How To Fill A Pastry Bag (Without Making A Mess)

Bakers make it look so easy, but we’ve all experienced it and desperately tried to grab a greasy, gooey piping bag. If you’ve ever wondered how to easily fill a piping bag cleanly, we’ve got the tips and tricks for a smooth process. The best part? No special equipment is required.

And while you might be tempted to use a zip-top bag, reusable or disposable piping bags work much better. Once you know how to fill them properly (and cleanly), they’re easy to clean and use again and again.

Step 1. Prepare the piping bag

Place the tip you want to use at the bottom of the bag. There’s nothing worse than filling a bag with frosting only to find you forgot to put the tip in. When using a new pouch, cut off just enough of the pouch to move the tip about halfway out. If you cut off too much, the tip will fall out of the pouch, so cut carefully, you can always cut off more, but you won’t be able to reattach it.

Pro tip: Use a coupler. While we didn’t promise any specific equipment, this inexpensive two-piece tool allows you to change tips without refilling the bag. If you plan on using multiple piping tips for a project, this is a great decorating gadget to have on hand. It’s also great for clogged tips as you can easily remove, clean and replace the tip. To use, simply slip the base of the coupler into the pouch like you would any other tip, attach your desired piping tip to the end and secure with the coupling ring.

Step 2. Fill the bag

Next, place the piping bag in a tall drinking glass (beer glasses work great for this) and fold the opening of the bag around the glass. This keeps the bag open and you have two hands free. Also, this method keeps the outside of the bag completely unexposed and therefore clean. Use a spatula to add your icing or filling to the bag.

Pro tip: Only fill the bag a little over halfway, the more you fill it the bulkier it becomes. You also need to apply more pressure when you whistle when the bag is super full. If you’re working with a particularly thick filling like ganache, the less you fill the bag the better, otherwise you risk carpal tunnel.

Step 3. Twist and whistle

Unfold the portion of the pouch that wraps around the jar. Gather the excess bag material and twist to secure.

You can tie the end of the bag with a rubber band, but as long as you keep it twisted, the icing shouldn’t leak out of the bag. You can also take the twisted end of the bag and wrap it around the thumb of your dominant hand, which some bakers do to get a better grip on the bag.

Lastly, gently squeeze the piping bag from the back (not the front or the icing will come out from the back) to push all the icing down to the tip. Now you are ready for the piping!

pro tip: Keep the beer glass close by. Between cupcakes or when changing tips, you can rest the piping bag in it, tip up, to prevent icing from spilling onto the counter or you.