Bacon Wrapped Sausages - Pigs in a Blanket

Why choose between sausage and bacon when you can have both with these bacon wrapped sausages. The perfect combination of two delicious meats that will make everyone happy!

Also known in the UK as pigs in a blanket brings the best of both worlds together in one mouthwatering porky dish.

Serve them up on cocktail sticks as appetisers for parties or use them as a main meal for your kids. They make great additions to English breakfasts and a popular Christmas side dish to roast turkey!

There are so many ways you can enjoy our tasty treats, but no matter how you eat it, there’s one thing everyone agrees… these sausages are simply delicious!

How to make Bacon Wrapped Sausages?

Below is a quick and easy video for how to make pigs in a blanket- perfect for those days when you need to whip something up quickly!

Continue to read below for more tips, ideas or replacements.

Or jump straight to the recipe card for everything you need to get cooking straight away.

Pigs in Blankets

Here in England, we call sausages wrapped in bacon - pigs in blankets. They make an appearance every year on the side of your Christmas dinner plate.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, they are known as kilted sausages.

They are commonly made with small cocktail sausages which are perfect for finger food.

But as they are our kids favourite, we use full-size sausages or chipolatas to make giant pigs in blankets all year round not just at Christmas.

Ingredients

The basic ingredients for making bacon wrapped sausages is pretty obvious and needs no introduction!

Bacon

We like to use back bacon, as it wraps easier, is slightly leaner, there is enough fat in the sausages after all!

Lay the pieces of bacon down, and if using back bacon, cut in half along the lean eye of the loin and the fattier section.

You can, of course, use streaky bacon instead, which will give a crispier result if that’s what you prefer.

Smoked or unsmoked bacon depends on your personal taste preference. Smoked bacon is our family favourite!

Sausages

Chipolata sausages are our usual choice, but you can pick and choose what you like. There is such a wide range of sausages available.

For the best quality, choose a sausage with at least 75% meat rather than cheaper ones, full of water and rusk.

As already mentioned, you can use any size sausage. Mini cocktail sausages are great for snack-sized bites or packed lunches.

For part of a full English breakfast or dinner time, use full-sized sausages such as Cumberland instead.

Wrap the bacon around the sausages and place them on a foil or parchment-lined baking dish or tray. Leave a little space between each sausage.

Giant pigs in blankets cooking time

For best results, place the baking tray of bacon-wrapped sausages into the oven and cook for the time stated on the sausage packet.

Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the sausages used.

If no times are given, use the below chart to guide you.

To cook pigs in blankets, preheat the oven to 220°C / Fan 200°C / Gas mark 7 / 425°C.

Sausage	Oven Cook 220°C / Fan 200°C / Gas mark 7 / 425°C
Mini Sausage - Cocktail sausage	20-25 minutes
Small Sausages - Chipolatas	25-30 minutes
Big Sausages - Cumberland	30-35 minutes

Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Optional extras

If you want to add a little extra to your pigs in blankets, try some of the following additions.

For extra sweetness and sticky sausages, sprinkle some brown sugar or drizzle maple syrup or honey over the top of the bacon-wrapped sausages for the last 8 minutes of cooking.

Or try coating them with our beer, honey and mustard glaze after cooking for a sweet and sticky taste. See more ideas below for what to serve with pigs in blankets.

Serving suggestions

Bacon-wrapped sausages are an easy, tasty and versatile dish that you can enjoy any time of day. It’s great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

For family dinner, serve with mashed potato, onion gravy and peas.

Perfect finger food for parties too.

Serve around a bowl filled with your choice of sauce; we have a few favourites to make.

• Cranberry
• Apple
• Chilli
• Garlic mayo 
• BBQ sauce

Undeniably the most popular time of the year is definitely Christmas Day; your turkey roast would not be complete without pigs in blankets as well as all the other sides, Yorkshire pudding, roasted Christmas vegetables, sausage meat stuffing balls and goose fat roast potatoes!

Make ahead

Pigs in blankets can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge covered before cooking until the sausage/bacon packet date. 

Alternatively, wrap the sausages with bacon and, freeze them, and defrost them in the fridge the day before needed.

another option is to cook them ahead of time, and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheat

To reheat pigs in blankets from chilled, place in preheated oven 220°C / Fan 200°C / Gas mark 7 / 425°C for 10-15 minutes. Or microwave until hot throughout.

If reheating from frozen, I recommend defrosting in the fridge the night before.

Of course, pigs in blankets taste great cold too, perfect for kids' lunchboxes.

📖 Step by Step Recipe

Can pigs in blankets be cooked in an air fryer?

Yes, we love cooking our pigs in a blanket in the air fryer. It is so quick and easy and healthier too!

Check out our post on air fryer sausages for cooking times.

Christmas Side Dish Recipes

We have a massive selection of Christmas side dishes for you to try like Creamy Buttered Swede, air fried roast potatoes, honey roast parsnips and bread sauce.