Making black royal icing (or any dark color) can be such a pain! It seems as though you need to add a whole bottle of food coloring in order to get the shade you want, and that causes all kinds of problems (see my Ultimate Guide to Royal Icing to read about issues caused by adding too much color!). Here are my tips on how to make black royal icing.
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The cookie shape shown here was made using the Oval Plaque from Ann Clark Cookie Cutters.
Tips On How To Make Black Royal Icing
Tip 1 – Don’t over-mix the icing
In order to be able to create black royal icing or any dark color, your icing has to start out at the right consistency. If it’s over-mixed, the icing will have too many air bubbles, which will make your icing susceptible to color bleed and fragility. Make sure to mix your icing on medium-low speed for no more than 5 minutes. My Ultimate Guide to Royal Icing has more info about making sure your icing is the correct consistency.
Tip 2 – Don’t make your icing too thin
When making black flood consistency icing, start out with icing that’s on the thicker side (around 20 second count). Just like over-mixing, adding too much water to your icing will make it susceptible to color bleed and fragility. Adding color to icing that’s too thin icing will only exacerbate the issues.
Tip 3 – Combine leftover icing
When you have icing left over from a previous project, mix all of those colors together. This will give you a good base to start with when making black icing. It’s completely okay to skip this one when you don’t have leftover icing and need to start with a white base.
Tip 4 – Add the color several hours ahead of time
This is a tip that I picked up from Sweet Sugarbelle way back when. I realize this is another one that’s not always possible because sometimes we need to get the cookies out TODAY, but when you can, add the color to the icing several hours or even a day in advance. When I make black icing, I don’t try to get to black right away. I create a dark shade of gray and let the icing sit for a while to allow the color to darken on its own. Then I’ll add a little more color if it needs it. This ensures that I’m not putting too much food coloring in the icing.
Tip 4 – Use concentrated food coloring (that doesn’t taste bad!)
Certain types of black and red food coloring can have a strange taste that will ruin your icing. If you open a bottle or jar of food coloring and it smells like a permanent marker, don’t use it!
My favorite brands of black food coloring are Chefmaster, Wilton Color Right, and Ann Clark. They are all super concentrated so you don’t have to use a lot and they don’t smell or taste like anything. In addition to the liquid/gel food coloring, I also like to use powdered color when making black icing. Crystal Colors Color Powder in Charcoal works very well. I don’t have an exact measurement for the colors, but I do about 1 part each liquid/gel and powdered color. Remember to start with a little bit of color and allow the icing to rest for at least a few hours before adding more.
Printable supply list and instructions on how to make black royal icing:
Tips On How To Make Black Royal Icing
Making black royal icing (or any dark color) can be such a pain! It seems as though you need to add a whole bottle of food coloring in order to get the shade you want, and that causes all kinds of problems (see my Ultimate Guide to Royal Icing to read about issues caused by adding too much color!). Here are my tips on how to make black royal icing.
The cookie shape shown here was made using the Oval Plaque from Ann Clark Cookie Cutters.
Materials
Instructions
- Don’t over-mix the icing
In order to be able to create a dark color, your royal icing has to start out at the right consistency. If it’s over-mixed, the icing will have too many air bubbles, which will make your icing susceptible to color bleed and fragility. Make sure to mix your icing on medium-low speed for no more than 5 minutes. My Ultimate Guide to Royal Icing has more info about making sure your icing is the correct consistency. - Don’t make your icing too thin
When making black flood consistency icing, start out with icing that’s on the thicker side (around 20 second count). Just like over-mixing, adding too much water to your icing will make it susceptible to color bleed and fragility. Adding color to icing that's too thin icing will only exacerbate the issues. - Combine leftover icing
When you have icing left over from a previous project, mix all of those colors together. This will give you a good base to start with when making black icing. It’s completely okay to skip this one when you don’t have leftover icing and need to start with a white base. - Add the color several hours ahead of time
This is a tip that I picked up from Sweet Sugarbelle way back when. I realize this is another one that’s not always possible because sometimes we need to get the cookies out TODAY, but when you can, add the color to the icing several hours or even a day in advance. When I make black icing, I don’t try to get to black right away. I create a dark shade of gray and let the icing sit for a while to allow the color to darken on its own. Then I’ll add a little more color if it needs it. This ensures that I’m not putting too much food coloring in the icing. - Use concentrated food coloring (that doesn’t taste bad!)
Certain types of black and red food coloring can have a strange taste that will ruin your icing. If you open a bottle or jar of food coloring and it smells like a permanent marker, don’t use it!
My favorite black food coloring is from the Wilton Color Right Set. It’s super concentrated so you don’t have to use a lot and it doesn’t smell or taste like anything. In addition to the liquid/gel food coloring, I also use powdered color when making black icing. Crystal Colors Color Powder in Charcoal works very well. I don’t have an exact measurement for the colors, but I do about 1 part each liquid/gel and powdered color. Remember to start with a little bit of color and allow the icing to rest for at least a few hours before adding more.
Those are my tips on how to make black royal icing. Leave a comment if you have questions or any other tips to add to the list!
What Colors Do You Mix To Make Black?
If you have leftover icing from another project, you can mix all of those colors together to help make black icing. You’ll still need to add a little black food coloring, but it’s a great base to start with.
Is there a black food coloring?
There are so many types of black food coloring! The best type of food coloring to use is gel paste or liquid-gel. My favorites are Wilton Color Right black, Chefmaster Black Diamond, and Chefmaster Coal Black.
I also like to mix in a little powdered food coloring, which makes the black darker without adding more liquid to the icing. My favorite powdered color is Coal Black made by Crystal Colors.
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