I Tried 19 Frozen Pigs in a Blanket — These Are the 3 I’ll Buy Again

In the hierarchy of handheld snacks, pigs in a blanket are positioned at the peak. They are the first to go at any tailgate spread, cookout, or potluck. And if you have the time to tend to dozens of dough-wrapped cocktail sausages, they can be assembled at home using crescent roll dough or puff pastry.

Luckily, there are also tons of pre-made options available in the freezer aisle. There is a pastry pup for nearly every occasion: cornbread-coated, bagel dogs, everything bagel-seasoned, and more. With so many brands and varieties for sale, I wondered which brand of frozen pigs in a blanket is the best to buy. I cleared out my freezer, preheated my oven and air fryer, and taste tested every blanketed frank I could find to determine the very best ones to buy. Here’s what I found.

I visited 10 stores to purchase every variety of frozen pigs in a blanket that I could find. While I limited my selection to bite-sized appetizers, I still ended up with 19 packages of frozen pigs in a blanket. I divided them into three categories: traditional, corn dog, and everything bagel-seasoned. The traditional category pitted several types of dough against one another including puff pastry and bagel, while the corndog category included the only plant-based option.

I baked several pieces of each pig in a blanket according to the package instructions. (Note: Some brands provided microwave, air fryer, and deep fryer instructions, but oven preparation was the only method consistent across all packages.) The appetizers were tasted after a short cool-down with no additional dipping sauce or seasoning. After a long afternoon of tasting and tallying, a clear winner emerged for each category. Here are my top picks.

The brains behind Bagel Bites have done it again with their bite-sized bagel dogs. This brand beat out seven other contenders to take the top spot as the best traditional pigs in a blanket. In the Bagel Bites box, juicy, flavorful franks are wrapped in the familiar bagel dough of the bite-sized mini pizzas.

Fresh from the oven, the exterior of the bagel is golden and toasted, although if you prefer a softer texture prepare them in the microwave instead. Our only complaint is that we wish there were more in the box!

Buy: Bagel Bites Bagel Dogs, $5.67 for 12 pieces at Walmart

There’s no need to wait for an evening at the fair or ballpark to enjoy a classic corn dog. These two-bite appetizers from State Fair combine miniature turkey franks with a cornbread coating. A quick internet search reveals beef options in this category, but since the stores I visited only had poultry or plant-based in stock that’s what I tasted.

The turkey-based corn dogs from State Fair came out on top in my taste test, as its sausage had the best texture and flavor. The cornbread is slightly sweet, browns nicely, and is a tasty complement to the turkey sausage. I recommend baking these corn dogs for an extra minute or two until the cornbread is golden and crisp and the sausage is piping hot.

Buy: State Fair Classic Mini Corn Dogs, $10.49 for 46 pieces at Target

Almost all of the everything bagel-seasoned pigs in a blanket appeared identical upon opening the packages. While one brand rolled the sausage straight on, all others wrapped the pastry at an angle, providing an attractive appetizer option. The sausages in the Cuisine Adventures appetizer are pork (most others in this category were beef franks). What tipped the scales in favor of these franks was the even, golden puff of the pastry and the balanced flavor of the everything bagel seasoning.

If you’re not a Costco member, don’t worry. Many of the brands I tested were private-label brands from the grocery stores I visited, so see what your local grocer has to offer and try those out for yourself.

Find it in stores: Cuisine Adventures Everything Franks in a Blanket, $14.27 for 46 to 50 pieces at Costco

• Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Package instructions vary from using an unlined pan to employing parchment paper or aluminum foil. Keep your pastry-wrapped pups from sticking by lining the baking sheet with parchment paper regardless of what the instructions say.
• Check for doneness 1 to 2 minutes early if wrapped in puff pastry. Puff pastry-wrapped pigs in a blanket go from puffed and golden to blackened and burned in minutes, so peek into the oven a minute or two early to monitor the appetizer’s progress.
• Don’t forget the dip. If you’re taking a shortcut by serving frozen pigs in a blanket, an easy way to dress them up is with a dipping sauce. Stir together a mustard-based sauce or a tangy option like Fry Sauce or Comeback Sauce. Classic ketchup and mustard are always welcome — especially for the younger set. If you have small-batch condiments in your cupboard, this is the time to use them!

Do you have a favorite brand of frozen pigs in a blanket? Share your pick in the comments below!