There is nothing better than a sausage roll however adding cranberry sauce takes it to the next level. This cranberry sausage rolls recipe is a fabulous way to use up leftover cranberry sauce from Christmas dinner to create delicious Christmas party food. This is the perfect get ahead sausage roll recipe for Christmas. Make them days in advance and store them in the fridge or make them weeks in advance and store them in the freezer.
The sharpness of the cranberry with the sausage meat is a match made in heaven. If you don’t like your cranberry sauce too sharp you can add some sugar to make it a little sweeter.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to make it only takes minutes.
- Perfect Boxing Day snack or Christmas party food idea.
- The sweet and sour cranberry sauce works perfectly with the savoury and slightly salted sausage.
- Uses leftover cranberry sauce from your Christmas dinner – this addss a new level of delicious at no extra cost and less food waste.
- Turn them vegan or vegetarian by using with vegetarian, vegan or fluter-free ingredients. Easily adaptable.
- Prepare ahead – store in fridge or freezer uncooked and bake when ready.
Top Questions
What ways to use up leftover cranberry sauce?
How can I make sausage rolls more Christmassy?
Can I add cranberry sauce to sausage rolls?
Do sausages and cranberries go together?
How long do mini sausage rolls take to cook?
Ingredients
Puff pastry to make the gorgeous shell of the cranberry sauce sausage roll.
Flour for dusting.
Pork sausage meat – if you can’t find sausage meat you can take sausages and remove the skin or use your favourite vegetarian alternative.
Cranberry sauce – from a jar or homemade both work perfectly.
Egg to glaze the pastry before baking.
How to make – step by step
- Take the puff pastry out of the fridge 20 minutes before you start.
- Heat the oven to 200ºC fan / 400ºF / Gas Mark 7.
- Line the baking trays.
- Flour up your work surface and rolling pin and roll out the pastry.
- Cut the sheet into 3 equal rectangles
- Spoon the cranberry sauce in a line, down the centre of the rectangle.
- Place the sausage meat in a bowl and with your hands, divide the meat into 3 and make 3 long sausages. Place each one on top of the cranberry sauce.
- Beat the egg and brush a little down one long side of the pastry.
- Roll up from the non-egg side and place the long roll seam side down.
- With a knife score the top.
- Cut the rolls into smaller pieces and place them, well-spaced, onto the baking trays.
- Brush with a little more egg wash and bake for 20 minutes. Cut one just to check they are thoroughly cooked.
- Serve hot or cold.
Top Tips
Make it vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free by substituting the pastry and meat for plant-based alternatives. Brush with non-dairy milk.
If you can’t buy sausage meat, buy good quality sausages and snip off the skin and cut out the meat.
If freezing sausage rolls in advance, do so before the egg wash stage and thoroughly defrost before baking as usual.
Give a little pinch to the seams and ends of the rolls to help them stay intact.
Cranberry Sausage Rolls Serving Suggestions
Keep the sausages a long length to make into a meal. Serve with salad or chips and peas.
Pile high on a pretty plate or wooden platter.
Serve in a basket lined with a pretty napkin or rustic paper.
If you want to serve the cranberry sausage rolls with a dipping sauce check out this cranberry dipping sauce from Feast Glorious Feast.
You could also mix equal parts cranberry sauce and sweet chilli sauce for a fruity spicy dipping sauce.
Equipment
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- 2 baking trays
- Parchment or greaseproof paper
- Rolling pin
- Bowl x2
- fork or small whisk
- Pastry brush for egg wash
- Knife
If you looking for more Christmas party food and bite-size treats then check out my pigs in blankets toad in the hole.
Ways to use up leftover cranberry sauce
Making this easy leftover cranberry sauce sausage rolls is so easy and they taste incredible. If you have a lot of cranberry sauce leftover you can add a lot but if you only have a little you could mix it with the sausage meat first to get it evenly through the roll.
Adding cranberry sauce might make it a little runnier so you might need to add a little flour or if you have some, some bread crumbs. This will give you beautiful cranberry sausage rolls.
Storing / Making ahead of time options
- Store in an air-tight container after baking.
- If fridge or freezing ahead, hold off the egg wash on top stage until you are ready to bake.
- Defrost thoroughly before baking.
Substitutions and variations for cranberry sausage rolls
Jus-Rol make excellent gluten-free puff pastry. I use it all the time. As an added bonus, it’s also dairy-free and vegan!
If cooking for vegan friends, use vegan sausage meat and use a plant based milk to avoid the egg wash.
