allow decorated baked goods to dry thoroughly before storing. This can take several hours to overnight, depending on the humidity and thickness of the icing.
- You can add agave nectar to your vegan royal icing if you want it to be stickier and a touch glossier. Start by adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of agave nectar, adjusting to taste, to maintain the desired consistency while enhancing the icing's taste profile.
Comments
No Comments