You’ve just finished making another delicious dessert! You step back to look at your beautiful creation and let the feeling of accomplishment sink in. Then you look at the bowl still half-full of unused royal icing sitting between the remnants of egg whites and a pile of piping bags.

This raises two important questions – how do you store this leftover icing and how long is it still good for? Well, thankfully, the experts here at Wilton have the answers to those important questions.

You can store freshly created royal icing made with meringue powder in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Before using it on another dessert, all you need to do is beat it well in a mixing bowl at low speed.

Now if you don’t have plans to use the icing within 2 weeks, another option is to pipe out your decorations and let them harden. Hardened royal icing decorations can be placed in an airtight container in a dry, dark place to prevent fading for up to 6 months or stored in a covered, NON-airtight container (like a cake box) for years! They’re great to have on hand for future bakes that need some decoration.

You should NEVER store royal icing decorations in the freezer.

If you’re looking for hints and tips on how to store other types of dessert toppings, we’ve got you covered with our expert guides on How to Store Buttercream Frosting and How to Store Fondant.

Hopefully, with these storage tips, you can extend the life of your icing, frosting or fondant and get more use out of them!