This sausage roll recipe UK bakers can rely on gives you crisp, flaky pastry and a juicy sage-and-onion pork filling, the sort of homemade sausage rolls that vanish from the plate at Bonfire Night, birthday buffets and Christmas parties. The secret is starting with proper butcher’s pork sausages: we use the 12x Pork Sausages 700g Pack, slit the skins and season the meat ourselves. Find the full range in sausages or stock up for a crowd from party food meat.
Skip the middle man and skip the soggy supermarket box. Prep takes about 25 minutes plus a 20-minute chill, baking takes about 30 minutes, and the recipe makes 8 large or 16 party-size rolls. Below you will find the ingredients, a numbered method, timings, freezing advice and a five-question FAQ.
Quick answer: homemade sausage rolls
- Prep: 25 minutes, plus 20 minutes chilling
- Cook: 25–30 minutes (party size 18–22 minutes)
- Makes: 8 large or 16 party-size sausage rolls
- Oven: 200°C / fan 180°C / gas 6
- Meat: 700g pork sausages, skins removed
- Done when: pastry deep golden, filling piping hot at 75°C or above
Ingredients (makes 16)
- 12 pork sausages, skins removed (one 12x Pork Sausages 700g Pack, or two packs of 6x Pork Sausages - 350g Pack)
- 1 small onion, very finely chopped
- 15g butter
- 1 eating apple, peeled and coarsely grated (optional, for a sweeter filling)
- 30g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 x 320g sheets ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten, for glazing
- 1 tsp sesame or nigella seeds (optional)
- Plain flour, for dusting
Method
- Melt the butter in a small pan and soften the onion over a low heat for 6–8 minutes until soft and sweet but not browned. Tip onto a plate and let it cool completely; warm onion melts the pastry butter.
- Run a sharp knife along each sausage, peel away the skin and drop the meat into a large bowl. Add the cooled onion, grated apple (squeeze out excess juice first), breadcrumbs, sage, thyme, nutmeg and pepper. Mix with your hands for a minute until evenly combined. Sausages are already seasoned, so go easy on extra salt.
- Lightly flour the worktop. Unroll one sheet of pastry, keeping it on its paper, and cut it in half lengthways so you have two long strips. Repeat with the second sheet.
- Divide the filling into four equal portions. With damp hands, roll each into a sausage shape as long as the pastry strip and lay it just off-centre along each strip.
- Brush the far long edge with beaten egg, fold the pastry over the filling and press to seal. Roll the log so the seam sits underneath, then crimp the edge with a fork.
- Chill the logs for 20 minutes so they slice cleanly and puff evenly. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C, gas 6) and line two baking trays. Cut each log into four large or eight party-size pieces.
- Space the rolls out on the trays, brush the tops with egg, sprinkle with seeds if using, and snip two small slashes in each so steam can escape.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes for large rolls or 18–22 minutes for party size, swapping the trays halfway, until deep golden on top and underneath. Check one in the middle: no pink meat and at least 75°C on a probe. Cool for 5 minutes before eating; the filling is very hot.
Butcher’s tips for the best sausage rolls
Keep everything cold. Puff pastry rises because the butter layers stay separate until they hit the hot oven, so work quickly and chill the logs before slicing. Do not overfill the pastry either: a filling roughly the thickness of a fat sausage gives the right ratio of flaky layers to meat. Bake on the middle and upper shelves and give the trays a swap halfway, because the bottom shelf often leaves a pale base.
For flavour twists, swap the sage for a teaspoon of fennel seeds, stir in a spoonful of caramelised onion chutney, or add grated mature Cheddar to the mix. A little English mustard brushed on the pastry before the filling goes in adds a gentle kick that grown-ups love. If you are feeding a bonfire crowd or a Christmas buffet, the 24x Pork Sausage MEGA BBQ Party Pack makes a double batch, so you can freeze half unbaked for later.
Serving, storing and reheating
Serve warm with brown sauce, English mustard or a sharp tomato chutney. Large sausage rolls with a jacket potato and beans make a quick family tea, while party-size ones sit happily on a buffet next to sandwiches and crisps. Cool leftovers within two hours, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Reheat on a tray at 180°C (fan 160°C) for 8–10 minutes until piping hot all the way through; the microwave works in a hurry but softens the pastry.
Planning the quantities for a big do? Our guide How Many Sausages to Buy for a Party helps you work out how many packs you need. For more pork sausage dinners from the same blog, try Toad in the Hole with Pork Sausages or Sausage and Mash with Onion Gravy.
Why this sausage roll recipe works
Most of the flavour in a sausage roll comes from the meat, so the better the sausages, the better the roll. Softening the onion first takes away any raw bite, breadcrumbs soak up the juices so the base stays crisp, and a short chill makes neat slices that puff up evenly. It is a cheap, crowd-pleasing bake made from one pack of sausages and two sheets of pastry, and it beats anything in a plastic tray. Order your sausages from an online butcher, keep the pastry cold, and you are minutes away from a tray of golden homemade sausage rolls.
FAQ
Can I use sausages instead of sausage meat for sausage rolls?
Yes, and most home cooks do. Slit the skins on good pork sausages, squeeze the meat into a bowl, and discard the casings. You get seasoned pork with the right fat level for juicy, golden sausage rolls.
Puff or shortcrust pastry for homemade sausage rolls?
Puff pastry is the classic British bakery choice: light, flaky and crisp. Shortcrust gives a sturdier, crumbly roll that travels well in lunchboxes. Both work with this filling and the same oven temperature.
How do I know sausage rolls are cooked through?
The pastry should be deep golden on top and underneath, and the filling should be piping hot with no pink meat. A probe in the thickest part should read at least 75°C.
Can I freeze homemade sausage rolls?
Yes. Freeze them unbaked on a lined tray, then bag once solid. Bake from frozen at 200°C (fan 180°C), adding 5–10 minutes, and check the centre is piping hot. Baked and cooled rolls also freeze well; reheat in the oven until hot through.
How far ahead can I make sausage rolls for a party?
Shape and chill them up to 24 hours ahead, covered, then egg-wash and bake on the day. Baked rolls keep in the fridge for 2 days; crisp them in a hot oven for 8–10 minutes before serving.