Sausage and onion pinwheels

Sausage and onion pinwheels are a delightful twist on the ubiquitous sausage roll. Made with crispy puff pastry and packed with sausage meat, caramelised onions and cheese, these pinwheels will make a welcome addition to any buffet table!

Much as I love a sausage roll, I adore these sausage and onion pinwheels. They make the perfect addition to a festive buffet table, but they are equally at home served as a tasty snack or even packed into a lunch box.

Apart from the taste (yummy), what I love about them is how easy they are to make. I used a packet of sausage meat from my local supermarket, but you could just as easily skin a packet of your favourite sausages and use those instead.

I added a couple of finely sliced onions which I caramelised for 20 minutes in a frying pan, topped the whole lot with some grated cheddar cheese and rolled it all up in a sheet of puff pastry.

Then it was just a matter of cutting slices, coating them with beaten egg and baking for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and puffed up.

These sausage and onion pinwheels are the perfect snack to make when unexpected guests arrive. And they not only taste wonderful when hot out of the oven, but they are really tasty when served at room temperature!

The addition of cheese and onion topping adds a ton of flavour to what would otherwise be a normal sausage roll. And because they are formed into pinwheels your guests are going to think you bought them from a fancy shop!

As I said, I love sausage rolls! Here are a few of my other sausage roll recipes you might like to try:

• stilton, pear and walnut (very fancy, but with minimum effort);
• leftover bolognese sausage rolls (a fantastic way to use up leftover bolognese mince);
• sausage and egg picnic slice (hard-boiled eggs wrapped in sausage meat and baked in puff pastry).

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Tips for a successful outcome
• Equipment
• Serving
• Storage
• Save for later
• Related recipes
• 📋The recipe

Ingredients

This recipe makes approximately 16 sausage and caramelised onion pinwheels.

• Puff pastry - I never make puff pastry - I always reckon that if shop-bought is good enough for the likes of Jamie Oliver then it's good enough for me! Allow it to stand on the counter for 20 minutes or so before using it so it doesn't crack when you unroll it.
• Sausage meat - my local supermarket does a nice sausage meat which is lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and a hint of thyme. If you can't get hold of sausage meat, simply use a packet of your favourite sausages. Remove the skin before using.
• Grated cheese - I like to use cheddar but you could use any cheese that grates well.
• Onions - these should be cut into thin slices. They are going to be caramelised before being added to the sausage pinwheels.
• Oil - sunflower or other neutral-flavoured vegetable oil. This is used for frying the onions.
• Egg - which I forgot to include in the picture. This is used for egg-washing the pinwheels and should be lightly beaten.

Optional ingredients:

• Depending on the seasoning in the sausage meat, you may like to add a little extra salt and dried thyme to the pinwheels.
• I also add a scant half teaspoon of sugar to the onions when caramelising them.

**You can find the exact ingredient quantities for making these sausage and onion pinwheels on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

Instructions

Tips for a successful outcome

Here are my top tips to ensure your sausage and onion pinwheels always turn out perfectly.

• When caramelising the onions, half a teaspoon of sugar really helps with the caramelisation. Keep the heat as low as possible and cover the pan with a lid to keep the moisture in while the onions are caramelising. Stir occasionally so the onions don't burn. As soon as they have browned and softened, you can remove them from the heat and leave them to cool.
• The puff pastry I used was ready rolled and when unrolled, measured about 11" x 15" or 28 cm by 38 cm. If you have a block of puff pastry you should roll it out to approximately this size.
• Remove the sausage meat from the refrigerator and let it stand on the counter for half an hour before using. You will find it much easier to spread onto the pastry if it has come to room temperature - it will be softer and easier to handle.
• Use a fork to help you spread the sausage meat onto the pastry.
• Let the onions cool before placing them on the sausage meat. If they are too hot the heat will permeate the sausage meat and soften the pastry, making it difficult to roll.
• Leave about an inch of pastry uncovered down each long side, and roll the pastry as tightly as possible around the filling so that it all sticks together nicely in the oven.
• Use a serrated knife to cut the pinwheels and use a sawing motion rather than just pressing down with the knife. This will ensure the pinwheels are as round as possible. You can push them into shape with your fingers if they have flattened a little.

Here's an image of the inside of the pinwheels. You can see how the pastry has risen and swelled around the layers of meat and onions, yet still remains light, flaky and airy.

Equipment

For frying the onions you will need a frying pan with a lid, and a spatula to help you stir the onions.

My baking tray was only large enough to fit 12 pinwheels. You can use two baking trays and arrange the shelves in the oven so that they both fit.

I like to line my baking tray with a silicone liner or baking parchment to make cleaning up easier. You could place the pinwheels directly onto the baking tray if you prefer. The fat that cooks out of the meat will prevent them from sticking.

Serving

I like to eat these sausage pinwheels either warmed (15 seconds each in the microwave) or at room temperature.

Don't judge me, but I do enjoy dipping them in tomato ketchup (must be my Northern England heritage). However, that said, they are delicious when simply enjoyed plain.

You could also warm them in the oven (180C/360F) on a baking tray for 4 to 5 minutes.

You could of course eat them directly from the refrigerator, but in my opinion, the flavour is at its best when served at room temperature or warmed.

Storage

The cooked sausage pinwheels can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

You can also freeze the cooked pinwheels. Open-freeze them (once cooled) on a baking tray and then transfer the frozen pinwheels to a freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to three months.

To use from frozen, let them defrost and warm them as above.

Save for later

If you would like to make these sausage and onion pinwheels why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.

Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

Related recipes

Here are some other sausage recipes you might enjoy:

Or if you are looking for party food, visit my savoury tart recipes page

📋The recipe

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