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.
Roll each apple slice into a crescent roll.
Mix the brown butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
Spoon the sauce over the crescent rolls in the pan.
Pour the ginger ale around the dumplings and bake.
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- Wrap the crescent roll dough tightly around the apple slices to prevent gaps.
- 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?
- 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.
- Just pour the soda around the dumplings, not on top of them!
- Don’t overbake your dumplings, or the sauce will become too thick and may burn.
Marye's Tip o' the day
Make sure you peel the apples. Otherwise, you’ll have tough, crunchy bits of peel in your dumplings, which isn’t very pleasant.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- Though I prefer firm, tart Granny Smith apples, other crisp apples work well, too. Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Winesap, Jonathan, or Jazz apples are great alternatives.
- Use dark brown sugar for a deeper caramel flavor.
- Besides cinnamon, you can add a dash of nutmeg, cloves, ginger, or allspice and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to "spice" things up!
- 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.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up
Sprinkle the top of your crescent roll apple dumplings with toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans for a nutty crunch!
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
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!
It’s super easy! Melt the butter over low heat until it turns a deep amber brown. Toasting the milk solids creates a rich, nutty flavor. Watch my video for step-by-step instructions on how to make brown butter.
I prefer ginger ale, but lemon-lime soda like Mountain Dew or Sprite will work in a pinch!
Using a carbonated, sweet drink (like ginger ale) helps boost the caramelization of the sauce and adds a delicious pop of flavor.
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
Assemble the dumplings a day in advance and refrigerate, then bake fresh when ready. You can create the butter sauce ahead and store it in the fridge. Just melt it so you can pour it over the dumplings, and wait to add the ginger ale until right before baking.
📚 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.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored - about 2 medium apples
- 16 ounces refrigerated crescent rolls, 2 8-ounce cans
- ¾ cup butter, melted and allowed to turn golden brown
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅔ cup ginger ale
- ¼ cup caramel sauce
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Spray 13x9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cut apples into 16 slices.
- Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into 16 triangles.
- Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end
- Stir together brown butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
- Pour the butter mixture evenly over dumplings.
- Carefully pour the gingerale in center and along edges of pan. (Do not pour on top of dumplings.)
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let stand 5 minutes.
- Drizzle with pan sauce and serve warm with a drizzle of caramels sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream
Notes
- Though I prefer firm, tart Granny Smith apples, other crisp apples work well, too. Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Winesap, Jonathan, or Jazz apples are great alternatives.
- Use dark brown sugar for a deeper caramel flavor.
- Besides cinnamon, you can add a dash of nutmeg, cloves, ginger, or allspice and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to "spice" things up!
- Ginger ale is my favorite soda for this recipe, but lemon-lime or cream soda work, too.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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