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. 😉
Is there an alternative to egg?
Hi Linda, the egg helps the mix to bind. I haven’t tried with any substitutes but I know you can replace egg with flax/chia seeds and water in some recipes ☺️
Hi Nagi. I do not eat pork. Can I use chicken or thigh mince instead? If so, should be it 1/2 mince breast and 1/2 mince thigh?
Hi Nina, I haven’t tried this with chicken – I would suggest buying a fatty mince rather than anything lean as they may be too dry. Love to know if you try it and what you think ❤️
I don’t have celery! Can I use celery seed or would that be totally wrong? Haha
Hi Rose, you can just leave it out ☺️
Simply brilliant,
I made these for part of our Christmas at the beach.
Many great comments.
So easy to make. Thank you Nagi
OOPS Nagi, I forget to toast the fennel seeds. Will this matter ? I have frozen the sausage rolls for a later date.
Hi Jenny, they will be fine! I hope you love them!
Do you use the egg just for wash, or add to filling?
Hi Joanne, 2 eggs – one for the mix and one for the egg wash ☺️
Wow! Thanks again for such a simple and FLAVORFUL recipe! You’re right, the fennel should NOT be left out. Excellent compliment to the pork! Wow, wow, wow! So delicious! I will be serving these as appetizers for our Christmas Eve get together. Thank you!!!!
Hi. How do you cut the 10 x 10 puff pastry in 1/2 to make 5 10 x 5 pieces. Doesn’t it make 4 pieces and 16 bites, not 20?
Ah. Makes sense. My box only came with 2 10 x 10 sheets.
There are five sheets in the package. Take three of them and cut them in half, thus giving six half sheets. Leave one half sheet with the remaining two full sheets, and you have, for the recipe, five half sheets, each of which will be cut into four sausage rolls (each about 2-1/2” long), giving you 20 in total.
If you double the recipe, then you would use all five sheets in the box.
Hi! I’m really excited to make these for my sons birthday party (Sunday), if I prepped them Friday – would they be fine kept in the fridge until Sunday? Or would you freeze them? Thank you 🙂
They should be fine for two days! I hope he has a great party!
Hi – made these recently and they turned out awesome. Thanks!
Would this filling also be good for a pork and general ragu on pasta?
Delicious!!!
Glad you enjoyed it R!
Hiiiii Nagi!!!! Thank youuuu for this wonderful recipe!!! I was searching for a good sausage roll for my Brit husband. We live in Singapore and he misses them. So I made these today and they turned out scrumpilitious – our 9 year old’s daughter made up word!!! She loves it too! My husband said its nicer than those he had in UK! He is so loving and too kind isn’t he 😉
I still do have questions though.
Is it 180 degrees fan or no fan? My oven is fan so I baked them at 160 degrees. I fear chicken is not fully cooked but my darling husband assured me that it is. I’m still not quite convinced despite having had 2 rolls. Pardon me as I’m not a great cook nor familiar with kitchen or food, I’ll eat anything raw if you convinced me enough that its cooked. Sad I know :p
Another thing, we don’t eat anything pork. I made these with chicken and turkey bacon. Sans fennel. Is there anything else I should tweak? I feel maybe there is but its lusciously delicious! 😀
Would it be possible to just make it using minced chicken alone? No turkey bacon?
Thank you again Nagi. If you remember, I’m the one who made your lush butter chicken for a charity event.
Love your cookings!
Do you thaw puff pastry first, or leave frozen? Thank you.
Thaw so it’s pliable so you can roll them up 🙂
These were so good- I found it impossible to stop at one! I couldn’t get my hands on fennel seeds and used anise seeds instead. Did the trick!
The young parents waited patiently as the divine smells drifted out from the kitchen to the back yard. Once again, another triumph! I was hesitant to use the fennel seeds as it was listed as optional, and I find that many young adults are still wary about foreign flavours but knowing this was your recipe, I trust your recipes 100% and made the choice to add it in. WOW! Glad I did. Not overpowering, flattering to the perfectly balanced flavours in the sausage roll. The rolls were perfectly moist (not soggy), light crispy golden pastry, a taste sensation. I will note I did add parmesan cheese (about a heaped tablespoon) to the mix because I love it in sausage rolls and had that much left in the bottom of the packet and thought… why not?!
Recipes have been given out and I’m sure these will turn up in some lunch boxes this week! This is now my go to sausage roll recipe!
I’m so glad! Thank you for letting me know Jo! N x
Hi Nagi! I absolutely love this recipe. I have bookmarked it for my meal prep rotation. <3
I am also really curious as to how you got your blog post to insert that gorgeously formatted recipe. I am trying to start a blog and I have a few family recipes that I am wanting to share and so far I haven't found a way to do that.
Hi Nagi, happened across your site, and found this amazing recipe which I made for my mother in laws 94th birthday as part of my contribution to the table. Holy Moly, they were devoured and everyone loved them. They’ve become an instant hit. I suspect this is now going to become a favourite amongst the extended family. Thank you, thank you, and your brother 🙂
Love that everyone enjoyed these Julie! Thanks for letting me know – and happy birthday to your mother in law! N x
Hi Nagi, any tips on how to make this recipe into larger single serve sausage rolls, to have for dinner with a salad? My husband and I buy large premade sausage rolls from our local butcher but I’d love to make the myself 🙂
Hi Laina! Nothing other than don’t cut!! 🙂 I do that sometimes myself N x
Hi. Just want to ask, do you include the fennel seeds in the mixture or you put it on top of the roll? thank you
Hi Arianne! Add into the Filling 🙂
I made these last night, and they are perfect! Husband and son almost devoured them all 😱! My son buys a sausage roll for his lunch every day at work, declaring himself to be the household expert, and claimed the sausage rolls from your recipe to be better than the local bakery’s – so take a bow Nagi! Another five star recipe (all your recipes seem to be five star – Oven Baked BBQ pork chops for us tonight, again)
Glad you enjoyed it Sue! Thanks for letting me know! N x