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. 😉
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.
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 🙂
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😊
So simple to make and super delicious. Thx Nagi for another winner recipe
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.
Another Yummy recipe Nagi. Can you freeze these once they are cooked to reheat at a later time? Cheers
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
How long do you cook them from frozen?
One of my fave RTE recipes. I use beef & pork mince combo and half the fennel – perfect 👍
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.
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
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!
Made it for fun on a Saturday afternoon with my new partner. It was simple and quite delicious 😋. Thank you for this recipe.
I have never made good sausage rolls until now – these are sensational! Thank-you Dozer for your taste-testing – makes all the difference…
I was seriously anti-sausage rolls. For all the reasons you stated dry, meat not good, soggy pastry bottoms & plain lack of flavour. Tried yours & took them to an afternoon tea …. Well , congratulations to you Nagi EVERYBODY raved about them. I wish I had this recipe many years ago when my children were young ! They loved their Nanna’s savoury mince & I’m sure these would have been a hit too. Thanks again .
Wondering how these would be with apple added. Thoughts?
I was thinking chicken & apple , I make sausages with this combo.
I am wondering the same thing.
Fantastic recipe! I prepped these the day before for overnight guests and they came out beautifully.
Changes I made: I only used 2 sheets of puff pastry because I didn’t want to buy another pack. Instead of ground pork, I used a local spicy sausage from my farmers market. I think next time I would cut the puff pastry into thirds instead of half and making smaller versions. Will definitely be making again!
I have been making sausage rolls for many years but these are next level. The flavours are sensational and for me the fennel and bacon make it, so flavoursome. Great tip to put the rolls uncut in the fridge for whatever time you have. Yum 😋
Hands down the best sausage roll recipe! I added half a red capsicum as I had one that needed using and they turned out scrumptious, especially with the toasted fennel seeds. Another winner recipe Nagi 🤗
There tasted amazing and super easy to make.
I didn’t put in the fennel seeds, but did add a finely chopped red apple. I also used normal breadcrumbs.
Everybody raved about them and wants the recipe. Success!!!!
Fabulous !
Used both pork mince and the second time, used the sausage mince that i had in the fridge. both were lovely. second time had better quality pastry and you could tell the difference !
Modified recipe this by using carrots, celery seeds and oats instead of breadcumbs. Oats take a while to absorb the moisture so usually cook the rolls next day. The rolls are delicious have made them a few times now!! Regards