These Air Fryer Pigs In Blankets are a classic British festive side dish traditionally served with a Christmas roast dinner, yet they are easy enough to make & so delicious that you will want to eat them all year round!
To me, Christmas just isn’t Christmas without pigs in blankets on the plate, and this air fryer version gives you that classic festive side dish in almost half the time it takes to cook them in the oven while freeing up valuable oven space!
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Load up your plate with all the Christmas trimmings—pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, air-fried parsnips, bread sauce, and lashings of turkey gravy.
Sure, you can buy them ready-made, but making your own is cheaper and they taste soooo much better, especially with my special honey and mustard glaze!
Jump to:
- 🤔 What Are Pigs In Blankets?
- 🥘 Ingredients You Will Need
- 🥜 How Can I Make This Dish Allergy Friendly?
- ✏️ How to Make Air Fryer Pigs In Blankets
- 🤔 Which Air Fryer Do You Use?
- 🤔 Can I Cook Pigs In Blankets In The Oven?
- 💡 Lauren's Tips
- 🍴 How To Serve
- 💬 Recipe FAQs
- ⚡ More Roast Dinner Side Dishes
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
🤔 What Are Pigs In Blankets?
Pigs in blankets in the UK are normally cocktail sausages or chipolatas (thin long sausages) wrapped in streaky bacon. They are typically served as a side dish with a roast turkey dinner at Christmas.
In the US, pigs in blankets are usually sausages wrapped in crescent or croissant dough, which makes them more of a pastry snack. I suppose they are more like a mini sausage roll.
🥘 Ingredients You Will Need
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed to make these air fryer pigs in blankets. To find out how to make them allergy-friendly, simply scroll down to the section below this one.
✋ Double check all packaging for allergens ✋
- Sausages - You can either use small cocktail sausages or chipolatas. I like to use plain pork chipolatas to let the salty flavour of the bacon shine, but you can also use a herby chipolata like a Cumberland if you prefer.
- Streaky Bacon - Streaky bacon is perfect for pigs in blankets as it’s thinner, fattier, and crisps up beautifully, wrapping neatly around the sausage and keeping it moist. Back bacon, being leaner, doesn’t give the same texture or flavour so I would avoid that and use streaky bacon instead.
- Honey & Dijon Mustard - These are mixed together to create a deliciously tangy, sweet and sticky glaze for the sausages.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🥜 How Can I Make This Dish Allergy Friendly?
The allergens in this recipe can vary depending on the brand of ingredients you buy. Here are some pointers to help you make them free from certain allergens.
- ✔️ Make It Gluten-Free: Check the ingredients on your sausages to make sure they are gluten free. I used Tesco's finest chipolatas (always double check packaging as ingredients can change).
- ✔️ Make It Sulphite-Free: Most sausages and bacon do contain sulphites, but I have managed to find some that don’t. Finnebrogue Naked Good Little Company Chipolatas are sulphite free, in fact, they are top 14 free. You can find them in most major supermarkets or on Ocado. Waitrose made without nitrates streaky bacon is also sulphite free.
- ✔️ Make It Mustard-Free: Simply leave out the mustard and just coat the sausages with honey.
✏️ How to Make Air Fryer Pigs In Blankets
⬇️ Here you will find an overview of how to make the recipe. For full information on ingredients and quantities please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page ⬇️
Step 1: Start by making your glaze. In a small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard and honey, stirring until you have a smooth, even mixture.
Step 2: Next, lay out a strip of streaky bacon on a clean surface, like a chopping board.
Using a pastry brush, spread a thin layer of the mustard-honey glaze on one side of each bacon rasher.
Step 3: Place a chipolata sausage at the edge of each glazed bacon rasher, making sure it sits on the side with the glaze.
Roll the bacon around the sausage, wrapping it snugly so it holds together during cooking. Repeat for each sausage.
Step 4: Once all your sausages are wrapped, give each one a quick brush with the remaining mustard-honey glaze on the outside.
This helps to create a sticky glaze on the outside of the sausages.
Step 5: Place the pigs in blankets in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Set the temperature to 180°C/356˚F, and cook for 11-13 minutes. The timing may vary slightly depending on your air fryer model and if you need to preheat it or not, but you’re aiming for the bacon to be crispy and golden and the sausages cooked through.
Give them a gentle shake halfway through, but not too much or the bacon may unravel!
Serve immediately when they are nice and crispy!
