Pigs in a Blanket
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Made with cocktail sausages and puff pastry, these fancy pigs in a blanket are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Think “pigs in a blanket” and you’ll likely picture the classic mini hot dogs wrapped in canned croissant dough—a familiar party favorite found in its traditional form on the Pillsbury website. But let’s give this beloved snack an upgrade, shall we? Taking a page from Alex Guarnaschelli’s Cook with Me: 150 Recipes for the Home Cook, this version swaps the hot dogs for mini cocktail sausages and the croissant dough for store-bought puff pastry. Such a simple switch, but it makes all the difference—and it’s just as easy to make!
Serve them up plain for the kids and purists, or whip up the spicy, tangy honey mustard for extra zing. Either way, these fancy pigs in a blanket are perfect for any gathering, be it a casual game day or an elegant cocktail party. The recipe yields a generous batch of about 80, but it is easily halved for smaller crowds.
Table of Contents
“I made these New Year‘s Eve…Very simple to make, and tasty too! The puff pastry classes up these bites, and the sauce…oh my, please don’t skip the sauce!”
What You’ll Need To Make Pigs in a Blanket
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the Pigs in a Blanket
To begin, using a paring knife, make a few small cuts into the casing of each cocktail sausage to prevent them from splitting in the oven.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs yolks with 1 teaspoon of water.
Dust a clean work surface with flour and place one of the sheets of puff pastry on top. Sprinkle the pastry with flour as well.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12-inch square, flattening the seams with the rolling pin as you go. Next, using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, trim the edges so that they are straight.
Cut the pastry into a grid, with strips about 1-1/4 inches wide and 2-1/4 inches long. You’ll be making about 8 vertical cuts and 4 horizontal cuts in the pastry (you’ll need about 40 strips of pastry; you may have extra).
Working with one row at a time, starting at the bottom of the “grid,” brush the bottom inch of the strips with the egg mixture. Set a cocktail sausage parallel to the egg mixture at the top end of a pastry strip.
Roll the sausage up into its dough “blanket,” and press the free edge onto the blanket to seal it closed. The dough should overlap slightly on itself.
Place the pig in a blanket, seam-side down, on one of the prepared baking sheets. Then repeat with the remaining strips, setting them on the lined pan about 1-inch apart once rolled. Place the pigs in a blanket in the refrigerator.
Discard any leftover pastry, wipe the work surface clean to remove any egg, and then dust with flour and repeat with the remaining pastry sheet and cocktail sausages. (There is no need to refrigerate the second batch, unless you don’t plan on baking them right away. The pigs in a blanket can be made up to 4 hours ahead of time and refrigerated before baking.)
Brush the pigs in a blanket lightly with the remaining egg mixture.
Next, place the sheet pans in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and back to front midway through, until the pastry is golden.
Make the Sauce
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, Tabasco, and vinegar.
Whisk to combine.
Transfer the pigs in a blanket to a serving platter and serve warm with the sauce.
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Pigs in a Blanket with Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce
Made with cocktail sausages and puff pastry, these fancy pigs in a blanket are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
For the Pigs in a Blanket
- 2 (14 oz) packages cocktail sausages (I use Hillshire Farm Lit'l Smokies)
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 (1-pound) box frozen puff pastry, thawed (I use Pepperidge Farm; see note)
- All-purpose flour, for rolling the pastry
For the Honey Mustard Sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- 2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and set two oven racks in the centermost positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a paring knife, make a few small cuts into the casing of each cocktail sausage to prevent them from splitting in the oven.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs yolks with 1 teaspoon of water.
- Dust a clean work surface with flour and place one of the sheets of puff pastry on top. Sprinkle the pastry with flour as well. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12-inch square, flattening the seams with the rolling pin as you go. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, trim the edges so that they are straight. Cut the pastry into a grid, with strips about 1¼ inches wide and 2¼ inches long. You’ll be making about 8 vertical cuts and 4 horizontal cuts in the pastry (see the picture above for a visual reference; you'll need at least 40 strips and you may have extra).
- Working with one row at a time, starting at the bottom of the "grid," brush the bottom inch of the strips with the egg mixture. Set a cocktail sausage parallel to the egg mixture at the top end of the first pastry strip. Roll the sausage up into its dough "blanket," and press the free edge onto the blanket to seal it closed. The dough should overlap slightly on itself. Place the pig in a blanket, seam-side down, on one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining strips, setting them on the lined pan about 1-inch apart once rolled. Place the pigs in a blanket in the refrigerator. Discard any leftover pastry, wipe the work surface clean to remove any egg, and then dust with flour and repeat with the remaining pastry sheet and cocktail sausages. (There is no need to refrigerate the second batch, unless you don't plan on baking them right away. The pigs in a blanket can be made up to 4 hours ahead of time, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated before baking.)
- Brush the pigs in a blanket lightly with the remaining egg mixture, and then place the sheet pans in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and back to front midway through, until the pastry is golden.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, Tabasco, and vinegar.
- Transfer the pigs in a blanket to a serving platter and serve warm with the sauce.
- Note: Puff pastry dough is easiest to work with when cold, so work in batches, making the first batch (from one sheet of dough) before taking the second sheet of dough out of the refrigerator.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The pigs in a blanket can be assembled up to 4 hours ahead of time, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated before baking. They can also be frozen until firm, then stored in freezer bags up to one month ahead. They can be put in the oven directly from the freezer; they may just take an additional minute or 2 in the oven.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (40 servings)
- Serving size: 2 pieces
- Calories: 134
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 194 mg
- Cholesterol: 24 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
These little guys were easy to make and were loved by kids and adults. Don’t skip the mustard dipping sauce- perfect accompaniment!
Excellent! Used as a side dish for Thanksgiving.
Fantastic sauce! I like my crescent rolls for pigs in a blanket, but your spicy mustard sauce is amazing! A keeper for sure. Can’t wait to use on sandwiches too!
These are great!! It’s hard to beat croissant rolls but this does the trick. Served these as a snack on Halloween and they were ALL gone. The sauce is great for dipping also. This will be how we make Pigs in a Blanket from now on. Thank you!
These are so delicious. I have 4 kids and we will have zero left overs. The sauce is the perfect pairing. Will definitely be making them again.
Correction…I think. Hillshire Farms Little Smokies are 13 oz size, in our area.
These were yummy and easy to make. The sauce was a bit spicy though
Oops…I mistyped 12oz!
Love these, a nice step up from crescent rolls which has been my go to for kids for years. Hillshire smokies are delish in these. Just want to clarify that we roll and freeze uncooked – not after?
Correct! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
This is a favorite in our household, too. I prefer Trader Joe’s all butter puff pastry as Pepperidge Farm is made with shortening. Typically TJs sells their puff pastry only around Thanksgiving to New Years so I buy several packages for the freezer. This method also works well with larger smoked sausages if you want to make an easy meal with a salad.
Great tip, K — thank you!
What mini sausages have you had success with?
Hi Ponyo, I use Hillshire Farms Lit’l Smokies.
Can these be frozen before baking?
Hi Debra, Yes they can; I have added instructions at the bottom of the recipe.