For perfect pigs in blankets, wrap each chipolata in a single rasher of streaky bacon and roast at 200°C fan (220°C/gas 7) for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until the bacon is crisp and the sausages are cooked through. That is the whole job. The difference between good and faultless is in three small things the supermarket recipes skip: stretching the bacon so it crisps, assembling them the day before so Christmas morning is calm, and knowing exactly how to cook them straight from frozen.
The short version
- Ratio: one chipolata to one rasher of streaky bacon. Stretch the bacon thin first and it crisps far better.
- Oven: 200°C fan / 220°C conventional / gas 7 for 25–30 minutes, turning once, seam-side down to start.
- Make ahead: assemble up to 24 hours in advance and keep covered in the fridge.
- Freeze: freeze them raw for up to a month and cook from frozen, adding 8–10 minutes.
- How many: allow 2–3 per person as part of Christmas dinner.
Perfect Pigs in Blankets
Makes 24 · serves about 8 as a side · prep 15 minutes · cook 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 24 chipolata sausages (or cocktail sausages)
- 24 rashers of streaky bacon, unsmoked or smoked
- 1 teaspoon of flavourless oil, for the tray
- Optional glaze: 2 tablespoons maple syrup mixed with 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional, gas mark 7) and lightly oil a large baking tray.
- Lay each rasher flat and run the back of a knife along it a few times to stretch it thinner. Thinner bacon crisps; thick bacon stays chewy.
- Wrap a piece of bacon around each sausage, the loose end tucked underneath, and set them seam-side down on the tray with a little space between each.
- Roast for 25–30 minutes, turning once halfway, until the bacon is crisp and golden and the sausages are cooked through and piping hot (75°C if you use a probe).
- For a glazed finish, brush with the maple-mustard mixture for the last 5–10 minutes only, or the sugar will catch.
What are pigs in blankets, and why the name?
Pigs in blankets are small sausages wrapped in bacon and roasted until crisp — a fixture of the British Christmas dinner, served alongside the turkey. The “blanket” is the bacon; in Scotland the same thing is sometimes called kilted sausages. A word of warning for any American readers: across the Atlantic “pigs in a blanket” means a sausage in pastry, which is a different supper entirely.
The ingredients that matter
Sausages. Chipolatas or cocktail sausages — small, so they cook in the time the bacon takes to crisp. A good butcher’s chipolata is worth the small premium if you are buying them anyway; that said, a standard supermarket pack of chipolatas and streaky bacon makes excellent pigs in blankets, so do not feel you must trade up. The glaze, likewise, is entirely optional — skip it and nobody will mourn.
Bacon. Streaky, not back. Streaky has the fat that bastes the sausage and crisps into the blanket; back bacon dries out. Unsmoked is the traditional choice and lets the sausage lead; smoked gives a deeper, bonfire note. Both are correct — it is a matter of taste.
The ratio. One sausage to one rasher. If you are feeding a crowd, twist each full chipolata in the middle and cut to make two cocktail-sized ones, and halve the rashers to match.
The one trick for crisp bacon
Stretch each rasher before you wrap. Lay it flat and draw the back of a knife along it three or four times until it is noticeably thinner and longer. Thin bacon renders its fat and crisps; a thick, un-stretched rasher stays pale and floppy however long you give it. Wrap with the loose end underneath and start seam-side down so it seals as it cooks. That single habit is the difference between the soft supermarket version and a proper crisp blanket.
For the crispest result of all, roast them on a rack set over the tray so the fat drips away and the undersides colour rather than steam in their own grease. The hot 200°C fan is deliberate, too: it renders the bacon fat quickly and browns it before the small sausages have any chance to dry out.
Stretch the bacon thin and start them seam-side down — that is the whole difference between the soft supermarket version and a proper crisp blanket.
Make ahead: a calm Christmas morning
This is the part the host actually needs, and the part most recipes wave at. Pigs in blankets are happiest assembled in advance.
Wrap them up to 24 hours ahead, arrange on the tray (or a plate), cover well and keep in the fridge. Roast straight from cold on the day, adding two or three minutes to the time.
