Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings Recipe - Meatloaf and Melodrama (2024)

This Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings Recipe is a super easy fall dessert made with crescent roll dough and apple slices in a delicious caramel sauce. The secret ingredient in these easy apple dumplings is lemon lime soda!

One of the best things about apple season is all the delicious apple desserts!

These incredibly easy apple dumplings are high on the list of family favorites! This easy apple dumplings recipe has been around for awhile -- I actually found a copy in my grandma's recipe stash.

What makes this easy dessert recipe so simple is you start out with refrigerated crescent roll dough. Wrap the dough around an apple wedge, and bake the crescent roll dumplings in a sweet brown sugar butter sauce with a can of Sprite or Mountain Dew.

Sounds odd, but this Mountain Dew apple dumplings recipe works! Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream over the golden brown bites of deliciousness, and enjoy your new favorite apple dessert!

Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make easy apple dumplings with crescent rolls. You can find them in your grocery store, or you might have what you need in your fridge or pantry:

• Crescent roll dough -- 2 packages
• 2 large Granny Smith apples -- These are the best apples for baking, but pink lady apples, gala apples and golden delicious apples are good, as well
• Sprite -- Sprite, Mountain Dew or ginger ale. Any lemon-lime soda works here.
• Butter -- salted or unsalted
• Brown sugar -- either dark or light
• Cinnamon -- for flavor
• Vanilla extract -- for added flavor

How to Make Apple Dumplings with Crescent Rolls

This is a very easy recipe, but it does have a few steps. First, you wash, peel and core the apples. Then, slice each apple into 8 wedges. Place in a separate bowl, and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Try to cut the apple slices so they're about the same size. If you get thinner slices, you can use 2 per crescent dough triangle.

Next, open the packages of crescent roll dough. Tear each sheet into triangles using the perforations.

Place an apple wedge on the widest edge of the crescent roll triangle. Then, gently roll the triangle of dough up over the apple, and continue rolling until you reach the the small end.

Both ends of the dumpling should be open. Place each apple dumpling into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. I use butter to grease the dish, but non-stick cooking spray works, too.

You want to leave a little room between them. Then, continue until all of the apples are done.

Now, add the butter and brown sugar to a small sauce pan. Cook on low to medium heat until the butter is melted, stirring gently until you get a smooth caramel sauce.

When the sauce is smooth and completely melted, add the vanilla. Then, pour the sauce over the dumplings.

Make sure to get some of the sauce on each dumpling. It should completely cover the bottom of the pan.

Finally, pour Mountain Dew, or whatever can of soda you're using, around the dumplings. Try not to pour soda pop on top of the dough.

Otherwise, you'll get soggy dumplings!

The sides of the rolls will be mostly submerged, but the tops should be sticking up over the liquid.

Cooking Time

Place the baking dish into a preheated oven --350 degrees f. And, bake the crescent dough dumplings for 30 minutes.

When done, the tops are golden brown, the dumplings are puffy and the brown sugar sauce is bubbling.

If 30 minutes isn't enough, you can bake them another 10 minutes. But, they should take no more than 40 minutes, tops.

The caramel sauce will continue to thicken up as the dumplings cool. We sprinkled a little bit of white sugar over the tops for a little bit of sparkle.

Aren't they gorgeous? By the way, you can't taste the pop. The citrus flavor just enhances the flavor of the sauce!

Serve these crescent dough dumplings with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and a little drizzle of caramel sauce on top. And watch this tasty dessert disappear!

How to Store Leftover Dumplings

You can keep this apple dessert on the counter at room temperature for a few hours. Pop it into the fridge overnight.

You can just cover the baking dish or transfer the apples into an airtight container. The apple crescents should keep for a day or 2 before getting soggy.

You can reheat leftover dumplings in the oven. Like most apple desserts, the dumplings are best served warm.

Variations

You can easily add your own substitutions to the original recipe. Add a few golden raisins or chocolate morsels along with the apple slice. Throw in a few cinnamon candies if you like!

Leave out the cinnamon. Or, add pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice over the apples for extra flavor.

You can use apple pie filling instead of apple slices. If you don't have crescent rolls, try puff pastry. Don't like apples? Use pears or make peach dumplings with crescent rolls!

Helpful Tips

Make sure the apple slices are roughly the same size for even baking.

Melt the butter and brown sugar together on the stove top so they make a sauce. Don't just add them to the pan separately.

Make sure you are using 12 ounces of soda. If you only have a larger bottle, measure out 12 ounces before using.

Try not to pour soda on top of the dumplings as they may get soggy.

More Easy Apple Dessert Recipes

If you love apple desserts, try my apple crisp -- made with fresh apples and no oats. If you like caramel apples, try my caramel apple dump cake or my easy baked caramel apples or my super easy caramel apple nachos. I also have an easy caramel apple dip recipe!dessert without caramel, try my apple pie dump cake or this very easy skillet apple pie.

Recipe

I hope you enjoy this easy apple dumpling recipe as much as my whole family does. It's definitely one of our favorite sliced baked apples recipes, and it's such a delicious dessert!

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Recipe published in 2021 and updated in 2023.