Iowa Party Bites

by Jessica | January 13, 2026 9:44 pm

Listen, I was just thinking about these Iowa party bites my coworker brought to our office potluck like 3 months ago and I STILL can’t stop making them.

 

So here’s what happened – we had this huge potluck at work and everyone was bringing fancy stuff. like one person made homemade sushi rolls, another person brought some complicated French thing I can’t even pronounce. and then Sarah from accounting shows up with this casserole dish full of these little sausage[1] bites wrapped in crescent rolls and cheese and I swear to god the entire dish was gone in like 15 minutes while the fancy stuff just sat there.

 

I cornered her at the coffee machine the next day and was like “what were those things??” and she said they’re just called party bites or Iowa bites or sometimes pickle roll-ups depending on who you ask. she’s from Iowa originally and apparently these are at EVERY gathering there. every single one.

 

I made them for game day the following Sunday and my husband ate 12 of them. TWELVE. I counted because I was mad I didn’t get more lol. now I make them for literally everything and people always ask for the recipe even though it’s embarrassingly simple.

Why does everyone freaks out over these?

 

they’re insanely easy like you could make them drunk at 2am easy (not that I have but theoretically)

the combination of sausage + cream cheese + pickle is weird but somehow perfect and people can’t figure out what’s in them

you can prep them the night before and just bake them when people come over which is clutch

they look way fancier than the effort you put in so people think you’re a better cook than you are

they’re gone in minutes at parties which means less leftovers to deal with

What you actually need:

 

 

UPDATE 1/9/26: tried making these with turkey sausage because I was trying to be “healthy” and honestly… just use regular sausage. the turkey ones were dry and sad.

How to make these without screwing up

Cook your sausage in a big skillet over medium heat. break it up with a wooden spoon while it cooks so you get little crumbles not huge chunks. this takes maybe 10 minutes? just cook it until there’s no pink left.

 

I always forget to drain the grease and then wonder why my kitchen towel is covered in orange stains. so yeah drain the grease.

 

Add the cream cheese to the hot sausage while it’s still in the pan. let it sit for like 30 seconds to soften then stir it all together until it’s combined and creamy.

 

this is where you add the garlic powder and worcestershire if you’re using it. I eyeball both of these because measuring is for people with more patience than me.

 

Let that mixture cool down a bit while you deal with the pickles. if you put hot filling on the dough it’ll just make everything soggy and weird. trust me on this one.

 

Dry off your pickles with paper towels. like REALLY dry them. pickles are wet and wetness is the enemy here. I usually use like 5 paper towels per pickle which feels wasteful but whatever it works.

 

Unroll your crescent dough and separate it into triangles. the dough has little perforations that show you where to separate them. sometimes I accidentally rip them in the wrong place and have to smush them back together.

 

Put maybe a tablespoon of the sausage mixture on the wide end of each triangle. don’t put too much or it’ll squeeze out when you roll them. learned this the messy way.

 

some people put cheese on at this point too. I do half with cheese and half without because my sister doesn’t like cheese which is psychotic but she’s family so whatever.

 

Put a pickle on top of the sausage mixture and roll the whole thing up starting from the wide end. just roll it like you’re making regular crescent rolls.

 

the pickle is gonna stick out the ends a bit and that’s fine. mine are never perfect looking and people still demolish them.

 

Cut each roll into thirds or fourths depending on how bite-sized you want them. I use kitchen scissors because it’s easier than a knife and less messy. Gets messy anyway though.

 

Arrange them on a baking sheet with some space between them. I line mine with parchment paper so I don’t have to scrub the pan later.

 

Bake at 375°F for like 15-18 minutes until the dough is golden brown. I always check at 15 minutes because my oven runs hot and I’ve burned these before.

 

let them cool for maybe 5 minutes before serving or someone will burn their mouth and blame you. Done.

Things that make these even better

• Add a little ranch seasoning mix to the sausage mixture. sounds weird but it’s good. like maybe a tablespoon?
• If you don’t like pickles (what’s wrong with you?) you can use jalapeños instead. way spicier though so warn people.
• Serve them with ranch dressing for dipping. some people use mustard which I personally think is gross but you do you.
• Make them mini by cutting the triangles in half before rolling. takes longer but they look cuter and you can eat more without feeling guilty.

keeping these around (they never last long though)

 

these will keep in the fridge for maybe 3-4 days in a tupperware or ziploc bag. I’ve never actually had them last that long because they get eaten but theoretically they should be fine.

 

okay so embarrassing story – I made a triple batch for my husband’s work party and had a bunch left over. I put them in a container in the fridge and forgot to label it. three days later I’m looking for them and can’t find them anywhere. turns out my husband thought they were “old leftovers” and THREW THEM OUT.

 

I was furious. like didn’t speak to him for the rest of the day furious. now I label everything with the date and “DO NOT THROW AWAY” in giant letters. he still sometimes eats stuff he’s not supposed to but at least he can’t claim ignorance anymore.

 

you can freeze these too before baking. just assemble them, put them on a baking sheet in the freezer for an hour, then transfer to a freezer bag. bake from frozen but add like 5 extra minutes. I do this when I know I have something coming up and want to be prepared.

 

to reheat them just pop them in the oven at 350°F for like 10 minutes. microwave makes them soggy.

Nutrition per bite (roughly, don’t judge me)

 

Listen these are party food not health food. if you’re watching calories just eat fewer of them. or don’t and enjoy your life.

Questions literally everyone asks

 

Can I use a different kind of sausage?

yeah I’ve done this with spicy sausage and it was really good. my friend makes them with breakfast sausage and adds a little maple syrup to the mixture which sounds insane but she swears by it. I haven’t been brave enough to try that yet. the turkey sausage thing didn’t work great like I mentioned before but regular pork sausage in any flavor should be fine.

 

What if I can’t find crescent rolls?

you could use puff pastry instead? it’ll be flakier and more fancy looking. or those pizza dough sheets that come in a can, just cut them into triangles yourself. honestly the crescent rolls are the easiest though and they’re at literally every grocery store.

Do these need to be served hot?

they’re best warm but they’re honestly still good at room temperature. I’ve eaten them cold out of the fridge at midnight and they were fine. not as good but fine. at parties I usually make them right before people come and then just leave them out. they disappear so fast the temperature doesn’t even matter.

 

Can I make these without pickles?

I mean… I guess? but then they’re just sausage rolls which is fine but not as interesting. the pickle adds this tangy crunch that makes them special. if you really hate pickles maybe try using pepperoncini or those little sweet gherkins instead. or just leave them out and add more cheese.

 

actually wait I just remembered my mom makes these with green olives instead of pickles. I think that’s weird but she says they’re good. so there’s another option if you’re anti-pickle.

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