Maple Glazed Pigs in Blankets Recipe - a Christmas Tradition! (2024)

Christmas | Other Recipes | Recipes

ByDonna Wishart

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It’s no secret that I love Christmas and for me one of the big parts of Christmas is the food. It’s the one time of year you can eat all day without anyone questioning it. Plus, you can have all your favourite things on one very full dinner plate!

When Waitrose got in contact to share with me some food traditions from around the world I started to think of what food traditions we have in our house.

What are your favourite Christmas food traditions?

We start buying mince pies as soon as they appear in the shops and in the run up to Christmas we buy everything that’s on offer – a big box of chocolates, nibbles and the obligatory Chocolate Orange.

But when it comes to Christmas it just wouldn’t be the same without turkey and all the trimmings. In our house that means roast potatoes and parsnips, lots of different steamed veg, sprouts, red cabbage, stuffing, yorkshire puddings, really thick gravy and not forgetting the pigs in blankets.

For me, the one thing we save just for Christmas is pigs in blankets – they are the ultimate comfort food and my favourite sausage recipes. We don’t have them any other time of the year and it makes having them at Christmas just that little bit more special.For me, the one thing we save just for Christmas is pigs in blankets.

We don’t have them any other time of the year and it makes having them at Christmas just that little bit more special. We enjoy them throughout the festive period, having them at any party or social gathering, as a buffet snack or side dish.

They really one of our favourite British traditions – you cannot beat the taste of these little bacon wrapped sausages. They may not be that healthy but they’re quick and delicious!

Maple Glazed Pigs in Blankets Recipe - a Christmas Tradition! (2)

What sausages should we use for pigs in blankets?

We use pretty standard pork co*cktail sausages for this recipe but you could use chicken or beef sausages or even vegetarian sausages and a bacon alternative for a meat free option. Plus, you can cook pigs in blankets in the air fryer too.

We also love Honey and Mustard Pigs in Blankets and Caramelised Onion Pigs in Blankets if you’d like to try those recipes too. You can see our other pigs in blanket recipe variations here and all our other Christmas recipes too!

Here’s our easy Maple Glazed Pigs in Blankets Recipe

Ingredients

  • 18 co*cktail Sausages
  • 9 Smoked Streaky Bacon Rashers
  • 150ml /10 tbsp Maple Syrup
Maple Glazed Pigs in Blankets Recipe - a Christmas Tradition! (3)

Recipe

  • Preheat oven to 180C and line an oven dish or deep baking tray with foil
  • Cut each rasher of streaky bacon in half and wrap around a sausage, securing with a co*cktail stick. Repeat, placing them in the oven dish.
  • Bake the pigs in blankets for 20 minutes before pouring away the excess fat from the dish. Drizzle the sausages with the maple syrup and place back in the oven to continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes until the sausages are nicely golden browned.
  • Remove the sausages from the dish, giving them one last coat in the sweet sticky maple syrup sauce.
Maple Glazed Pigs in Blankets Recipe - a Christmas Tradition! (4)

So that is our Christmas tradition. Lovely, sticky pigs in blankets. They will be served on Christmas day alongside the honey roast parsnips and eaten surrounded by family. For me Christmas dinner is my favourite meal of the year.

If you’d like to print or pin the Maple Glazed Pigs in Blankets Recipe for later you can do so below. Enjoy!

Maple Glazed Pigs in Blankets Recipe - a Christmas Tradition! (5)

Print Pin

Maple Glazed Pigs in Blankets

For me, the one thing we save just for Christmas is pigs in blankets. We don’t have them any other time of the year and it makes having them at Christmas just that little bit more special.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine British

Keyword christmas

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 18 sausages

Calories 90kcal

Ingredients

  • 18 co*cktail Sausages
  • 9 Smoked Streaky Bacon Rashers
  • 150 ml Maple Syrup

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C and line an oven dish with foil

  • Cut each rasher of streaky bacon in half and wrap around a sausage, securing with a co*cktail stick. Repeat, placing them in the oven dish.

  • Bake the pigs in blankets for 20 minutes before pouring away the excess fat from the dish. Drizzle the sausages with the maple syrup and place back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes until the sausages are nicely browned.

  • Remove the sausages from the dish, giving them one last coat in the maple syrup.

*Note: Nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published.

Maple Glazed Pigs in Blankets Recipe - a Christmas Tradition! (6)
Maple Glazed Pigs in Blankets Recipe - a Christmas Tradition! (2024)

FAQs

What is the pig in traditional Christmas pigs in blankets? ›

Traditionally the sausage used is a co*cktail-sized pork-based chipolata and the wrapping a streaky bacon, but variations include those using chorizo or chicken sausage, using sausages with added ingredients such as apples or chestnuts, using full-sized chipolatas, or using flavored or smoked bacon.

