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.
Sowmya says
Hi, I made this with ho.emade aquafaba amd omitted the glycerine. Worked well. I couldn’t get my aquafaba to foam, but nevertheless it tasted good and did harden.
I have lot of the icing left. How to store the this icing? And for how long?
Thanks
Aimee says
yes, you can freeze! I would put in ziplock bags and store for a couple of months, maybe. glad the recipe worked well, even without the glycerin :-)
Leslie says
Hello! Wondering if you can add Cream of Tartar in place glycerin to form peaks when foaming the chickpea water?
Aimee says
That is a very good question, Leslie. I’ve not tried it in this recipe but I was just researching some other royal icing recipe and some do use 1/4 tsp cream of tartar instead. I will test this out myself when I get a chance and make a note of it. But it looks like it does work ok!
Doreen says
Hello! Did you try the cream of tartar substitute? If so, how did it work out?
Maia says
I am wondering where you can buy Vegetable Glycerin. I found some at Whole Foods but it says it is for moisturizing though the only ingredient is the glycerin; is that ok? Thanks!
Aimee says
Ooh I don’t know, I would make absolutely sure it is food-safe. Plenty of people have tried this recipe without glycerin with good results so you could just try leaving it out. It depends on what you’re using the recipe for. If it is for piping on gingerbread etc. it should be perfectly fine without it but for icing a cake you might be better off sourcing the glycerin. Hope that helps!
Jackie says
I bought mine in Tesco supermarket in UK, it is for food use.
Barbara says
Hi! Made icing for biscuits for a dairy-egg allergic child and it was lovely. I actually don’t like that egg smell that usually royal icing gives off so I think I’m going to use this recipe forever. It did dry really quick compared to the ready made icing and took colours brilliantly. However, on the second day, although still tasted delicious, the icing had become opaque and not so bright looking. Is there something that can be done to make the colours stay bright? Something to maybe brush on the surface? Thanks!
Megan says
Try adding a little corn syrup I know that works for regular confectioners icing. I may try adding a little when I make this today.
Seema says
Yes even the white color is not as w white and bright as shown here in the picture and even the icing is not that fluffy
Next day it turns bit transperent too.
Jackie says
I made this icing last Christmas and it was perfect! The colour is so subtly off white you can barely tell..abd it tasted wonderful!
James Focker says
I made it for all the Fockers in my family and the Fockers loved it!!!