You Won't Believe Everything You Can Make With Crescent Roll Dough
The little tubes are shockingly versatile.
We’re ALL about shortcuts and kitchen hacks here at Delish, and though we’d be hard pressed to choose a favorite, there’s one in particular that stands out—store-bought crescent roll dough. The humble ingredient you can find in the refrigerator section of almost any grocery store is for way more than just simple rolls. It can be used to make everything from appetizers to light dinners to desserts, all year long. Whether you’ve got last-minute guests you need to feed or are just feeling uninspired and need something easy and fast, crescent roll dough to your rescue. Check out our 51 crescent dough recipes for ideas—we bet they’ll inspire you to snag a few tubes next time you’re at the store.
We cannot stress enough how versatile this stuff is. Need a quick app? You may be familiar with crescent dough for pigs in a blanket, but it can be used for so much more. Try our bacon brie crescent wreath, our ham and cheese pinwheels, our spinach artichoke cups, or our baked feta bites. Trust us and make extra; these babies go fast.
Looking for an easy, flavorful packed breakfast or lunch? Try one of our crescent squares, like our reuben squares, our antipasto squares, our crescent breakfast squares, our French dip squares, or our Italian sub squares. They’re a meal prep DREAM.
It also comes in clutch for some of our most impressive holiday apps, the kind that get oohs and ahhs from the crowd every year. Try our pizza football bomb or our pigskin in a blanket for game days (the methods will totally work for other sports too!), our asparagus bacon brie bites or our ham asparagus bundles in spring, our mummy hot dogs or mummy meatballs around Halloween, or our cranberry brie bites, our spiced walnut and spinach pinwheel Christmas tree, or our pigs in a blanket wreath for fall and winter holidays.
Need dinner on the table, like now? Crescent rolls are an integral part of some of our favorite easy weeknight meals. Try our cheeseburger casserole, our spaghetti & meatball crescent ring, our chicken Parm lasagna rollups, or our chili cheese dog casserole. They might just become new family favorites.
And don’t think we forgot about dessert. Crescent rolls can swing savory or sweet, and are great for when you want a treat without a ton of effort. Check out our apple dumplings, our air fryer cinnamon rolls, our blueberry braid, or our sopapilla cheesecake bars for ideas.
Want more kitchen hack ideas? Check out our favorite things to do with puff pastry, our top shortcut dinner recipes to make with a rotisserie chicken, and the best ways to make leftovers more exciting.
Baked Feta Bites
If you’re a fan of our cranberry brie bites, we’ve got news for you: There’s a new app in town, and it’s inspired by another fan fave, baked feta pasta. This cheesy finger food features the flavors you know and love, all nestled into bite-sized cups of golden crescent roll dough.
Get the Baked Feta Bites recipe.
Pigs In A Blanket
Tiny hot dogs are perfect for literally any celebration. There's something very classic about the crescent roll dough flavor, so we tend to gravitate toward it, but puff pastry or even biscuit dough should work here too.
Get the Pigs In A Blanket recipe.
Antipasto Squares
Antipasto salad gets even better when layered between flaky, buttery crescent rolls. Feel free to swap in and out your favorite ingredients, then serve these as an anytime app or an easy packed lunch.
Get the Antipasto Squares recipe.
Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
Traditionally a pillow-shaped deep-fried dough, sopapillas are beignet-esque and often topped with cinnamon sugar. Naturally, it follows that sopapilla and cheesecake are a match made in heaven. The best part? We use store-bought crescent dough for the easiest dessert ever.
Get the Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars recipe.
Chili Cheese Dog Casserole
Canned chili and crescent roll dough makes this recipe ridiculously easy. It can be served as a main course or as a fun addition to any game day party spread. If you've got a little more time on your hands, try it with homemade chili instead.
Get the Chili Cheese Dog Casserole recipe.
Crescent Breakfast Tart
This tart is endlessly adaptable and easier than it looks thanks to refrigerated crescent dough. It's as pretty as it is delicious!
Get the Crescent Breakfast Tart recipe.
