I don’t think there’s a party snack I trust more than mini pigs in a blanket. Whenever I put them on a table, they disappear faster than anything else. Chips sit there. Veggies get ignored. But these little sausage rolls? Gone in minutes.
I started making them years ago for casual game nights, mostly because they were ridiculously easy. Two ingredients and about ten minutes of effort sounded perfect on nights when I was already juggling too many things in the kitchen.
Now they’re kind of a tradition around here. Holidays, birthdays, random movie nights. If people are coming over, chances are a tray of these is going into the oven.
Some recipes are fancy and fun to experiment with. This is not that recipe. This one is simple, reliable, and honestly hard to mess up. Which is exactly why I love it.
Mini pigs in a blanket are basically small sausages wrapped in pastry dough and baked until golden. That's it. But when the dough gets flaky and the sausage warms up inside, something about that combo just works.
My kids actually request these for dinner sometimes. Not even as a snack. Just a full plate of them with dipping sauces.
And I’m not even mad about it, because they take almost no effort.
I start by preheating the oven to 350°F. This gives it time to fully heat while I assemble everything.
I also line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I didn’t always do this, but after scraping stuck dough off a pan once, I learned my lesson.
I roll out the crescent dough and cut it into long thin strips. A pizza cutter makes this really fast. A knife works too but the pizza cutter feels easier.
The strips don’t have to be perfect. Mine never are.
Actually the slightly uneven ones sometimes wrap the sausages better.
Next I take one dough strip and wrap it around a cocktail sausage. I usually start at one end and spiral the dough around until the sausage is covered.
If there’s extra dough hanging off the end, I just trim it.
Then I place the wrapped sausage seam side down on the baking sheet. That helps keep the dough from unraveling while baking.
I repeat this with all the sausages. This part goes surprisingly fast once you get into a rhythm.
In a small bowl I whisk together the egg and water.
Then I lightly brush it over each wrapped sausage. This step is technically optional, but I almost always do it.
Without it the dough still cooks fine, but the egg wash gives that beautiful golden color that makes them look way more appetizing.
Right after brushing the egg wash, I sprinkle everything bagel seasoning over the top.
I don’t go crazy with it though. The seasoning already has salt and the sausages are salty too, so a light sprinkle works best.
If I skip this step, sometimes I’ll sprinkle sesame seeds instead.
The tray goes into the oven for about 18 to 22 minutes.
I usually check around the 18 minute mark. The dough should be fully cooked and lightly golden on top.
If the bottoms look pale, I let them go another couple minutes.
Once they come out of the oven, I let them sit for a few minutes because the inside is really hot.
Then they’re ready to serve.
Mini pigs in a blanket are honestly great all by themselves. But dipping sauces make them way more fun.
I usually put out a few options and let people pick.
When we have guests over, I set the tray in the middle of the table with little bowls of sauce around it. People just grab and dip.
Simple food always wins.
Dough sheets save time because there are no perforated seams to pinch together. Regular crescent dough works fine, but sometimes the seams split if I forget to seal them.
I used to pull them out early because they looked done. Then I bit into one and the inside dough was still soft.
Let them bake the full time so the pastry cooks through.
If they’re too crowded, the bottoms stay pale and the dough doesn’t crisp properly.
Now I always spread them out a bit.
This trick saved me during one holiday party. I wrapped all the sausages the night before, covered the tray, and kept it in the fridge.
The next day I just brushed the egg wash and baked them.
Zero stress cooking.
I’ve frozen both baked and unbaked pigs in a blanket before. Surprisingly they hold up really well.
If they’re frozen before baking, I just add a few extra minutes in the oven.
I used to overthink party snacks. Trying complicated appetizers, stacking fancy ingredients, making things that took forever.
And half the time those dishes were still sitting on the table at the end of the night.
Meanwhile the simple stuff was always gone.
That’s exactly what happens with mini pigs in a blanket.
They’re warm, salty, flaky, and easy to eat with your hands. People grab one without even thinking about it.
So now when I host anything, I always include at least one really simple appetizer.
This one never fails.
And if I’m being honest, I always make extra because I know I’ll end up sneaking a few straight from the tray before anyone else gets to them.
Mini Pigs in a Blanket are the ultimate party appetizer, with little bite-sized sausages wrapped up in warm, flaky crescent roll pastry. Everyone loves them and they're so easy to make too! With as little as 2 ingredients and 10 minutes prep, you can have these golden, delicious bites ready for your next gathering.
Servings 28
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.