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. 😉
Jan Rhoades says
My go to recipe these days. I’m making some today and freeing ready for Christmas parties. Thanks again. Love ‘emm
Anne says
Hi Nagi, thank you for this recipe. I’m allergic to egg and wondered if these work out ok with grated apple instead of the egg and brush the pastry with milk? Love all your recipes. Thanks so much.
Helen says
I live in Maun Botswana, on the edge of the beautiful Okavango Delta. I made these for our Golden Year’s Group library club one Saturday. What a hit! Thanks for this easy peasy delicious recipe
Michelle says
These were great! I grou d up the fennel seeds before toasting. I also added some apple sauce! These were not greasy like the beef ones i made. 10/10!
Heather says
Made these yesterday, with the idea of putting most of them in the freezer…
By the time they were completely cold, there were two left! So tasty!😍 Only change was to use 1 1/2 tsp of fennel seeds and that was just right for us. Another winner, thanks Nagi
Meeren Venkamah says
Made these tonight. Amazing taste. I was a bit worried about the fennel might overpower the mix, but it was perfect
Brian says
Picture says it all ,I would put in some rosemary next time as the fennel was not to my taste ,I did finish them all though .Thanks
Tina says
First time every making sausage rolls. So proud of how these turned out!
Rolling them was the hardest bit 🤣 not quite in 0.05 seconds like the video.
Kate says
I made it with Beef sausage mince . Put the Panko breadcrumbs, bacon, grated and finely chopped some carrot, celery and onion in it along with an American Smokey spice rub. To stop the pastry going soggy on the bottom, I placed them on a cooling rack in the oven whilst cooking and the fat and moisture dripped out onto another tray below. They turned out moist inside and totally yummy and the pastry base was nice and crisp.
Rebecca Preston says
Another great recipe. Proportions worked perfectly. I tripled it when I had an abundance of mince and made large ones with a full pastry sheet for dinner and they worked well, too.
ruby says
delicious! love the combo of fennel seeds, pork mince and bacon. I am a busy shift worker and made these to chuck in the freezer and cook when needed, perfect and convenient 🙂
Heather says
Hands down, the best sausage rolls EVER! We eat them on a regular basis and I have even considered sharing it with my local butcher shop in Calgary AB cause his don’t make the cut. Thanks Nagy😊
Rosemary Hodges says
So simple to make and super delicious. Thx Nagi for another winner recipe
Chris says
Do you think I could sub with chicken mince? Not my choice but I’m making them for a birthday party & the birthday girl wants chicken sausage rolls.
Cliff Trotter says
Another Yummy recipe Nagi. Can you freeze these once they are cooked to reheat at a later time? Cheers
Chris says
I often freeze them after cooking. Just leave them a tiny bit blonde so they don’t brown too much when reheating.. It works perfectly
Wikki says
How long do you cook them from frozen?
Julianne says
One of my fave RTE recipes. I use beef & pork mince combo and half the fennel – perfect 👍
Stephanie Sheen says
These are ahhhhmazing. My 12 month old has been so sick these last few days and he has refused to eat anything… except these! I omitted the salt and they were exceptional.
Mandy says
My mix made 6 logs instead of 5 so I needed 3 sheets of puff pastry but omg! These were amazing! Even my fussy parents loved them. I left out the fennel seeds but added sesame seeds to the top. So delicious. Definitely making again
FI says
I have made these over and over again with beef mince and the kids absolutely love them. Its one of those make ahead freezer meals that come in handy for school lunches.
Thanks for another banger Nagi!
Val Nguyen says
Made it for fun on a Saturday afternoon with my new partner. It was simple and quite delicious 😋. Thank you for this recipe.