Cream Cheese Filled Crescent Roll Pastries
Cream Cheese Filled Crescent Roll Pastries are made with convenient, refrigerated crescent rolls filled with sweetened cream cheese. So quick and easy!
Even though I enjoy cooking, I’m really not much of a baker. Baking is too precise with all the measuring. It’s just…”fiddly.” And I’m not a fiddly cook.
That’s why this recipe for Cream Cheese Filled Crescent Roll Pastries is perfect for me!
Not only are cream cheese crescent rolls quick and hassle-free, they’re versatile! You can make them for an indulgent breakfast for birthdays and holidays or surprise the family after dinner with a cheesecake-like dessert that will have them singing your praises.
They’re so easy! All you have to do is roll out some crescent rolls, fill them with sweetened cream cheese, then bake, and you’re done. Now you have a heavenly cheesecake crescent roll that is light, flaky, and oh so scrumptious. I personally believe refrigerated crescent roll dough to be one of the greatest inventions of mankind.
Refrigerated Crescent Rolls Are a Baker’s Best Friend
In my opinion, pre-made crescent roll dough is one of the most versatile “convenience” products in the grocery store. They can go either savory or sweet and can be used as a substitute for many types of dough — pie crust, puff pastry, and even pizza dough!
You can use them in all sorts of recipes and they will save you hours of mixing, kneading, and rising. There have even been entire cookbooks written about using refrigerated crescent roll dough. For me, they’re more than convenient – they’re essential.
I once heard someone say, “Give a southern girl a can of crescent rolls, and she’ll make a party!” Darn right.
I have quite a few go-to recipes that use them: Crescent Roll Breakfasts Stacks, Prosciutto Ricotta Pinwheels, Italian Style Hand Pies, Sausage Swirls, and Sausage-Pineapple Rollups, to name a few.
This one, with its sweetened cream cheese filling, is very much like a cheese danish pastry or a cheesecake filled croissant. Tender, melt in your mouth, flaky dough with a lovely sweet filling.
Next time you’re looking for a crowd-wowing dessert to bring to a potluck or family get together, these cream cheese filled crescent rolls are the way to go. I hope you enjoy them. I know my friends and family love them!
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: American
Cooking Method: Oven
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Servings: 6
Primary Ingredient(s): Crescent rolls, cream cheese, sugar, butter, cinnamon
Skill Level: Easy
What You’ll Like About This Recipe
- Quick and Easy (10 minutes to prep; 20 minutes to bake)
- Kid Friendly (Kids love these pastries!)
- You can serve it for breakfast or dessert
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
“What a cool recipe for using crescent roll dough. That made it so easy! It’s nice to change breakfast up sometimes…. and we all loved this dish!!”
— Melanie
Ingredient Notes
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- Vanilla extract
- Refrigerated crescent rolls — I like the Pillsbury brand, but honestly any will work just fine.
- Cream cheese — Plain, unflavored, nothing fancy.
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Butter
There’s nothing fancy in these ingredients. They’re so simple you probably already have most of them in your refrigerator and pantry.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Cream Cheese Filled Crescent Roll Pastries
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
- Unroll half a package (4 rolls) of crescent rolls. Press the seams together and place them on the bottom of an 8×8 baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.
- Spread over the crescent rolls in the baking dish.
- Unroll the remaining crescent rolls, press the seams together, and place them on top of the cream cheese layer in the baking dish.
- Top with melted butter.
- Sprinkle top evenly with sugar and cinnamon.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly and slightly browned. Allow to cool, then slice and serve. May be topped with a drizzle of honey, if desired.
Storage and Reheating
On the off chance that you have leftovers, you’ll need to store them in an airtight container or resealable bag (make sure to gently squeeze out any excess air) in the refrigerator. They should keep for 3-5 days.
To reheat, I recommend using your regular or toaster oven at 300 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on them, checking them frequently to avoid burning the crescent dough.
I don’t recommend microwaving these pastries as you’ll lose that flaky, crisp texture of the dough that makes this recipe so amazing.
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Questions about Cream Cheese Crescent Pastries
If you don’t have any crescent rolls on hand, you can use pie dough or even frozen puff pastry. Note that the cooking time will vary for each type of dough — make sure to check the baking instructions for the dough you’re using.
I typically use Pillsbury crescent rolls, but you can use any brand that your local store carries. It doesn’t have any impact on the taste or recipe outcome. Just use any brand that you like. They’re all fairly high quality.
No, it isn’t. While puff pastry and refrigerated crescent rolls have a similar flaky texture, they are not the same. They’re prepared in different ways, with the main difference being that crescent rolls contain yeast and baking powder, whereas puff pastry is strictly flour, water, and butter.
You probably did nothing wrong. It could be that your oven isn’t calibrated correctly and the temperature is off. Just give them a few more minutes in the oven while keeping a close watch on them so that they don’t burn.
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
Thank you for stopping by. It means a lot to have you here.
Recipe
Cream Cheese Filled Crescent Roll Pastries
Ingredients
- 8 ounces refrigerated crescent rolls (recommend: Pillsbury)
- 6 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup butter melted
Topping:
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Honey, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Unroll half a package (4 rolls) of crescent rolls. Press the seams together and place on the bottom of an 8×8 baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Stir with wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.
- Spread cream cheese mixture over crescent rolls in baking dish.
