20 Clever Ways To Use Canned Crescent Rolls

Grabbing a warm, buttery crescent roll from the breadbasket during a family dinner is nothing short of a nostalgia-inducing experience. One bite in, and you'll experience a buttery, soft, and tantalizing mouthfeel that will have you reaching back into the basket for yet another one. And although there's nothing wrong with eating a crescent roll as intended — by rolling it up and baking it plainly — the canned crescent roll is a versatile ingredient that you should always keep in your fridge. You can stuff it with your favorite fillings and transform it into different foods or use it as a simple ingredient swap for many different dishes, including pizza or roll-ups. 

The dough is versatile because it lacks a sweet or savory-leaning flavor. Plus, when baked in the oven, it develops a melty, buttery quality with the texture of a dinner roll and the flavor of a buttery pastry. It's the best of both worlds and one of the reasons why you can use the canned crescent dough for so many different applications. Here are some of our favorite ways to use this refrigerator must-have. 

Pigs-in-a-blanket are a hit at tailgates and parties for good reason. Pop one (or two) in your mouth in a single bite, and you'll get the feeling of eating a ballpark frank, and a classy appetizer meshed into one. 

Although you could try making your own pastry dough to wrap your tiny dogs in, the easiest way is to use pre-made crescent dough. You can use regular, reduced-fat, or buttery rolls for this herby pigs in a blanket recipe. After you've rolled out the dough, slice each of the perforated triangles out with a sharp knife. Then, place the mini sausage at the wide part of the triangle and roll towards the point. Before baking, add an additional brush of butter for better color and a sprinkle of dried herbs. You can serve your pigs in a blanket with the traditional ketchup dip or try a classy upgraded aioli. 

Making cinnamon rolls can take hours because you must let the dough rise multiple times before placing a tray in the oven. If you want to make cinnamon rolls without the hassle, turn to canned crescent roll dough instead. Start with a roll of crescent dough that has been pinched on the perforations. Then, smother the dough with your favorite cinnamon roll filling.

You can make Crockpot cinnamon rolls instead of the traditional baking sheet or dish method; this allows you to flip the slow cooker on for two hours, walk away, and come back to the tantalizing smell of cinnamon wafting throughout your house. If you're using this method, try placing a paper towel on top of your cinnamon rolls before turning the slow cooker on. It will capture any lingering condensation from the rolls and create a perfectly crisp roll — right in time for breakfast. 

Baked brie is an appetizer with a cult-like following. After one bite of melted savory cheese, you won't be able to turn back to a boring plate of cheese and crackers ever again. 

You'll need a couple of tubes of crescent dough to make an all-in-one wrapped brie. Slice the dough sheets into squares and wrap the wheel like a delicately-folded burrito before baking it until golden brown. Your guests will love cutting into the wheel to reveal the creamy, flowing cheese and crisp crescent crust. Alternatively, you can also wrap tiny brie wedges into individual crescent rolls for a more portable party appetizer. Serve your crescent-wrapped brie with honey, pepper jam, or fruit jam — and don't forget to have napkins handy. 

Ring, ring, who's calling? It's taco night! You're bound to impress all of your taco night dinner guests (including the pickiest taco night eaters) with this crescent roll taco ring. Using two cans of crescent rolls, shape the dough into a sun shape on a baking tray, with each crescent roll overlapping the other. Then, add your seasoned taco meat and shredded cheese to the inside ring of the shape and wrap each of the tails up and over the meat to secure it in place. 

You can fill the center of the baked roll with a blend of lettuce, chopped vegetables, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole to make it easy for eaters to dip their pieces in. The best part about this recipe is that it can be easily altered to suit different proteins, like chicken or turkey. 

Sopapilla cheesecake is a recipe inspired by the Mexican sopapilla pastry — which are small fritters dusted with cinnamon sugar and honey or piloncillo syrup. It takes things up a notch by sandwiching layers of crescent roll dough between an unctuous sweetened cream cheese filling. Since these desserts are served in bars, they are easy to eat — and especially fun to make. 

