When I first started decorating cookies, I remember seeing white food coloring in the bakery supply store and thinking, "Royal icing is white. Why would I ever need that?"
Then, it happened. My beautiful cookies decorated in WHITE icing tuned, well, off-white overnight. The cookies I spent 5 hours decorating. The cookies I needed to mail to a friend THAT morning weren't white. *sob*
Then, it happened. My beautiful cookies decorated in WHITE icing tuned, well, off-white overnight. The cookies I spent 5 hours decorating. The cookies I needed to mail to a friend THAT morning weren't white. *sob*
Why Use White Food Coloring?
Ever since the "off-white incident" of years ago, I use white food coloring EVERY TIME I need plain white royal icing. This isn't to say that every time you use royal icing without white food coloring it will turn on you...but to me, it's not worth the risk.
Yes, I use it EVERY time. Whether it's to cover an entire cookie in white icing or to make white polka dots or royal icing lace trim. Every single time.
I use it even if I'm piping a simple outline, like on gingerbread cookies.
When I first started decorating cookies, I remember seeing white food coloring in the bakery supply store and thinking, "Royal icing is white. Why would I ever need that?"
I also like having white food coloring on hand for when I need to tone down a color. Sometimes I go a little overboard with a color and it's too bright. White food coloring will lighten it right up.
Why does white royal icing turn off-white or ecru?
I have some guesses as to why royal icing turns off-white sometimes and not others. It could be due to extracts if using something like vanilla. It could be that the powdered sugar isn't pure white, even if it looks that way in the bag. It could be butter seeping through the cookie into the icing.
Whatever it is, I'm not taking a chance.
How to use white food coloring
Use white food coloring like you would any other food coloring. Just like you would use blue food coloring for blue icing, use white food coloring any time you need white icing.
When I'm mixing white icing, I use the amount of white food coloring that I think is enough, and then I add a little more. Trust me, more is more here.
Where can I buy white food coloring?
Any bakery supply store will carry white food coloring. You'll also find it in the baking section of craft stores and kitchen shops like Sur la Table. Of course, Amazon is always an option.
My two favorite brands are Chefmaster and AmeriColor. Chefmaster calls it "Liquid Whitener" while AmeriColor's version is called "Bright White."
*This post was updated in 2021 with current information and new photos.