How many pigs in blankets are eaten on Christmas Day? ›

It is estimated that over 128 million pigs in blankets are eaten on Christmas Day alone!

What are the original pigs in a blanket made of? ›

A pig in a blanket is a sausage (originally a pork sausage, hence the “pig”) wrapped in either a pancake, biscuit dough, or a crescent-style piece of pastry (you guessed it, that's the “blanket”).

Why do we only have pigs in blankets at Christmas? ›

Why are pigs in blankets eaten at Christmas? There are no specific known origins of pigs in blankets becoming a traditional part of the British Christmas dinner, but the first written record of the product in general goes back to 1957.

What is the tradition of the Christmas pig? ›

In the Christmas tradition of many Central European countries, a golden piggy is associated with Christmas and in particular with Christmas Eve, the 24th of December. One believes that someone who fasted that day and did not eat meat will see a picture of a golden pig on the wall on Christmas Eve.

When did pigs in blankets become part of Christmas dinner? ›

It's generally believed that pigs in blankets were popularised in the 1990s, when Delia Smith included a recipe in her Christmas cookbook. These salty morsels are generally considered a Christmas item, owing to its moreish and indulgent qualities, and are widely accepted as one of the UK's favourite festive trimmings.

What do Americans call pigs in blankets? ›

Pigs in a blanket in the United States is a small hot dog or other sausage wrapped in pastry similar to a sausage roll in the UK, it is commonly served as an appetizer in the United States. The similarity in name with that of the UK dish pigs in blankets, which is a sausage wrapped in bacon, sometimes causes confusion.

What is the most eaten meat at Christmas? ›

Why not add a bit of stuffing or cranberry sauce to go with it? Turkey is definitely the most traditional meat for Christmas dinner and you can take a look at our wide selection of whole, rolled and diced turkeys here – perfect for your traditional Christmas dinner!

What is the fancy name for pigs in a blanket? ›

kolaches resemble the Texas kolaches of my youth—a small pastry square, corners folded in, with a swab of a fruit filling. But now I see gas stations in Texas selling enormous pigs in a blanket and advertising them as kolaches. What gives? A: The Texanist loves kolaches.

What is a fun fact about pigs in a blanket? ›

Pigs in a blanket originate from Europe.

It is thought that the name comes from central Europe from countries such as Germany, Slovakia, and Czechia. The first time the name appeared in the US was in 1957 in Betty Crocker's “Cooking For Kids” recipe book.

What do Jews call pigs in a blanket? ›

since calling them pigs just wouldn't go over too well at any (observant) jewish function, someone renamed them as "moshé b'teyváh" which, translated from hebrew, means "moses in a crib (ark)". whatever you want to call them, people eat these up like no tomorrow!

What culture is pigs in a blanket? ›

The exact origin of the term “pigs in a blanket” is unknown, but it seems to be linked to an appetizer of the same name, the small sausages wrapped in bacon that are commonly served during Christmastime in the U.K.

Which country invented pigs in blankets? ›

Pigs in blankets are thought to have originated from Czechoslovakia or Germany but first appeared in print in the Cooking for Kids cookbook, published by U.S food firm Betty Crocker in 1957.

How long do pigs in a blanket keep? ›

Storage Tips: These are best served warm or at room temperature the day they are made, but leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freezing Tips: Freeze unbaked pigs in a blanket by assembling and then freezing in a single layer on a baking sheet for about 2 hours.

What is considered pigs in a blanket? ›

In the United States, the term “pigs in a blanket” usually refers to hot dogs or sausages that are wrapped in biscuit or croissant dough and baked. In the United Kingdom, the term refers to small sausages, or “chipolatas,” wrapped up in bacon.

What is the pig for Christmas Eve? ›

Pit-roasted pig is the traditional centerpiece of a Cuban Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve supper, a holiday that stirs the same sort of emotions—and digestive juices—in a Cuban heart that Thanksgiving does in ours.

Are pigs in a blanket the same as kolaches? ›

The meat or savory part, often a sausage but not always, is wrapped in kolache dough and not croissant dough. This dish in Texas is most commonly referred to as "kolache", although traditional Czech-style kolaches are a sweet dish, not a savory dish.

What is holy pig? ›

Shen Zhu or God Pig, sometimes known as Holy pig (traditional Chinese: 神豬; simplified Chinese: 神猪; pinyin: shénzhū; Wade–Giles: shen-chu; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sîn-tu), are pigs that have been chronically fattened for use in Hakka religious and cultural ceremonies, such as the Yimin Festival and the Lunar New Year celebration in ...

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