How to Make Royal Icing and Flood Icing (2024)

Royal Icing and Flood Icing can turn regular sugar cookies into little works of art! Smooth, royal icing and flood icing are actually simple to make and decorate with too.

Do you ever wonder how bakeries get that smooth, perfect icing on cookies? They are gorgeous and can look really complicated. But here’s a secret: they aren’t complicated at all. In fact, this smooth royal icing and flood icing recipe is simple to make and easy to use. It’s perfect for decorating cut out cookies.

Royal Icing

Royal icing is a mixture of powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water. The trick is getting the consistency just right. It hardens quickly and creates a smooth, matte finish stiff icing that is perfect for those beautifully cut-out decorated sugar cookies.

Flood Icing

Once you’ve outlined your cookies with your royal icing outline, you’ll fill in your designs with “flood” icing. Flood icing is basically just a watered-down royal icing (watered down in consistency, not flavor). It gives your cookies that beautiful, smooth layer of texture. You can use a toothpick to pop and smooth air bubbles.

Ingredients in Royal Icing and Flood Icing

• Powdered Sugar (aka confectioners’ sugar) – this will be the bulk of your icing. You MUST sift the powdered sugar if you want to have the perfect consistency.
• Meringue Powder– We use Genie’s Dream Premium Blend and it is perfect.
• Food Coloring– Don’t use the grocery store stuff. It will mess up your consistency. Get a good food coloring from the craft store or the oneHERE.
• Water – Use water to thin royal icing out into flood icing.
• Piping Bags– We like these small disposables ones.

How to Get the Perfect Consistency for Royal Icing

Before knowing what the perfect consistency is, you need to ask yourself “What am I using this for”? Are you making sugar cookies? Gingerbread houses? Flowers for a wedding cake? Are you doing detailed work or are you flooding? Or both? Here’s a quick guide:

There are 3 main consistencies for royal icing:

1. Piping (on the left in the image above) – Piping is very stiff and gets very hard after drying. This kind of consistency is great for using as mortar on gingerbread houses. It is also good for making transfers (which means making an icing design like a flower and transferring it to a cake or cookie after drying). To get this consistency you want to have stiff peaks that don’t flop over when you pull it up.
2. Outline (in the middle in the image above) – The outline consistency is for, well, outlining. This will hold in your flood icing but won’t get too hard like the piping consistency. You can easily bite into it and it won’t be crunchy. It is great for sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies. To get this consistency you want to have a soft peak that gently flops over when pulled up, but not so soft that it absorbs back into the rest of the icing. You want it to still hold its form.
3. Flood (on the right in the image above) – This is that beautiful, glossy, “fill” icing. It will flood in the areas that you have outlined. It is perfect for sugar cookies. For this flooding consistency, you want the icing to absorb back into itself in 3-4 seconds after pulling it up. It should make a thick puddle and then keep its shape.

Royal Icing Taste

You might wonder, does royal icing taste good? YES! At least this recipe does. It is delicious! If you prefer a rich creamy frosting, try our delicious cream cheese frosting or our decadent buttercream frosting. Using a thin layer of royal flood icing on a cookie is the perfect amount; it’s still sweet icing and it makes your cookies shine. If you want decorative, ornate, and tasty icing, go with royal icing. But for a rich, flavorful cookie, top it with a dollop of cream cheese frosting and a few sprinkles if you’re feeling festive.

Royal Icing with Meringue Powder

In this easy royal icing recipe we use meringue powder. Some people use egg whites, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Especially for this recipe. Using raw eggs and raw egg whites can make this recipe inconsistent and increase the risk of salmonella. I promise, this recipe is perfect as-is, no need for substitutes. Meringue powder (not to be confused with egg white powder) is the only way to go. That being said, our very favorite meringue powder is thisGenie’s Dream Premium Blend Meringue Powder. It has great consistency and flavor. We can’t guarantee any other meringue powder will turn out quite as good!

Royal Icing and Cake

Royal icing serves a great purpose and is very beautiful, but not on a cake. At least not in large quantities. The only time you may want royal icing on a cake is if you make flowers or other decorations and transfer them to the cake after they harden. Even then, they really aren’t meant to be eaten, they are more for decoration. You can also use royal icing as a “glue” if you are wanting to attach the icing flowers or other embellishments onto the cake.

What To Do if Your Icing is Too Thick

If it’s not the right consistency for your liking, stir in a tiny bit of water, a LITTLE at a time (you can always add more but you can’t take it away). You can use a quarter teaspoon measuring spoon, or I like using a little condiment squeeze bottle to add drops of water in slowly. You may even want to use a spray bottle to make sure you don’t add too much water too quickly.

How to Frost Cookies with Royal Icing and Flood Icing

You can decorate sugar cookies like a pro– it’s easier than it looks! Place the icing in a piping bag, snip off the tip, and outline the cookies.You can also use a reusable piping bag with a small piping tip. Fill in the outlines on the cookies with the flood icing and then use a toothpick to fill in any little gaps. Add sprinkles for more dimension and design. Be creative and have fun!

More Frosting and Icing Recipes

Different cookies and confectionaries use different kinds of icing and frosting. Find the one that is perfect for you and your next recipe!

Frequently Asked Questions About Royal Icing and Flood Icing

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How to Make Royal Icing and Flood Icing