The Best Tips To Color Royal Icing
Most people are familiar with royal icing; it is the most used for icing cookies!
What makes this icing different than buttercream? It hardens as it sets, so if you are looking to decorate your cookies, this is the perfect option to use. It will prevent sticky hands!
Royal icing, without coloring, is pale white or off-white if you add vanilla extract. This leads many people to ask how you can best color royal icing.
FAQs About Coloring Royal Icing
We will help to answer this question and a few others in the following FAQ section.
Question: What Is The Best Coloring For Royal Icing?
Answer: You are best off using gel colors (we carry our favorite DecoPac Premium Gel Colorant) to get the shade of royal icing you want. The reason is simple. Gel colors contain food-safe pigments that are bright in color and only contain a little bit of liquid. The lack of liquid in the gel and being highly concentrated means you can apply or brighten the royal icing without altering the texture or taste. Most brands of gel colors are also free from soy, gluten, and nuts, so there is no need to be worried about allergens, and come in a wide range of colors.
Question: How Much Gel Should I Add To The Icing?
Answer: Add as much as you need. The best way to assess this is to apply the gel in drops. The more drops you add, the darker or more intense the icing will be. The original color of the icing may impact the shade of the icing. Start by adding 1 drop, then mix. If the color is to your liking, you can move on and decorate. If not, add another drop and mix again. Repeat this until you have a shade you are happy with. Cover it up for 2-4 hours if you want a very dark color. Sometimes, colors need time to develop.
Top Tip: Use a toothpick to dispense color when you want a very pale shade.
Can Gel Colors Be Mixed?
Yes, they can! When mixing gel for icing, it is best to mix more icing than you need, as it may be hard to go back and create the same shade of gel color later. To help you remember how you got the right shade of purple, green, or orange, write it down!