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Looking for a delicious and easy after school snack? Look no further than these Puff Pastry Cheese and Bacon Turnovers!

For my UK readers out there, these are just like the ones from Greggs, but with a secret ingredient they’re 10x more delicious. Yeah, I went there 🤣

closeup over cheese and bacon turnover with focus on bacon

Cheese and Bacon Turnovers

For those of you not in UK, these are essentially very similar to a popular pastry served at the largest bakery chain in the UK. Simply cheese and bacon wrapped in a blanket of puff pastry. Simple, yet outrageously delicious. Because really, who can turn down cheesy bacon pastry?! Certainly not me, clearly.

Any who, these are awesome for so many different reasons. But here’s just a few:

  • Easy – Literally no cooking ability required.
  • Quick – The only thing better than food is fast food.
  • Delicious – A game changing ingredient that’ll take these to the next level 😏

holding cheese and bacon wrap pastry to camera with more blurred underneath

The Magic Ingredient!

Look, don’t get me wrong, cheese, bacon and puff pastry is a combo to die for. BUT, there’s definitely room for more.

Caramelized Onions

All up in my face. Oh yes. Bacon and onion? Yep. Cheese and Onion? Yep. It all just makes sense. Also, the sweetness from the onions balances out the saltiness of the bacon nicely.

To keep in theme of ‘quick and easy’ I recommend making a big batch of caramelized onions, just so you can scoop them out as you need. So do check out my full post on How to make Caramelized Onions. But for now –

How to Caramelize Onions (quick summary)

  1. Add onions to a pan of olive oil and fry low and slow.
  2. Add balsamic vinegar, sugar and seasoning.
  3. Continue to fry on low heat until sweet, soft and sticky.

How to caramelize onions - 3 step by step photos

Cheese and Bacon Puff Pastry

One of your main ingredients is of course puff pastry. Definitely keeping in with the theme here, we will NOT be making our own puff pastry. That wouldn’t make for a very convenient after school snack 🤣 As such, pre-made from the store works just fine.

I recommend getting a pre-rolled puff pastry, just so you know you’re going to get even slices. If you’ve got a slab of pastry, just make sure you roll it out to 14″x9″ (35.5cmx22cm).

Alongside the ingredients we’ve discussed, all you’ll need is an egg for egg wash.

How to make Cheese and Bacon Turnovers (quick summary)

  1. Roll out pastry.
  2. Divide into 8.
  3. Add onions.
  4. Top with cheese and bacon.
  5. Fold in and pinch sides together.
  6. Brush with egg wash and bake.

How to make cheese and bacon turnovers - 6 step by step photos

What Cheese to use – I recommend a nice sharp cheddar, just to add a punch of flavour. There aren’t many ingredients here so it’s important to bring out the best in each one.

And there we have it! Easy right? Just quickly, if you like the look of these I know you’ll love these other recipes!

For another Greggs inspired recipe check out my Sausage, Bean & Cheese Melts!

Savoury Puff Pastry Recipes

Okay, let’s tuck into this cheese and bacon puffs recipe, I’m getting hungry all over again 😋

overhead shot over Cheese and Bacon Puff Pastry Rolls fresh out the oven

How to make Cheese and Bacon Turnovers (Full Recipe & Video)

closeup over cheese and bacon turnover with focus on bacon
5 from 12 votes

Cheese and Bacon Turnovers

By: Chris Collins
Looking for a delicious and easy after school snack? Look no further than these Puff Pastry Cheese and Bacon Turnovers! I recommend making a big batch of caramelized onions beforehand, just so you can scoop them out when needed. As such, timing below is assuming the onions are made in advance. Recipe for them still included.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 8 turnovers
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Equipment

  • Large Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
  • Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
  • Greased Baking Tray
  • Small Pot and Brush (for egg wash)

Ingredients 

Turnovers

  • 1 sheet of Puff Pastry (see notes)
  • 8 rashers of Streaky Bacon (see notes)
  • 4 square slices of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, halved
  • 1 Egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Caramelized Onions

  • 1lb / 500g Red or White Onion, finely sliced
  • 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions 

  • Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a large frying pan over medium heat and add 1lb/500g sliced onions. Fry until they start to soften and caramelize (10-15mins), then add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar and salt & pepper to taste. Turn heat to low and continue caramelizing for another 20mins, or until super soft and sticky. The aim of the game is to fry low and slow, don't let them catch and start to char at any point.
  • Roll out your sheet of pastry on a floured surface and divide into 8. Take one section and slant it so a corner is at the top and bottom. Place a spoonful of onions in the centre, top with a slice of cheese, then a slice of bacon. Make sure the onions are hidden otherwise they'll burn.
  • Fold in one corner, gently wet with your finger, then fold in over the second corner. Very tightly pinch together so they don't unfold in the oven, then brush with egg wash. See video for guidance on this section.
  • Pop in the oven at 390F/200C for 15-20mins or until deep golden and crispy. Allow to rest and cool for 5mins, this will allow the final bit of steam to escape and help them crisp up (they might be slightly soft when they first come out).

