Serve pigs in a blanket with vinegar slaw, a crisp vegetable tray, tomato-cucumber salad, mustard potato salad, or fruit skewers. The pastry and sausage already bring salt, fat, and starch, so the strongest sides add fresh texture or acidity.
Add only one warm, filling dish when the appetizers are standing in for dinner.
A party table works best when every dish has a separate job. Mustard and dip support the pigs in a blanket, but they do not replace vegetables, fruit, or a substantial side.
Vinegar cabbage slaw is the best overall side. Pair it with one filling option for a meal, or use slaw, raw vegetables, and fruit for a snack table, and keep cold foods chilled and rotate small platters.
Build the Party Around the Pastry, Not More Pastry
Pigs in a blanket already cover three roles. Sausage supplies protein and salt, the wrapper supplies starch, and butter or oil supplies richness.
A tray of mini quiches, crostini, and stuffed pastry repeats those same qualities.
Choose the missing role before choosing a recipe. A small cocktail spread needs crunch and color.
A casual meal needs those things plus one side with more body. A mixed-age party also benefits from a plain vegetable or fruit option that does not rely on chile heat.
| Party format | What the menu needs | Best side direction |
|---|---|---|
| Short snack hour | Fresh contrast | Slaw plus crudites |
| Appetizer dinner | Produce and substance | Salad plus one potato side |
| Children's party | Plain, familiar choices | Fruit and roasted carrots |
| Warm-weather event | Cold food control | Small chilled platters |
| Rank | Side | Best for | Prep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vinegar cabbage slaw | Best overall | Easy |
| 2 | Crudites with hummus | Mixed-age parties | Easy |
| 3 | Tomato-cucumber salad | Warm weather | Easy |
| 4 | Fruit skewers | Children and brunch | Easy |
| 5 | Broccoli sunflower salad | Make-ahead buffet | Easy |
| 6 | Dill pickle salad | Mustard fans | Easy |
| 7 | Mustard potato salad | Appetizer dinner | Medium |
| 8 | Roasted carrots | Kid-friendly warm side | Easy |
| 9 | Skillet green beans | Indoor party | Easy |
| 10 | Herbed white bean salad | More protein | Easy |
| 11 | Roasted sweet potatoes | Fall gathering | Easy |
| 12 | Macaroni salad | Large casual meal | Medium |
| 13 | Tomato soup cups | Cold-weather party | Medium |
| 14 | Mini corn cups | Outdoor gathering | Easy |
| 15 | Kettle chips | Last-minute backup | Easy |
Use the Guest Count to Set Side Quantity
Count the pigs in a blanket first, then decide whether guests are snacking or eating a meal. A short cocktail hour needs fewer side portions because people will move on to dinner.
An appetizer supper needs enough vegetables and one filling side to carry the plate.
| Event | Pigs in a blanket | Side plan per guest |
|---|---|---|
| Before dinner | 3 to 4 | Two small fresh tastes |
| Snack party | 5 to 6 | Fresh side plus fruit |
| Casual meal | 7 to 8 | Fresh side plus one filling scoop |
Children may take more fruit and fewer salads, while adults often use more slaw and pickles. Make those flexible foods more plentiful instead of increasing every side equally.
Refill from the refrigerator rather than building one oversized tray at the start.
If sliders share the table, count them as another main item rather than another snack. Reduce the pigs in a blanket per guest and keep the shared sides crisp and flexible.
Slaw, raw vegetables, and fruit work with both trays, while potato or macaroni salad can make the menu too dense.
The 15 Best Sides Move From Cool and Crisp to Warm
1. Vinegar Cabbage Slaw
Vinegar slaw gives the table the acid and raw crunch that buttery pastry lacks.
Dress shredded cabbage with cider vinegar, a little oil, and only enough sugar to round off the sharp edge. A sweet deli-style slaw can make the sausage taste heavier.
Make it several hours ahead, then drain the bowl before it reaches the buffet. Cabbage holds its bite longer than tender lettuce, so this is the safest salad for a party that runs through several rounds of food.
