Homemade Pigs in a Blanket

Pigs in a blanket are a classic party, potluck, and tailgate favorite for a reason! As a passionate home cook with years of experience testing and refining family-friendly recipes, I’m thrilled to share our full-size hot dog version that has been extensively tested and enthusiastically approved at countless gatherings. I’ve documented every step with photos and included all our tried-and-true tricks to ensure your homemade pigs in a blanket turn out perfectly every time!

Every 4th of July for the past 15+ years, we’ve participated in a tradition of meeting with friends for an up north cabin weekend. We divvy up cooking duty and collaboratively test various recipes with our group of friends. My husband’s BFF, fondly known as “Uncle Mike” in our house, introduced his version of pigs in a blanket about 5 years ago for his assigned lunch… and everyone unanimously declared them exceptional. They weren’t your average, run-of-the-mill hot dogs wrapped in pastry. They were phenomenal—to the point that he’s been requested (required?) to bring them every year since, and we’ve had to double the batch because no one can stop after just one.

This past summer, I documented his technique and ingredient choices, asking detailed questions to understand what makes his version superior. He generously shared all his secrets, which I’ve carefully tested in my own kitchen and outlined here for you. Through this collaborative recipe development process between two experienced home cooks, we’ve created a foolproof method for making THE BEST pigs in a blanket at home too.

What are Pigs in a Blanket?

Pigs in blankets are an easy and fun party food made of hot dogs wrapped in pastry. Using mini cocktail weiners / cocktail franks is a great option for creating a party appetizer. Using full sized hot dogs creates a fun party food or dinner enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

Ingredients for Pigs in Blankets

• Canned Pizza Crust. We use the canned Pillsbury ‘classic crust’ to create our “blanket”. You can find this item in your grocery store’s (or Target’s or Walmart’s) refrigerated section.
• All-Beef Hot Dogs. High quality hot dogs make the best pigs in a blanket! Uncle Mike recommends Vienna Beef hot dogs if you can find them near you.
• Large Egg. Used for an egg wash, to help the dough brown.
• Optional: Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. This adds a fun adult-twist to this classic kids-style meal.

See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full directions.

How to Make Homemade Pigs in a Blanket

Preheat the oven to 400°F (as noted on the pizza crust tube). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Unroll the pizza dough onto a clean cutting board or surface. Cut the dough into 8, equal-sized strips the long way (first cut the in half to create 2 strips, then cut each half in half again to create 4 strips, then cut each strip in half again to create 8 strips).

Place one end of a hot dog at the end of one strip of pastry.

Begin to roll it at an angle to twist the strip of pastry down the hot dog, overlapping the pastry a little bit (it’s may be easiest to pick it up to do this).

Continue until the entire hot dog is covered, using the entire strip of pastry. Set onto the lined baking sheet.

Repeat and continue until all hot dogs are wrapped.

Whisk the egg in a small bowl and brush over the pastry with a pastry brush.

Option to sprinkle with everything but the bagel seasoning (or other topping) on top of the egg wash.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.

Do You Pre-Cook Hot Dogs for Pigs in Blankets?

If you use all-beef hot dogs are noted in the recipe, then no, there is no need to pre-cook prior to wrapping them in their dough “blankets” because hot dogs are precooked prior to packaging.

However, if you decide to use a type of sausage that is uncooked for this recipe, then yes, you should pre-cook them before wrapping them in the pastry as they likely won’t fully cook-through in the time it takes to bake the dough around them.

How Long to Bake Pigs in a Blanket

Bake your pigs in a blanket about 12-minutes until the pastry is golden brown. This is the amount of time noted on the pizza dough packaging, so you know your “blanket” will be fully cooked.

Pigs in Blankets Recipe Variations

Use a different type of pastry dough for the “blankets”. We use pizza dough for our recipe, but you can also used canned crescent roll dough, refrigerated biscuit dough, or even frozen puff pastry dough if preferred.

Try a different optional topping. Instead of sprinkling your pigs in a blanket with everything but the bagel seasoning, you can also try a sprinkle of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, flakey sea salt, or make it a little cheesy with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese or shredded cheddar cheese.

Flavor variation: make them into cheese dogs. Cut a slit in each hot dog prior to wrapping, and place a slice of American or cheddar cheese inside. Then wrap each hot dog as directed in the recipe card.

Can You Make Hot Dogs in a Blanket Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can prep your homemade pigs in a blanket the night before. To do so, wrap the hot dogs in the pizza dough and refrigerate until ready to bake. Before baking, brush with the egg wash and top with the optional seasoning as noted in the recipe card.

Note: if prepping the night before, you do risk the interior of the “blanket” being a little soggy where it touches the hot dogs as you will not be able to remove excess condensation from the hot dogs as noted above in the “tips” section. However, if you’re prepping a large amount of them for a party, this may be your best option (and they’ll still be delish).

What to Serve with Pigs in a Blanket

Serve your pigs in a blanket with a variety of dipping sauces (more ideas below), fresh veggies like carrot sticks or cucumber slices, a green salad, steamed veggies, French fries or tater tots, and/or any of your favorite summer BBQ sides.

Creamy coleslaw, potato salad, crockpot creamed corn, Mediterranean tomato and cucumber salad, a cold pasta salad, and fresh fruit salad are all summer potluck dishes you can pair with these to round out your meal.

What to Dip Pigs in a Blanket in

While ketchup is a classic pairing with pigs in a blanket, you have a ton of dipping sauce options! Yellow mustard, BBQ sauce, ranch dip or dressing, honey mustard, Dijon mustard, marinara sauce, queso dip… the list goes on and on.

If you’re topping your pigs in blankets with the optional everything but the bagel seasoning, try mixing equal parts sour cream and plain Greek yogurt with some everything but the bagel seasoning to taste for a luxuriously creamy and fun dip (Uncle Mike’s specialty).

Storing Pigs in Blankets

Allow any leftover pigs in a blanket to cool completely before placing them into an airtight container and storing them in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, place them onto a lined baking sheet and bake them at 350°F for 10-12 minutes until warmed through.

You can also freeze cooked pigs in a blanket for up to 1 month. To do so, allow any leftovers to cool completely before placing them into an airtight container or zip-top baggie and placing them in your freezer. Place the frozen pigs in a blanket in the fridge overnight to thaw when ready to enjoy. Place the thawed pigs in blankets onto a lined baking sheet and bake them at 350°F for 10-12 minutes until warmed through. Forgot to take them out of the freezer? No worries, you’ll just need to heat them for about 5 minutes longer. Tent them with tinfoil if they appear to be browning too much.