This simple eggless royal icing recipe works just as well as the kind with egg whites. It's even easier and much cheaper to make too! Use to decorate cookies and cakes.
A simple vegan royal icing recipe made without egg whites. Instead, using the water from a can of chickpeas (yes! trust me, this works).
Use this icing for covering fruit cakes, wedding cakes, gingerbread houses, writing icing etc etc.
How to make royal icing without egg whites
This vegan royal icing is even easier and cheaper than the kind with egg whites!
Ingredients
So if you haven't already heard of aquafaba, it is simply just the liquid you find in a tin of chickpeas, or other tinned legume. Yep, that water that is normally discarded!
This viscous water is able to trap a lot of air which is the perfect for making meringues, mayonnaise and royal icing.
The only other ingredient needed is powdered sugar. Also known as confectioner's sugar, this is just very very fine sugar that won't weigh down the mixture.
An optional ingredient that I recommend is glycerine. This prevents your icing from drying out and setting too hard.
Instructions
Much like making a meringue, it starts with just the aquafaba (egg white substitute) and getting as much air into it as possible.
Then slowly adding in the sugar, until you get a thick icing.
Flavouring & Colouring
If adding colouring and flavouring, be careful about how much. Preferably use just a tiny amount of paste, where possible.
If you want to add vanilla - opt for vanilla paste or use just ½ tsp at a time, to check the consistency.
Use this royal icing with:
Vegan Shortbread / Sugar Cookies
Leave a comment if you loved this recipe, give a rating and tag #WallflowerKitchen on instagram so I can share your creation on my stories!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Royal Icing
This vegan royal icing uses water from a can of chickpeas in place of egg whites, like magic! This batch makes enough to cover a 20cm cake or ice up to 24 biscuits.
Ingredients
- 135 ml / 41⁄2 fl oz (generous 1⁄2 cup) aquafaba
- 500g/1lb 2oz (4 cups) icing (confectioner’s) sugar, plus extra if needed
- 1 tsp vegetable glycerine, optional
Instructions
1. Put the aquafaba in a large mixing bowl and whisk with an electric hand whisk or stand mixer until foamy. Sift in the icing sugar, a little at a time, and continue to mix for about 10 minutes, until the sugar is incorporated and the mixture is thick and glossy.
2. Add the glycerine and keep whisking until soft peaks are formed. It should now be a pipeable consistency. If you need to make it thicker, add more sugar.
3. Transfer to a piping bag and use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. You will need to whip the mixture again to loosen it up, before using.
Molly says
So, I know nothing about icing. Can I use this to as frosting on a cake? Or would it be too hard. Thank you!
Aimee says
Hi Molly, yes you can use this to frost cakes! It will give you that finish you see on wedding cakes or christmas cakes, which is a smooth, hard finish.
Caity says
Hi there! Quick question; does this icing harden fully like real royal icing (like on cookies and for gingerbread houses) or is it more of a seven minute frosting used for cakes only? (As in it doesn't harden and its frosting) thank you!
Aimee says
Hi Caity, I have used it to make iced gems: http://wallflowerkitchen.com/vegan-iced-gems/ which hardened completely after about 30min - 1 hour. It would be ideal for gingerbread houses, I reckon!
Bob Ross says
Looks great! This is a recipe from the Vegan Meringues - Hits and Misses group, right?
Aimee says
Yep :-) I posted it there last night!
Marla Rose says
Beautiful! Please check out the Facebook group where this method was originally explored and all kinds of applications are being discovered every day!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/372343816286624/
Aimee says
Hi Marla, thanks :-) I just posted this in the group last night!
Jessica says
Wow thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I have been wondering about vegan royal icing! I've yet to play around with chickpea brine but it seems you can make so many wonderful things using it, such as your amazing looking iced gems! x
Aimee says
It's amazing stuff! Still so much to experiment with it too :-)