Pigs in a Blanket

Classic Pigs in a Blanket Recipe! This recipe is one of the most popular appetizer recipes to make for holiday parties, football parties, or a snack.

Pigs in a Blanket

This appetizer is one of our go-to game-day appetizer foods. Quick and easy to make with small cocktail sausages wrapped in a warm crescent roll blanket.

If you are hosting a party, we suggest doubling this recipe to ensure you have more than enough crescent dogs.

These mini handheld appetizers tend to go quickly. Leftovers reheat well if you end up with any.

You may also know this delicious appetizer as Mini Crescent Dogs, Crescent Roll Pigs, and by a few other names.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of the simple ingredients for making epic Pigs in a Blanket! The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post includes specific measurements and step-by-step instructions.

• Crescent Rolls
• Little Smokies 

Crescent Rolls - We love using crescent rolls for this recipe. They are easy to find at most grocery stores and super versatile. You can also use puff pastry or biscuit dough.

Little Smokies - You can use any flavor of Lil’ Smokies. You can also use Vienna sausages if that is all you can find. Breakfast sausages work great for a fun twist.

Toppings - To add a little extra to your pigs in a blanket you can sprinkle them with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or everything but the bagel seasoning

Cheese - You can add in a bit of cheese wrapped around the little smokie for cheesy goodness. American cheese, cheddar, pepper jack, or provolone tastes great.

Equipment Needed

• Parchment Paper:  I love that I can use parchment paper to help make it easier to remove the pigs in a blanket. They also make clean-up a breeze. If you are not using parchment paper, you will want to apply non-stick cooking spray to your baking sheet to help the cookies not stick.
• Baking Sheets: We are huge fans of these baking sheets with sides. You don't have to worry; you will remove the crescent mini weenies from the oven and have them slide right off.
• Pizza Cutter 

How to Make Pigs in a Blanket

I've included complete instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here's a quick version.

Preheat the oven.

Step 1 - Cut the crescent triangles into 3 pieces. I like to use a pizza cutter to get an even cut.

Spread the little smokies on a paper towel so the extra juices drip onto the paper towels. This step helps prevent soggy pigs in a blanket.

Step 2 - Wrap 1 strip of crescent dough around each little smoke starting with the thick end of the dough slice.

Step 3 - Bake until golden brown.

Serve with ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, comeback sauce, bloomin onion sauce, cheese sauce, or Big Mac Sauce,

Preparation and Storage

Make Ahead: Pillsbury confirms that you can assemble unbaked Pigs in a Blanket and refrigerate them for up to two hours before baking. Be sure to store them in an airtight container for freshness; you can also wrap the tray in plastic and refrigerate the entire tray so they’re ready to throw in the oven when you want to bake them.

Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container or storage bag and enjoy them within three days.

Freezing/How to Freeze: Pillsbury recommends freezing baked Pigs in a Blanket in airtight, freezer-safe Ziploc bags and enjoying them within a month.

How to Reheat: Heat the oven to 350°F and warm them for 4-5 minutes until heated.

 

Recipe Variations

Substitutions:

Depending on what's in your fridge or what you prefer, you can customize your Pigs in a Blanket in a few ways.

You can use any flavor of little smokies.

If you don’t have little smokies, you can slice a few hot dogs into little smokie-sized bites until you have enough to work with. Vienna sausages also work since they are a similar size to cocktail sausages.

We have seen recipes that replace the crescent roll dough with pretzel, pizza, biscuit, or puff pastry dough.

We enjoy Pillsbury’s crescent roll dough and have used the brand’s premade dough for many recipes, but you can make this with any brand.

Vegetarian Option: Replace the little smokies with meatless cocktail sausages to make this recipe vegetarian.

Vegan Option: In addition to the guidance for vegetarians, vegans should use a plant-based crescent roll dough.

Gluten-Free: Gluten-free eaters should use gluten-free crescent roll dough to ensure this recipe is safe for a gluten-free diet.

Smaller Serving Size + Larger Group/More Servings: The written recipe makes 12 servings. Scale it up or down to your desired yield, making sure you work in batches or have extra baking sheets if you scale up.

Make It Spicy: Use spicy cocktail sausages to make spicy Pigs in a Blanket.

Sugar-Free: The written recipe contains 1 gram of sugar per serving. There is no difference in the sugar content of the two varieties, but you can try Pillsbury’s Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls to make this appetizer a little healthier.

Tips for the Best Pigs in a Blanket

• To add a little extra to your pigs in a blanket, you can top them with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and everything but the bagel seasoning.
• For cheesy goodness, you can wrap some cheese around the little smokie before wrapping it in crescent roll dough. 
• Serve with ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, cheese sauce, or the yummy homemade dipping sauces we’ve shared!
• Nutrition information, including calories, protein, calcium, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin c, potassium, cholesterol, sodium, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, saturated fat, and more, will vary depending on the products used.

 

What to Serve with Pigs in a Blanket

Pigs in a Blanket have a memorable name and are a savory puff pastry treat easy enough to make whenever the craving hits or when you need a quick hot appetizer! Here are some menu planning suggestions.

Sauces: Comeback Sauce, Outback Bloomin’ Onion Sauce, McDonald's Big Mac Sauce, Red Robin Campfire Sauce, Zaxby's Sauce, Boom Boom Sauce, Raising Cane's Sauce, Arby's Sauce, Chick-fil-A Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Honey Mustard

Sides: CrockPot Chipotle Honey Meatballs, CrockPot Swedish Meatballs, CrockPot Cranberry Barbecue Meatballs, CrockPot Spicy Mango Jerk Wings, CrockPot Mexican Chili over Fritos, CrockPot Honey Sriracha Barbecue Wings, CrockPot Beer-Braised Kielbasa

Main Dishes: CrockPot Chili Mac and Cheese, CrockPot Bacon Mac and Cheese, CrockPot Kielbasa and Sauerkraut, CrockPot Beer Chili, CrockPot Cuban Pork Sandwiches, Buffalo Chicken Wontons, CrockPot Bacon Ranch Chicken, CrockPot Buffalo Sloppy Joes

When to Serve

• Lunch
• Dinner
• Cocktail Night
• Potlucks
• Holidays
• Family and Friends Gatherings
• Game Day Appetizer  (Super Bowl)
• Kids meal

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