Bakery-style homemade puff pastry sausage rolls with a classic pork and vegetable filling wrapped in golden flakey and SUPER crispy pastry.
There's a small handful of recipes that I make every few weeks, and this is one of them!
Whether we're having a party and need easy appetizers, filling up the freezer or making lunch box snacks, these tasty little pastries are always a firm favourite (especially with kids!)
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What Are Sausage Rolls?
Favourite Bakery Pastry
Puff pastry sausage rolls are undoubtedly one of the most popular foods to buy from a bakery in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
They are similar to what's known as 'Pigs In Blankets' in the US, however they differ in that they're made using a soft meat filling (traditionally with a combination of either pork or beef mince and sausage meat) and are then wrapped in crispy, flakey, golden puff pastry.
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
Forget about buying sausage rolls from the bakery; these homemade classic sausage rolls are so much tastier!
Here's why they're so delicious:
- Crispy pastry - think golden, flakey, melt-in-your-mouth pastry brushed with an egg wash and sprinkled with sesame seeds. You won't get that crunchy pastry from a shop!
- Soft meat filling—this is my favourite puff pastry sausage roll recipe and also my most traditional recipe. There's something to be said to keep it simple! I like to use a combination of sausage meat and pork mince, which gives the best-flavoured sausage mixture. Try it and see for yourself!
- Bulk recipe: This recipe makes approximately 24 medium-sized or 60 mini bite-size rolls. It can easily be doubled or tripled if you're catering for a party.
- Freezer-friendly: Make a batch ahead of time and freeze until needed. Once they've defrosted, you can either reheat them or cook directly from frozen (add an extra 10 minutes to the cooking time if cooking from frozen).
- Kid-friendly - I've never met a kid who didn't love these! They're the perfect kid-sized snack.
What You Need
To make this homemade sausage rolls recipe from scratch, you'll need:
- Hidden vegetables— no one will notice that you've snuck a few vegetables into your meat-filling mixture. I recommend using a combination of carrot, zucchini, and onion.
- Sausage mince— also known as sausage meat—can be bought from the meat section of major supermarkets or butchers. It is made from ground (minced) pork, spices, and breadcrumbs and has the texture of the filling of uncooked sausages. If you can't buy sausage mince, you can make your own by squeezing the filling out of the skins of regular pork sausages.
- Pork mince— Also known as ground pork. Sausage rolls are traditionally made with pork mince (my favourite version); however, you can substitute beef or lamb mince if you prefer.
- Flavourings: Garlic (optional), regular tomato sauce (ketchup), and Worcestershire sauce take these sausage rolls to the next level.
- Puff pastry— this delicious golden, flakey pastry is made using regular store-bought frozen puff pastry sheets. I prefer the Pampas brand, as it puffs up beautifully when cooked, but any other brand is fine, too.
- Egg wash: Before baking, I brush a small amount of lightly beaten egg over the pastry and then sprinkle with sesame seeds or black poppy seeds. The egg makes the pastry turn a rich golden colour and makes it extra crispy.
Step By Step Instructions
The ultimate party food is just a few simple steps away...
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the detailed method.
Step 1 - Squeeze The Liquid From The Vegetables
This is the most important step!
To ensure that your rolls are deliciously crispy and that you avoid the dreaded 'soggy' pastry, you need to squeeze ALL of the liquid from the grated veggies (see my tips below).
Step 2 - Mix The Meat and Filling Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, mix all of the filling ingredients together.
TIP: Use your hands to mix the filling together really well—this is so much easier than using a spoon. Alternatively, you could use a food processor or Thermomix.
Step 3 - Rolling
Rolling the meat filling in pastry could not be easier.
Lay a sheet of puff pastry on a flat-board or bench.
Cut each square of puff pastry in half using a sharp knife.
Place a long, thin line of meat filling down the middle of each pastry half.
Roll the pastry over the meat filling (starting at the long edge) into a long sausage shape, leaving the pastry seam side down.
Cut each length into smaller pieces (3 per length for larger rolls or 4-6 for bite-size rolls) and place in a single layer on cold baking trays.
Step 4 - Brush With Beaten Egg
Lightly beat an egg in a small bowl. Use a silicone brush or a pastry brush to lightly brush the top of the pastry on the assembled sausage rolls.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional).
Step 5 - Bake Until Golden And Crispy
Bake the sausage rolls for 25-30 minutes (for larger pieces) or 20 minutes (for mini sausage rolls) until golden brown.
How To Avoid Soggy Sausage Rolls
The biggest problem people have when baking sausage rolls is soggy bottoms —and no one wants soggy pastry!
Here's how you can get crispy, crunchy, flaky pastry...
Remove The Moisture
- Grate the vegetables (zucchini and carrot) and finely chop the onion, then place them into a fine wire strainer.
- Use your hands to squeeze out as much mixture as possible.
- Transfer the grated vegetables to a paper towel and squeeze out all of the remaining moisture.
- TIP: This is the most important step in avoiding sogginess, so don't skip it!
Preheat Your Oven
- Before cooking, ensure a preheated oven is set to 210 degrees Celsius (fan-forced) or 220 degrees Celsius (conventional).
Use Cold Baking Trays
- Remove the baking trays from the oven before preheating.
- The trays need to be cold when you place the uncooked pastry rolls on them so that they cook evenly in the oven and get a crispy base.
- Hot trays will begin to soften and 'melt' the pastry before it's added to the oven, leading to soggy pastry.