Use one can of crescent dough (or pinched crescent roll sheets) to line the bottom of a baking pan. Be sure to stretch the dough so it reaches all of the edges of the pan. Then, add your cream cheese filling and top with another dough layer. To infuse the sopapilla flavor, brush the top of the dessert with melted butter and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar. After baking and cooling, slice them up and leave them plain or top them with an additional honey drizzle.

Apple pie isn't the only variety that can be crescent-ified. Treat your friends and family to a plate of sweet potato crescent rolls during the autumn months. Although the sweet potato pie is the idealized version of this recipe, it can also be substituted with pumpkin purée for a take on pumpkin pie. 

For this recipe, you'll need the same ingredients as you'd use in a sweet potato pie — just substitute the traditional pie crust with a can or two of crescent rolls. Spoon a little bit of sweet potato filling with a sprinkle of pecans and mini marshmallows. Then, roll the crescent roll — just be careful none of the precious filling spills out, as it will burn on the baking tray. 

Monkey bread is a magical experience that everyone needs to try at least once in their lives. It's like a cross between a French toast bake and a cinnamon roll — just served in a bite-sized form. Although monkey bread is often made with biscuit dough, using crescent rolls is an easy way to upgrade the recipe and not cost a fortune. Start by cutting your crescent dough into about 20 small pieces. Toss the dough in a bowl with melted butter, sugar, and spices. Then, bake the monkey bread in a pan (we recommend a bundt for extra aesthetic points) until bubbly and browned. After the pan is adequately cooled, it can be inverted and served. 

You can make variations on this recipe by adding chopped nuts, apples, or a medley of your favorite spices.

Making homemade pretzels are likely not an experience many home cooks have under their belts. But if you have a can of crescent rolls, you can make a batch at home. Start by heating water and baking soda together in a Dutch oven. This solution will help develop the characteristic pretzel exterior. Then, carefully stretch the dough triangles and roll the crescent loosely, bringing the ends of the crescent together in a ribbon.

Once your ribbons are shaped, you can boil them in the water for about 30 seconds. Take your pretzel crescent rolls out, dry them on a paper towel, and top them with an egg wash and pretzel salt. From there, you can transfer the pretzels to a baking sheet and bake until they turn a deep golden shade. Serve with honey mustard. 

Upgrade your Halloween haul with this crescent roll trick. Start by brushing each dough triangle with butter and placing a mini candy bar of choice on the wide end. Slowly roll to the pointed end and tuck the point underneath. After brushing with an egg wash, bake the crescents until brown and crisp. 

This recipe is the perfect after-dinner dessert that won't leave you feeling too full or sugared out. Depending on the candy bar you use (we recommend an Almond Joy, Three Musketeers, Twix, or a Snickers bar), you can also add complementary fillings, such as peanut butter, shredded coconut, or chopped nuts. You can also garnish your crescent rolls with a drizzle of chocolate, nuts, or a sprinkle of sea salt. 

If you're in charge of making the family brunch, don't make another boring frittata or hash brown casserole. Instead, try a breakfast ring filled with scrambled eggs, cheese, meat, and veggies. 

Start by arranging the triangles into a sun shape, with the wide edges touching. Then, fill the ring with a heap of your fillings. You can use almost any type of breakfast-type ingredient for this recipe, so long as your filling, with the exception of the vegetables, is fully cooked. Once you've finished stuffing the ring, fold the triangles over and affix them to the bottom of the ring. Pop your ring in the oven until golden brown and serve it with hot sauce, ketchup, and salsa. Our favorite thing about this recipe is how easy it is to serve. Simply cut a wedge out, and you'll have a whole meal in the palm of your hand. 

Static Media owns and operates Tasting Table, Mashed, and The Daily Meal.