How to Make Sugar Skulls for Day of the Dead

Co-authored by Christopher M. Osborne, PhD Reviewed by Ollie George Cigliano

Last Updated: July 28, 2022 References

Sugar skulls (calavera de azúcar) are a traditional part of Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) celebrations in Mexico and beyond. They’re fun to make and decorate, especially with kids, so check out our simple sugar skull recipe for classic DIY sugar skulls, as well as our easy sugar skull recipe for edible candy skulls.

Ingredients

Classic Sugar Skulls

Makes 8 medium sugar skulls

4 c (800 g) of granulated sugar
2 tbsp (30 g) of meringue powder
2 tbsp (30 ml) of water
Substitution: 2 egg whites (for water and meringue powder)

Edible Sugar Skull Candies

Makes 20 small candies

1 c (200 g) of granulated sugar
2 tsp (10 ml) of water
1/4 tsp (1.25 ml) of extract (vanilla, almond, lemon, etc.)

Royal Icing

Makes enough for 8 medium skulls or 20 small candies

3 tbsp (45 g) of meringue powder
6 tbsp (90 ml) of water
4 c (480 g) of powdered sugar
juice of 1 lime
food coloring

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Classic Sugar Skulls

1
Combine the granulated sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Stir 1 c (200 g) of sugar and 2 tbsp (30 g) of meringue powder together with a spoon or your fingers until it is thoroughly combined.^{[1]
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- Although it’s a food-grade product, meringue powder may be easier to find at craft stores rather than grocery stores (depending on where you live). It’s also widely available online.
- While you’re shopping for meringue powder, also pick up a set of plastic or silicone sugar skull molds at the craft store or online. Choose a set that has molds for both the fronts and backs of the skulls.
- Note: If you don’t have meringue powder, or if there is extremely high humidity on the day you’re making the skulls, check out the last step of this section for a recipe variation that substitutes egg whites and utilizes your oven.
2
Add most of the water and combine the mixture with your hand. Pour in 1 1/2 tbsp (22.5 ml) of water, then use your fingers to thoroughly blend the mixture together. You can use a spoon instead if you prefer.^{[2]
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- This is a fun way to get kids involved in the process. Just make sure they wash their hands first!
3
Add more water as needed until the mix feels like wet sand. Once you’ve stirred in the first batch of water, squeeze together a small handful of the mixture and see if it holds its shape like wet sand. If it crumbles apart, mix in the remaining 1/2 tbsp (7.5 ml) of water and test it again.^{[3]
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- In rare instances you may need more than 2 tbsp (30 ml) of water to reach the wet sand consistency. Add more water about 1 tsp (5 ml) at a time and keep testing the mixture until it holds together when squeezed.
4
Pack the mixture tightly into the skull molds. Use a spoon or your fingers to scoop a healthy amount of the mixture into a mold, then press it firmly so it fills the mold completely. Use the back of a butter knife or similar flat kitchen tool to flatten the back side of the mixture so it’s even with the flat side of the mold. Repeat until you’ve filled all the molds (or run out of the mixture).^{[4]
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- Make sure you fill the same number of front and back sides of the skull molds so you can make complete skulls.
- Optional: Use a spoon to scoop out some of the mixture from the flat back side of each mold. (They’ll look a bit like a half of an avocado after you’ve removed the pit!) This may help the sugar skulls dry more quickly and evenly.
5
Flip the skull pieces out of their molds and onto cardboard scraps. Begin this step right after packing all the molds. Start by holding a flat scrap of cardboard that’s slightly larger than the mold firmly against the flat back of a filled mold. In one motion, flip both the mold and the cardboard over, then lightly tap both the mold and cardboard against the countertop. Gently lift away the mold to reveal either the front or back half of a sugar skull. Repeat with the other skull molds.^{[5]
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- If the skull half doesn’t come out cleanly or crumbles, repack the mold and try again. Try adding a few spoonfuls of water if the skull halves are crumbling, or a few pinches of sugar if they’re sticking to the molds.
Set the skull halves out in a cool, dry location, in which case they should be firm and dry to the touch in about 8 hours. If, however, it’s warmer and a bit more humid, give them more like 12 hours before touching them to confirm they’re firm and dry.^{[6]
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7
Glue the skull halves together with royal icing. Use the royal icing recipe provided in this article, choose an alternate recipe, or buy a pre-made container. Use a knife to spread some of the icing on the flat edge of one of the front-side skull halves, or put the icing in a piping bag and squeeze it onto the skull half. Press one of the back-side skull halves firmly into the icing to glue the halves together. Repeat with the other skull halves and let the icing dry for 15 minutes.^{[7]
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- While you wait for the icing “glue” to dry, mix up another batch of royal icing to use for decorating the skulls.
- Although these sugar skulls are made from edible ingredients, they’re not intended for eating—you’ll break a tooth trying to bite into one!
8
Use the same amount of granulated sugar—4 c (800 g)—but substitute 2 egg whites for both the meringue powder and the water. Here’s the process:^{[8]
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- Mix one egg white into the sugar by hand. Add more egg white as needed until you get a wet sand consistency that holds its shape when you squeeze it in your hand.
- Pack the mixture firmly into the sugar skull molds, then scrape away any excess so the back of each filled mold is flat.
- Flip each mold out onto a scrap of cardboard, then carefully slide each half-skull onto a baking sheet.
- Bake the skulls in a 200 °F (93 °C) oven for 20-30 minutes, until they are dry and firm to the touch.
- Let the skulls cool, then stick the front and back halves of the skulls together with royal icing. Wait about 15-30 minutes, then decorate the skulls with colored royal icing.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Edible Sugar Skull Candies

