My perfect 2 ingredient vegan royal icing recipe is perfect for cookie decorating, piping flowers and for writing on your baked goods. With just 2 ingredients, icing sugar and aquafaba, it is easy to make, uses basic ingredients and we’ll have you decorating in no time.

Aqua-what?
The liquid from a can of chickpeas is known as aquafaba and is often used in vegan cooking and baking. Literally translated it means bean water. Traditionally seen as the part of the can that you discard, there is actually a lot of starch and some protein in aquafaba, which makes it a great binding agent. It is perfect as a natural egg replacement in many recipes as it whips up nicely and has a similar consistency to egg white. It’s also a great alternative to using meringue powder in your icing. A batch of vegan royal icing costs roughly $3 Canadian to make.
Aquafaba was first used as an alternative for eggs in late 2014, purely by accident when musician Joël Roessel discovered that it had wonderful foaming properties. From there, Roessel shared his experiments and recipes on his blog and the aquafaba revolution began.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This recipe uses just 2 ingredients and is the easiest and cheapest way to make royal icing.
I always weigh my ingredients rather than use cup measurements. This ensures accuracy for every recipe and perfect results every time. Check out the recipe card for US cup measurements.
Dry Ingredients
Icing Sugar: To ensure that this is true vegan royal icing, please check that your icing sugar does not contain bone char. Some manufacturers add bone char to enhance the white colour of icing sugar. I am in Canada and exclusively use Redpath Sugar as their icing sugar contains only cane sugar and a small amount of cornstarch (to stop clumping). It is also pre-sifted and ready to use straight from the bag. I do highly recommend sifting your icing sugar if your preferred brand is not pre-sifted.
Wet Ingredients
Aquafaba: My preference is to use the liquid from a can of chickpeas. I do not reduce the liquid beforehand. If you are unable to find chickpeas in a can, you can use the liquid from canned white beans, navy beans or lima beans.
More options:
Flavouring: While there is no chickpea taste to this icing, you may prefer to add flavouring so that it replicates regular royal icing. I recommend adding 1 teaspoon of flavouring when you add in the second addition of icing sugar.
Colouring: Water-based and powdered food colouring works best with royal icing. As with any meringue-based icing, you want to avoid any oil coming into contact with it as it will split the icing. If you want to colour the entire batch, add colouring alongside the icing sugar. To add multiple colours, split up your icing once it is fully mixed and colour as required.
How to Make Perfect 2 Ingredient Vegan Royal Icing
Before starting to make our icing, it is important to wipe your mixing bowl, whisk attachment and spatula with white vinegar. This is to ensure that there is no oil residue on there. Oil and royal icing do not go well together and it can cause the meringue to deflate and split. Pre-treating your equipment will ensure that your icing will mix up correctly.
Open the can of chick peas and drain them in a sieve over a mixing bowl to retain the liquid. You will notice a strong chickpea smell when you start whisking the aquafaba. This quickly dissipates once you start adding the icing sugar. It does not affect the taste of the icing.
Note – I use 19 fl oz / 540 ml cans of chickpeas and usually get 200ml of aquafaba per can. Increase or reduce the amount of icing sugar that you need if your can size is different.
Mixing the Royal Icing
Add the aquafaba to your stand mixer bowl and mix it on low (2) with the whisk attachment.
The liquid will start to froth as tiny air bubbles form.
Increase the speed to medium (5) and whisk until the aquafaba increases in volume and becomes whiter in colour with larger bubbles.
In two stages, add the icing sugar and whisk at a medium speed (5-6). To avoid a big *puff* of icing, stir in the icing sugar lightly with a spatula with each addition. If you prefer to flavour your vegan royal icing, add your flavouring with the second addition of icing sugar.
Continue to mix at a medium speed until the icing is light and fluffy with a medium/stiff peak. This usually takes about 6 minutes. I prefer to make my icing on the stiffer side so that I can split it up and add water to part of it for flooding and also keep some for flower work and writing.
