Epic, EASY classic homemade sausage rolls recipe that I dare say rivals the famous Bourke St Bakery, declared by many as the best sausage rolls in Australia!
It takes more than store bought sausage mince to make a truly delicious filling. The little but important thing I do that takes this from “yummy” to “OMG these are incredible!!” is to sauté garlic, onion, celery and BACON to mix into pork mince (not store bought sausage meat!).
Sausage Rolls
Sausage rolls are Australia’s answer to America’s Pigs in a Blanket – but (I’m going to say it!!) SO MUCH BETTER!!!
A juicy homemade sausage mixture wrapped in puff pastry. I mean really – do you need any more information than that to know these are wickedly delicious?
Brits reading this are probably rolling their eyes or getting fired up, thinking “Hey!!! WE invented Sausage Rolls!”
OK, true that. One might say Australia has adopted it as our own. 😉
These sausage rolls are a tried and tested favourite we regularly pull out for gatherings!
Why this is the BEST Homemade Sausage Rolls Recipe ever
It was actually my brother who created this recipe, so I can shout from the rooftops that this is the BEST homemade Sausage Rolls recipe ever and not feel like I’m being big headed!
Here is what makes these sausage rolls so good:
1. REAL PORK – It’s not made with store bought sausage mince which is a mix of questionable ingredients – query how much is actually meat. This starts with pure pork mince. Real meat. Yay! TOP TIP: No beef. Beef mince is not as juicy or tender, it will make the filling more dry.
2. BACON – It’s not just about adding bacon for the sake of it. The plain fact is that bacon is salty and juicy and when you chop it up finely and mix it through the pork, it makes it so much tastier!
3. GARLIC, ONION & CELERY – Fact: when you saute these together slowly, they become sweet and form the flavour base of many of the most epic classic recipes in this big wide world. Like Beef Ragu. And Beef & Guinness Stew. And it does the same for Sausage Rolls. The sweetness and extra flavour it adds to the filling is just incomparable to just mixing in some raw chopped onion into the mince, which is what many standard recipes do. Plus, this adds moisture to the filling without making it watery (which = soggy base); and
4. NO GRATED VEGGIES – I won’t tell you not to sneak any veggies in, but what I will caution is that grated veggies are the main culprit for soggy pastry bases, even if you squeeze excess liquid out…..I think there is a time and place for hidden veggies. In my world, that does not include sausage rolls!
Fennel all the way!
This homemade Sausage Rolls recipe includes fennel, because fennel and pork are great mates. Just like basil and tomato.
And if you’re a sausage roll connoisseur then you would probably know that the really great sausage rolls from patisseries and posh bakeries usually have a hint of fennel. 🙂
But it is all about tastes, so if you know for a fact you don’t like fennel then skip it. Or if you are wary, then just use 1/2 teaspoon and it will be a very subtle barely-there background flavour!
How to make Sausage Rolls
There’s nothing complicated about this recipe, I promise. Cook off onion, garlic, celery and bacon, then just mix the filling (I use my hands!), place on puff pastry, roll and bake.
30 minutes later, your self control is going to be seriously tested as you try to resist taste testing just one more, just one more….
Once cooked, the inside will still look a bit pink because of the bacon. But it’s very easy to tell that it’s cooked because the texture of the meat is completely different to when it’s raw.
Also, there’s no way that that the inside would not be cooked by the time the pastry is a deep golden brown which takes a good 30 minutes.
Sausage rolls are one of the few classic Aussie party foods that really can be made ahead because they can be frozen unbaked then when you’re ready to serve, all you have to do is bake them. No fussing with garnishes or assembling, just make sure there is plenty of tomato sauce (ketchup) to dunk them in! – Nagi x
More Aussie favourites
Scones – and Lemonade Scones 3 ingredient shortcut scones!
Party Pies and Meat Pies
Watch how to make it
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Homemade Sausage Rolls
Ingredients
Filling
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 brown onion , small, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk , finely chopped
- 5 oz / 150g bacon , finely minced (streaky and fatty, not the lean stuff!)