Freezing, and cooking from frozen
Pigs in blankets freeze beautifully raw. Wrap them, open-freeze on a tray until solid, then bag up for up to a month. There is no need to thaw: cook from frozen at 200°C fan, adding 8–10 minutes to the time, and check the sausages are piping hot all the way through before serving. Freezing them already cooked is possible but the bacon loses its crispness on reheating, so raw is the better plan. Either way, label the bag — a frozen pig in a blanket looks much like a frozen sausage roll at 7am on Christmas Eve.
The air-fryer method
An air fryer does an excellent job and frees the oven for the turkey. Cook at 180°C (air fryers are fan) for 12–15 minutes, shaking or turning the basket halfway, until crisp. Do not crowd the basket; they need room for the air to move, so cook in batches if you are making a lot. From frozen, allow 18–20 minutes.
Three glazes worth the brush
A glaze is optional and, applied wrongly, a fast route to a burnt tray. Brush it on for the last 5–10 minutes only, never at the start.
- Maple and mustard: 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard. The reliable favourite — sweet, savoury, sticky.
- Honey: plain runny honey for a simple, glossy finish that children prefer.
- Marmalade: a tablespoon of fine-cut marmalade, loosened with a teaspoon of hot water. A grown-up, faintly bitter edge.
How many to make
As a side at Christmas dinner, allow 2–3 per person — then add a few, because they vanish.
| Guests | Make at least | Chipolatas | Streaky rashers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| 6 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| 8 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| 12 | 36 | 36 | 36 |
A vegetarian version
Use good vegetarian or vegan chipolatas and wrap them in either a meat-free streaky-style “bacon” or thin strips of aubergine or roasted red pepper brushed with a little oil and smoked paprika. Be honest with yourself: meat-free bacon will not crisp quite like the real thing, so lean on the smoked-paprika note for flavour rather than chasing the exact crunch. Cook for a few minutes less, as veggie sausages tend to be quicker.
What to do with leftovers
On the rare occasion any survive, cold pigs in blankets are a Boxing Day asset. Slice them through a fry-up hash with leftover potatoes and sprouts; tuck them into a soft roll with cranberry sauce; or chop them through a macaroni cheese for the children. They keep covered in the fridge for two to three days; reheat in a hot oven rather than the microwave to bring back some crispness.
Pigs in blankets: your questions answered
Streaky or back bacon?
Streaky. Its fat bastes the sausage and crisps into the blanket. Back bacon is leaner and dries out before it crisps.
Do you cook the bacon first?
No. Wrap the sausages in raw bacon and roast them together. Stretching the rasher thin before wrapping is what gets it crisp, not pre-cooking.
What temperature and how long?
200°C fan (220°C conventional, gas mark 7) for 25–30 minutes, turning once. They are done when the bacon is crisp and the sausages are piping hot, 75°C on a probe.
Can you make pigs in blankets the night before?
Yes. Wrap them up to 24 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate, then roast straight from the fridge on the day, adding a couple of minutes.
Can you freeze pigs in blankets?
Yes, and they are best frozen raw: open-freeze, then bag for up to a month. Cook from frozen at 200°C fan, adding 8–10 minutes, until piping hot throughout.
How do you stop them going soggy?
Stretch the bacon thin, space them out on the tray rather than crowding, start them seam-side down, and turn once. Crowding steams them; space crisps them.
Can you cook them in an air fryer?
Yes. 180°C for 12–15 minutes, shaking halfway, in a single uncrowded layer. From frozen, allow 18–20 minutes.
How many per person?
Two to three each as part of Christmas dinner, and it is wise to make a few extra.
Finish the Christmas table
Pigs in blankets are one trimming of many. Get the rest right with our crispy roast potatoes and parsnips, a proper homemade cranberry sauce and Jamie Oliver’s braised Christmas red cabbage. Not sure how long you have left to plan? See our countdown of weeks until Christmas.
Written by Linda Garrould. Updated 14 June 2026.
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