🤔 Which Air Fryer Do You Use?
This recipe is tested with my Ninja Foodie Dual Zone AF300UK Air Fryer, and the timings and temperatures are tailored for this model. Keep in mind that different air fryer brands may cook differently, so regularly check your food for the best results.
🤔 Can I Cook Pigs In Blankets In The Oven?
Yes, preheat your oven to 180°C or 350°F. Place the wrapped, glazed sausages on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and cook for around 20-25 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the sausages are fully cooked. For extra crispiness, you can turn them halfway through cooking.
💡 Lauren's Tips
- ✔️ Don’t Shake the Basket Too Much: Be careful not to shake the air fryer basket too vigorously, as this can cause the bacon to unravel. Instead, flip the pigs in blankets halfway through cooking with a fork or give them a gentle shake so they cook evenly without losing their shape.
- ✔️ Use a Meat Thermometer: If you're unsure whether the sausages are cooked through, you can use a meat thermometer. The internal temperature of the sausages should reach 71°C/160˚F when they’re fully cooked.
- ✔️ Air Fry in Batches if Needed: Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. If you try to cook too many pigs in blankets at once, they won’t cook evenly, and the bacon might not crisp up properly. It’s better to cook in batches if you need to.
🍴 How To Serve
The traditional way to serve pigs in blankets is on Christmas Day as an accompaniment to a Christmas roast chicken or turkey, roasted potatoes, air fried stuffing balls, gluten-free bread sauce & pan-fried Brussels sprouts with bacon.
But why limit them to just Christmas? They make a great addition to a full English breakfast, or you could serve them for a twist on the classic sausage, egg, chips, and baked beans!
💬 Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can prepare the pigs in blankets with the glaze and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. Just make sure to cook them within 24 hours for the best results.
Yes, you can! To prepare in advance, cook the sausages, let them cool, then flash-freeze them on a baking tray for about an hour until they’re solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag.
When you're ready to cook, pop them in the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook at 180°C for 15-18 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the sausages are fully cooked. If you haven’t pre-glazed them, you can brush them with the glaze after cooking for added flavour.
Use the reheat option on the air fryer (170˚C) for around 9-10 minutes until piping hot throughout.
⚡ More Roast Dinner Side Dishes
If you loved this recipe, please leave me a 5🌟 rating or comment below. I really do appreciate it. 😊
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Pigs In Blankets
Equipment
- Meat thermometer optional
Ingredients
- 12 chipolata sausages
- 12 rashers streaky bacon
- 1 tablespoon runny honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard and honey until smooth.
- Lay out a bacon rasher on a chopping board and brush a thin layer of the mustard-honey glaze on one side.
- Place a chipolata on the glazed side of each bacon rasher, then roll it up tightly, with the glaze on the inside.
- Once wrapped, brush a bit more of the glaze over the outside of each pig in blanket. Repeat for each chipolata.
- Place the pigs in blankets in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook at 180°C/356˚F for 11-13 minutes, or until the sausages are cooked and the bacon is crispy and golden. Give them a gentle shake halfway through, but not too much or the bacon may unravel!
Notes
- Make It Gluten-Free: Check the ingredients on your sausages to make sure they are gluten free. I used Tesco's finest chipolatas (always double check packaging as ingredients can change).
- Make It Sulphite-Free: Most sausages and bacon do contain sulphites, but I have managed to find some that don’t. Finnebrogue Naked Good Little Company Chipolatas are sulphite free, in fact, they are top 14 free. You can find them in most major supermarkets or on Ocado. Waitrose made without nitrates streaky bacon is also sulphite free.
- Make It Mustard-Free: Simply leave out the mustard and just coat the sausages with honey.
- Don’t Shake the Basket Too Much: Be careful not to shake the air fryer basket too vigorously, as this can cause the bacon to unravel. Instead, flip the pigs in blankets halfway through cooking with a fork or give them a gentle shake so they cook evenly without losing their shape.
- Use a Meat Thermometer: If you're unsure whether the sausages are cooked through, you can use a meat thermometer. The internal temperature of the sausages should reach 71°C/160˚F when they’re fully cooked.
- Air Fry in Batches if Needed: Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. If you try to cook too many pigs in blankets at once, they won’t cook evenly, and the bacon might not crisp up properly. It’s better to cook in batches if you need to.
Lisa says
My favourite part of a Christmas dinner! Love how easy they are to cook in the air fryer .