Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings

Now listen, y'all, if you’ve never had Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings, I need you to take a deep breath and prepare yourself—because this is the kind of dessert that’ll make you question why you ever wasted time peeling apples for a pie.

Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.

Table of Contents

• 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
• 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
• 🔪 Step-by-step guide: How to make apple dumplings
• 💭 Insider tips: things to know
• 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
• 🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat crescent roll apple dumplings
• Can You Freeze Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings?
• What type of apples can I use?
• 👩‍🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
• 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

This recipe is what happens when someone with zero patience but a whole lot of good taste decides they want homemade apple dumplings without all the effort. Flaky crescent roll dough wraps around warm, cinnamon-spiced apples, then gets drowned in a bubbling bath of brown butter, sugar, and ginger ale.

That’s right—ginger ale. We don’t just drink our soda down here, we bake with it. And let me tell you, when that caramelized sauce starts bubbling up like sweet Southern magic, you’ll start thinking about drinking it with a spoon. (No judgment, I’ve been there.)

The hardest part of this whole recipe? Waiting for them to cool down enough so you don’t burn your tongue in a moment of dessert-induced weakness. That cinnamon-buttery aroma is downright hypnotizing, and the second these dumplings come out of the oven, you’ll be fighting every ounce of self-control not to dive in like a reckless fool.

And let’s be honest—one bite is never enough. The golden, flaky pastry melts into the gooey, caramelized sauce, the apples get all soft and buttery, and before you know it, you’re staring at an empty plate wondering where the last three dumplings went. (Spoiler: You ate them. And you’d do it again.)

🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite

• Crescent roll apple dumplings are a cozy dessert made in minutes with a few simple ingredients—no fancy stuff needed!
• Enjoy your dumplings fresh outta the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, homemade caramel sauce, and a cup of coffee.
• Make sure you pour the ginger ale between the dumplings, not on top of them!

Easy to make and hard to resist, crescent roll apple dumplings are a fool-proof way to transform simple ingredients into a crowd-pleasing treat. This comforting, fruity dessert is sure to make any Southern mama proud!

🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

🔪 Step-by-step guide: How to make apple dumplings

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.

💭 Insider tips: things to know

1. Wrap the crescent roll dough tightly around the apple slices to prevent gaps.
2. You don’t have to brown the butter, but I highly recommend it! Brown butter has a rich, nutty, slightly caramelized flavor and smells a bit like warm toffee—what’s not to love about that?
3. Please, for the love of all that is good, use regular ginger ale. Diet or sugar-free soda will not work as intended in this recipe.
4. Just pour the soda around the dumplings, not on top of them!
5. Don’t overbake your dumplings, or the sauce will become too thick and may burn.

📖 Make it your own: yummy variations

1. Though I prefer firm, tart Granny Smith apples, other crisp apples work well, too. Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Winesap, Jonathan, or Jazz apples are great alternatives.
2. Use dark brown sugar for a deeper caramel flavor.
3. Besides cinnamon, you can add a dash of nutmeg, cloves, ginger, or allspice and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to "spice" things up!
4. Ginger ale is my favorite soda for this recipe, but lemon-lime soda works, too.

🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat crescent roll apple dumplings

Crescent roll apple dumplings are best served warm the day they’re made. I’ll be flabbergasted if you have leftovers!

However, if you do, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

Reheat

The best way to reheat leftover apple dumplings is in a 350-degree F oven, covered, for 7-10 minutes or until warm. You can also heat 'em at the same temperature in an air fryer for 3-4 minutes.

For softer dumplings, microwave them on medium power in short bursts just until warm.

Can You Freeze Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings?

Technically, yes. Should you? Ehh… not if you want them to be their best gooey, buttery, flaky selves.

Crescent roll apple dumplings are all about that fresh-out-of-the-oven magic—golden, caramelized, and soaking up every last drop of that buttery, cinnamon-spiced soda glaze. Freezing them? Well, let’s just say you can, but you might end up with a sadder, soggier version of what was once dessert perfection.

• Freeze BEFORE baking. Assemble the dumplings, place them on a baking sheet, and freeze until solid. Then, transfer to an airtight container and stash them away for up to 3 months. When you’re ready, bake straight from frozen—just add a few extra minutes to the bake time.
• Don’t freeze after baking. Once they’ve been drenched in that gooey sauce, they won’t hold up well in the freezer. They’ll get soft, mushy, and lose that glorious crispness. And y'all, we don’t do sad dumplings in this house.

What type of apples can I use?

You usually want a firm, tangy apple for cakes and pies. I used Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples in this recipe.

Some of my favorites are -

Type	Flavor	Texture	Hold shape?
HoneyCrisp	sweet	crisp & juicy	yes
MacIntosh	tangy	creamy	no
Braeburn	balanced sweet & tart	firm & crisp	yes
Winesap	sweet; slight spicy flavor	crisp & juicy	yes
Jonathon	sweet & tangy	crisp	yes
Jazz	sweet, tart, tangy, slight spice	crisp & juicy	yes
Granny Smith	very tart	crisp	yes

👩‍🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs

Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!

📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

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