Air Fryer Pigs in a Blanket with Bacon

There are some snacks that just scream “fun,” and for me, pigs in a blanket are at the top of that list. I can still remember the excitement of seeing a platter of these golden-brown bites at birthday parties and family get-togethers. They were always the first thing to disappear! But I’ve always wondered, could this perfect little appetizer get any better? The answer is a big, resounding YES, and the secret is two of my favorite things: bacon and the air fryer.

This recipe takes the classic you know and love and gives it a major upgrade. We’re talking about a savory little sausage, hugged by a soft, flaky crescent roll, and then wrapped in a perfectly crispy slice of bacon. The air fryer works its magic, crisping the bacon to perfection while keeping the dough tender and the sausage juicy. The combination of textures and salty, savory flavors is just out-of-this-world delicious. It’s the ultimate bite-sized comfort food.

This isn’t just another appetizer recipe; it’s a game-changer for your game days, a superstar for your party spreads, and the easiest, most crowd-pleasing snack you’ll ever make. In this post, I’ll walk you through every simple step, from wrapping these little piggies to air frying them until they’re irresistibly golden. Get ready to meet your new favorite snack!

General Information

Particulars	Details
Preparation Time	15 min.
Cook Time	12 min.
Total Time	27 min.
Yields	24 pieces (serves 6-8 as an appetizer)
Difficulty	Easy
Total Calories	310 kcal (Per Serving)
Cuisine	American

Why You’ll Love This

This recipe is a keeper for so many reasons, but here are just a few that I know will make you fall in love with it:

• Three Layers of Flavor: You get the savory sausage, the buttery crescent dough, and the salty, smoky crunch of bacon all in one perfect bite.
• Insanely Crispy: The air fryer circulates hot air all around, making the bacon unbelievably crispy and golden without any deep frying.
• Ready in Under 20 Minutes: With minimal prep and a quick cooking time, these are perfect for a last-minute appetizer or a quick snack for the kids.
• The Ultimate Party Food: They are easy to make in big batches, simple to serve, and guaranteed to be a hit with guests of all ages.
• Minimal Cleanup: Cooking these in the air fryer means no splattering oil or greasy baking sheets to scrub. It’s a win-win!

The Groceries You’ll Need

The magic of this recipe is how a few simple ingredients come together to create something so incredibly delicious. You don’t need anything fancy, just a handful of grocery store staples!

• Miniature Smoked Sausages – Also known as “lil’ smokies,” these are the heart of our pigs in a blanket. Their savory, smoky flavor is the perfect foundation. If you can’t find them, you can cut regular hot dogs or smoked sausages into smaller, 2-inch pieces.
• Refrigerated Crescent Roll Dough – This gives us that classic, buttery, and flaky wrap. It’s so easy to work with and bakes up perfectly golden in the air fryer.
• Bacon – This is our delicious upgrade! I recommend using regular-cut bacon, not thick-cut, as it will wrap more easily and get crispier in the quick cooking time.
• Brown Sugar – This is optional but highly recommended for a touch of sweet to balance the salty bacon and sausage. It creates a wonderful candied effect as it cooks.
• Dijon Mustard – Also optional, but a little bit mixed with the brown sugar adds a tangy kick that cuts through the richness and takes the flavor to the next level.

How to Make Air Fryer Pigs in a Blanket with Bacon

Making these little bites of heaven is so much fun and incredibly simple. Just a few steps of wrapping and you’re ready to go!

1. Prep Your Ingredients: First things first, let’s get everything ready. Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (175°C). While it’s heating up, open the can of crescent dough and unroll it. Separate the dough into the 8 pre-cut triangles. Then, using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut each of those triangles lengthwise into 3 smaller, thinner triangles. You’ll end up with 24 small pieces of dough. Next, cut your bacon slices into thirds.
2. Wrap the Sausages: Now for the assembly line! Take one mini sausage and wrap a small piece of crescent dough around its middle. Then, take one of the small bacon pieces and wrap it snugly around the crescent dough, making sure the end of the bacon is tucked underneath to hold it in place. If you’re worried about it unraveling, you can secure it with a toothpick (just remember to remove them before serving!).
3. Arrange in the Air Fryer: Place the wrapped sausages in a single layer in your preheated air fryer basket. It’s important not to overcrowd the basket, so they have room to get crispy on all sides. You may need to cook them in two batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
4. Cook to Crispy Perfection: Air fry for 10-12 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cooking time. They are done when the crescent dough is a beautiful golden brown and the bacon is crispy and sizzling.
5. Serve and Enjoy: Carefully remove the pigs in a blanket from the air fryer—they will be very hot! Let them rest for a couple of minutes before serving them warm with your favorite dipping sauces.

How to Store, Reheat and Freeze

These are so delicious they might not last long, but if you do have leftovers or want to make them ahead of time, here’s how!

Storage:

• Refrigerator: Once completely cooled, you can store leftover pigs in a blanket in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Freezing:

• To Freeze Before Cooking: Assemble the pigs in a blanket as directed, but don’t cook them. Place them on a baking sheet in a single layer and “flash freeze” for about an hour until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag or airtight container. They will keep well in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can cook them directly from frozen—just add a few extra minutes to the air frying time.
• To Freeze After Cooking: Let the cooked pigs in a blanket cool completely. Flash freeze them on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. They can be stored for up to 2 months.

Reheating:

• For the best results and to get that crispy texture back, the air fryer is your best friend! Place the refrigerated or frozen leftovers in the air fryer at 350°F (175°C).
• From the refrigerator, they’ll need about 3-5 minutes to heat through and crisp up.
• From frozen, they’ll need about 8-10 minutes.
• I do not recommend reheating these in the microwave, as it will make the bacon and dough soft and soggy.