- Unroll remaining crescent rolls, press seams together and place on top of cream cheese layer in baking dish.
- Top with melted butter.
- Sprinkle top evenly with sugar and cinnamon.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly and slightly browned.
- Allow to cool, then slice and serve. May be topped with a drizzle of honey if desired.
Notes
- You can use any brand of crescent rolls that you like. Even store brands are all fairly high quality.
- Leftovers will keep for 3-5 days stored in an airtight container or resealable bag (with excess air removed) in the refrigerator.
- To reheat, use your regular or toaster oven at 300 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on them, checking them frequently to avoid burning the crescent dough.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
— This post was originally published on August 23, 2016. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
can you add jam or anything to this ??
I haven’t tried adding jam to this recipe.
Light and delicate!!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
A Cream cheese cake filling and crescent roll dough delicious treat!!! And easy to make!
Thank you for the fabulous Memorial Day recipes.
My pleasure, Scarlett. Hope you found one or two to try this weekend.
Delicious, easy to make, and loved by all!
Thanks, Frances. I’m glad you like them!
Can these be made and frozen for future use?
Hi Mary. I haven’t tried freezing these pastries.
So easy and really yummy. Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
What a cool recipe for using crescent roll dough. That made it so easy! It’s nice to change breakfast up sometimes…. and we all loved this dish!!
It always makes me happy to know that a reader enjoyed making one of my recipes!
Do I grease the pan and can I with butter?
I don’t bother to grease the pan because crescent roll dough has a pretty high fat content and typically doesn’t stick. However, if you want to be absolutely certain nothing sticks, or if you’re using a store brand of dough, it won’t hurt to grease the pan. Use butter or cooking spray.
Really simple to make and VERY yummy… it was different from the usual desserts. Will make again.
I followed the recipe exactly as it is and it came out perfect.
I will make tomorrow for friends dessert. Can i add coconut flakes instead of cinnamon sugar
It’s okay with me!
Absolutely make this! It is a great desert & stays well in the fridge.
Mine has been in the oven for 30 minutes. Checked it and it’s still really doughy. So I’m putting it in in 10 minute increments. Maybe my oven is off and I need a new one. Or maybe the middle has thicker dough. It smells and looks delicious though. Thank you.
Is there any way to print out your recipes ? I like to have a printed copy in front of me when I try it out. Thank you.
Hi Diane. Yes, each recipe has a “Print” button. Look for the recipe card near the bottom of the post and the print button is solid black and just below the circular photo in the recipe.
I happened to only have about 3 or 4 oz of neufchatel so I also halved the sugar and it still came out amazing. I didn’t bother putting much effort into squishing the dough into one smooth piece, instead I lined up the perforations of the bottom layer with those of the top so that when it was done it made 4 big easy to separate slices. Also, I always substitute almond extract for vanilla. It always makes treats more decadent in my opinion. This came out great, the family loved it.
I used an 8 oz package of cream cheese and it turned out really good. My husband and I liked it. I will make it again.
I question the amount of cream cheese…2-3 ounces? Or is is supposed to b 2. . 8ounce pkgs?
It’s two 3-ounce packages.
I made this last night. Not sure what I did wrong, but mine was not done at 30 minutes. I baked at 350 for 50 minutes and the middle still was not puffed up. Taste is good, but my results were off.
This is the same thing as Williamsburg bread
If you unroll 1 can you get 8 crescents… so should it be one can of the crescents? 4 on top + 4 on bottom is 8 meaning 1 can correct?
Yes, that’s correct.
I love this recipe. I went further and added 1egg and 2/3 cup ricotta, and 1/2 tsp. orange zest to the cream cheese. Delicious!
Do these need to be refrigerated?
I would refrigerate any leftovers.
Tried making this but I used 2 rolls of crescent rolls ( bottom-2 layers + top- 2 layers)… it came out looking like a cake ?. Not sure if I read the recipe right, or should I have used only 1 roll & spread out the first 4 triangles then topped it with the next 4?
It should be one layer on top and one layer on bottom. I went back and clarified the instructions to make it easier to understand.
Ok thanks. For the meantime, we’ll just enjoy our cream cheese crescent roll “cake” ?
I bet it still tastes good!
Made this with apples and extra Conn sugar. My husband are half in about an hour. Bad boy gotten a tummyache. Bet he learned to share. Darlene
This looks delicious and I want to try it soon,but this pan does not look like a 9×13 pan more like an 8×8 or 9×9 pan. Which is right? Thanks
You’re right, Brenda. That is an 8×8 pan in the photos. I’ll make a correction.
Is the butter 1/4 stick or 1/4 cup? I’m guessing 1/4 cup ’cause more butter is better in baked goods.
It’s 1/4 cup! So sorry – I’m correcting the recipe right now.
Move over. I don’t want to elbow you as I go for this treat.
Miss P
Avoiding the elbows! Try this with a little peach preserves spooned over the cream cheese layer. Yum!!
Sprinkle blueberries over the cheese. Delicious
I haven’t tried blueberries, Margaret. That sounds great!
My aunt does something similar and adds home-canned peaches. Simply delectable.
Sounds delicious! This basic recipe can be taken in so many directions – almost any kind of cooked or fresh fruit can be added with a drizzle of sugar frosting on top. Or you could drop in some chocolate chips on top of the cream cheese filling and top the finished dish with drizzled chocolate…so many options!