- 2 tsp fennel seeds , toasted (optional) (Note 1)
- 1 lb / 500g pork mince (ground pork) (not lean)
- 3/4 cup / 40g panko breadcrumbs (Note 2)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Baking & Serving
- 2 1/2 sheets puff pastry , thawed then each cut into half (Note 3)
- 1 egg , lightly whisked
- Ketchup / tomato sauce
Instructions
- Heat oil in a non stick fry pan over medium high heat. Sauté garlic, onion & celery for 2 minutes, then add bacon.
- Cook for a further 2 minutes (don't make bacon golden) then transfer to bowl and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Add remaining Filling ingredients into the bowl. Use your hands to mix well.
- Lay out a rectangle of pastry, long edge closest to you. Brush egg along one long edge.
- Get 1/5 th of the filling and shape into a long log shape down the middle of the pastry. Ensure the meat is tight and compact, without gaps.
- Brush edge of pastry with egg. Then roll up, finishing with the seam side down.Roll up, sealing on the edge with egg wash on it .
- If you have time/patience, refrigerate for 1 hour (makes it easier/neater to cut)
To Cook
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- Cut each log into four equal lengths, or just two if you want full size sausage rolls. Brush with egg.
- Place on 2 baking trays lined with baking paper (or sprayed with oil). Bake for 30 – 35 minutes in total, swapping tray shelves at 20 minutes, or until the pastry is deep golden brown. (Note: The filling will still look pink because of the bacon, but it's easy to tell from texture that it's cooked)
- Cool slightly on trays. Serve hot or warm with tomato sauce or ketchup!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Sausage Rolls recipe original published September 2016. Updated August 2019 with new photos, brand new video and update on Life of Dozer!
Life of Dozer
As always when I travel, Dozer stays with a Golden Retriever boarder where he thunders through the house with other golden retrievers like he owns the place. It’s a 24/7 party over there!!!
I get daily updates from her, and this is the photo I woke up to this morning – Dozer trying to eat a tree stump. Golden Retrievers really DO eating anything!!! 😂
And Life of Dozer from the first time I published this Sausage Rolls recipe back in 2016:
He has a rather generous sized bottom, doesn’t he? Bit like his Mama. 😉
Nagi,
Hi I am a very avid follower of your internet recipes, and I am sure this will be at the top of my list. My deceased wife was from Manchester area in England. We lived in Seattle Washington, and spent many vacations up in Vancouver, BC,
Canada. It was there that I was finally introduced to “Sausage Rolls”, and truly fell in love with that wonderful pastry. I have NEVER been able to duplicate them over the past 40 years, UNTIL NOW… Thank you so very much. Keep up the great work.
Thank you for reading! 🙂 I’m sorry to hear your wife has passed but I love hearing that this recipe has brought back some lovely memories 🙂 I do hope you try them – and dedicate them to your wife! N x
Oh.M.G…. these look incredible – i can’t wait to try them. These remind me of a spicier version of the toad in a hole i always get at the Renaissance Faire… i crave them! One thing i might try when serving is instead of regular ketchup, use chili sauce or my sweet & sour ketchup that i use on my meatloaf. it is a mixture of ketchup (1/2 c), brown sugar(1/4 c) & cider vinegar (4 t.). my 3 kids (well, not really kids anymore – they’re 20) practically drink the stuff…..(recipe can be found on cooks illustrated.com).
Seriously…..I almost shared Toad In a Hole!!! I was being so indecisive about which to share!!
Hi Nagi! I always buy ground pork and season it myself, like you mentioned you know exactly what is in it! Plus I can usually get it on sale for less than $2.00 a pound. With these and Kevin’s post today we’ve got the start of a party! I’m still flying high from our talk yesterday!! 🙂
It was SO GREAT to chat to you Dorothy! I shake my head at the price of food in the states…. you must take me to your local grocery store when I come!!! That’s the sort of thing I love doing, weird as it sounds. I can spend HOURS in the grocery stores!
Can the bacon in this recipe be precooked or not?
It is pre-cooked with the vegetables.