Apple Dumplings
Using refrigerated crescent dough makes this apple treat a cinch to make and adds an extra buttery, flaky texture. The dumplings are essentially poached in a lemon-lime soda, which may seem a little odd, but trust us on this one: They come out slightly doughy and gooey, and the soda turns the whole thing into a sweet sauce that you should drizzle over your dumplings.
Get the Apple Dumplings recipe.
Ham & Cheese Pinwheels
These ham and cheese pinwheels are made easy using store-bought crescent roll dough. They are chock-full of melty cheese and savory-sweet ham, topped with fresh parsley and toasty poppy seeds for texture and flavor you and your guests will love.
Get the Ham & Cheese Pinwheels recipe.
Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls
If homemade cinnamon rolls seem like too much work on Saturday morning, we've got the perfect solution for you. No need to wait on dough to rise with these easy air fryer cinnamon rolls! We used crescent roll dough to make everything as simple as possible without losing any flavor.
Get the Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls recipe.
Bacon Brie Crescent Wreath
Looking for an appetizer that doubles at a centerpiece? This cheesy, savory crescent ring is perfect for your holiday gathering. And if it's a vegetarian app you're after, we'd suggest subbing in sautéed mushrooms for the bacon.
Get the Bacon Brie Crescent Wreath recipe.
Crescent Breakfast Squares
This crescent roll hack is extremely simple and comes together in just about an hour. It’s a simple way to avoid any complaints about the way the eggs are cooked (hint: they’re scrambled, but even haters will enjoy it tucked between flaky pastry), is super customizable, and makes for a great on-the-go option too.
Get the Crescent Breakfast Squares recipe.
Cranberry Brie Bites
Our love for crescent roll recipes is no secret. Why make dough from scratch when everyone loves the canned stuff?! These are a fan favorite every fall. They always disappear within minutes, probably because the combo of salty, creamy brie, sweet-tart cranberry sauce, and crunchy pecans is PERFECT.
Get the Cranberry Brie Bites recipe.
Italian Sub Squares
Like our sheet-pan Italian subs, these are full of your favorite sandwich fillings, this time layered between sweet, golden sheets of crescent roll dough. These savory squares are the perfect app to feed a hungry crowd, to serve for an on-the-go dinner, or eat as a midday snack.
Get the Italian Sub Squares recipe.
Baked Cheesy Mashed Potato Bites
Nothing improves mashed potatoes like a handful of cheese and some crispy bacon. Whip up a simple gravy for dipping, and you're in business!
Steak Pot Pie
Switch up your traditional chicken pot pie with juicy steak and a perfectly flaky topping made of crescent dough. Don't cook your steak too far on the stove as it will continue to cook in the oven. Don't worry, the rest of the pot pie filling will help keep it nice and tender.
Get the Steak Pot Pie recipe.
Ham Asparagus Bundles
Crescent roll dough makes these the easiest and cutest spring appetizer. Feel free to swap the ham for any of your favorite deli meats too.
Get the Ham Asparagus Bundles recipe.
Crescent Breakfast Bites
These tasty little quiches are perfect for a group brunch. They only take 35 minutes to throw together, so keep a roll of crescent dough in your fridge, and you'll be always be ready for any last-minute guests.
Get the Crescent Breakfast Bites recipe.
Carrots In A Blanket
We know, we know, baby carrots might never replace your favorite cocktail weenies. For vegetarians, though, they're a great option. Let the carrots marinate for at least a half an hour so they can really soak in that smoky salty flavor.
Get the Carrots In A Blanket recipe.
Bacon Asparagus Brie Bites
Using crescent roll dough and a muffin tin makes these SO easy to build. Make these in the spring when asparagus is at its peak.
Get the Bacon Asparagus Brie Bites recipe.
Blueberry Breakfast Braid
This baked breakfast treat is like a Toaster Strudel gone wild. Using crescent roll dough makes it extra-simple to assemble too. Trust us, you're going to want to make extra icing.
Get the Blueberry Breakfast Braid recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
