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The Ultimate Guide to Pigs in a Blanket

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We all know {and love} the classic pig in the blankets, am I right? There isn’t an appetizer out there more universally loved! Delicious mini smokies are wrapped in buttery, fluffy crescent rolls…they are always the first appetizer to be finished at parties! Find everything you need to know about making these fun appetizers along with some fun new variations on the classic recipe!

pigs in a blanket in white baking dish

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Pigs in a blanket are a staple of any party spread I make, along with other classics like deviled eggs, potato skins, and pimento cheese.

Basic Ingredients

  • Hillshire Farm Lil’ Smokies
  • Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
crescent rolls and cocktail smokies sausages to make pigs in a blanket

How to Assemble

These 2 ingredient apps are super easy to make! Simply preheat your oven to 350 degrees and unroll your crescent roll dough.  I cut each triangle of the crescent roll dough into 3 smaller triangles.  Place a lil’ smokie at one end of each triangle and roll.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and serve warm or cold. Fancy!

Jalapeño Popper Pigs in a Blanket in a gingham paper lined red basket with whole jalapeños

Recipe Variations

Now for the good stuff-the add-ins! Some people like to brush them with melted butter or an egg wash before baking and/or sprinkle with sesame seeds or bagel seasoning.

The most basic way to change up the flavor is to change your cocktail smokies to the cheese lil smokies or add cheese in the roll. If you want to change it up even more, try one of these add-ins.

Cheddar Bacon

For this variation, I chopped white cheddar cheese and pre-cooked bacon into 1″ pieces and rolled into the crescent roll with the Lil smokie.

Swiss Dijon

Before adding my lil’ smokie to the crescent roll I added a dollop of dijon mustard and added in a 1″ piece of swiss cheese.

triangle of crescent dough with jalapeño cream chees and cocktail sausage for making pigs in a blanket

Jalapeno Popper

Mix 8 ounces of cream cheese with a quarter cup of canned or jarred jalapenos.  Pulse in a food processor until well blended.  Add 1/2 tablespoon or so to each crescent roll before adding your mini smokies and roll. 

Jalapeño Popper Pigs in a Blanket and whole jalapeño in red basket lined with red checked paper

FAQs

Can I make pigs in a blanket without l’il Smokies?

If you don’t have little smokies on hand you can cut hot dogs into 1.5″ pieces or make full-size hot dogs in the crescent rolls (then they would be called Crescent Dogs). I’ve also seen them made with Vienna sausages or chopped frankfurters, Andouille, or chicken sausages as well.

How do you keep them warm?

If you’d like them to stay warm while entertaining, serve them in a Crock-Pot set to low. Layer the wrapped sausages in the crockpot with parchment paper between the layers so they don’t stick together.

How do you reheat leftovers?

You can easily reheat three ways: Microwave for 30-45 seconds, heat in a crockpot set to warm for 20-30 minutes, or reheat in the oven by placing them on a baking sheet in a 350° oven and baking for 8-10 minutes.

How to freeze?

The best way to freeze them is to assemble, then freeze on a baking sheet until hard and store in a freezer bag up to two months. Bake from frozen the same as fresh by extending the baking time to 20-25 minutes.

Can I make these ahead of time?

If you want to prep these ahead of time I recommend covering them with plastic wrap and storing them in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake. I would not assemble them more than a day before however, so they do not dry out.

Dipping Sauces

There are lots of different dipping sauces you can choose to serve alongside your Pigs in a Blanket. Some include copycat Zax sauce, ketchup, mustard, barbeque sauce, melted cheese, ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing. The possibilities are truly endless.

Need to make it a meal? Find all our favorite things to serve with pigs in a blanket here.

pigs in a blanket in white platter

Fun Facts

  • Betty Crocker’s Cooking for Kids in 1957 is the first recorded mention of Pigs in a Blanket.
  • April 24th is National Pigs in a Blanket Day.
  • Other names for them include Devils on Horseback, Kilted Sausages, and Wiener Winks.
  • In the the UK, pigs in blankets are small sausages, or chipolatas wrapped up in bacon.
  • They are usually different from sausage rolls, which are a larger, more filling item served for breakfast and lunch in parts of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

You might also like these recipes:

If you’ve tried this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you! 

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pigs in a blanket in white baking dish

Pigs in a Blanket


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5 from 1 review

Description

We all know {and love} the classic pig in the blankets, am I right? There isn’t an appetizer out there more universally loved! Delicious mini smokies are wrapped in buttery, fluffy crescent rolls…they are always the first appetizer to be finished at parties!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 package cocktail smokies
  • 2 packages refrigerated premade crescent rolls

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and unroll your crescent rolls. 
  2. Cut each of my crescent rolls into 3 smaller triangles. 
  3. Place a lil’ smokie at one end of each triangle and roll. 
  4. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and serve warm or cool.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: appetizer
  • Method: baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 pig in a blanket
  • Calories: 74
  • Sugar: 1.4 g
  • Sodium: 189.2 mg
  • Fat: 4.8 g
  • Trans Fat:
  • Carbohydrates: 5.6 g
  • Protein: 2.1 g
  • Cholesterol: 6 mg

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25 Comments

  1. These were good but found them a little doughy on the bottom. Is it better to bake them on a rack so they could brown a little more underneath?

  2. I made these excellent when just out, but I followed how to make and use crock pot, they turned real dark ,I used parchment paper ,what happened?would never do that again, I would try something else to keep warm

    1. Next time, try putting a damp tea towel on the inside bottom as a buffer. And a tea towel across the top to catch any condensation.

  3. Can I make these and freeze for later? Should I bake before freezing or bake after thawing? Thank you

    1. Yes, recipe above mentions this:
      CAN I FREEZE PIGS IN A BLANKET?
      The best way to freeze these crescent roll pigs in a blanket is to assemble them, then freeze on a baking sheet until hard and store in a freezer bag up to two months. Bake from frozen the same as fresh by extending the baking time to 20-25 minutes.

  4. Pigs in a blanket were my favorite as a child! How fun to try some of these recipe variations as an adult! Thanks for sharing, Melissa.

  5. All three of these little piggies sound great. I love pigs in a blanket. I shouldn’t have read this post at lunch time. Now I am hungry!
    We would love to have you link up at our weekly Super Saturday Link Party at MadeFromPinterest.net. We feature our most viewed and favorites the following Sunday. We would so love to have you on board!
    Sherri (the Baby of the Family)

    1. They were better than I expected Keri, I don’t normally eat jalapeno things but the cream cheese was the perfect balance!

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