Homemade Sausage Rolls (2024)

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, filling up the freezer or making lunch box snacks, these tasty little pastries are always a firm favourite (especially with kids!)

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, this homemade recipe is a zillion times better!

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 it's also my most traditional recipe... there's something to be said for keeping it simple! I like to use a combination of sausage meat and pork mince which gives the best flavour and soft meaty filling. 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. You can either reheat them once they've defrosted 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 sausage rolls 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 - sausage mince is also known as sausage meat. You can buy sausage mince from the meat section of major supermarkets or butcher. 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 - sausage rolls are traditionally made with pork mince (my favourite version) however, you can substitute with beef or lamb mince if you prefer.
• Flavourings - take these sausage rolls to the next level with garlic (optional), regular tomato sauce (ketchup) and Worcestershire sauce.
• Puff pastry - the delicious golden, flakey pastry is made using regular store-bought frozen pastry sheets. I prefer 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 them 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 full 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 vegetables (see my tips below).

Step 2 - Mix The Meat and Filling Ingredients

In a large bowl, mix all of the filling ingredients together.

TIP: Get your hands into the bowl and mix the filling together really well - this is so much easier than using a spoon.

Step 3 - Rolling

Rolling the the meat filling in pastry could not be easier.

Cut each square of puff pastry in half

Place a long thin line of meat filling down the middle of each pastry half.

Roll the pastry over the meat filling, leaving the pastry seam on the bottom.

Cut each length into smaller pieces (3 per length for larger rolls or 4-6 for bite-size rolls).

Step 4 - Brush With Beaten Egg

Lightly beat an egg in a small bowl and use a silicone brush or a pastry brush to lightly brush the top of the pastry.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional).

Step 5 - Bake Until Golden And Crispy

Bake for 25-30 minutes (for larger pieces) or 20 minutes (for bite-sized pieces).

How To Avoid Soggy Sausage Rolls

The biggest problem that people have when baking sausage rolls is having soggy pastry bases... and no-one wants soggy pastry!

Here's how you can get crispy, crunchy, flakey pastry...

Remove The Moisture

• Grate the vegetables (zucchini and carrot) and finely chop the onion and then place into a fine wire strainer.
• Use your hands to squeeze out as much mixture as possible.
• Transfer the grated vegetables to paper towel and squeeze out all of the remaining moisture.
• TIP: this is THE most important step to avoiding sogginess... so don't skip it!

Preheat Your Oven

• Ensure that your oven is preheated to 210 degrees celsius (fan-forced) or 220 degrees celsius (conventional) before cooking.

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.
• Using hot trays will begin to soften and 'melt' the pastry before they're added to the oven - which will lead to soggy pastry.

Prepare The Trays

• Lightly grease flat non-stick baking trays
• Do NOT line the baking trays with baking paper as it acts as a barrier between the sausage rolls and the baking tray and stops 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 to cool for 5 minutes on the baking tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

More Expert Tips

Follow my tips for 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 unbaked rolls, prepare them as per the recipe up until the egg wash stage. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
• You can reheat baked sausage rolls that have been defrosted in an 180 degrees 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 of course with tomato sauce or ketchup! This makes is the perfect snack, party food, appetiser or game night treat.
• 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

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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