There’s something so satisfying about creating your own icing colors—especially for holidays like the 4th of July, where the palette is bold and patriotic! Here we will walk you through on how to create 4 royal icing shades that’ll make your treats shine brighter than fireworks: True Red, Bright Shimmer White, Royal Blue, and Light Blue.

Let’s get mixing!

Start with the Right Royal Icing Base

We love using Royal Icing made with Chefmaster Meringue Powder. You can find our favorite royal icing recipes here.

Making your 4th of July Colors

For each color, start with the ratios then add more to reach your desired shade and vibrancy. Let sit for at least a couple hours (better if overnight) to enhance the color before using. Royal Icing also darkens as it dries, so be aware of your final shade will be a shade or two darker than what you finish with.

1. True Red

• 3 Parts Red Red Liqua-gel© food coloring
• 1 Part Sunset Orange Liqua-gel© food coloring
• ½ Part Royal Blue (or Violet) Liqua-gel© food coloring

Tip: Mix your icing a few shades lighter than you want—the color will deepen after a few hours (or overnight!)

2. Bright Shimmer White

• 2 Parts Bright White Liqua-gel© food coloring
• 1 Part Pearl Luster (optional)

Tip: If your icing still looks off-white, try to dd a pinch of Violet Liqua-gel© food coloring to neutralize any yellow tones.

3. Deep Royal Blue

• 3 Parts Royal Blue Liqua-gel© food coloring
• 1 Part Navy Blue Liqua-gel© food coloring
• ½ Part Black Diamond Liqua-gel© food coloring

Tip: Like red, navy develops more color as it sits, so do not overdo it up front. Let it rest overnight for best results.

4. Light Blue

• ½ Part Sky Blue Liqua-gel© food coloring
• Very tiny amount of Buckeye Brown Liqua-gel© food coloring

Tip: Use a toothpick to add small amounts of Buckeye Brown Liqua-gel© food coloring to minimize risk of adding too much at once.

Tips for Coloring Royal Icing

• Let the Color Develop - Food Coloring deepens in color over time, so always make your Royal icing a few days in advance or give the icing at least 30 minutes after mixing before adding more color.
• Add Color in Stages - Gradually build up the color shades instead of adding too much at once. 
• Shades will Dry Darker - Keep in mind that your colors will dry a shade or two darker. So, if the color isn’t as dark as you would like, keep it as is, and it will darken as it dries - this way you aren’t adding a lot of color to your icing.

Take a look at our 4th of July cookie tutorial to see how we transformed these beautiful colors into stunning patriotic cookies!