Easy Royal Icing for Sugar Cookies (No Meringue Powder)

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Published February 24, 2026

If you’ve ever tried making royal icing for sugar cookies and ended up with a gloopy mess or cement-level frosting… you’re not alone. I’ve been making royal icing for years, mostly as the glue that holds together our annual gingerbread houses. But using royal icing for decorating sugar cookies is a completely different skill set. The consistency matters. And once you get it right? It’s magic.

Overhead photo of Valentine heart sugar cookies decorated with royal icing without meringue powder, arranged on a wooden table with piped designs and messages.

Recently, I had a group of ladies from church over to decorate Valentine sugar cookies, and let me tell you… we realized very quickly that icing consistency can make or break your cookie aesthetics.

Having a decorating Valentine cookies party at a dining table using piping bags with finished pink, red, and white designs spread out to dry.

Table of Contents

Ingredients and Supplies for Royal Icing for Sugar Cookies

If you’re looking for a simple royal icing recipe for sugar cookies without meringue powder, this is it. You likely already have everything in your kitchen, which makes this perfect for last-minute cookie decorating.

Ingredients

Supplies

The Perfect Consistency

When I make royal icing as “construction adhesive” for gingerbread houses, it’s thick. It has to be. That icing is holding walls and roofs together.

But when you’re using royal icing for decorating sugar cookies, you need something very different. For sugar cookie decorating, it’s all about consistency.

Too thick and your icing won’t smooth out.
Too thin and it runs right off the edges.

Royal Icing for Outlines:
For outlining details, you want what decorators call a 15–20 second consistency. When you lift your spoon and let the icing ribbon back into the bowl, it should smooth out and disappear within 15–20 seconds. This allows your lines and borders to hold their shape without spreading.

Royal Icing for Flooding:
To fill or “flood” your cookie, aim for a 10–15 second consistency. That quicker smoothing action is what gives you those flat, glossy finishes.

The icing I made for my friends that day? Perfect for outlining, but too thick for flooding. It worked, but it didn’t smooth out the way it should have.

My Royal Icing Recipe Steps (Without Meringue Powder)

  1. Beat the egg whites until stiff.
    Add your 2 room temperature egg whites to a mixing bowl and beat with a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
  2. Slowly add the powdered sugar and vanilla.
    With the mixer running on low, add the 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and gradually add 4 cups sifted powdered sugar. Scrape down the sides as needed. At this point, the mixture will be very thick.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon of water.
    Once the powdered sugar is fully incorporated, add 1 tablespoon of water (if needed).
  4. Mix until smooth and glossy.
    Turn the mixer up slightly and mix until the icing looks smooth, creamy, and glossy.
  5. Adjust to the right consistency.
    Add more water ½ teaspoon at a time, mixing between each addition, until you reach your ideal consistency.

Follow steps 1–5, then set aside a portion of the icing at the outline consistency. With the remaining icing, continue adding water in small increments as described in step 5 until you reach the thinner consistency needed for flooding.

Coloring and Piping Your Royal Icing

Once we had our icing mixed (and adjusted… and adjusted again), we divided it into bowls and added gel food coloring. I like gel because it gives rich color without thinning the icing.

Your first step when decorating sugar cookies should always be piping an outline. I like to use piping bags for this because they give you the most control. The outline acts as a barrier to hold your flood icing in place. If you want the outline to disappear, use the same color for both the outline and the flood. To keep things simple with this batch of cookies, I used a white outline on all of them.

Heart-shaped sugar cookies laid out on parchment paper and a cooling rack, each outlined with white royal icing and ready to be flooded on a granite countertop.

When it comes to flooding, I love using these squeeze bottles. Piping bags work great too, but squeeze bottles make it so easy to control the flow and quickly fill in large areas. They’re less messy, easy to refill, and especially helpful if you’re decorating with a group. It just keeps everything moving smoothly and makes flooding feel a lot less intimidating.

Pink and white squeeze bottles of royal icing drying upside down in drinking glasses on a granite countertop, with a hand mixer in the background.
Close-up of heart-shaped sugar cookies on parchment paper as pink royal icing is piped inside a white outlined border for flooding.

Toothpicks are completely underrated when decorating sugar cookies. They’re perfect for pulling icing from the flood out to the outline and helping fill in small gaps or corners.

Using a toothpick to smooth and pop bubbles in light pink royal icing on a heart-shaped cookie with a white piped outline, with more heart cookies in the background.
Heart-shaped sugar cookie fully flooded with smooth light pink royal icing on parchment paper, set on a granite countertop.

You can also use toothpicks to drag through dots or stripes and create beautiful marbled designs that look fancy, but are so simple.