2. Crudites With Hummus
Carrots, cucumber, snap peas, and bell pepper add clean crunch and color without another cooked dish. Cut firm vegetables into pieces that can be eaten in two bites.
Long, dripping cucumber spears are harder to manage beside small pastries.
Hummus gives the tray enough body for guests who want more than raw produce, yet it stays separate from the mustard used with the sausage. Put each dip in its own bowl so the flavors do not turn muddy.
3. Tomato-Cucumber Salad
This juicy salad fits a summer gathering, especially when the pigs in a blanket come straight from a hot oven. Use firm tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, and a thin red wine vinaigrette.
Soft tomatoes collapse quickly on a warm buffet.
Salt the bowl shortly before serving and provide a slotted spoon. That one detail keeps tomato juice on the salad platter instead of under the pastry, where it would soften the bottoms.
4. Fruit Skewers
Grapes, pineapple, melon, and strawberries bring sweetness without adding another baked dessert. Pineapple is especially useful because its tartness cuts through sausage fat, while melon gives children a mild option.
Build short skewers that fit on a small plate and refrigerate them until service. Cut grapes lengthwise for young children.
Avoid banana and ripe pear because both brown and soften long before the pastry tray empties.
5. Broccoli Sunflower Salad
Raw broccoli and sunflower seeds stay crisp under a light creamy dressing, which helps when food sits through a long game or open house. Cut florets small enough to spear with a fork.
Large raw crowns are awkward party food.
Use plain yogurt or a loose mayonnaise dressing, then add raisins only if the menu needs sweetness. Skip the usual bacon and reduce the cheese because the main dish already supplies plenty of salt and richness.
Choose a Fresh Side
Use slaw, cucumber, fruit, or crudites when the table already contains chips, pastry, and dip.
Choose a Filling Side
Use potato, beans, or macaroni only when pigs in a blanket are the main protein.
6. Dill Pickle Salad
Cucumber, radish, dill, and chopped pickles echo the mustard-and-sausage flavor in a fresher form. Drain the pickles well and use their brine as part of the dressing instead of adding both brine and extra salt.
Taste the finished salad with one pig in a blanket. If the next bite makes the sausage seem saltier, add more cucumber or a spoonful of yogurt.
The goal is a clean sour snap, not a briny side that tires the palate.
7. Mustard Potato Salad
A warm mustard vinaigrette soaks into waxy potatoes without creating a heavy mayonnaise coat. Add celery or sliced scallion for crunch and keep the seasoning sharp rather than sweet.
This side changes the party from snacks into supper. Serve about half a cup per person, then skip chips and macaroni salad.
Three starches on one plate leave no room for the vegetables that make the meal feel balanced.
8. Savory Roasted Carrots
Roasted carrots give children and cautious eaters a familiar warm vegetable.
Cut them into thick coins or short batons so they cook evenly and stay easy to serve with a spoon. Season with thyme, black pepper, and a little lemon rather than a honey glaze.
Many cocktail sausages already taste slightly sweet, and another sugary coating makes both the pastry and the side seem heavier.
9. Skillet Green Beans
Green beans add a hot vegetable without claiming another oven rack. Blister them in a wide skillet, cover for two or three minutes to finish the centers, then uncover so trapped steam can escape.
Lemon juice and black pepper are enough at the end.
Hold the beans in the warm skillet while the final pastry batch bakes, but leave the lid off. Covered beans turn soft and olive-colored as condensation falls back into the pan.
10. Herbed White Bean Salad
White beans with parsley, celery, and mild vinaigrette make the spread more substantial without repeating pastry. Rinse canned beans, let them drain well, and fold them gently so the bowl does not become pasty.
This is the strongest filling choice when several guests avoid meat. Offer a small serving spoon and plan roughly one-third cup per person.
Beans carry more weight than raw vegetables, so a large scoop can crowd out the crisp sides.
11. Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Small roasted sweet potato cubes suit fall gatherings and game-day tables.
Roast them on a wide sheet until the corners brown, then season with smoked paprika and lime instead of brown sugar. Transfer them to a shallow warm dish, not a deep covered bowl.