Note – the amount of icing sugar that you will need is also dependent on the humidity in your kitchen. On particularly humid days, you may need slightly more icing sugar to thicken your icing. Conversely, during dry cold winters such as we have here in Canada, you may need more liquid.
Royal Icing Consistency
There are 4 main consistencies of royal icing that I use in my decorating:
- Flood: used to cover cookies and dries with a smooth finish.
- Hybrid: a thicker flood that has a puffier finish.
- Medium: perfect for adding details, writing, creating royal icing transfers and softer flowers.
- Stiff: the best consistency for piping detailed flowers, such as roses, intricate string work and 3-dimensional designs.
This icing makes a medium/stiff consistency icing. If you need to use it to flood cookies, add a little water to it to thin it down. I recommend using a spray bottle to thin your icing so that you can control the amount of water added. If you need a stiffer consistency, add more icing sugar. For a more detailed look at icing consistencies, check out my full Royal Icing Consistencies 101 video.
Notes
I use 19 fl oz / 540 ml cans of chickpeas. Increase or reduce the amount of icing sugar that you need if your can size is different.
You will notice a strong chickpea smell when you start whisking the aquafaba. This quickly dissipates once you start adding the icing sugar. It does not affect the taste of the icing. Add flavouring if you prefer.
If you wish to add colouring to the entire batch, add with the second addition of icing sugar.
Storage Tips
This royal icing can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for one week. I highly recommend remixing by hand before bagging up. You may also refrigerate it or freeze it.
Drying Tips
Vegan royal icing takes slightly longer to dry than meringue powder icing. With this in mind, I suggest either using a fan or dehydrator to dry your icing when you are cookie decorating. This will help to speed up the process. No dehydrator or fan? No problem. Turn your oven on to the lowest temperature, pop your decorated cookies inside and let them rest in the oven for 10 minutes to crust over the icing. I usually prop the oven door open as well.

My perfect 2 ingredient vegan royal icing pairs well with my vegan cookie recipe. And check out my Top 15 Cookie Decorating Tutorials for other cookie and icing recipes and decorating tutorials.
Perfect 2 Ingredient Vegan Royal Icing
Equipment
- Can Opener
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 1 Can of Chickpeas see note
- 2 lbs Icing Sugar (approx 900 grams or 7.5 US Cups)
Instructions
- Open the can of chick peas and drain them in a sieve over a mixing bowl. We will be using the liquid (aquafaba).
- Add the aquafaba to your stand mixer bowl and mix it on low (2) with the whisk attachment. The liquid will start to froth as tiny air bubbles form.
- Increase the speed to medium (5) and whisk until the aquafaba increases in volume and becomes whiter in colour with larger bubbles.
- In two stages, add the icing sugar and whisk at a medium speed (5-6). To avoid a big *puff* of icing, stir in the icing sugar lightly with a spatula with each addition.
- If you prefer to flavour your vegan royal icing, add your flavouring with the second addition of icing sugar.
- Continue to mix on a medium speed until the icing is light and fluffy with a medium/stiff peak. This usually takes about 6 minutes. I prefer to make my icing on the stiffer side so that I can split it up and add water to part of it for flooding and also keep some for flower work and writing.
- Note – the amount of icing sugar that you will need is also dependant on the humidity in your kitchen. See the main recipe post for more details on consistency and the effects of humidity.
Video
Notes
- I use 19 fl oz / 540 ml cans of chickpeas. Increase or reduce the amount of icing sugar that you need if your can size is different.
- You will notice a strong chickpea smell when you start whisking the aquafaba. This quickly dissipates once you start adding the icing sugar. It does not affect the taste of the icing. Add flavouring if you prefer.
- If you wish to add colouring to the entire batch, add with the second addition of icing sugar.
- This icing can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for one week. Remix by hand before bagging up. You may also refrigerate it or freeze it.
Love this icing! I was so excited to try it and used it on cookies for my non-vegan family. They couldn’t even tell the difference!
That’s awesome. I am so happy to hear that!
Amazing icing! 😊 My grandson is severely allergic to egg!
Thanks for sharing. I’m so happy that you found my recipe!