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. 😉
These sausage rolls are the bomb! I was looking for items to serve for a Christmas tea I’m hosting, and decided to test these out. Since they’re for a tea, I made three strips with each sheet of pastry and cut each big roll into six pieces rather than four. Otherwise, I followed the recipe (including the toasted fennel seeds). They turned out fantastic! Will definitely serve them for the tea in a couple weeks.
Delicious!!
Perfect every time. Make my own puff pastry with lard and butter. Thank you for the fennel tip, makes such a huge difference to the flavour when toasted.
I am obsessed with these! I’ve made them twice.
I made them gluten free using gf breadcrumbs and simplywise gf puff pastry (I saw a tip elsewhere to roll the sheets out before you use them – worked perfectly).
I like the fennel (unlike a few other recent comments) and use way more than 1tsp. I also used about double the veggies, although perhaps was saved from them making my sausage rolls soggy because my onions had been dehydrating in the fridge for a couple weeks!
I sprinkled a mix of white and black sesame seeds on top. They looked incredible.
Delicious! Toddlers destroyed them. Used beef mince instead and omitted fennel seeds and celery bc I didn’t have any and still it turned out amazing. Not dry at all.
Have made these twice in 3 days! Left out the celery and added a bit of dried sage, dried celery seed and an egg both times, added finely chopped apple to the pan with the bacon the second time. Delicious any way you make it.
Hi nagi you are right these are incredibly delicious. I have never tasted another sausage roll so good gourmet bakery or otherwise! Thanks
Hi Nagi, I love your recipes. They are great and a quick solution when I’m wondering what to make for dinner. So far I have tried many of your recipes and none had been unsuccessful. Thanks . However I made the sausage roll by using store bought frankfurters. The roll split by the end of the cooking process. Noticed that the sausage has been puffed up during the cooking process. How can I fix this?
These sausages rolls are delicious. I ground up my own pork to get the fat, and made 4 big rolls instead of 5 . Otherwise stuck to the recipe
I use 1tsp of celery seeds instead of fresh celery (mainly because I very rarely use celery and I hate wasting food) and I toast them with the fennel seeds.
I usually make several batches and freeze them – love to take them on camping trips as we have an oven in our 4WD and the smell of them cooking as we are driving along is simply divine!
I’ve made these a few times now and they’re so damn good. I even impressed my in-laws!!
I used some of the mix to whip up some makeshift pork bolognaise portions for my kids (3yrs and 1yr) coz they won’t eat sausage rolls and pastry yet, and they loved it. So yummmm.
So easy and delicious. Easy to change the flavour up too so you can work with what you have in the kitchen. Another winner from Nagi.
Just made the pork sausage roll recipe tonight and OH MY GOODNESS!!! Absolutely AMAZING!!! Best sausage rolls EVER! And definitely take Nagi’s advice and add the toasted Fennell seeds because they just lift it to a whole new level! 😍 You will not be disappointed. Trust me. 😃👍
We loved these and there is enough for dinner tomorrow. Thanks so much Nagi.
Q: How do you make a sausage roll?
A: You push it down the hill.
Ps. Made the rolls and they were delish!
One word delicious! My toddler I’m sure doesn’t actually taste what he quickly shovels into his mouth 🤣 but my husband and I loved the flavours. I used the fennel and all 😋
Nagi, your recipes always turn out perfectly delicious and these are hands down the best sausage rolls!! I cooked a batch one evening for my husband’s lunches and he and I ended up snacking away on them fresh from the oven 👌
Hi Nagi… I’m so grateful for your wonderful recipes…
Like other pastry if I put the sausage rolls in the refrigerator for half an hour, will they rise better?
These are delicious, especially with fennel — don’t skip it! I like them without ketchup so the flavors of the pastry and filling stand out. They’re quite different from pigs in a blanket, which are quicker, cheaper, and pair well with ketchup and biscuits. But these rolls have their own unique taste.
These are really good, especially with the fennel! Don’t leave it out! I prefer them naked, without ketchup smothering the flavors of both the puff pastry and the filling. It’s unfair to compare these with pigs in a blanket, that’s like comparing greek yogurt with sour cream. PIAB are quicker, cheaper, and there’s something wonderful about the combination of baked hot dog and buttermilk biscuit, especially smothered in ketchup. PIAB need them.