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I know pouring Sprite into a pan of apple dumplings sounds completely wrong, but wait until you see what happens in the oven!
Apple dumplings wrap cinnamon-sugar apples in crescent rolls and a buttery brown sugar sauce and Sprite for an easy fall dessert!
The Sprite looks like way too much liquid going into the oven, but don’t panic! It bakes into an incredible caramel-like sauce underneath while the tops of the dumplings stay golden and crisp. Just be sure to pour it around the dumplings rather than over the tops.
After making versions of this recipe for years, I found two little changes make a HUGE difference: season the apples themselves and add cinnamon and vanilla to the butter mixture. You get so much more apple pie flavor without making the recipe any harder.
This recipe reminds me so much of my grandma’s apple rolls recipe! The flavors are similar, but these apple dumplings are SO much easier!
Why You’ll Love These Apple Dumplings
- Quick and easy: Refrigerated crescent rolls eliminate homemade pastry dough.
- Only 2 apples: A great dessert when you don’t have enough apples for a pie or crisp.
- Crispy + gooey: The tops bake up golden and crisp while the Sprite creates that buttery, gooey sauce underneath.
- Big apple pie flavor: Cinnamon sugar, brown sugar and vanilla give these shortcut dumplings classic fall flavor.
- Perfect with ice cream: Serve them warm with vanilla ice cream and spoon the sauce from the pan over the top.
What Are Apple Dumplings?
Traditional apple dumplings wrap apples in pastry and bake them until tender. This easy version uses refrigerated crescent roll dough instead of homemade pastry. Each piece of dough is wrapped around cinnamon-sugar apples, then baked in a brown sugar butter sauce with Sprite. The result is part apple dumpling, part apple pie, and about a hundred times easier to make!
Apple Dumpling Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients for these apple dumplings, and I bet you have most of them already!
- Apples: Granny Smith or Honeycrisp work especially well because they hold their shape as they bake.
- Crescent roll dough: The shortcut that makes these apple dumplings so easy. You’ll find refrigerated crescent rolls near the biscuits.
- Cinnamon sugar: Coats the apples so the filling is flavorful, not bland.
- Flour: Just a little helps thicken the juices released by the apples.
- Butter: Salted butter balances the sweetness of the sauce. If using unsalted, add a little salt.
- Brown sugar: Creates the rich, caramel-like sauce.
- Cinnamon + vanilla: Flavor the butter mixture and give the dumplings more of that classic apple pie flavor.
- Sprite: I know, I know. Just trust me! It helps create that sweet, gooey sauce underneath the dumplings as they bake.
What Are the Best Apples for Apple Dumplings?
The best apples for apple dumplings are firm baking apples that soften in the oven without turning to mush. We especially love Granny Smith for a tart contrast to the sweet sauce or Honeycrisp for a sweeter apple flavor. Braeburn, Pink Lady and Golden Delicious are also good options.
Why Do You Put Sprite in Apple Dumplings?
Sprite may sound like the strangest ingredient in an apple dessert, but it works! As the dumplings bake, the soda combines with the butter and brown sugar to create that sweet, gooey sauce underneath. We tested this recipe with more Sprite and actually found that 1 cup is the sweet spot—enough for plenty of sauce without drowning those beautiful golden dumplings.
How to Make Apple Dumplings
- Prep the apples. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples, then toss with cinnamon sugar and flour.
- Wrap in crescent dough. Add apples to each crescent roll triangle, roll them up and arrange in a buttered 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Make the brown sugar butter sauce. Combine the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and spoon it over the dumplings.
- Add the Sprite. Pour it around and between the dumplings—never directly over the tops.
- Bake. Bake until the crescent rolls are deeply golden and the sauce is bubbling around them.
- Serve warm. Spoon some of that buttery sauce over each dumpling and add vanilla ice cream.
Tips for the Best Apple Dumplings
Slice the apples thin. Thick wedges may still be crunchy when the crescent rolls are done.
Season the apples. Don’t rely on the sauce for all the flavor! Tossing the apples themselves in cinnamon sugar makes a HUGE difference.
Don’t worry about all that liquid. It looks like a lot before baking, but it cooks down into the buttery sauce.
Serve them warm. These are at their absolute best fresh from the oven with vanilla ice cream.
Apple Dumplings Troubleshooting
Why are my apple dumplings doughy inside?
They likely need a little more time in the oven. The crescent dough wrapped around the apples takes longer to bake than the exposed tops, so don’t go by color alone. If the tops are getting too dark before the centers are done, loosely cover the pan with foil and continue baking until the dough is cooked through.
Why are my apple dumplings soggy?
