Easy Apple Dumplings

A hand with red nail polish lifts a serving of cinnamon sugar baked rolls from a white dish. Three cans of sparkling lemonade and a box are visible in the background on a kitchen counter.

These Easy Apple Dumplings are made by wrapping slices of Granny Smith apple in refrigerated crescent roll dough, then pouring a buttery brown sugar and cinnamon mixture over the top. The secret ingredient is Lemonati Sparkling Lemonade, which gets poured around the dumplings before baking and creates a sweet, buttery cinnamon-lemon sauce underneath those golden crescent rolls. Serve them warm with vanilla ice cream and you have the easiest little dessert EVER.

An apple slicer tool holding a freshly sliced apple sits on a checkerboard patterned cutting board. In the background, there is a blue can and pieces of raw pastry dough, suggesting preparation for baking.

One of my favorite tools in my kitchen Makes life VERY easy in the Fall months: Heavy duty apple corer cutter

A triangle of uncooked dough and sliced apple pieces are placed on a checkered wooden cutting board.

A hand with red nail polish holds an uncooked croissant dough in front of two blue cans of Lemonati Sparkling Lemonade on a checkered wooden surface.

How cute are these dumplings!

A person with manicured nails folds a slice of apple into a triangular piece of pastry dough on a wooden checkerboard cutting board, with two cans of sparkling lemonade in the background.

When you are using crescent roll dough, just place the apple on the wider side of the dough and rolly rolly!

A white dish with unbaked crescent rolls, some showing apple slices inside, sits on a checkered counter. Behind it are four cans of lemon sparkling lemonade. Kitchen items are in the background.

A glass measuring cup with brown liquid and brown sugar on top sits on a checkered cutting board. Behind it are four tall cans of sparkling lemonade.

A hand uses an orange brush to spread sauce over crescent rolls in a baking dish. Three cans of lemonade are in the background.

Just really coat the dumplings with the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon mixture after you pour it over!

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Golden-brown baked pastries in a white dish are drizzled with cinnamon glaze, with sparkling water cans and a red apple in the background.

A hand pours clear soda from a blue can over raw cinnamon rolls in a white baking dish on a checkered wooden surface.

The secret is pouring the Lemonati sparkling lemonade at the bottom of the pan. Don’t touch the top of the dumplings though! Just pour it all around the perimeter and in any holes in the pan. Creates an amazing sauce.

A white dish filled with baked, golden-brown cinnamon rolls, with bubbling sauce. In the background, there are four cans of lemonade, two apples, and part of a hand on a checkered countertop.

A smiling woman in a green top holds a can of sparkling lemonade in one hand and lifts a piece of baked dessert from a white dish in a bright kitchen.

A woman in a green top and jeans holds a can of lemonade and a serving of baked dessert in a modern kitchen, with a baking dish and lemonade cans on the counter.

A hand with red nails lifts a cinnamon sugar pastry from a baking dish. Sparkling lemonade cans and a box are visible in the background on a kitchen counter.

Melissa’s Tips!

Use Granny Smith apples. Their tartness is perfect with all that butter and brown sugar.
You only need 2–3 apples. You’re slicing them and wrapping individual slices, so a few apples go a long way!
Don’t pour the Lemonati over the tops. Pour it around and between the dumplings so that cinnamon-butter mixture stays put.
Don’t skip the ice cream! Warm apple dumplings, cold vanilla ice cream, and that sauce underneath? GOOD LORD.
Serve them warm. That’s when they’re at their absolute best.
Keep an eye on them toward the end. Crescent dough can go from beautifully golden to hello, she’s DARK pretty quickly.

🤔 Common Questions

Can I use another kind of apple?

Absolutely, but I really love Granny Smith apples here because they’re tart and hold up beautifully while baking. If you use a sweeter apple, just remember the finished dessert will be sweeter.

Why do you pour the Lemonati around the dumplings instead of over them?

Because we want that brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon mixture staying right on those crescent rolls! The Lemonati works its magic underneath and around the dumplings while they bake.

Can I make Easy Apple Dumplings ahead of time?

They’re definitely best freshly baked and served warm. You can prep your apples ahead of time, but I’d assemble and bake everything closer to when you’re ready to serve.

Melissa Jo

Easy Apple Dumplings

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These Easy Apple Dumplings are made with Granny Smith apples, crescent roll dough, cinnamon, brown sugar, butter, and sparkling lemonade for an easy, gooey dessert that’s perfect served warm with vanilla ice cream.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 36

Total Time 46

Servings: 5 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

2 –3 Granny Smith apples
2 cans 8 oz each refrigerated crescent roll dough
3/4 cup butter melted
1 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2/3 cup Lemonati Sparkling Lemonade
Vanilla ice cream for serving

Method

Step 1: Prep the Apples

Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Peel and core 2–3 Granny Smith apples, then cut each apple into about 8–10 slices.

Step 2: Wrap the Apples

Unroll both cans of crescent roll dough. Cut each crescent triangle in half to make smaller triangles. You should end up with 32 pieces total.
Place an apple slice on the wider end of each piece of crescent dough and roll it up. Arrange the wrapped apples in your prepared baking dish.

Step 3: Make the Cinnamon-Butter Mixture

Mix together the melted butter, light brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Pour that glorious mixture all over the apple dumplings.

Step 4: Add the Lemonati

Pour 2/3 cup Lemonati Sparkling Lemonade into the center, around the edges, and in between the dumplings.
Here’s the trick: Don’t pour it directly over the tops! You want that buttery cinnamon-sugar mixture to stay right where it is on those crescent rolls.

Step 5: Bake

Bake uncovered at 350°F for 33–36 minutes, or until the crescent rolls are beautifully golden brown and the sauce underneath is hot and bubbly.
Serve these babies warm with vanilla ice cream and spoon some of that buttery cinnamon-lemon sauce from the bottom of the pan right over the top!

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👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover Easy Apple Dumplings covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave until warm, or pop them back into the oven until heated through.

And obviously… add another scoop of vanilla ice cream. Leftovers deserve ice cream too.