These easy crescent roll apple dumplings are baked in a sticky, sweet apple cider sauce until perfectly tender and golden brown. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a truly decadent, but super easy, comforting dessert!
Table of Contents
- Why You Will Love This Easy Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings Recipe
- Watch How To Make It
- Why Make Apple Dumplings With Crescent Rolls
- Ingredients Needed
- How To Make Apple Dumplings With Crescent Rolls
- Variations & Tips For Success
- Can I Prep This Apple Dumpling Recipe Ahead?
- How To Store Leftovers
- More Irresistible Apple Recipes
- Get the Recipe
Why You Will Love This Easy Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings Recipe
These easy apple dumplings from crescent rolls are one of my all time favorite ways to make sweet fruit dumplings without a lot of effort. Not only are they easy, but the buttery crescent rolls make the perfect dumpling wrapping for soft and tender dumplings.
- Easy: As much as I love old fashioned apple dumplings, sometimes you just don’t have that kind of time. Thankfully these apple dumplings with crescent rolls could not be any easier! If you can open a can of crescent rolls and wrap them around apple slices, you’ve got this. This recipe is the perfect beginner dumpling recipe as it is nearly impossible to mess up.
- Crowd Favorite: I have never found anyone that doesn’t love this classic, comforting dessert! The warm apple and cinnamon smell will fill your house and entice everyone into the kitchen. Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a hearty drizzle of the thick, sweet apple cider sauce, everyone will be going back for seconds!
- Can Prep Ahead For Guests: You can prep these crescent roll apple dumplings up to two days ahead and store them in the fridge before guests come over. Then all you have to do is pour the sauce over the top and pop them into the oven.
- Versatile: You can use different fruits to create other fun flavors. Try adding raisins or cranberries with your apples, or swap the apples for peaches like in this easy peach dumplings recipe. You can also add rum to create an irresistible caramel-y, rum sauce!
Watch How To Make It
Want to see how to make these dumplings from beginning to end? Here’s a step-by-step video:
Why Make Apple Dumplings With Crescent Rolls
Well first, because crescent roll dumplings turn out perfectly soft, tender, and oh so buttery every single time. The first time I tried apple dumplings with crescent rolls was in my Mountain Dew Apple Dumpling recipe. Pillowy soft crescent rolls bake up perfectly in the sweet apple cider sauce that we cover the dumplings with before baking. The sauce soaks up into the apples and crescent rolls to create an amazing flaky dumpling texture with a crisp top and soft, tender centers.
Aside from that, crescent dough is also incredibly easy to use, just open the can and it’s ready to go. You don’t have to spend a lot of time preparing an occasionally temperamental dough, like pie crust or puff pastry.
Ingredients Needed
With just a few simple ingredients needed, this recipe is as easy on your wallet as it is to make! For full ingredient amounts and directions, scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Apples: I used 2 large tart green apples as they have a good firm texture for baking and the tartness balances the sweet sauce.
- Cinnamon: For a more intense spice, you can use homemade apple pie spice.
- Crescent Rolls
- Butter
- Sugar: I like to use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- Apple Cider: I do not recommend swapping this for apple juice. A good quality apple cider (one that is not 100% translucent) will give you the most flavor.
- Rum or Lemon-Lime Soda: Add some rum to the apple cider sauce to create a decadent and rich rum sauce. For a lighter sauce flavor, or to not include alcohol, you can use orange juice or a lemon-lime soda like Sprite or Mountain Dew. Soda is surprising, but trust me, it makes an amazing sauce.
- Ice Cream: Optional, for serving. You can also use whipped cream.
How To Make Apple Dumplings With Crescent Rolls
If you can roll dough around an apple slice and simmer a sauce, you will have these crescent roll apple dumplings into the oven in no time! Full directions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare Apples: Slice each peeled and cored apple into 8 even slices. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 baking pan.
- Assemble Dumplings: Sprinkle cinnamon on top of all the apples. Then roll one apple slice inside of each crescent roll piece. Place in prepared pan, in two rows, leaving a little room between each dumpling.
- Simmer: Then in a small sauce pot, bring the butter, cinnamon, granulated sugar, brown sugar and apple cider to a boil. Once boiling, evenly pour over the crescent rolls.
- Sauce: Pour the rum or lemon-lime soda around the edges of the pan.
- Bake: Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until bubbling and the dumplings are browned on top.
- Serve: Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and the extra sauce form the pan drizzled on top!
Variations & Tips For Success
This apple dumplings recipe with crescent rolls is super easy, but to help ensure success, here are a few tips and ways you can make this dish your own.
- Unpeeled Apples: You can leave the peel on for a more rustic apple dumpling if you prefer, but I like to be able to easily cut the dumplings with a fork. Occasionally baked apple skin can be tough.
- Different Fruits: Just about any fruit will work in these crescent roll dumplings, from berries to peaches. You can also add raisins, or other dried fruits, to your apple dumplings. I even have a festive cranberry apple dumplings recipe that is perfect for the holidays!
- Rum Apple Dumplings: Soak your apples in rum for 1 hour before baking to give your apples even more boozy rum flavor. Add raisins for a fun rum raisin dessert. Make sure and save the rum you used to soak your apples and use it in your sauce!
- Crescent Sheet: Accidentally purchase crescent sheets instead of crescent rolls? No worries, it will work the same! Use a pizza cutter to easily cut the crescent sheet into triangles.
Can I Prep This Apple Dumpling Recipe Ahead?
Absolutely, I have done it many times! Prepare your dumplings and place them in the baking dish, but do not add the sauce. Instead, wrap the baking dish tightly with Saran Wrap, or foil, and place it in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can also prepare the sauce ahead, but store it separately in an airtight container in the fridge.
Take the dumplings out of the oven 30 minute before you want to bake them and let them sit on the counter to warm up a little. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
When you are ready to bake the dumplings, re-heat the sauce in the microwave or stove top, stirring well, until warmed through. Pour sauce over the dumplings and follow the rest of the directions as written in the recipe.
How To Store Leftovers
These crescent roll apple dumplings are best fresh and warm out of the oven. You can store the leftovers, however they will be a little soggier once they are chilled in the sauce and re-heated.
To store these apple dumplings, transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave in 30 second bursts, until warmed through. Or, for best results, reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
I do not recommend freezing these dumplings.
More Irresistible Apple Recipes
- Brown Sugar Apple Cake
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Homemade Apple Pie Filling
- Caramel Apple Dream Cake
- Cinnamon Baked Apples
Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings
Ingredients
- 2 large green apples, peeled and cored
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon, divided
- 2 (8 oz) cans crescent rolls
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ¾ cup apple cider
- ¾ cup lemon-lime soda, or rum
- vanilla ice cream, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan (or extra large cast iron skillet) set aside.
- Slice apples into 8 even slices (16 slices total). Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cinnamon on top of all of the apples. Then roll one apple slice inside of each crescent roll triangle.
- Place in prepared pan, in two rows, leaving a little room between each dumpling. Set aside.
- In a small pot, bring the butter, remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon, granulated sugar, brown sugar and 3/4 cup apple cider to a boil. Once boiling, evenly pour over the crescent rolls.
- Pour the lemon-lime soda (or rum) just around the edges of the baking pan.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until bubbling and the dumplings are browned on top. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream and a hearty drizzle of the extra sauce from the dumpling pan on top.
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what a fun recipe, love this and thank you, and a very creative dumpling indeed, apples always work well with this too