Easy Apple Dumplings Recipe made with granny smith apples, crescent rolls, brown sugar, butter, and lemon-lime soda. Easy, delicious apple dumpling dessert in a rich caramel sauce!

Looking for more easy dessert recipes? I think you’ll love my Peach Cobbler, Chewy Sugar Cookies, and Monkey Bread.

My sister introduced me to this easy apple dumpling recipe many years ago. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and yet bakes into a buttery, delicious apple dessert with a caramel sauce you will love. This dumpling dessert is packed with delicious tart apples wrapped in store-bought crescent rolls, topped with a quick and easy homemade sauce that bakes into a buttery caramel sauce just right for spooning on top of the dumplings (or eating with a spoon).

Why You’ll Love These Apple Dumplings

• Quick and Easy – It takes just minutes to prep the dish for baking – and the sauce is so easy, too!
• Simple Ingredients – The ingredients are easy to find – some are probably in your kitchen.
• Delicious Dessert – The combination of these ingredients is nothing short of mouthwatering. Of course, you can’t go wrong with butter – but the way it combines with that secret ingredient of lemon-lime soda and brown sugar is divine! It makes a caramel sauce that makes you want to lick the dish! You’ll love how it is somewhat crisp on top and a bit gooey on the bottom, too.

How to Make Easy Apple Dumplings

Simple ingredients and easy preparation make this dessert a favorite. Here’s how you make it:

Ingredients

For this recipe, you’ll need the following simple ingredients.

• Apples – I love to use Granny Smith apples. You can substitute with your favorite baking apples such as Braeburn, Rome, and Fuji.
• Crescent Rolls – You’ll use canned crescent roll dough to wrap each apple slice to form a dumpling.
• Butter – Used to make the caramel sauce and to butter the baking dish.
• Brown Sugar – Gives the delicious molasses flavor to the homemade caramel sauce.
• Sugar – Granulated sugar is also used to make the sauce for the dumplings.
• Lemon-Lime Soda – I most often use Sprite. It is used to soak the apples before wrapping them in the crescent roll dough to prevent browning and is the secret ingredient for the caramel sauce the dumplings are baked in.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prep. Preheat oven to 375º F. Butter 9×13 baking dish and set aside. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet and set aside. Pour lemon-lime soda into a medium bowl.

Prepare the dumplings. Peel and slice each apple into six equal slices. Add apple slices to the lemon-lime soda bowl to prevent the apples’ browning. Wrap each apple slice in a wedge of crescent roll dough. Place into the prepared baking dish. Repeat until all apple slices have been prepared. Pour the lemon-lime soda over the dumplings.

Make the caramel sauce. Melt butter and sugars in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until dissolved. Pour over the dumplings.

Bake and serve. Bake until done and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let set for 10 minutes before serving. Spoon caramel sauce over the top of the apple dumplings. Serve as is or top with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Storage Tips

To store: Bake as directed and cool completely. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap or transfer any leftovers to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To reheat: Delicious served cold or reheat and serve warm. Reheat the baking dish in a 350-degree oven until warm, or reheat the desired portion at 50% power in the microwave until heated through.

Variations:

Smaller Size Recipe: The recipe is written to serve 12. To reduce the recipe size to serve 6, divide the ingredients in half. Bake the recipe at 350º F for 30 minutes.

Cinnamon Spiced: Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the recipe. Stir into the melted butter and sugars before pouring over the prepared dumplings before baking.

Pear Dumplings: Use sliced pears in place of the apples in the recipe.

Peach Dumplings: Use sliced peaches instead of apples in this easy dessert recipe.

Here’s my sister’s Easy Apple Dumplings Recipe. I hope you love it as much as my family does.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Originally published in 2010. Updated with step-by-step photographs.