Sugar-free Icing and Glaze

Small bowl of sugar-free icing with a spoon next to it on a white marble board.

5 from 3 votes

Sugar-free Icing and Glaze

Having a simple, versatile powdered sugar glaze is essential for your keto baking repertoire. This keto glaze has only 3 ingredients and can be made in about 5 minutes. Use this sweet drizzle as a bundt cake glaze or make it a little thicker to use as a sugar-free icing or spreadable glaze. You can also customize your sugar-free glaze with flavor add-ins and variations.

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free

Method: No cook

Special Diet: Keto, Low-Carb, Low-FODMAP

Servings: servings

Calories: 1kcal

Author: Tracey Hatch-Rizzi

Ingredients

1 cup Swerve Confectioners sweetener or powdered sweetener of choice
2 tablespoons nut milk or liquid of choice. See Notes.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a small bowl, add the powdered sweetener.
Add the liquid one tablespoon at a time and stir with a whisk until a smooth icing forms and it reaches the desired consistency. If using as a pourable glaze, it should be thin enough to easily fall off the whisk in ribbons, but should hold some shape before it melts back into the bowl.
Add the vanilla extract and whisk until thoroughly incorporated. It will slightly tint the icing and the result will be slightly ivory colored.

Notes

Liquid of choice

For a basic icing, I like to use thin coconut, nut milk or half and half for a creamier glaze. See variations below for more ideas.

TIP: If you want to make this thicker, more like a classic icing, you can add less liquid or more sweetener to reach your desired consistency.

Variations

There are so many ways to customize your sugar-free icing. Here are a few of my favorites:

Add citrus – Substitute some (or all) of the liquid with lemon, lime or orange juice. Also consider adding some zest for an extra bright flavor. Making a lemon glaze for pound cake is one of my favorite things.
Add preserved lemon paste – replace about a teaspoon of the liquid with lemon paste. Read more about this amazing ingredient in my Preserved Lemon Paste Ingredient Spotlight.
Use a different extract – almond or maple extracts make a delicious sugar glaze
Get boozy – Add a bit of your favorite liquor for some of the liquid. Spiced rum, bourbon, cognac and brandy are always good choices. If your keto diet has room for a couple of extra carbs, Malibu rum, Kahlua, chocolate liqueur and Baileys are so, so good.
Add spices – Add some cinnamon or homemade Pumpkin Spice for a special warmth
Coffee – Use cooled, strong coffee or espresso for the liquid
Matcha – Whisk matcha powder in with the desired amount of liquid for a special, light green treat.
Use cream or half and half for the liquid - You can use heavy whipping cream, but it’s best to only use 1 tablespoon and use 1 tablespoon of another type of liquid. Speaking from experience, if you use 100% heavy whipping cream, as you whisk it together, it will actually become whipped cream. This could be okay if you want a spreadable icing, but it doesn’t work for a glaze unless you very gently stir the cream into the sugar and vanilla.

Nutrition