Best British Sausage Roll

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 06/30/22
Tested by
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Tested by Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
British sausage rolls

The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 27 mins
Chill Time: 10 mins
Total: 62 mins
Servings: 6 to 10 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
717 Calories
56g Fat
36g Carbs
18g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 717
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 56g 71%
Saturated Fat 13g 64%
Cholesterol 104mg 35%
Sodium 1065mg 46%
Total Carbohydrate 36g 13%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 18g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 28mg 2%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 521mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Sausage rolls are a staple of both British and Irish food. They're so common that it is easy to forget what clever things they are: A buttery puff pastry baked to golden perfection gives a delightful flakiness and crisp texture to accompany the hearty meat filling made out of eggs, sausage, onions, and spices.

So often overlooked, this easy dish celebrates the amazing variety of British sausages and leaves room for improvisation. Add other veggies of your liking or combine two or more types of sausage for the filling. You can make tiny canapé-sized sausage rolls or big long hunks; pack them in a lunch box, picnic basket, or serve them warm or cold for a light meal. Make honey mustard sauce, a cheese-beer dip, or homemade ketchup to serve with your rolls.

Try this recipe and make it your own with the flavors and spices you'd like the most. Make a large batch, cut, and freeze to have these little rolls on hand for a last-minute dinner or an afternoon treat.

2:06

Click Play to See This British Sausage Roll Recipe Come Together

"These were delicious and quite easy to make following the instructions. There are no 25-ounce packages of puff pastry in my part of the U.S., but two 14-ounce packages worked perfectly. I defrosted it in the refrigerator and kept it cold throughout. Each package contained one sheet almost perfect in size and needed little rolling." —Diana Rattray

Best British Sausage Rolls
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped

  • 2 pounds sausage meat

  • 3 medium eggs (free-range if possible), divided

  • Ground black pepper, to taste

  • Salt, to taste

  • 2 tablespoons flour, for rolling out pastry

  • 25 ounces puff pastry or shortcrust pastry

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make British sausage rolls

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  2. In a frying pan, heat the vegetable oil on medium heat and add the onion to cook for approximately 7 minutes, or until it starts to lightly brown.

    Onions cooking in a pan

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  3. In a large mixing bowl, add the sausage meat, cooked onion, and 2 of the eggs. Season with a couple of pinches of black pepper and a good sprinkling of salt. Mix well until all the ingredients are thoroughly and evenly combined.

    A bowl of sausage meat, eggs, cooked onion, salt and pepper

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  4. Preheat the oven to 400 F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into two 8- by 10-inch rectangles. Cut each rectangle into 2 long strips (4 total) and rest them in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.

    Sheets of puff pastry on a cutting board

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  5. Place the cold pastry onto 2 lightly greased baking pans. In the center of each pastry, form the sausage meat into a long sausage the length of the pastry strip. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and lightly brush the edges of the pastry.

    Two sheets of puff pastry with a line of sausage meet mixture in the middle, and egg wash on the edges

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  6. Fold the pastry over the meat filling to form long rolls. Flip the sausage roll over so the seam is underneath. Lightly brush the top surface with egg.

    Long roll of sausage-filled puff pastry being brushed with egg wash

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  7. Cut the rolls into 1 1/2-inch lengths. Or vary the length to the style of roll you want.

    One and a half inch pieces of sausage roll on a baking sheet

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  8. Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Leave them to cool before packing them into your picnic basket or lunch box, or simply eat them right away. Enjoy.

    Cooked sausage rolls on a baking sheet

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Tips

  • If you can't find quality sausage meat, buy your favorite British sausages and squeeze the meat out, discarding the skins. This method is also a great way to create fillings for your sausage rolls by choosing different sausages. If you like, combine two or more types of sausage.
  • When using store-bought frozen puff pastry, thaw it out according to the manufacturer's instructions before use.
  • To keep the sausage mixture from sticking to your hands, dampen them with a bit of water before shaping the sausage.
  • If the rolls are difficult to cut after enclosing the sausage in the puff pastry, return the pans to the fridge to chill before slicing.
  • For less baking mess, line the pans with parchment paper or greased foil.

Recipe Variation

  • For a different shape, use small cupcake tins and cover the bottom of each with a disc of puff pastry. Add 1 tablespoon of filling, cover with a smaller disc of pastry, and press the edges so both discs come together. Use egg wash on top, and pinch the upper disc with a fork before baking so the steam can escape.
  • Finely chop peppers, onions, and spinach, and sauté them in vegetable oil until soft. Use any other vegetables to add flavor and volume; by adding more veggies, you can make more rolls with the same amount of meat.
  • Sage and thyme are commonly added to sausage rolls, though other herbs can be mixed into the meat as well.
  • Scottish sausage rolls often use ground beef rather than pork sausage for the filling.

How to Store and Freeze

  • Leftover baked sausage rolls can be stored for a few days in the refrigerator. Enjoy them cold or gently reheat in the oven.
  • For best results, freeze unbaked sausage rolls prior to adding the egg wash on the top of the roll. Cut them up into the desired size and freeze on a baking tray for a few hours before placing them in a freezer-safe bag or container.
  • To freeze baked sausage rolls, let them cool down completely and then pack into a freezer container with parchment paper to separate the layers.
  • Sausage rolls can be frozen for two or three months.
  • Defrost sausage rolls in the refrigerator overnight, then let them reach room temperature before baking. Apply an egg wash to unbaked rolls and bake according to the recipe (they may need a little longer to cook through). For baked rolls, heat them in a 400 F oven for about 15 to 20 minutes.

What Is a Sausage Roll in the United States?

The British sausage roll is not well-known in the United States. A staple of U.K. food since the 1800s, its distinguishing feature is the use of ground sausage meat rather than sausage in the casing. The closest American food is pigs in a blanket, which wraps hot dogs in crescent roll dough. The U.K.'s version of pigs in a blanket skips the pastry and wraps cocktail sausage in bacon instead.

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