Pigs in a Blanket with Puff Pastry
These cute little Pigs in a Blanket or mini sausage pastries with puff pastry are always a party favorite appetizer. They are extremely easy and super fun to make, and you only need a few ingredients. They are great for kids' birthday parties, potlucks, or any event where you need something cute and delicious but quick and easy to make.
** This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means if you buy through the links I get a small commission but no extra cost to you.
What you need for Pigs in a Blanket
Hot Dogs/Sausages
I use all beef hot dogs from Hebrew Nationals - the regular-size hot dogs which are typically 6 inches long. I usually cut them into 2-inch pieces. But you can use any type of hotdogs or sausages of your choice. Some people like cheesy or spicy sausages too. You can make the process even easier if you purchase mini cocktail sausages. But make sure to cut the puff pastry to the right size.
Puff Pastry
Store-bought puff pastry makes it so easy and convenient to make Pigs in a Blanket. I buy either the puff pastry sheets in the freezer section (pepperridge farm brand) or the rolled puff pastry sheets in the refrigerator. For this recipe, I use one rolled puff pastry from the brand Jus-roll
Egg
To egg-wash the puff pastries. If you're allergic to eggs you can use a little bit of melted butter to brush the puff pastries. Eggs also help to stick the puff pastries better together when you wrap them around the hot dog.
Sesame seeds
I use a mix of black sesame seeds and white sesame seeds. You can skip them and make the pastries without them too. Or you can use some everything bagel seasoning to sprinkle on pigs on a blanket.
Keep the puff pastry dough cold
You need to keep the puff pastry dough as cold as possible when you work with it. If it comes to room temperature or below, the butter layers can dissolve into the dough and you might not get those beautiful layers that we all love in puff pastry.
If you're doubling the recipe, keep one pastry sheet in the fridge to keep it from reaching room temperature until you are done with the other one.
How to make Pigs in a blanket ahead of time
There are two ways that you can make these cuties ahead of time.
1. Prep ahead and bake later
Wrap the hot dogs with the puff pastry, arrange them on a baking tray, and refrigerate. When you want to bake, preheat the oven and bake as usual.
2. Half bake and finish baking later
Bake the pigs in a blanket for about 8 -10 minutes at 425F or until they are just starting to turn golden. Let them cool and refrigerate. On the day you want to serve, bake them again for another 4 - 5 minutes at 400F until they are golden in color and are heated all the way through. Or air fry for about 4 - 6 minutes at 375F.
You can also freeze the half-baked puff pastry pigs in a blanket. Freeze them in a ziplock bag. Thaw for about 30 minutes on the counter, and bake them again in the oven at 375F for about 6 - 10 minutes until they are golden in color. You may need to cover them with a piece of aluminum foil if they are browning too quickly.
Reheating Leftovers
Air fryer is a great way to reheat these little hot dog/ sausage pastries. I usually air fry for about 5 minutes at 365F.
Or you can arrange them on a baking tray. Cover with a foil so the top of the pastries won't turn too dark. and reheat at 350F for about 6 - 8 minutes or until they are heated through.
Serving ideas for Pigs in a Blanket with Puff Pastry
The simplest way (and I think the favorite of many people) is to serve pigs in a blanket with some ketchup and yellow mustard.
If the party is mostly for adults, I add a little bit of spicy mustard on my platter too.
Or if you want to be a little fancy, a nice cheese sauce works really well too.
Recipes you might also like:
These cute little Pigs in a Blanket or mini sausage pastries with puff pastry are always a party favorite appetizer. They are extremely easy and super fun to make, and you only need a few ingredients.
- 8 Hot Dogs/Sausages (i use 6 inch long regular hot dogs)
- 1 Refrigerated Puff Pastry roll/Sheet/dough (*see notes for more info)
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds (optional)
Cut the hotdogs/sausages into 2-inch pieces. Also, crack the egg into a small bowl, and beat with a fork until egg york is mixed with the white. Keep it aside. And preheat the oven to 425F/ 218c.
Roll out the puff pastry sheet on baking paper/parchment paper. If there are any cracks in the pastry sheet, press the dough from the sides to repair the cracks. If the pastry sheet is too small, roll it out with a rolling pin until it's about 16 inches long and about 10.5 inches wide.
Cut the puff pastry into 24 pieces that are 2 inches wide and 3.5 inches long. To do this, first mark and cut it into 8 strips along the 16-inch side, each 2 inches wide. Then, along the 10.5-inch side, mark and cut each strip into 3 equal sections of 3.5 inches each. This gives you 2inch wide and 3.5 inches long square piece of puff pastry.
If you're using thicker hotdogs/sausages you might need to roll the dough a little bit more or use a bigger puff pastry sheet and cut into bigger pieces.
Using a brush, apply a little bit of eggwash to one end of each puff pastry piece. Place the hot dog piece at the other end of the puff pastry piece. Roll the puff pastry along with the sausage to wrap the pastry around it. The egg wash you applied helps as an adhesive to stop puff pastry from unfolding as it bakes in the oven.
Arrange the wrapped pastries, seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Eggwash the pastries using a pastry brush.
Sprinkle a few pinches of sesame seeds over the top of each pastry.
Bake for about 12 minutes at 425F/ 218c or until the puff pastry has risen, layers have separated and the top of the pastries have turned golden in color.
- I use refrigerated store-bought puff pastry from the brand jus-rol, which is 13.2oz / 375g in weight. It's about 10 inches by 12 inches. If you use frozen puff pastry, make sure it's defrosted in the fridge or on the counter until it's flexible enough to roll. But don't wait until it comes to room temperature.
Puff pastry should remain cold when you work with it to attain the best results.