Explore the world of other salsas and chutneys to make your own flavour favourites.
What about adding some chilli to make them a spicy?
Add chopped up fresh rosemary to give them an extra gorgeous flavour and taste.
You could even add some apple to these pork sausage rolls to turn them into Pork and Apple Sausage Rolls.
FAQS about making cranberry sausage rolls
How can I make sausage rolls more Christmassy?
A great and easy way to make your sausage rolls more Christmassy is to mix in cranberry sauce. The iconic sauce is a perfect flavour to go with the sausage rolls. Simply add cranberry sauce to the pastry, top with sausage meat and wrap in to a roll. Slice, brush with egg and bake. For the full recipe for making cranberry sauce sausage rolls scroll down.
Can I add cranberry sauce to sausage rolls?
Yes you can add cranberry sauce to sausage rolls.
You can add to the sauasge rolls in two ways;
- You can add it to the pastry and add the sausagemeat on top like I have done in the recipe below. This is a really quick way to do and isn’t very messy.
- The second way is a lot messier but still makes tasty cranberry sausage rolls. Mix the cranberry sauce with the sausage meat in a bowl before adding it to the pastry.
Do sausages and cranberries go together?
Sausages and cranberries absolutely go together. The slightly salty sausage meat with the sour and sweet cranberry sause is a wonderful combination. Add the flakey puff pastry and you have a wonderful mix to create a delicious a wonderful party food.
How long do mini sausage rolls take to cook?
If you want to make mini sausage rolls, they take about 20 minutes to cook fully. If you want to keep them larger then add a few minutes and check regularly.
How do I avoid a soggy bottom when making sausage rolls?
No-one wants a soggy bottom on their sausage rolls, so make sure your filling is not too wet and your base is not too thin.
Set a timer or make a note of timings, when they go into the oven, so you do not under-cook them.
Other Party Food and Christmas Recipes you might like
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The recipe
Cranberry Sausage Rolls Recipe
Equipment
- Small bowl
- Spoon
Ingredients
- 375 g (2 sheets) Puff Pastry (if frozen make sure it has defrosted before use)
- flour (for dusting)
- 500 g (17 ⅔ oz) Pork Sausage Meat
- 200 g (150 ml) cranberry sauce (chunky or smooth both work. Leftover cranberry sauce works brilliantly)
- 1 (1) Egg
Instructions
- Take the puff pastry out of the fridge about 20 minutes to half an hour before you want to start. This helps it soften up and makes it easier to roll out.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC fan / 400ºF / Gas Mark 7.
- Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper / baking parchment.
- Add a little all-purpose (plain flour) to your worktop and roll out the 375g of Puff Pastry (try to keep it rectangular) or unroll a sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry.
- Cut the pastry sheets into 3 equal pieces.
- Spoon the cranberry sauce onto the puff pastry in the centre making a line in the middle of each piece.
- Add the 500g of sausage meat into a bowl, divide into 3 and using your hands form into thin sausages and place them the length of each piece of puff pastry on top of the cranberry sauce.
- Beat 1 egg in a small bowl and use a pastry brush to brush over the pastry.
- Paint a line of egg brush along one edge and roll the sausage meat up (from the non-brushed side) in the pastry and place them seam side down (this will help stop them from unravelling in the oven).
- Gently score the top of the sausage roll.
- Use a knife and cut them into bite-size pieces. I tend to cut them into 8 pieces each but you can make them smaller. Place them on the prepared baking tray. Leave a gap between them so they can expand up in the oven.
- Brush the sausage rolls with the beaten egg and place them in the oven. (You can add a sprinkle of dried herbs on top if you would like for decoration and more flavour)
- Bake the pork and cranberry sausage rolls for 20 minutes until they are light golden brown. (You can cut into a sausage roll to check the meat is cooked.)
- Serve hot or cold.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
These were a huge hit at my holiday party this weekend!
YAY I’m so glad to hear it. Thank you for leaving a comment x
This is interesting! I hope to try this for the holidays! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you so much x
Homemade sausage rolls are always a favorite and love the idea of adding in some cranberry sauce for extra flavor and color.
I think they are everyone’s favourite!
I’ve always been a fan of bringing cranberry to savory dishes, but I’ve never thought to pair it with sausage. These are brilliant and oh-so-delicious!
If you love cranberry already you will love this!
I could eat an entire tray of these myself! Sausage and cranberry is such a wonderful combination and the buttery puff pastry wrap is just icing on the cake!
They are so easy to eat! I could easily eat them too.