Royal Icing Consistency Guide (everything you need to know + video)

There are four royal icing consistencies you can easily make. Each consistency serves a different purpose for decorating sugar cookies. The most important part to sugar cookie decorating is getting the consistencies right! This royal icing consistency guide will help answer all of your questions with videos!

Royal icing recipe

There are many recipes out there, but my easy two ingredient royal icing recipe works every time. My recipe uses pasteurized egg whites instead of meringue powder because egg whites taste better. It’s that simple. (You can find pasteurized egg whites in a carton in the refrigerator section.)

If you prefer meringue powder, had over to my recipe and check out the notes section in the recipe card. The consistencies are the same whether you use egg whites or meringue powder.

Best sugar cookie recipe

My royal icing recipe was created to pair perfectly with the best sugar cookies ever recipe (soft and buttery sugar cookies with slight crisp edges, yum!) When I used to sell custom sugar cookies, I received so much great feedback about my cookies!

The four royal icing consistencies

FLOOD

Flood consistency is thinner than the other consistencies. It has a more added water than any other consistency. It’s used to cover large surfaces of a cookie quickly and smoothly (i.e. base icing). Be careful! Too much water, or too runny will make a mess. Look for loose ribbons to run off a spatula.

What does flood icing look like? Honey

MEDIUM

Medium consistency will look different for all cookie decorators because this one is really a personal preference. It is thicker than flood consistency, and can fill in different sized spaces for a cookie design. You can use also medium icing to flood cookies.

What does medium icing look like? Melted peanut butter

PIPE-ABLE

Pipe-able icing is thicker than medium consistency but still has some flow to it. It’s great for lettering, certain detail work, and outlining cookies.

What does pipe-able icing look like? Toothpaste

STIFF

Stiff icing has the most powdered sugar added and holds its shape. It does not have any flow like the others. You can create defined details like flowers, ruffles, etc.

What does stiff icing look like? Buttercream or thick frosting

Royal icing consistency chart

	Flood	Medium	Pipe-able	Stiff
Comparison	Honey	Melted peanut butter	toothpaste	thick frosting
Line Test	5-8 seconds	10-15 seconds	15-20 seconds	N/A
Use	Flooding	Flooding, outlining, simple details	Letters, details, outlines	Flowers, 3D shapes, ruffles, stenciling, etc

Line test

The line test sounds a bit like a science experiment, and it kind of is, but it’s a visual test to help you understand royal icing consistencies.

To know if you’ve achieved the right consistency, try the line test. Take a knife and run a line through the center of the icing while it’s in the mixing bowl. Count how many seconds it takes for the surface to smooth over and the line to disappear. The seconds are listed in the chart above!

How to make each consistency

You should be warned that this is not a perfect science. It’s better to add less water or powdered sugar, do the line test, then add more as needed.

Not to worry! You can always add more powdered sugar if you added too much water, and vice versa. Note that the more you add, the more icing you will have. Practice makes perfect.

FLOOD

Start by making my easy two ingredient royal icing recipe. This recipe makes pipe-able consistency. To make flood consistency, add 1 tablespoon of water and mix for a minute. Perform the line test. It will probably still be too thick, but it’s better to add less water at a time, Add 1 teaspoon of water, mix, and repeat until the line test is 5-8 seconds.

MEDIUM

Make my easy two ingredient royal icing recipe. Add 1 tablespoon of water and mix for a minute. Perform the line test and look for 10-15 seconds. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of water if needed, mix, and repeat the line test.

PIPE-ABLE

Make my easy two ingredient royal icing recipe. This recipe makes pipe-able consistency, there’s nothing you have to change!

STIFF

You guessed it, make my easy two ingredient royal icing recipe. Add 60 grams or 1/2 cup powdered sugar and mix for a minute. This consistency doesn’t need a line test. You’re looking for a thick icing like texture that doesn’t run off the spatula. If the icing is not as stiff as you need, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time, mix, and assess.

FAQ

What’s the best consistency for simple holiday cookies?

If you’ve stumbled across this blog post, read it, and then thought “well what icing consistency do I need for simple decorated holiday cookies?” The answer is pipe-able icing consistency. It has enough powdered sugar that you can pipe borders and flood cookies. My royal icing recipe makes pipe-able icing consistency, which means you don’t have to mess around with adding water or powdered sugar.

What Food Coloring should i use?

There’s tons of great brands, but I recommend using a gel based food dye like AmeriColor. This is not a liquid, which means the color is more intense and you won’t need that much. Just start with a small drop or two!

How Long Does Royal Icing Take to Dry?

Typically, royal icing hardens after 10-12 hours, but it can take longer. It depends on how hot your kitchen is, which icing consistencies you used, etc. To be on the safe side, ice your cookies and let them dry overnight. I have an in-depth blog post about the oven drying method if you’re interested.