Cheese and Onion Rolls

Cheese and onion rolls are like a deliciously cheesy vegetarian alternative to sausage rolls. Crispy puff pastry stuffed with a cheese, potato and onion mix with a hint of mustard. The perfect addition to a party food buffet, or for a tasty snack.

Best eaten warm from the oven, these cheese and onion rolls are worth making yourself and skipping the store bought version. The cheese filling has a real burst of flavour and you can easily adapt them with different add-ins.

Ready in just 30 minutes, these cheese rolls are great for a picnic too.

If you are looking for some other recipes that are perfect for party food, then why not try our cranberry stuffed Christmas Sausage Rolls, easy Cheese Biscuits, spicy Baked Jalapeno Poppers or our easy Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken?

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Why You Will Love Them
Ingredients and Substitutions
Variations
How to Make Cheese and Onion Rolls - Step by Step
Serving Suggestions
Storage
Extra Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
More Cheese Recipes
Recipe
Feedback

Why You Will Love Them

Easy - These are so easy to make. It's as simple as mixing everything together and adding it to store bought pastry (one of our favourite time saving hacks).
Lots of flavour - If you have tried the store bough cheese and onion rolls before, you will know that they are a little bland. These are packed with cheesy flavour and the fresh onion just adds something extra.
Adaptable - We have kept this recipe fairly simple, but given a few different ways of how you can adapt them.
Stores well - We love making a big batch of these cheese and onion sausage rolls and storing them in the freezer to grab to add to lunch boxes or snacks on the go.
Kids love them - If your kids are constantly snacking (how are they always so hungry?) this is an easy and filling snack.
Delicious party food - Sausage rolls are a must at any party and these are a great vegetarian alternative.

Ingredients and Substitutions

All the ingredients needed for this recipe with text overlay labels.

A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Puff pastry - We used store bought puff pastry as we have made our own before and honestly can't taste the difference for the amount of effort it took.
Potatoes - This helps to bulk them out and make them more filling. A little time saving hack - instead of cooking potatoes for this recipe, it's a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes.
Onion - We used a brown onion. You could use a red onion though if you prefer.
Cheese - The star of the recipe. We used a mature cheddar because it has a strong flavour and a little goes a long way. You could do half and half with Parmesan too. We wouldn't recommend using something like Mozzarella for cheese and onion rolls, because it is too stringy and melty.
Butter - This is what the onions are softened in and it really caramelises them.
Mustard - An easy way to add lots of flavour. We used English mustard as we wanted a strong mustard flavour, but you would use Dijon or even wholegrain.
Egg - This is brushed on the pastry to give the cheese and onion rolls a golden crisp finish.
Chia seeds - This makes them look really nice. You could use poppy seeds, but this is what we had and it adds some extra protein.
Gherkins - This adds a lovely crunchy texture to the mix. You could leave it out if you prefer.

Variations

This is a pretty simple recipe and we like to let the flavour of the cheese and onion shine through. However there are a few ways that you can change it up, so you can have them a different way every time.

Bacon - Everything is better with bacon, right? Add some finely chopped cooked bacon into the mixture. You will need to adjust the amount of salt added, as the bacon will add saltiness.

Herbs - Fresh or dried herbs will give a really big flavour boost. Why not go with rosemary, thyme or oregano which all go really well with cheese.

Spinach - If you want to give these a green boost, you can add some finely chopped spinach to these cheese and onion rolls.

Marmite - Love it or loathe it (we LOVE it), it goes perfectly with cheese. Add a small spoonful to the cheese and onion mixture.

Chutney - If you have lots of chutney leftover from Christmas, then add a little bit of this to the cheese and onion rolls. You want to be careful not to over stuff them though, otherwise you won't be able to fold the pastry.

Bigger - These are mini rolls, but if you wanted a bigger version like a pasty, then why not try our Cheese and Onion Pasty?

How to Make Cheese and Onion Rolls - Step by Step

Prep: Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.

Step 1: Add the diced potatoes to a pan of boiling water. Return to the boil and simmer until tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Two shot collage of chopped onions in a pan, before and after cooking.

Step 2: Meanwhile, heat a pan and melt the butter. Add the onions (a). Cook over a low heat until softened (b), about 5 minutes.

Two shot collage of cooked potatoes in a bowl, before and after mashing.

Step 3: Drain the potatoes and leave to steam dry for a few minutes (a). Mash the potatoes (b).

Two shot collage of onions, cheese, gherkins and mustard added to the bowl, then all mixed together.

Step 4: Add the cheese, cooked onions, chopped gherkins and mustard to the mashed potato (a). Mix well to combine everything (b).

Three shot collage of the potato mixture on the puff pastry, then rolled into a sausage shape.

Step 5: Slice the pastry lengthways in half. Divide the potato mixture along the two pieces of pastry (a). Roll the pastry around the mixture (b). Repeat with the second roll and carefully turn the rolls over so they are seam side down (c).

Two shot collage of the rolls cut into eight pieces each, then egg washed and sprinkled with chia seeds.

Step 6: Slice each roll into eight pieces (a). Brush with whisked egg and sprinkle over the chia seeds (b).

Two shot collage of sixteen rolls on a lined baking tray, before and after cooking.

Step 5: Arrange the rolls on a lined baking tray with space in between them (a). Bake in the oven for 25 minutes (b).

Serving Suggestions

There are so many different ways to serve these cheese and onion rolls, which is what we love about them. They are the perfect addition to a party food buffet with all the usual favourites.

Kids also love them, so why not serve with up with some Air Fryer Potato Wedges and Slow Cooker Baked Beans for a proper kid's tea?

Why dip bread into soup when you could dip these into it? These are delicious dipped into our Easy Tomato Soup, Creamy Vegetable Soup or even our Kale Soup.

A cheese and onion roll being dipped into some sauce.

Storage

Store: These cheese and onion rolls will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freeze: If you want to store them for longer, then they freeze really well. Individually wrap them and then put them in a freezer bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Defrost: You can defrost these in the fridge overnight.

Reheat: If you wanted to warm these up a little then put them in the microwave for 10 seconds.

Extra Tips

If you are using ready rolled puff pastry, then you need to leave it out of the fridge for 15 minutes before you unroll it otherwise you will get cracks in it.
Cut through the pastry with a sharp knife. Don't drag your knife through it otherwise it will tear the pastry.
You can use less cheese in this recipe if you wanted to make them lighter, but you won't get that really cheesy flavour.
If you want to get the onions really caramelised, then you can add a little bit of brown sugar to them when they are cooking.
Although these are definitely best enjoyed warm, you will need to let them cool for about 10 minutes before serving as the cheese will be VERY hot inside straight from the oven.
The key to making these is not over stuffing the pastry, as they won't seal very well.

Two cheese puff pastry rolls topped with chia seeds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I eat cheese and onion rolls cold?

You definitely can. We prefer them hot as the cheese is nice and melty. But you can definitely eat them cold and they are a great addition to a picnic or packed lunch.

Can you make cheese and onion rolls in advance?

Yes, you definitely can. You can make up all the filling and keep it in a bowl, covered, in the fridge. Then you can make up the rolls when you are ready.

How can I make vegan cheese and onion rolls?

You can make these vegan with a few swaps. You can get some great vegan puff pasty now and then you will need to use oil instead of butter for the onions. Skip the egg wash, as you don't have to use this and of course you will need to use your favourite vegan cheddar alternative.

How can I make gluten free cheese and onion rolls?

To make a gluten free version of this, use gluten free puff pastry and mustard and make sure there is no cross contamination.

More Cheese Recipes

If you’ve tried this cheese and onion roll recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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