Variations to Try

One of the best things about this recipe is how easy it is to customize. Think of this as a starting point for your own delicious creations! Here are a few fun ideas to get you started.

• Sweet & Spicy Piggies: Add a little kick! Mix a pinch of cayenne pepper or a dash of your favorite hot sauce into the brown sugar for a glaze that’s the perfect blend of sweet and heat. You could also use spicy sausages instead of regular ones.
• Cheesy Herb Pigs in a Blanket: Before wrapping the sausages, sprinkle the crescent dough with a little grated Parmesan cheese and some dried Italian seasoning or finely chopped fresh parsley. It adds a wonderful savory, cheesy flavor.
• Everything Bagel Pigs in a Blanket: This one is a huge crowd-pleaser! After wrapping the sausages, brush them lightly with a beaten egg and sprinkle generously with everything bagel seasoning before air frying. The extra crunch and flavor are amazing.
• Keto-Friendly Version: For a low-carb option, you can swap the crescent dough for a keto-friendly dough (like a “fathead” dough made with almond flour and mozzarella) and use sugar-free bacon and sausages.

What To Serve With This Dish

While these bacon-wrapped bites are fantastic on their own, a great dipping sauce or a simple side can take them to the next level. They are the perfect anchor for any appetizer spread.

• Dipping Sauces: This is a must! Set out a few small bowls with different sauces for dipping. Classics like ketchup and yellow mustard are always great, but also try a tangy BBQ sauce, a creamy honey mustard, queso dip, or a simple spicy aioli (just mix mayonnaise with a little sriracha).
• Fresh Veggie Platter: Balance the richness of the pigs in a blanket with a platter of crisp, fresh vegetables like celery sticks, carrot sticks, cucumber slices, and bell peppers. A bowl of ranch or blue cheese dip in the middle is perfect.
• Simple Side Dishes: For a bigger snack spread, pair them with other easy finger foods like potato wedges, onion rings, or a simple bowl of chips and salsa.
• Beverage Pairings: For the adults, a cold beer or a crisp hard cider pairs perfectly with the salty, savory flavors. For a family-friendly party, you can’t go wrong with sparkling lemonade or a big pitcher of iced tea.

Recipe Tips

Want to make sure your pigs in a blanket turn out absolutely perfect every single time? Here are a few of my go-to tips and tricks.

1. Don’t Crowd the Basket. This is the golden rule of air frying! The bacon needs space for the hot air to circulate all around it. Cooking in a single, even layer is the key to getting that perfectly crispy finish on all sides.
2. Use Regular-Cut Bacon. Thick-cut bacon is delicious, but it takes longer to cook. For this recipe, regular-cut bacon is best because it will cook through and get crispy in the same amount of time it takes to bake the crescent dough.
3. Pat the Sausages Dry. Before you start wrapping, take a moment to pat the mini sausages dry with a paper towel. This little step helps the crescent dough stick to the sausage much better and prevents it from slipping off.
4. A Pizza Cutter is Your Friend. For perfectly straight and quick cuts, use a pizza cutter to slice both the crescent dough and the bacon strips. It’s much faster and easier than using a knife.
5. Use Parchment for Easy Cleanup. If you’re using a brown sugar glaze, things can get a little sticky. Placing a sheet of air-fryer-safe parchment paper in the basket will catch any drips and make cleanup a breeze.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to a few common questions I get about making these delicious bites.

Are sausage rolls and pigs in a blanket the same?

That’s a great question, and the answer depends on where you are! In the United States, “pigs in a blanket” almost always means mini sausages or hot dogs wrapped in some kind of dough, like crescent rolls. However, in the United Kingdom, a “pig in a blanket” is a sausage wrapped in bacon (without the dough!). What we call a sausage roll in the US (sausage meat baked in puff pastry) is also a very popular snack in the UK. So, this recipe is a fun and delicious mashup of both the American and British concepts!

​What if I don’t have brown sugar?

No problem at all! The touch of sweetness is a great balance to the salty bacon, but you have options. You can easily substitute the brown sugar with an equal amount of maple syrup or honey for a delicious glaze. If you don’t have any of those, you can simply skip the sweet element altogether. They will still be incredibly tasty with just the sausage, dough, and bacon.

How to cook frozen pigs in blankets in air fryer?

The air fryer is perfect for cooking these straight from the freezer! There’s no need to thaw them first.

• For uncooked frozen pigs in a blanket: Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (175°C). Place them in a single layer and cook for 13-16 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the dough is golden and the bacon is crispy.
• For reheating cooked frozen pigs in a blanket: Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (175°C) and cook for 8-10 minutes until heated through and re-crisped.

Can I make these gluten-free?

Yes, you definitely can! To make a gluten-free version, simply swap the regular crescent roll dough for your favorite gluten-free crescent roll or puff pastry dough, which can be found in the refrigerated or frozen section of many grocery stores. Also, be sure to double-check that your brand of mini sausages and bacon are certified gluten-free, as some may contain gluten additives.

Final Words

There you have it—the classic pigs in a blanket, but made even more irresistible with the magic of crispy bacon and the air fryer. This recipe is proof that you don’t need a lot of time or complicated ingredients to create a snack that will have everyone reaching for more. They are the perfect combination of savory, salty, and buttery, with a texture that is simply addictive.

Whether you’re hosting a big game day party, need a quick and easy appetizer for a holiday gathering, or just want a fun snack for a family movie night, I truly hope you give these a try. They are so simple to make and even more fun to eat. Happy cooking!

Print