Keeping Royal Icing in the Fridge
Transfer your unused royal icing to a large, clean mixing bowl. Use a clean spoon or spatula to put your royal icing into a glass or stainless steel bowl. If your leftover icing is in a piping bag, simply pipe it into your storage container. If it’s still in the mixing bowl from when you first made it, it’s okay to leave it in there, too. Always make sure to use clean utensils and bowls when working with royal icing.
Place a clean, damp dishcloth overtop of the mixing bowl. Take a clean dish rag and wet it thoroughly with water. Wring it out so that it isn’t dripping wet, then lay it overtop of the bowl. Ideally, it should not touch the icing at all. The damp dishcloth helps keep the icing soft and prevents it from forming a hard crust.
Use plastic wrap to cover the bowl if you don’t want to use a cloth. Take a large piece of plastic wrap and press it down into the bowl so it is touching the icing. Then secure the edges of the plastic wrap around the rim of the bowl. If you do this, there is no need to use a damp dishcloth, as the moisture from the cloth won’t benefit the icing through the plastic wrap. Laying the plastic wrap flat against the icing helps keep it from coming into contact with the air.
Put the lid or a large dinner plate overtop of the container. Depending on how thick your towel is, you may need to just place a heavy plate over the bowl to hold it in place. If your storage container has a lid that will fit, secure it on the bowl. If you are using plastic wrap, try to use a container that has an air-tight lid to help your royal icing last longer.
Keep royal icing made with egg whites in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Replace the hand towel with a clean and damp one every 4 or 5 days to keep the icing moist and fresh. There is no need to replace the plastic wrap unless you notice that it has come loose. If there are strong foods in the fridge, like cut onions, try to store them as far away from the icing as possible. Put a piece of masking tape on the container with the “prepared on” date, to remind you of how long the icing is good for.
Store icing made with meringue powder in the fridge for up to 1 month. If you used a damp towel, replace it with a clean and damp towel every 4-5 days to keep the icing moist and fresh. If you used plastic wrap, you shouldn’t need to replace it unless it has come loose. If you used meringue powder instead of eggs, you could also store the royal icing at room temperature rather than in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Make sure to label the storage container with the “prepared on” date so you remember how long it’ll be good for.
Allow the icing to come to room temperature before you remix it. Once you’re ready to use the royal icing, take it out of the fridge, leave it covered, and let it come to room temperature. It should take about an hour for the icing to warm up, but leaving it out overnight might give you the best results. Then, use your mixer to remix the icing and ensure it’s at the right consistency. After remixing the icing, if it isn’t smooth and has an off consistency, chances are it has gone bad and needs to be discarded. If you used the mixing bowl that goes with your stand mixer, all you have to do is pop that bowl into place, and you’re ready to go! Otherwise, you will need to use a clean spatula or spoon to transfer your icing into a clean mixing bowl.
Freezing Royal Icing
Use a clean spatula to transfer your icing into a new, resealable bag. Make sure your utensils are clean, then spoon your royal icing into quart- or gallon-sized freezer-safe bags, depending on how much you have to store. If your icing is in a piping bag, simply squeeze it out into your resealable bag.
Push the icing to the bottom of the bag and squeeze out all the air. Try to get the icing down to the very bottom of the bag, taking care to squeeze out the air that often gets trapped into the corners. Then, push out as much air as possible as you seal up the bag. If you have them, use the reinforced resealable bags that have multiple closures for maximum airtight security.
Put your sealed bag into a larger resealable bag. This is optional, but it also does help to protect your icing better from freezer burn. Take your sealed bag full of royal icing and slip it into another resealable bag. Push the air out of that one, too, as you close it. Some people even wrap their first plastic bag in aluminum foil before placing it into the second bag.
Store your royal icing in the freezer for up to 1 month. If you can, lay the bag flat on a smooth surface in your freezer, and don’t place anything else on top of it. If you are freezing multiple bags, it’s okay to stack one on top of another. The storage time is the same regardless of if you’re freezing royal icing made with egg-whites or with meringue powder. Make sure to label the bag with the “prepared on” date, so you remember when it needs to be used by.
Thaw the royal icing at room temperature before using it. When you’re ready to use your icing, take it out of the freezer and put it on the counter to thaw. Leave it in the bag while it thaws. It should take 2-3 hours for the icing the thaw, and you’ll know it’s ready once the icing is malleable again. If you can, take your icing out of the freezer the night before you need to use it so it can thaw thoroughly overnight. If it is unusually warm in your kitchen, place the icing in the fridge to thaw rather than on the counter.
Remix your royal icing before using it on any baked goods. Transfer your thawed icing to a clean mixing bowl using a clean spatula or spoon. Make sure to mix it up again to ensure it’s the right consistency before using it on any baked goods. If after you remix the icing you notice that the consistency has changed or it won’t all reincorporate, it has probably gone bad and needs to be discarded. You could snip off a corner of the resealable bag and squeeze the icing into the mixing bowl if you don’t want to scoop it out with a spatula.
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