Decorating a heart-shaped sugar cookie with light pink royal icing, adding darker pink polka dots along the edge using a small piping tip on parchment paper.
Finished heart-shaped sugar cookie flooded with light pink royal icing and a darker pink marbled border design, resting on parchment paper on a granite countertop.
Using a toothpick to drag pink royal icing through white icing to create a feathered pattern on a heart-shaped cookie, with more outlined heart cookies behind it.
Heart-shaped sugar cookie decorated with a pink and white feathered royal icing pattern on parchment paper, with undecorated white-outlined heart cookies in the background.

We pulled up Instagram for ideas and just scrolled until something caught our eye. But Google image searches and Pinterest boards are gold mines for decorating inspiration.

Search things like:

  • Valentine sugar cookies
  • Heart cookie decorating ideas
  • Royal icing techniques

Having a visual reference makes decorating so much easier.

Pink Valentine heart sugar cookie decorated with royal icing without meringue powder, featuring a braided piped border in white and dark icing.
Heart-shaped sugar cookie flooded with dark royal icing without meringue powder and decorated with white piped heart designs on a wooden table.

Why I’ll Always Say Yes to Hosting

I had so much fun hosting that afternoon. There is something about women gathered around a table, laughing over crooked letters and slightly questionable icing consistency, that fills my cup.

And yes, my house is in the middle of a remodel. There’s always something unfinished around here. But that has never stopped me from hosting.

Some of my other favorite gatherings have been:

Hosting doesn’t require perfection. It just requires an open heart and home.

Group of women holding Valentine cookies decorated, showing finished designs like “Be Mine” and “I love you.”
Print
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Piping light pink royal icing onto a heart-shaped sugar cookie inside a white outlined border to start flooding the center on parchment paper.

Easy Royal Icing for Sugar Cookies (No Meringue Powder)

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Description

This easy royal icing for sugar cookies is made without meringue powder and uses simple pantry ingredients. Perfect for outlining and flooding decorated cookies, this recipe creates a smooth, glossy finish with adjustable consistency for detailed designs.

Ingredients

Scale

  • 2 large egg whites, room temperature

  • 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 tablespoon water, plus more as needed (½ teaspoon at a time)

Instructions

  1. Beat the egg whites until stiff.
    Add the 2 room temperature egg whites to a mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat until stiff peaks form.

  2. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla.
    With the mixer running on low speed, add the 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Gradually add the 4 cups of sifted powdered sugar, mixing slowly to prevent a sugar cloud. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture will be very thick at this stage.

  3. Add 1 tablespoon of water.
    Once the powdered sugar is fully incorporated, add 1 tablespoon of water if needed.

  4. Mix until smooth and glossy.
    Increase the mixer speed slightly and beat until the icing becomes smooth, creamy, and glossy.

  5. Adjust to the correct consistency.
    Add additional water ½ teaspoon at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition, until you reach your desired consistency.

  6. Separate for outlining and flooding.
    Once you reach outline consistency (15–20 second consistency), set aside a portion of the icing for piping outlines.
    Continue adding small amounts of water to the remaining icing until it reaches a thinner 10–15 second consistency for flooding cookies.

Notes

Outline consistency: Icing should smooth out within 15–20 seconds when drizzled back into the bowl.

Flood consistency: Icing should smooth out within 10–15 seconds for a flat finish.

Add water slowly. A little goes a long way.

Use gel food coloring to avoid thinning the icing too much.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 tbs
  • Calories: 120
  • Sugar: 29g
  • Carbohydrates: 30g
  • Protein: 1g

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag @crystelmontenegrohome — I can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

📌 Save This Royal Icing Recipe for Sugar Cookies for Later

If you’re planning a Valentine cookie decorating party, a Galentine’s night, or just want a go-to royal icing recipe without meringue powder, don’t forget to save this for later.

Frequently Asked Questions About Royal Icing for Sugar Cookies

How do you make royal icing for sugar cookies without meringue powder?

To make royal icing without meringue powder, beat 2 egg whites with a stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Slowly mix in 4 cups sifted powdered sugar, then add 1 tablespoon of water. Continue adding water ½ teaspoon at a time until the icing reaches a smooth, glossy consistency that settles within 10–15 seconds.

What is the right consistency for royal icing when decorating sugar cookies?

For flooding sugar cookies, royal icing should smooth out and lose its shape within 10–15 seconds after being drizzled back into the bowl. For outlining or lettering, use a slightly thicker consistency so it holds its shape.

Why is my royal icing too thick?

Royal icing is usually too thick because there isn’t enough water. Add water ½ teaspoon at a time, mixing well between additions, until it reaches the proper consistency. Adding too much water at once can make it runny, so go slowly.

Why is my royal icing too runny?

If your royal icing is too thin and won’t hold its shape, add a small amount of sifted powdered sugar and mix until it thickens. Adjust gradually to avoid making it overly stiff.

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