How to Fill a Piping Bag
This website uses affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase.
Filling a piping bag is essential for making cupcakes, decorated cakes, and more. Learn how to fill a piping bag, plus get my top trick for filling a piping bag with ease and no mess! Learn how to fill a piping bag with this easy step by step guide!
If you’re looking for more baking tutorials, check out some of my others like How to Crumb Coat a Cake, How to Make True Caramel, or How to Make Picture Perfect Cookies.
Table of Contents
What is a piping bag?
A piping bag is a cone shaped bag that allows you to easily pipe frosting onto cakes. You can place a piping tip inside and cut the bag so it fits inside to pipe cupcakes and more. It can also be used for piping batter such as French macaron batter or baked donut batter. And it can also be used for whipped cream to pipe decorative toppings onto cakes or pies. Piping bags are usually made of plastic but there are also reusable options that you can wash.
The Secret to Filling a Piping Bag
My secret tool for filling a piping bag with ease (and no mess!) is to use a milkshake cup! This is the perfect size for an 18-inch piping bag. This method allows you to do this hands free so you’re not struggling to hold the bag in one hand while trying to fill it with the other!
If you don’t have a milkshake cup, that’s okay you can use other similar things. A beer glass, a vase, or a large mason jar are all similar and will work too!
Things You’ll Need
- Piping Bag
- Piping Tip of Choice (if using)
- Milkshake Cup
- Scissors
- Spatula
Subscribe to Mimi's Organic Eats Channel
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for all the latest videos. Bake and cook along with John John and me on YouTube!
Subscribing is easy and just by subscribing, you are directly supporting my site!
Step by Step
Step 1
Have whatever you’re making ready. You can fill a piping bag with frosting, batter, or whipped cream.
Step 2
Cut a hole in the end of your piping bag the desired size you need. If you are using a piping tip, always put the tip in the bag first to gage where to cut. You want to cut a hole that’s just a tad bigger than the end of the tip so it fits snug. Cutting a hole too large can cause the tip to come out part way through, so making the right size cut is important. If you’re not using a tip, just cut the hole to the size you need.
Step 3
Place the bag in a milkshake cup and fold the excess over the sides to create a large opening.
Step 4
Using a spatula, transfer the frosting (or batter or whipped cream) to the piping bag.
Step 5
Lift up the edges of the bag and twist together to close. Twisting the bag also creates pressure that makes it easier to pipe out frosting or batter the more you twist.
Watch the Video
Baker’s Tips
- Always cut the hole smaller than you think at first as you can always make it larger but you can’t make it smaller.
- If you bake all the time, invest in the milkshake cup as they really are the best vessel for filling!
- Use smaller piping bags for smaller frosting amounts as you’ll have more control when piping.
FAQ’s
There are many sizes of piping bags and the size depends on what you’re using it for. But, if you’re mostly frosting cupcakes, decorating cakes, or making French macarons then a 16-inch or 18-inch piping bag is best as it will fit about a batch of frosting or macaron batter in it. If you’re decorating cakes with small amounts of icing like writing or small piping details, then opt for a smaller bag like a 10-inch bag.
Yes, you can store extra frosting in a piping bag overnight. However, if it’s American buttercream it can begin to dry out so I don’t recommend it as it won’t be exactly the same as making it fresh. If it’s something like donut batter you can skip cutting the hole to prevent it from drying out, pop it in the fridge overnight and it’s no issue. Cut the hole when you’re ready to pipe it out the following day.
Yes and no. With reusable bags you can only cut the hole once so it only works for one size tip. So, if you don’t bake often and want to have one on hand then these are great. If you bake all the time and use different tips, you’ll have to have one for each. And it can take more time and resources (water) to clean these bags than it’s worth if you’re using it all the time.
Craving More?
Join Our Organic Community
Leave a Comment