The Ultimate Guide to Pigs in a Blanket
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!
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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
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!
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.
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.
FAQs
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
- Bacon Jalapeño Popper Eggrolls (so delicious!)
- Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
- Bacon Cheddar Cheese Dip
If you’ve tried this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!
Pigs in a Blanket
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 35 1x
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
- 1 package cocktail smokies
- 2 packages refrigerated premade crescent rolls
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and unroll your crescent rolls.
- Cut each of my crescent rolls 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 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
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?
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
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.
I loved the jalapeño popper idea!!
Can I make these and freeze for later? Should I bake before freezing or bake after thawing? Thank you
I have never tried to freeze them Hilda, I’m sorry not to be of more help! ~Melissa
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.
what is the serving size for kids in preschool
I’m not sure Ashley, I just let my boys have a free-for-all!
Yum! I am going to make the 3rd one for breakfast tomorrow! Thanks for sharing!
Oh yum, all three of these look amazing! I love pigs in a blanket. 🙂 In case you didn’t see it earlier, I featured this on my blog today! I’m stopping by to pin, and to let you know you can grab a Featured button if you don’t already have one! https://practicallyfunctional.com/13-comfort-food-recipes-for-fall/
Thanks so much Jessi!!
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.
Ummmm….yes please! LOVE the last one….I think I’m going to make these tomorrow!
Happy day to you!
karianne
Oh you’re going to love them Karianne! They were soooooo good! Thanks for stopping by!
Great ideas! Found you on the PF linky party 🙂
Thanks Kelley!!!
These look delish!! Reminds me of being a kid – I used to have these all the time! I’m hosting a throw pillow giveaway that you should enter! https://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/2013/09/pillow-covers-giveaway.html
Thanks Kayla, I’ll go check it out!
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)
Thanks Sherri I’ll go check it out!!
The swiss cheese/dijon flavor would be my pick! Great ideas and fun for the kiddos! Pinned!
They were really good-all the varieties were a nice change from the ordinary!
Ooooh, my hubby will love those jalapeno popper pigs!!
They were better than I expected Keri, I don’t normally eat jalapeno things but the cream cheese was the perfect balance!