Video

Notes

a) Puff Pastry - The size you want the pastry (before dividing in 8) is 14"x9" (35.5cmx22cm). The weight of each pastry sheet (before dividing) is 320g/11.3oz, so if you are buying puff pastry that is not pre rolled (i.e a slab of pastry) make sure you are using that much weight and roll out to the dimensions above.
b) Caramelized onions - I recommend making a big batch of these in advance to save time, so do check out my full post on How to make Caramelized Onions! If you want to leave out the onions and just do cheese and bacon you can absolutely do that.
c) Bacon - Streaky bacon is great because it's quite thin, so it cooks at the same rate as the pastry. If you've got a larger/thicker cut of bacon consider frying for a couple of minutes before to part-cook it. Feel free to double up on the bacon if you wish - I just recommend slicing off some fat or using leaner bacon, otherwise the excess fat will make the insides go a little soggy.
d) Cheese - As there is only a few ingredients, I recommend a nice strong cheddar to punch a bit of flavour in there. However, do use a cheese of choice if you're not keen on sharp cheddar.
e) Prep Ahead - Fold and leave off egg wash, then tightly cover in the fridge overnight. Brush with egg wash and pop in the oven, adding on a few more mins cooking time if baking straight from the fridge.
f) Make Ahead/Freezing - Allow to completely cool then tightly cover in the fridge for 2-3days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in the oven at 180C/356F straight from the fridge until piping hot and crispy again. Can also bake from frozen at the same temp, or thaw in the fridge and bake from there.
g) Calories - Per turnover.

Your Private Notes:

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Nutrition

Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.32g | Protein: 9.76g | Fat: 28.03g | Saturated Fat: 7.15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.453g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11.629g | Trans Fat: 0.166g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 214mg | Fiber: 1.7g | Sugar: 5.03g | Vitamin A: 200IU | Vitamin C: 4.6mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 1.6mg

Looking for more?

You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’

If you loved these Cheese and Bacon Turnover Recipe then be sure to pin it for later! Already made them or got a question? Give me a shout in the comments below and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!

Chris Collins, food blogger at Don't Go Bacon My Heart in white jumper eating a slice of garlic flatbread
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Recipe Rating




40 Comments

  1. James says:

    These are usually Back Bacon here, so way more fat to meat ratio than streaky, but I’ve not seen that outside of the UK.
    The Caramelized onion is a good shout though.

    Reply
  2. Lisa James says:

    5 stars
    Making these for the second time tonight, they are absolutely delicious 🙂 I cook the bacon slightly beforehand and it’s perfect 🙂

    Reply
  3. Vanessa says:

    Hey there when you say “streaky bacon” is there a certain brand you use?
    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Chris Collins says:

      Any brand of streaky bacon will do the trick 🙂

      Reply
  4. Sharon says:

    The “streaky bacon” ingredient made me smile. My mom was from Scotland and when she came to the US, she ordered bacon on the train from NYC and said “What in the bloody hell is this?” when they brought her bacon. She has been gone 5 years now and that got me a little choke up. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Chris Collins says:

      Sharon, this is beautiful to hear. I’m actually from Scotland myself and usually say the same when in the US . Sending love and take care. C x

      Reply
  5. Andrea says:

    I used the streaky bacon from uk and the pastry is pampas brand but it turn out so salty .

    Reply
    1. Chris Collins says:

      Sorry to hear that! I’m not sure how they turned out so salty, it’s only really the bacon that adds the salt aspect, unless the pastry for salty for some reason.

      Reply
  6. Sharon says:

    5 stars
    Made these for the husbandman and he loves them. As I am a vegetarian I have cheese and sliced cherry tomatoes- lovely

    Reply
    1. Chris Collins says:

      That’s awesome to hear, Sharon! Might have to try the cheese and tomato version myself – sounds delish!

      Reply
  7. Graham says:

    5 stars
    Made these this morning for brunch, they are awesome and so easy to make.

    Reply
    1. Chris Collins says:

      That’s great to hear, Graham! Thanks for popping back and leaving a review 🙂

      Reply
  8. PattyInColorado says:

    Hi Chris. I am going to do this for after school snack for the kiddos. Do you think I could use pre-cooked bacon?

    Reply
    1. Chris Collins says:

      I haven’t used pre cooked bacon before, my fear is that it might become too crunchy/burn. If your bacon is quite thick, or you only part/lightly cook it you should be fine 🙂

      Reply
      1. Emily says:

        Which way would be best to freeze them? It’s says in the recipe how to cook them from frozen but is that frozen raw or frozen cooked and reheated?

      2. Chris Collins says:

        You could do either! Method in the recipe notes is if they’re frozen once fully cooked. If you want to freeze them raw, I recommend leaving off the final egg wash and stacking them with parchment paper in between, just so they don’t stick together. From there you could thaw in the fridge and bake as instructed. Or cook from frozen at 180C/350F for an extra 5-10mins than the recipe states (or until piping hot/golden & crispy). I find cooking from frozen doesn’t crisp up quite as well, but will still work just fine. Hope this helps! Chris.