How to Make Coral Royal Icing
There are several icing colors that give cookie decorators grief. Darker colors like black and red are known to be troublesome, but believe it or not, it’s the lighter shades that get me.
Of all the colors I’ve ever mixed, coral is the one that’s caused me the most stress. I’ve wasted more icing than I care to admit trying to achieve the perfect shade.
The exact ratio of yellow to pink always eluded me until one day, on the brink of a meltdown, I accidentally discovered the secret to coral icing.
Terracotta icing color…I never imagined it could be so easy.
In varying amounts, terracotta can be used to create any shade of coral you might need. Easy, easy, easy!
If you don’t have terracotta on hand you can use other colors to achieve the same result.
Lemon yellow plus rose or a small amount of tulip red mixed with ivory both produce a very nice shade of coral. In fact, the color is almost exactly the same. You have to look closely to really see the difference. The key is adding the color little by little until you’ve worked up to the desired shade.
If you’re looking to tone things down a bit, just add a touch of blue or green. This tip also works with pink. To learn more, click here.
It feels great to know that my days of throwing out icing are finally over!
For more color help, check out the following links:
- How to Make No-Taste Red Icing {Tulip Red}
- How to Make Navy Blue Royal Icing
- How to Make My Favorite Blue Royal Icing
- How to Make Chocolate Brown Royal Icing
- How to Make Magenta, Fuchsia, and Hot Pink Icing Color
- How to Make Tan Royal Icing
- How to Make Gold and Silver Royal Icing
- Making Icing Color Match
- Adding Ivory to Create “Off-Colors”
- Printable Color Chart
THANK YOU CALLYE!! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw your topic today. How did you know that just yesterday I was searching websites trying to find info on guess what???…..CORAL ICING!! I have wedding cookies to make in June…..you are an answer to prayer! Now instead of dreading this order I’m excited to start it. WooHoo!
Perfect timing!!! I need to color fondant coral today!! Thanks a million. 😉
Coral is such a tricky color! Everyone sees it differently and getting just the right amount of pink or orange is tough! I always use pink and yellow and red and sometimes ivory, I never would have thought to start with terracotta!
Great tips Callye! Thank you!
FOR REAL! I actually wanted to call this post *bleeping* coral because I almost always refer to it with an explicative. I’ve gotta be careful about mixing it at night especially. Perfect in my dim kitchen is usually a disaster in the morning.
I just started following you because I’m starting to make cookies for special occasions. I just got my very first PAID order and I couldn’t be more excited to see this topic! I guess coral is the color of the season, because I too will be making wedding favor cookies with a whole lot of coral going on! THANK YOU for this! I have a feeling you’re gonna be a huge help in my future if I get the chance to continue creating cookies!
Hi! I’m new to the baking world, and I just wanted to say that I love your posts! I just started my baking blog yesterday, and I ordered some piping tips tonight and I’m sooo excited to get started with them!!!!!!!
A friend led me to your site & I’m so thankful–your tips & tutorials are AMAZING! Question…how do YOU make black icing without making it taste horrible? I’ve read about adding cocoa to the recipe. Would you recommend that with your icing recipe? Thanks for sharing your talent with us!
I don’t add cocoa…I have just kind of accepted that it tastes bad, and try not to use a lot of it. If I am making cookies for someone else and they insist, I warn them. I sure do wish someone would invent no-taste black though! They would be RICH!
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Thank you for the tips! Would you be able to tell me what am I doing wrong after mixing the colors, I have so many air bubbles. Is it the way i’m mixing it? Do I need to let it sit? I’m having such a hard time making the royal icing flow smoothly without air bubbles.
Thank you!
When you mix, it’s helpful to let it sit for a bit and let the bubbles rise to the top before gently removing with a spatula. It also helps to spread the icing with an offset spatula, that’s how I eliminate most of my airbubbles.
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What do you add to the terracotta to make it coral?
Also, when do you mix it into the white frosting?
I’m making a cake for my daughter’s first birthday (by April 11th!) and I really want a beautiful coral cake. (Ombre outside)
Thanks,
Brooke
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Totally realizing that this is an old post so there is a great possibility nobody sees this comment, I wanted to leave it just in case. LOL. I accidentally got a wonderful coral color without trying but it was so easy that I thought I’d share in case you are low on supplies one day and still need it (I live in the middle of nowhere too….like 30 minutes from the nearest Walmart and 45 from any real semblance of a town LOL). Try mixing Wilton Rose (or whatever Americolor equivalent there is….it is kind of a “hot” pink, darker and brighter than the regular pink) and then adding red. I used the rose and then added Wilton red-red since it was what I had. It immediately came out a beautiful shade of coral. You can darken it by adding more red and if you want a deeper salmon kind of color just add a bit of cocoa powder (my standard practice for darkening shades LOL). Maybe this will help someone. Hope so. Might as well share the discovery! 🙂
Good tips. I have the Terracotta coming but this will be a good ‘back up plan’. 🙂
THANK YOU FOR THE TIP! I’m making cookies for a wedding shower and you saved them. I had no idea how to make coral. pink and red for the win!
Super great tip! I totally understand living in the middle of nowhere! That was my reality until I was seventeen, and again until a two years ago. I have also had good luck mixing pinks with a touch of yellow to get coral too. I figured I should add that too! Thanks for the help!
I made this color last weekend and Terracotta made the perfect color. I was nervous when it wasn’t changing but kept adding one drop at a time and voila, coral. Even matched buttercream and cream cheese icing. Nailed the exact same color. Happy girl!!
How much terracotta do I mix to get the color coral
The color combo is stunning!
Does anyone have any tips to getting a cranberry colored royal icing?? Like your troubles with coral, I’ve wasted so much icing trying to achieve cranberry! The bridal shower cookie order I had was sadly turned out to be maroon. The bride was thrilled with the cookies (I warned her about the color fail), but I didn’t feel good about it. Any help is appreciated!
Hi! Do you have something I can look at for inspiration/reference? Sometimes what it cranberry to me, you, or the client, might not be one in the same. If you send me a swatch, I will be glad to take a look!