A pile of hot cubes releases enough steam to soften its own crust and any pastry sitting nearby.
12. Macaroni Salad
Macaroni salad works for a large casual meal because it is inexpensive and easy to portion, but it repeats the starch in the wrapper. Use it only when pigs in a blanket are the main course and the rest of the plate is mostly vegetables.
Keep the pasta firm and the dressing loose enough to coat rather than pool. Celery, pickle, and vinegar give the bowl needed bite.
Rich cheese cubes and a thick mayonnaise layer push the menu back toward the same heavy texture.
13. Tomato Soup Cups
Small cups of tomato soup turn the appetizer into a playful cold-weather supper. Choose a smooth, moderately tart soup rather than a cream-heavy bisque.
A four-ounce cup provides warmth without becoming a second main dish.
Set the cups beside the pastry and let guests dip at the table.
Pigs in a blanket placed in soup ahead of time lose their crisp seams within minutes, and a buffet pan of soup creates more spill risk than small handled cups.
14. Mini Corn Cups
Warm corn with lime, scallion, and a pinch of chile is easy to carry outdoors. Spoon it into small paper or reusable cups only after the kernels are hot, since reheating many filled cups is awkward.
Skip heavy cheese and mayonnaise when the main tray already includes creamy dips. Individual cups control the portion and keep loose kernels away from the pastry, which matters when guests are eating while standing.
15. Kettle Chips
Kettle chips are a practical last-minute backup because they hold their crunch in an open bowl. Choose a lightly salted flavor and skip barbecue seasoning when the sausages already carry smoke or sweetness.
Put out a small bowl and refill it once. Chips still need slaw, fruit, or raw vegetables beside them.
They cannot balance the menu alone.
Rotate Small Platters Instead of Holding Everything Out
Freshly baked pastry stays crisp only while its surface remains dry. A low oven can hold a small backup batch, but long holding dries the sausage and softens the wrapper.
Bake or reheat in waves when the oven schedule allows it.
- Chill cold sides. Keep salads and cut fruit refrigerated until the first guests arrive.
- Bake a small first tray. Put out enough pigs in a blanket for the opening round.
- Separate wet food. Give slaw, soup, and dip their own bowls and serving utensils.
- Replace instead of topping up. Swap in a fresh cold platter or hot tray before the old one empties.
The USDA advises holding hot food at 140°F or warmer and cold food at 40°F or colder. Perishable food should not remain at room temperature for more than two hours, or one hour above 90°F.
Small platters make those limits easier to manage.
Save These Pigs in a Blanket Sides
Keep all 15 fresh, filling, and party-ready options for your next gathering.
Sources
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Handling of Take-Out Foods
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Keep Food Safe
What is the best side for pigs in a blanket? ▼
Vinegar cabbage slaw is the best overall choice because it adds acid and crisp texture to salty sausage and pastry.
What vegetables go with pigs in a blanket? ▼
Serve carrots, cucumber, snap peas, green beans, broccoli, or tomato salad with a light dressing.
Can pigs in a blanket be a full meal? ▼
Yes. Add one fresh side and one filling option such as potato salad or white bean salad.
Which sides can be made ahead? ▼
Slaw, fruit skewers, broccoli salad, pickle salad, potato salad, and white bean salad can be prepared before the pastry bakes.
How do you keep pigs in a blanket crisp at a party? ▼
Bake in small batches, use a low dry oven for brief holding, and keep wet sides on separate platters.
Carrie is a food writer and editor with more than 15 years of experience. She has worked for some of the biggest names in the food industry, including Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, and Martha Stewart Living.
As the Editor in Chief of EpicureDelight, Carrie oversees all of the content on the site. She also manages the team of contributing writers and editors, who help to create delicious recipes, helpful tips, and informative articles that you’ll find on the site.
A native of the Chicago area, Carrie is passionate about all things food. She loves trying new restaurants and experimenting with new recipes in her kitchen. She’s also a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, so she knows a thing or two about food!
