Can You Use Ziploc Bags in a Vacuum Sealer?
Not in a standard external suction sealer. Ordinary zip-top bags are smooth, so there are no channels for air to travel along and the machine cannot pull a vacuum. What does work: the water displacement method, a valved zipper bag system with its own handheld pump, or a chamber sealer, which removes air from the chamber rather than through the bag opening.
This is one of the most common questions people ask after buying a sealer, usually while looking at a drawer full of zip bags they already own. The short answer is no for the type of machine most people have, and the reason is mechanical rather than a brand restriction.
Why a smooth bag defeats a suction sealer
A vacuum bag or roll made for an external machine is embossed, meaning it carries a pattern of raised dots or diamonds on the inside face. Those raised points hold the two walls of the bag slightly apart, leaving channels for air to travel along toward the pump. An ordinary zip bag has none of that. As soon as the pump starts, the walls press together, the path closes, and the machine either runs and achieves very little or trips its own cycle thinking the job is done. You usually end up with a bag that looks slightly tighter than before and is nowhere near airtight.
The zip closure itself is a second problem for long storage. Even if you heat-seal the open end, the zip track remains a mechanical seam rather than a weld, and over weeks in a freezer it is the part most likely to admit air.
The three approaches that do work
| Method | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Water displacement | Lower the open zip bag into water so pressure pushes the air out, then close the zip above the water line | Sous vide and short-term fridge storage, costs nothing |
| Valved zipper system | Bags with a one-way valve, evacuated by a handheld unit or accessory port | Marinating, fridge storage, re-opening the same bag often |
| Chamber sealer | Removes air from the whole chamber, so bag texture is irrelevant | Liquids and volume, and it will evacuate almost any bag |
When a zip bag is genuinely good enough
Plenty of storage does not need a vacuum at all. For anything you will eat within a few days, or dry goods that are not sensitive to oxygen, a freezer-grade zip bag with the air pressed out by hand is perfectly serviceable. What you lose without a vacuum is time: air left in the bag is what causes freezer burn, so sealed and unsealed food diverge over months, not days.
The one place to be careful is long-term storage of anything fatty. Fat picks up off-flavors from oxygen faster than lean food, so a zip bag of bacon or oily fish in the freezer will taste stale well before a vacuum-sealed one does.
What to buy instead
For an external machine, embossed rolls are usually the cheapest route per bag because you cut to the length you need, and pre-cut embossed bags are faster when your portions are consistent. Both are covered in our vacuum sealer bags guide, and the texture question is explained in more detail in embossed vs smooth bags.
Frequently asked questions
Will a Ziploc bag seal if I only use the seal function?
Usually yes, the heat bar can weld the open end of a zip bag shut. What it cannot do is remove the air first, so you get a closed bag rather than a vacuum-sealed one.
Do the Ziploc vacuum systems still exist?
Valved zipper systems with handheld pumps have come and gone under several brand names. They work on the valve principle rather than suction through the bag opening, which is why they do not need embossed film.
Can a chamber sealer vacuum a zip bag?
Yes, because it evacuates the chamber rather than pulling air through the opening, so bag texture does not matter. The zip track is still a weaker long-term seam than a heat weld.
Is water displacement as good as a vacuum sealer for sous vide?
For most home sous vide cooking it is, because the goal is simply getting the air out so the bag contacts the water. A sealer wins on batch prep and very long cooks.