Add 1 c (200 g) of granulated sugar, 2 tsp (10 ml) of water, and 1/4 tsp (1.25 ml) of an extract like vanilla, almond, or lemon, then use your clean fingers to mix everything thoroughly. Aim for the consistency of wet sand that holds its shape when squeezed in your hand. Add a little more water if the mix is too dry, or a little more sugar if it’s too wet.^{[9]
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Press the mixture firmly into each mold, then use the back of a butter knife to scrape away any excess and flatten the back of the mixture. If you’re using mini sugar skull molds that make front and back skull halves, fill only the molds that create the front half of the skull—you won’t be sticking together the front and back halves of the skulls like with traditional sugar skulls.^{[10]
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3
Turn out the candy molds on a foil-lined baking sheet. Lay the lined baking sheet on top of the skull mold or ice cube tray, then quickly flip everything over in a single motion. Gently press the candy mixture out of the molds and onto the baking sheet.^{[11]
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- If the candy mixture crumbles apart when it comes out of the molds, put it back in the mixing bowl, stir in a bit more water, and re-pack the molds.
- If the candy mixture sticks inside the molds when you try to turn it out, scrape it out of the molds with a spoon and toothpicks, put it in the mixing bowl, stir in a bit more sugar, and re-pack the molds.
4
Bake the candies at 200 °F (93 °C) for about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven before putting in the candies. After about 10 minutes of baking, check the candies every 2 or 3 minutes until they appear to be dry and solid. When they do look dry and solid, remove them, wait 1-2 minutes, then touch them gently to confirm this.^{[12]
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- Mix up a batch of royal icing according to your favorite recipe (or buy a container) to decorate the cooled candies.
- Once the candies are decorated, it’ll take about 15 minutes for the royal icing to harden—but you may not be able to wait that long before digging in!
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Making Royal Icing

Slowly pour in 4 c (480 g) of powdered sugar, then add 3 tbsp (45 g) of meringue powder, 6 tbsp (90 ml) of water, and the juice of 1 lime. You can omit the lime juice and add another 1-2 tbsp (15-30 ml) of water instead, but the lime adds a nice flavor profile and glossy sheen to the icing.^{[13]
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Depending on your stand mixer and the humidity level, this should take around 7-10 minutes.^{[14]
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3
Separate the royal icing into bowls and add food coloring. How many bowls? That depends on how many icing colors you want to make! Add 2-3 drops of your chosen color(s) of food coloring to a bowl, give it a quick stir, then stir in another drop or two at a time until you get the color you want.^{[16]
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- Make, color, and use royal icing quickly—it starts to harden within about 15-30 minutes. You can extend its life a bit by stirring in a little more water or lime juice.
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Decorating with Royal Icing

Buy a pack of piping bags or make your own. You want to be able to squeeze out thin beads of icing, so cut a small opening into each DIY piping bag or use a fine tip in each standard piping bag.^{[17]
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2
Outline the eyes, nose, and mouth with icing. Squeeze out thin beads of colored royal icing to highlight these features on each skull face. You can use different colors or the same color—there’s lots of room for individual creativity here.^{[18]
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- Don’t be afraid to use bright and festive colors—sugar skulls are meant to be fun, not scary!
3
Add more icing features like swirls, flower petals, and ribbons. Feel free to fill in the entire skull face with icing colors, or choose to highlight a specific feature—such as by adding flower shapes to the cheeks. You can also use the icing to add elements like hair, a beard, or glasses to the skull.^{[19]
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- If you’re using the skulls for a traditional ofrenda (an offering on a home altar for your Day of the Dead celebration), it’s common to use icing to write the names or initials of deceased loved ones on the foreheads of the skulls.
4
Stick decorations like glitter and small beads to the icing. This is optional, of course, but small crafting decorations like beads, rhinestones, sequins, colored string, and glitter can really spruce up your sugar skulls! As long as the royal icing is still moist, the decorations should stick nicely in place.^{[20]
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- Once you’re all done decorating, let the icing dry for at least 15 minutes, and ideally for 1-2 hours, before handling the skulls.
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Community Q&A

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Question

Can I put the sugar skull in the freezer?

Community Answer

No, as it most likely will break.

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Question

Do I put the tray in the oven, or just the cookie sheet?

Community Answer

Yes, both! The cookie sheet goes inside the tray or else it will burst into flames. I speak from experience as I have had some really good homemade chicken nuggets burn to a crisp because I didn't use a tray.

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Question

Why put it in the freezer?

Community Answer

To make the sugar skull solid so you can apply the skull mold and sugar to it.

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