Easy Apple Dumplings Recipe (with Sprite!) - Oh Sweet Basil (2024)

Who knew that crescent rolls, cinnamon sugar apples, brown sugar, butter and sprite could make the best easy apple dumplings with Sprite ever!

Ditch your old apple dumplings recipe. Do it. Ditch it. These easy apple dumplings have a couple of very minor changes that make a HUGE difference and I’m totally not kidding. I’ll never make another apple dumplings recipe again.

This recipe reminds me so much of my grandma’s apple rolls recipe just because that sugar liquid is so deceiving. You pour it all around the rolls and it almost puts you intoa panic attack seeing all of that liquid around the dough, like is this really going to work?! Are they going to be a soggy mess?!

And then those golden, crisp, pillows of dough come out and you’re a real life hero to the whole family.

Creating This Apple Dumpling Recipe

This is seriously the craziest apple dessert recipe. Most apple desserts seem to be inspired largely from the way apple pie is made. Think about it: apple crisp, apple pull-apart bread, and apple pie scones are all takes on the classic apple pie.

This apple dumpling recipe is similar, but as I’ve been making recipes from others over the years I felt like there was always something missing. Sure, it is a good recipe and one that your guests will love you for, but couldn’t it be taken up a notch without changing the whole recipe?

We started experimenting, a lot. Too much. I could hardly stand to look at another apple dumpling recipe, let alone the apple dumpling itself.

And then it hit me, when you’re trying to do something awesome and it’s not coming together, go back to the original recipe.

So I did. And do you know what I discovered? The apples were not like an apple pie, they were completely plain. No, no, no! Apples need a little cinnamon sugar action to really drive home that fall smell and flavor!

Well don’t stop there, I thought. We need a little cinnamon action in the butter mixture as well. Too many recipes called for just butter and brown sugar. No. We need more. We added vanilla and cinnamon. Let’s get this party started!

Apple Dumplings with Sprite?

Yes, you read right, we want to use a lemon lime soda around the dumplings, but never over the dumplings. If you pour the lemon lime soda over the dumplings, the brown sugar butter sauce won’t have a chance to crisp up the topping and we aren’t looking for soggy dumplings.

But then I changed that too.

Everyone said to use 1 1/2 cups of Sprite with the apple dumplings, but I just found that to be too much. We lowered it to 1 cup so the Sprite for sure wouldn’t go over the top but you’d still end up with a caramel sauce underneath.

Apple Dumplings Ingredients

For these easy apple dumplings, you’ll need just a handful of ingredients. To make this apple dessert, we used:

• Salted Butter: if you only have unsalted, add a half teaspoon of salt to the melted butter
• Apples: peel, core and slice them thinly
• Cinnamon Sugar: adds flavor to the apples
• Flour: just regular all-purpose flour works great, it helps thicken the apple filling
• Pre-made Crescent Roll Dough: Pillsbury makes a great dough.
• Brown Sugar: adds sweetness and rich flavor
• Cinnamon: adds warmth, flavor, and just belongs with apples
• Vanilla Extract: adds flavor
• Sprite: trust me on this one, it just adds something magical!

Making crescent rolls from scratch is a bit of a process compared to just buying them, but you also know that we ADORE homemade bread. If you’d like to crescent rolls from scratch, then use this recipe for Homemade Crescent Rolls from Brown Eyed Baker.

What Are the Best Apples for Apple Dumplings?

You can use pretty much any cooking apple you’d like in this apple dumpling recipe. Personally, we prefer using either Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples, but it’s really just a matter of preference. Granny Smith apples are more tart than Honeycrisp, and both release a minimal amount of juice and pack in lots of fresh apple flavor.

Is There a Sprite Substitute I Can Use?

Everyone always asks about the soda used for apple dumplings. If you don’t have any Sprite on hand, you can use other sodas as well. The three sodas you can use to make homemade apple dumplings include:

• Sprite
• 7-Up
• Mountain Dew

The most important thing here is no diet sodas!

How to Make Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings

Apple dumplings with Sprite are much easier to make than you’d think! Here’s the basic rundown of how to make apple dumplings at home:

1. Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples.
2. Toss the sliced apples with the cinnamon sugar and flour.
3. Roll the cinnamon sugar apples inside the crescent rolls and place into a buttered 9×13-inch pan.
4. Top the dumplings with a mixture of melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
5. Pour the Sprite in between and around the dumplings (not directly on top of them!).
6. Bake until golden brown.
7. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and serve.

The complete instructions for making this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to Reheat Apple Dumplings

To reheat apple dumplings, stick them in a pan with tinfoil over the top and place in a preheated 350ºF oven for 10 minutes. Or you can use the microwave for about 15 seconds.

How Long Are Apple Dumplings Good For?

Apple dumplings can be kept for up to two days at room temperature. You’ll want to cover them lightly and refrigerate for up to an additional 2-3 days.

Can You Make Apple Dumplings Ahead of Time?

You can make apple dumplings up to a day ahead of time. Once the dumplings have been prepped, place them on wax paper and refrigerate until ready to bake. Make sure to remove them from the wax paper prior to baking them, as wax paper isn’t oven-safe.

Can You Freeze Apple Dumplings?

Once baked, place the apple dumplings on a sheet pan and freeze for one hour. After an hour, place the dumplings in a seal-able freezer bag and freeze for up to six months. (Note that if you freeze the dumplings in a freezer bag right away, they’ll get squished and won’t hold their shape).

Tips for Making Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings

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.Think thin slices and not wedges.

You’re welcome to play around with the amount of spices in this easy apple dumpling recipe. If you prefer your dumplings more cinnamon-y, add more cinnamon. You might even be able to add other warming spices like pumpkin pie spice, ground ginger, or nutmeg. If you try out a different spice combination, leave us a comment letting us know how you like it!

Finally, we highly suggest eating these apple dumplings with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. The warm dumplings paired with the creamy, cold ice cream is an unbeatable combo! If you have extra time on your hands, you could even whip up a batch of homemade caramel sauce to drizzle over these dumplings.

Everyone has favorite apple desserts, and now you have another one to add to your list! These apple dumplings with Sprite are so easy and delicious!

More Easy Apple Desserts:

• Apple Cake with Caramel Frosting
• Apple Brown Betty
• Apple Pie Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
• Mini Dutch Apple Cheesecakes
• Apple Cheesecake Bars
• Apple Pie Bombs al la Mode
• Caramel Apple Sweet Rolls
• Apple Pie Pull-Apart Bread
• Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce
• Best Apple Crisp
• Apple Cider Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting
• Apple Pie Fried Ice Cream

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