❤️ Thank you for helping Norma! N x
Hi Norma! I purpose normal bacon then lightly cook it 🙂 I am not exactly sure what you mean by pre-cooked bacon – is it already browned?? It should work just fine, it’s really about adding a touch of bacon salt and fat and flavour into the mince 🙂
What I mean by precook is do you cook it slightly before adding it to the vegetables? Bacon is just so fatty, I thought it might need to get cooked and crispy before adding it to the veggies.
Hi Norma! Yes, there is a step in the recipe to saute the bacon with the onion to soften, but not make it golden, you want it to just meld in with the pork 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, I’m a Brit who adores a good sausage roll, although living abroad I just can’t
buy them, so this is a recipe I will definitely be trying, they look absolutely delicious.
I hope you do try them Tricia! I don’t know where you are but outside of the UK and Australia it IS quite hard to find!!!
I’m not a fan of the American Pigs in a Blanket, but these? HOLD. ME. BACK.
Seriously that last photo… Shut the front door. These sound amazing, the photos are drool worthy and the styling is inspiring. You da bomb!
#LoveHomemade
#LoveHomemadeSausageInPuff 😉
This is the most interesting recipe I have ever seen for sausage rolls–and I do appreciate a good sausage roll!!!! Thanks, Nagi.
I know it’s got more ingredients than the usual but I honestly can’t leave out any of them! Every single ingredient serves a PURPOSE! 🙂 N x
Love this post! For my engagement party, a million years ago, my mom and I made more sausage bread than we knew what to do with! We couldn’t give it away! It was good bread, then, and a great memory now! Thank you for transporting me and for sharing this delicious recipe! You rock, Nagi!!
Wait – what? Sausage BREAD??? Don’t tell me – is that actually an Italian recipe??
It’s a long way to the shop if you want a sausage roll in Australia, but not if you stay home and make them with Nagi’s excellent recipe.
That’s RIGHT!!! 😉 N x
Don’t worry, Nagi – we don’t mind ‘sharing’ sausage rolls with you as a national ‘thiing’!!!
I have to admit though (through gritted teeth) that these are got to be the darn best sausage rolls I’ve ever heard of.
Like the idea of using pork mince instead of sausage meat (probably cheaper that way too) and YES, I agree we shouldn’t skimp on that tomato ketchup (the hubs squirts it over almost everything, but especially this sort of thing).
Hope you and Dozer have a great weekend xxx
Oh come on!!! I bet YOU make a mean sausage roll!!!! 🙂 N x
These were so good, easy as well. I added some chili flakes to mine, for a bit of spice
So glad you enjoyed it Shali! Chili is a great addition! 🙂
Just made these. INCREDIBLE! This is a keeper, good but easy to make. Thanks for the protesting, I would not change a thing.
Has anyone made these into patties without the roll?
Linda
These would deb fabulous made into patties and pan fried! They’ll get a beautiful caramelised crust on it 🙂
Thanks. I’m going shopping in the morning and am going to get the ingredients to try this.
I plan to use these for a party as well, should I freeze them after completing all the steps and just reheat later?
Or freeze before egg wash and baking?
Hi Kariann! I recommend freezing uncooked, before the egg wash. It is best to defrost before baking BUT they can be baked from frozen. I have done so many times, just need to let it go a deep golden brown. 🙂
Delicious and easy.
Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it!!
Made these today…delicious and easy.
Hi Shauna – YAY!!! So glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂 I love these. The only way I make sausage rolls! Thank you for coming back to share your feedback!!
Has anyone made these ahead of time and then frozen them? I’m wondering how the puff pastry will hold up when reheated. They look amazing! Thanks 🙂
Hi Jessica! They freeze really well, in fact, I usually freeze them because I make them ahead for parties. The puff pastry reheats in the oven nice and crisp. Just defrost (you can even do it in the microwave) then pop into a 180C/300F oven until crisp and heated through. 🙂
Oh my! This is right up my alley! Delish! Pinned!
Pinky swear it is delish!! Thanks for dropping by Zerrin!
This looks absolutely delicious! Love a good sausage roll!
Who doesn’t?! Everyone needs a staple recipe in their repertoire!