How To Reheat Sausage Rolls [I Test 4 Methods]

This article was updated on 11/09/2023 for freshness and to incorporate new insights.

Sausage rolls are always best freshly baked, but no one can eat a whole tray in one go (well no one I know anyway!) I’ve experimented with several different reheating techniques to find out which method delivers the flakiest, most flavourful reheated sausage roll.

The best way to reheat a sausage roll is in an oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and spread the sausage rolls out on a wire rack. Heat them for 8-10 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through. If you have an air fryer, this is also good for reheating sausage rolls.

How I tested reheating sausage rolls

I purchased a few sausage rolls from my local bakery (I know, I should have baked them myself, but I was short on time!) and stored them in the fridge overnight.

The next day I set about doing my reheating experiment.

The reheating methods I tried were:

• Oven (two ways): Without foil is best.
• Microwave: Quick, but soggy pastry.
• Air fryer: Great if you have one.

I taste-tested each sausage roll after reheating it and took notes on how flakey the pastry was, any flavor loss, and how easy the method was. Because who wants a 10-step process to get a hot sausage roll?!

How to reheat sausage rolls in the oven

Time: 8-10 minutes
Rating: 9/10

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Place the sausage rolls on a wire rack or preheated baking tray.
3. Reheat the sausage rolls for 8-10 minutes or until piping hot.

I tested using foil to cover the sausage roll and reheating a sausage roll without foil.

I much preferred the sausage roll with no foil. At first I thought skipping the foil would leave me with a dry sausage roll, but this wasn’t the case.

The only issue you may encounter is a soggy bottom, which is why I suggest using a wire rack. A wire rack allows airflow all around the pastry. The next best thing to a wire rack is a pre-heated baking tray.

Results: Using the oven is a reliable, easy way of getting hot, flakey sausage rolls. I was impressed with my reheated sausage roll, and it tasted great!

How to reheat sausage rolls in the air fryer

Time: 4-5 minutes
Rating: 10/10

1. Preheat your air fryer to 180°C (350°F).
2. Place the sausage rolls in a single layer in the air fryer basket, ensuring there’s some space between each roll.
3. Reheat the sausage rolls for 4-5 minutes or until they’re piping hot.

Air fryers are mini convection ovens, and reheat things very quickly. But this also means the heat is very harsh and you can overcook the sausage rolls if you’re not careful.

Check on the rolls after 4 minutes, and then decide if they need more time.

Results: The air fryer blew the competition out of the water. It managed to deliver extremely flakey pastry and the reheated sausage roll was nearly indistinguishable from a fresh one. The only downside to the air fryer is that not everyone has one.

How to reheat sausage rolls in the microwave

Time: 40-60 seconds
Rating: 3/10

1. Place the sausage rolls on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a dry paper towel.
2. Microwave each sausage roll on full power for 40-60 seconds, or until piping hot.
3. Let the sausage rolls rest for 30 seconds before serving.

The dry paper towel is there to absorb excess steam, before it settles back on the pastry, helping to keep it crispy. But in reality, it doesn’t do enough to make a noticeable difference.

Once you’ve heated up the sausage roll, make sure to eat it before it cools down. As the pastry cools, it will get very hard and chewy.

Results: The microwave wasn’t great at reheating sausage rolls. The pastry was soggy, limp, and a bit lifeless. But it was super quick and convenient, and the sausage roll wasn’t inedible, it just wasn’t as nice as a freshly baked one. Ok if you’re in a rush.

How to store sausage rolls

To store sausage rolls, let them cool to room temperature before putting them in a paper-towel-lined airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The paper towel will absorb excess grease and moisture, keeping the pastry as flakey as possible.

For longer-term storage, you can freeze the sausage rolls.

Psst… always make sure the sausage roll is room temperature before you store it. If the sausage rolls are still hot, it will cause condensation to build up in the container.

Freezing sausage rolls

Sausage rolls freeze really well and you can freeze them cooked or uncooked.

To freeze sausage rolls, spread them out on a tray lined with baking paper and pop them in the freezer for 1-2 hours to stop them from sticking together. Once they’re frozen solid, transfer them into a freezer bag or container and keep for up to three months.

If your sausage rolls are cooked, make sure to cool them to room temperature before storing them.

If you don’t have time to pre-freeze the sausage rolls, you can separate them with baking paper or wrap the individual rolls in plastic wrap before putting them in the freezer bag.

When you want to eat the sausage rolls, take them out and let them defrost at room temperature for an hour before reheating them in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 10 minutes.

You can also reheat them straight from frozen but allow double the time, so up to 20 minutes. And you may need to cover them with foil for part of the reheating process to stop the pastry from browning too much.

Can you eat a sausage roll that was left out overnight?

I wouldn’t recommend eating a sausage roll that’s been left out overnight, especially if it’s a homemade sausage roll.

In the UK it’s common to see sausage rolls being left out at room temperature in shops (think Greggs or Morrisons), and this is okay because of the preservatives in the meat. Homemade sausage rolls won’t have preservatives, so I would aim to refrigerate them within 2 hours.

If you’ve left your shop-bought sausage roll out overnight, you will probably be okay eating it, but be aware there is always a risk of food poisoning when there’s meat involved!

How To Reheat Sausage Rolls [Tested Methods]

I experimented with several different reheat techniques to find out what method delivers the flakiest, most flavourful reheated sausage roll.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 minute min

Cook Time 6 minutes mins

Total Time 7 minutes mins

Course Snack

Cuisine British

Servings 1 person

Calories 328 kcal

Equipment

• Air fryer

Ingredients

  

• 1 unit sausage roll
• 1 spray cooking oil optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat your air fryer to 180°C (350°F).
• Place the sausage rolls in a single layer in the air fryer basket, ensuring they have 1” space between each roll.
• Reheat the sausage rolls for 6-8 minutes or until they’re piping hot.
• Reheat sausage rolls to a minimum internal temperature of 74°C (165°F) to be safe to eat.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

If you don’t have an air fryer, don’t worry. Just see the oven reheating notes in the post above (it’s nearly as good!).

Keyword reheat sausage roll, sausage roll