Oh, how we love this flaky British Sausage Roll recipe! First, I’ve gotta tell you — if you’ve never had a sausage roll, you are missing out. We’re lucky enough to have a decent sized British population (and an adorable little British food store!) here in Montclair, so we have access to all kinds of tasty treats that are often found across the pond. Sausage rolls being one of them.
Here’s everything you need to know about this delicious, handheld pastry:
- Holiday appetizer! Sausage rolls are enjoyed year round in the UK, but are a staple for holidays. This easy sausage roll recipe yields 9 individual rolls, but you can easily slice everything a bit smaller to make them the perfect size for hors d’oeuvres!
- Store-bought puff pastry makes these so easy! You could certainly make a shortcrust pastry from scratch, but store-bought, freezer-friendly puff pastry is a dream! We almost always have a container on standby. Quick enough to make on weeknights and special occasions.
- Less than 10 ingredients! It helps to use a brand of sausage that you really love, but beyond that, you just need a few fresh herbs and staple ingredients to make these tasty puff pastry bites.
These are so good that we insist on making a double batch so we can freeze the leftovers. For more quick snacks and easy appetizer ideas, consider trying our potato galette with puff pastry crust or these Israeli cheese bourekas with puff pastry next!
Ingredients To Make Our Sausage Roll Recipe
- Puff Pastry Sheets: a laminated dough that results in flaky layers of goodness! Want to try and make your own puff pastry? Check out this King Arthur’s Flour recipe!
- Sausage, casings removed — we’re using a mild Italian sausage, but certainly any type will work.
- Dijon Mustard: adds a tangy flavor to the savory sausage filling.
- Fresh sage and fresh rosemary or thyme: These add such a great flavor to the sausage.
- Lemon: Adds a bright citrus taste.
- Ground Mace, though ground nutmeg can be substituted.
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper: To season everything!
- Egg and a splash of heavy cream, to create the egg wash.
- Sesame Seeds for garnish.
Grab a sharp knife and some parchment paper — this makes for even baking and easy cleanup. You’ll also need a pastry brush for the egg wash.
Feel free to add additional herbs or spices to the filling, such as garlic powder, parsley, or onion powder.
How To Make English Sausage Rolls
- Make the filling. Preheat an oven, then mix sausage, Dijon, lemon zest, and herbs in a large bowl. The goal is to make sure you get a little bit of every flavor in each bite.
- Assemble the rolls. Roll out the puff pastry, then place equal portions of the filling (shaped into logs) in three columns, leaving about 1½-2″ between each.
- Cut, then fold. Use a knife to cut the dough into 3 even pieces so that you have enough puff pastry to fold over the sausage mixture.
- Seal with a fork. Once sealed, crimp with a fork.
- Cut into smaller pieces. Decide whether you want smaller, bite-size sausage rolls or larger servings. As written, we cut each sausage roll into 3 equal pieces, for a total of 9 rolls. You can cut them as small as you like, though! Transfer to a prepared baking sheet with parchment, then brush each puff pastry sausage roll with egg wash. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
- Cook English sausage rolls until golden brown and flaky. Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then serve immediately.
FAQs
The filling is gluten-free (read the ingredients on the sausage package to be sure!), but puff pastry is not gluten-free. There are some options out there now that are gf, but we haven’t tried them
Yes! You can assemble this sausage roll recipe the day before (leave them whole, uncut), then slice, brush with egg wash, and cook when ready to serve.
They will last for up to 5 days in a refrigerator when stored in an airtight container.
We love these with a mild Italian sausage. You can switch it out with other types of sausage or even used ground pork (minced pork). There’s plenty of flavor added to the filling from the other ingredients!
Expert Tips
- When using store-bought frozen puff pastry: make sure the puff pastry is completely thawed before rolling out. You can leave it out on the counter for 1 hour if frozen, and that should do it.
- Get your hands slightly damp when placing the sausage into logs on the pastry, as this will help prevent it sticking.
- Use parchment paper! Most sausage roll recipes will expand and burst a bit as they cook — this is part of the beauty! — so using parchment paper helps to create easy cleanup.
How To Store And Freeze
These are so easy to make that we recommend making a double batch so you can both enjoy some today and freeze some for later.
- Freeze: Assemble fully, cut into whatever shape you like, then cut a few slits into the top. Freeze in a single layer for about 1-2 hours, then transfer to a freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. We recommend wrapping tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil (then label with the name and date, always!).
- To cook from frozen: Place the frozen sausage rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds, then bake as directed. You’ll likely need to add about 5-7 minutes more cook time. There’s no need to thaw before cooking!
- To freeze cooked sausage rolls: Allow to cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat sausage rolls, place in a preheated oven or toaster oven at 375F for 15-20 minutes.
We seriously cannot get enough of these British sausage rolls! Planning to make these again and again, pretty much forever.
If you make this easy Sausage Roll Recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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Baked British Sausage Rolls with Flaky Puff Pastry
Equipment
Ingredients
Sausage Rolls
- 1 sheet of puff pastry thawed
- 1 lb sausage casings removed
- 1 ½ Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp fresh sage finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary or thyme finely chopped
- ½ lemon zested, about 1 tsp
- ½ tsp ground mace
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 2 tsp heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Mix the filling. Preheat an oven to 400F. In a large bowl, mix together 1 lb sausage, 1½ Tbsp Dijon, 1 Tbsp chopped sage, 1 Tbsp chopped rosemary, 1 tsp lemon zest, ½ tsp mace, ½ tsp Kosher salt, and ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
- Assemble the sausage rolls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into a rectangle that is about ¼-⅛" thick. Divide the filing into 3 even logs, leaving an equal amount of space between each. Roll the first edge of puff pastry over the log, then cut and repeat with remaining puff pastry.
- Seal, then garnish. Crimp lightly with a fork to seal. Cut each log into ⅓’s (or ¼’s for slightly smaller sausage rolls), then score the top with a knife 3-4x on a diagonal. Brush each roll with egg wash (1 egg whisked with 2 tsp heavy cream), then sprinkle generously with sesame seeds.
- Cook the sausage rolls. Place in a preheated oven, then cook for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and the filling is sizzling. Cool slightly, then serve!
Notes
- Leftovers will keep for up to 5 days in a fridge.
- Freeze: You can assemble fully into logs, cut into whatever shape you like, then cut a few slits into the top. Freeze in a single layer for about 1-2 hours, then transfer to a freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. We recommend wrapping tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil (then label with the name and date, always!).
- To cook from frozen: Place the frozen sausage rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds, then bake as directed. You’ll likely need to add about 5-7 minutes more cook time.
- To freeze cooked sausage rolls: Allow to cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, place in a preheated oven or toaster oven at 375F for 15-20 minutes.
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