Puff Pastry Hot Dogs are like bigger, more dinner-worthy versions of pigs in a blanket. Full size hot dogs are wrapped in puff pastry, baked and served with a homemade secret sauce for a simple, yet fun dinner.
Puff Pastry Pigs in a Blanket
Last year I was creating my Puff Pastry Recipe over on my other website, Everyday Pie, and was in need of recipes to use up all my testing. And also, dinner. That’s always needed. So I made a more dinner-worthy version of Pigs in a Blanket several times and it was hit. Obviously, the kids loved it, but we grown-ups did too. I served it with a quickly made “secret sauce”. Or actually, in our house, we call it pink sauce, which is just basically a sauce mixed together with all the quintessential condiments. Most times when I served this meal, I threw in some quick tater tots, cut up some raw veggies, and called it a day.
Yes, I always made this with homemade puff pastry, but it’s of course totally fine (and encouraged) to make it with store-bought puff pastry, which is what the recipe calls for. Please be sure to review the section about different types of store-bought puff pastry, as they can vary in size and I have some helpful tips for that.
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe with quantities is listed below this text in the recipe card. If substitutions are available for this recipe, they’ll be listed here. If you don’t see a substitution you are looking for, please leave a comment below.
- hot dogs
- puff pastry (homemade or store-bought)
- eggs
- water
- shredded cheese (optional)
- condiments (ketchup, mustard, pickle juice)
Here are the tools used in this recipe. You won’t necessarily choose to use them all, but sometimes tools make for quicker work in the kitchen! Some of these links may contain affiliate links.
How to Make Them
Honestly, this recipe is more of an inspiration and guide than it is a specific recipe with specific instructions that need to be followed since the type of puff pastry and size of the hot dogs you use will dictate specifics about the recipe.
Basically, you are going to unroll your puff pastry (or roll-out, if you happen to be making the homemade version from Everyday Pie) and cut it. How big you cut it, and how many pigs in a blanket you end up getting is dictated by the type and amount of hot dogs you buy.
Then the puff pastry is cut into rectangles about 3×4″ large. The exact size will be based on the length and width of the hot dog, though you don’t need to actually measure it. Just eyeball it and cut the rectangle to just shy the length of the hot dog, and about 1″ on each side of the hot dog.
Next, the hot dog will be rolled up in the puff pastry and sealed and baked!
Working with Store-Bought Puff Pastry
For the best results, follow the instructions on your specific puff pastry package as to how to defrost. Typically it suggests defrosting in the refrigerator overnight or for a few hours. Doing this will give you the best result. If you defrost at room temperature to speed it up, it will mean it might not be as flaky. That’s not the end of the world, but it’s something to note.
Once it’s defrosted, unroll it. Typically puff pastry is pretty moist when it’s defrosted. I actually don’t recommend adding flour unless it’s absolutely necessary. The reason for this is that moist puff pastry is actually easier to seal up than puff pastry that’s dry with a ton of flour. So if you do need to use flour to prevent it from sticking to your surface, use it judiciously.
That being said, if you find your puff pastry is not moist enough and you can’t get the pastry to seal, you can brush some of the egg wash on the puff pastry to seal it.
To Cheese or Not to Cheese
An extra (and delicious) step to take is to roll the filled puff pastry dogs into shredded cheese. It’s never a bad idea to add cheese because it’s awesome, but also because it adds a further crunch factor to the pigs in a blanket.
But, it is totally optional. So skip it if you don’t want it.
If you are going to use it, it’s best to use finely shredded cheese. I’ve made it with thicker shredded cheese and it just doesn’t work as well.
Puff Pastry Baking Tips
Want your puff pastry to bake up nice and flaky? You’ll want to chill them before baking! This is totally optional, but it’s a step I always take before baking puff pastry. Chilling the pastry before baking makes the puff pastry bake up higher. I recommend about 10-15 minutes in the freezer before baking.
To bake, preheat the oven to 400ºF and set a rack in the middle position in the oven. This small step of baking it in the middle rack will ensure the puff pastry bakes throughout but doesn’t brown too much on the bottom.
The puff pastry hot dogs are done when they have puffed up and are lightly golden all over.
Storage and Leftover Tips
As with most puff pastry recipes, these are best eaten right away. They have the right texture and mouthfeel right after baking. They can be served warm or at room temperature.
Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They can be reheated in an oven or toaster oven at 350ºF until warmed through and crispy.
Making the recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can!