If you are going to make a graham cracker house or a gingerbread houses this Christmas season, having the perfect Royal Icing recipe is a must! This is the recipe that my family has used for 30+ years, and it never fails us.
The key to making this recipe even more successful is to be patient and let the frosting mix in a stand mixer for close to 10 minutes! You want it to be VERY thick, so that it can act like a glue. When it sets and hardens, it is rock solid and will hold your candy and house together for all month long!
I always ate plenty of it every year when making houses as a kid, but I will warn you that it has raw eggs, so if you are worried about your little one getting sick from it – don’t let them eat very much of it – it really is for decorating the houses! Eat the candy instead – haha!
Anyway, I hope this recipe will help you have a successful Gingerbread House creation session! If you are looking for the best Gingerbread recipe, as well as some helpful construction tips, head over to Two Moms and a Kid – this post includes our family gingerbread recipe and how my Sister puts our houses together!


- 1 lb. Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 TSP Cream of Tartar
- 3 Egg Whites
- Pour all ingredients into large mixing bowl and mix on low until all ingredients are mixed together.
- Turn mixer on high and let mix for 7-10 minutes or until icing is thick and makes peaks when touched. The thicker the icing in the more "glue" like it will be.
- If the icing gets too thick, add a few drops of lemon juice. Food coloring will also thin the icing a bit.

That icing looks so good I just want to taste it!
Yes! This is the recipe that I’ve been looking for. I didn’t think royal icing had to be THAT hard to make, but finding a simple recipe has been a challenge. Thanks!
We will be using this recipe this weekend!
I definitely could use this! Thank you! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! We are going to make a gingerbread house this week!
Yum, this icing sounds amazing. I may have to use it this weekend.