Prepare The Trays
- Lightly grease flat, non-stick baking trays
- Do not line the baking trays with baking paper or parchment paper, as this will act as a barrier between the sausage rolls and the baking tray and prevent the pastry from getting crispy.
Rotate The Trays
- Rotate the baking trays partway through baking.
- Rotate between the oven shelves and also turn the trays around.
Transfer To A Cooling Rack
- Allow it to cool for 5 minutes on the baking tray before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
More Expert Tips
Follow my tips for the best results and perfectly crispy puff pastry sausage rolls!
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Sausage rolls freeze perfectly. You can freeze them baked or unbaked.
- Allow baked sausage rolls to cool completely before freezing. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To freeze uncooked sausage rolls, prepare them as per the recipe up until the egg wash stage. Freeze in an air-tight container for up to 3 months.
- You can reheat baked sausage rolls that have been defrosted in a 180-degree Celsius oven until hot through.
- Alternatively, brush unbaked frozen rolls with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional) and bake as per the recipe (add an extra 10 minutes to the cooking time).
- The most traditional way to serve sausage rolls is with tomato sauce or ketchup, of course! This makes them the perfect snack, party food, appetiser, or game night treat.
- Make a double batch of
- These pastries can be served warm or cold.
- Alternatively, you can make your snack into a full meal by serving with fries and salad.
FAQS
Sausage mince, also known as sausage meat, can be bought from the meat section of major supermarkets and often butchers. It is made from ground (minced) meat, spices, and breadcrumbs and has the texture of the filling of uncooked sausages.
If you can't buy sausage mince, you can make your own by squeezing the filling out of the skins of regular pork sausages.
When cooked, the meat filling will still be soft. However, you can tell that it's cooked as the filling will have a very different texture from raw meat. As the pieces are very small, by the time the pastry has turned golden and crispy, the filling will most definitely be cooked through. If you're worried, break one in half and press your finger into the mixture. If it's very hot in the centre, it is cooked.
Related Recipes
If you love sausage rolls (and really... how can you not love delicious little crunchy savoury bite-sized snacks!), then you're going to love these recipes too:
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Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 medium carrot grated
- 1 medium zucchini grated
- 1 brown onion chopped finely
- 500 g sausage mince
- 500 g pork mince
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic optional
- 1 ½ tbs tomato sauce
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 6 sheets puff pastry defrosted
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- sesame seeds or black poppy seeds, to sprinkle (optional)
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Preheat oven to 220 degrees celsius (or 210 degrees if using fan-forced).
- Grate carrot and zucchini and remove any excess liquid through a strainer and then squeeze out any extra moisture with paper towel (see notes).
- Place the drained carrot and zucchini into a bowl. Add the chopped onion, sausage mince, pork mince, garlic, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce to the bowl. Mix together until well combined.
- Cut one sheet of defrosted puff pastry in half.
- Place 1/12th of the sausage mixture in a long thin line in the middle.
- Roll into a long thin roll making sure that the joined pastry seam is facing down.
- Cut each roll into 3 pieces (or 6 for bite-sized rolls). Brush lightly with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or black poppy seeds.
- Place the sausage rolls onto lightly greased non-stick baking trays.
- Cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed and the mixture is cooked through.
Thermomix Method
- Preheat oven to 220 degrees celsius (or 210 degrees if using fan-forced).
- Place carrot, zucchini and onion into the Thermomix bowl. Grate on Speed 9, 5 seconds, or until the mixture is finely grated (you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl).
- Place the grated vegetables into a strainer and squeeze out any excess liquid and then squeeze out any extra moisture with paper towel (see notes). Return to the Thermomix bowl.
- Add the sausage mince, pork mince, garlic, grated vegetables, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce to the Thermomix bowl. Mix on Reverse Speed 5 for 30 seconds or until completely combined (using the spatula to help mix).
- Cut one sheet of defrosted puff pastry in half.
- Place 1/12th of the sausage mixture in a long thin line down the middle. Roll into a long thin roll making sure that the joined pastry seam is facing down.
- Cut each roll into 3 pieces (6 pieces for bite-size). Brush lightly with the egg mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or black poppy seeds.
- Place the sausage rolls onto lightly greased non-stick baking trays (see notes).
- Cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed and the mixture is cooked through.
Ashleigh C says
I have made a batch for school lunches and frozen. How long would you recommend I cook them in the air fryer for? From frozen
Lucy says
Hi Ashleigh, once sausage rolls are prepared and cut into pieces, place them in your air fryer basket and cook at 200 C/392F for 10-15 minutes, or until puffed, golden and cooked through in the middle. Depending on the size of your air fryer, they may need to be cooked in batches. Cooking times will vary as all air fryers vary slightly depending on model and size. They can also be reheated (defrosted) in an air fryer at 160 C/320 F for 5-10 minutes.
Stacey says
These are fabulous, thank you for the recipe! I opted for 500g of regular pork a mince and 500g of beef mince as opposed to the sausage mince as I wanted to keep them as healthy as possible in the freezer for postpartum, I just had to really massage the mince so it had a smoother consistency. I’ll definitely give the sausage mince a go for parties ect.
Ali says
Perfection
Lucy says
Thank you!
HELEN says
I used sweet potato instead of carrot as it blended better. Everyone loved them, a great recipe
Richary says
The last time I made sausage rolls I found they tended to burn on the bottom just on the baking tray in a 200C oven. I have had better results sitting them on a rack on top of the baking tray, the base doesn't get as warm.