First, make sure you’re pouring the Sprite around the dumplings and not over them. You also want to bake the dumplings until they’re deeply golden brown on top. Remember, the bottoms are supposed to be soft and gooey from that buttery sauce—it’s the tops that should be golden and crisp!
Why didn’t my sauce thicken?
Give it a few minutes! The sauce will be very hot and thin when the dumplings first come out of the oven and thickens slightly as it cools. If it’s still unusually watery after resting, double-check that you used the correct amounts of Sprite, butter and brown sugar.
Why did my crescent rolls unroll while baking?
Place each dumpling seam-side down in the baking dish and give it a gentle press to help seal the dough. Avoid overfilling the crescent rolls with apples, which can make them pop open as they bake.
Why are my apple dumplings getting too brown on top?
Ovens can vary quite a bit. If your dumplings are beautifully golden but still need more time to bake through, loosely tent the pan with foil for the remaining baking time. That will protect the tops while the centers finish cooking.
Storing + Reheating
Storage: Let leftover apple dumplings cool, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3–4 days.
Reheating: For the best texture, reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through. Individual servings can also be microwaved, although the crescent dough will be softer.
Freezing: Freeze cooled dumplings on a baking sheet for about an hour and then place in an airtight container for up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Apple Dumplings FAQs
Can I Make Apple Dumplings Without Sprite?
Any lemon-lime soda will work like 7UP or Starry. Mountain Dew also works if you do the Dew! We prefer regular soda here rather than diet because the sugar helps create that sweet, gooey sauce.
Can I use homemade pie crust instead of crescent rolls?
You can, but you’ll end up with a much more traditional apple dumpling and the texture will be different. We love refrigerated crescent roll dough here because it’s buttery, flaky and, most importantly, EASY! No rolling out homemade dough for us!
Do I have to peel the apples?
Technically, no, but we recommend it. The apple slices cook quickly inside the crescent rolls, and leaving the peel on can give the filling a tougher texture. It only takes a minute to peel two apples, so peel those babies!
Can You Make Apple Dumplings Ahead of Time?
Yes! You can prep the apples and wrap them in the crescent roll dough up to a day ahead. Arrange the dumplings in the baking dish, cover and refrigerate. When you’re ready to bake, add the butter mixture and Sprite and pop them in the oven.
I mean, crescent rolls, cinnamon sugar apples, butter, brown sugar and Sprite?! It sounds a little crazy, but I’m telling you, these are the most ridiculously delicious apple dumplings. They’re golden on top, gooey and caramel-y underneath, and absolutely begging for a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. This is one of those easy desserts that has no business being this good, and yet here we are making it again and again.
More Easy Apple Desserts:
- Apple Cake with Caramel Frosting
- Caramel Apple Sweet Rolls
- Apple Brown Betty
- Apple Pie Bombs al la Mode
- Best Apple Crisp
Watch How This Apple Dumplings Recipe is Made…
- ▢ 1 Cup Salted Butter, (2 sticks), plus more for greasing the pan
- ▢ 2 Apples, Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, peeled and sliced thin*
- ▢ 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon Sugar
- ▢ 1 Tablespoon Flour
- ▢ 2 Cans Roll Dough, refrigerated crescent
- ▢ 1 ½ Cups Brown Sugar
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ▢ 1 Cup Soda Pop, Sprite or 7 Up, we prefer Sprite
Preheat the oven at 350 ℉.
Take one stick of the butter, and grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
1 Cup Salted Butter
Place remaining butter and the other stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl.
1 Cup Salted Butter
Peel and core apples, then cut apples into 16 thin slices.
2 Apples
Toss the apples in a large bowl with the cinnamon sugar and flour.
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon Sugar, 1 Tablespoon Flour
Pat out each crescent triangle a little bigger.
2 Cans Roll Dough
Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll and place in a buttered dish.
Melt the butter.
Stir in brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
1 ½ Cups Brown Sugar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 1 ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
Pour over the tops of all the dumplings.
Pour the soda in the middle and along the edges of a pan(not over the rolls!!)
1 Cup Soda Pop
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until they become golden brown.
Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream or alone.
*When prepping the apples, it’s important that you slice them quite thinly. If the apple slices are too thick, they won’t bake fully in the oven and your dumplings won’t have that classic apple pie-esque filling.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Serving: 1dumpling, Calories: 201kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 0.3g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 98mg, Potassium: 58mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 367IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 0.2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About The Author
Carrian Cheney
Carrian Cheney is the creative force behind ‘Oh, Sweet Basil,’ a food blog she co-authors with her husband, Cade. She creates fresh, family-friendly recipes that encourage togetherness in the kitchen.
English (US) ·