How to Make Pillsbury Crescent Rolls Better?

Pillsbury crescent rolls are ridiculously easy to make, as you just roll and bake them, but they are also great for experimentation. So, if you want to go beyond the rolling and baking, Pillsbury crescent rolls are your perfect playdough to explore and perfect your culinary skills. And if you’re out of crescent roll recipe ideas, I have put all of mine in one place! So, how to make Pillsbury crescent rolls better? 

Adding herbs and spices, jam or cream, cutting the Pillsbury rolls in bites, pairing them with sauce, turning them into a pie, braiding them with seeds, turning them into cream buns, adding cheese, or making a sandwich braid. 

In the following paragraphs, I will give you some ideas on how to improve your Pillsbury crescent rolls and make the most of them by making some small changes to the dough or adding some ingredients. Look at all the wonderful recipes you can make!

How to Improve Pillsbury Crescent Rolls?

Pillsbury crescent rolls are already an excellent idea for whatever you are craving at a given time. You can enjoy them plain and pair them with another dish, or turn them into a meal by adding some simple ingredients. You can make them creamy, sweet, and savory, or just upgrade them and have them as they are. 

Below are some great ideas on how to spruce these delicacies up and turn them into a fun and even more delicious experience!

Add Spices

If you feel peckish but don’t feel particularly creative, nor do you desire to spend more time and energy in your kitchen, adding spices to your Pillsbury crescent rolls is a great way to take them up a notch. 

You can add whichever spices you want, but I recommend using powdered garlic, onions, salt, and pepper. Keeping it simple is often the best way to go. 

If you don’t like the intensity of the garlic and onion combined, choose only one, or skip them altogether. Instead, you can go with salt and pepper and have them ready in no time. 

You can also use curry, turmeric, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, or any other spice you feel would work. Moreover, spice up each roll differently and enjoy the uniqueness of each roll. 

Pair Them with Sauce

Pairing your Pillsbury crescent rolls with some sauce or dip may be one of the best ways to improve your Pillsbury crescent rolls, especially if they turn out a little dry for whatever reason. 

You can reshape and turn them into salty sticks, or you can shape them as they were. In any case, making some dip on the side and smearing it on the rolls can and will enhance their flavor to a great extent. 

Add Jam or Cream 

If you are in the mood for something sweet and desert-like, don’t think twice before adding chocolate cream or jam to your Pillsbury crescent rolls. Smear a nice thick layer of cream or jam on the triangles before rolling them, sprinkle some cinnamon, and pop them in the oven. 

You will be delighted at how well they turn out, as they will be soft, warm, and juicy, filled with flavor. Although I am a huge fan of cream, I must say that jam also has its advantages. 

Jam is more versatile than cream; you just have to love those small fruit pieces wobbling around. You can smear your favorite jam or mix two or more jams together to get the taste you like best.

Cut Them into Smaller Pieces

I don’t know what it is about small bite-sized pieces, but they somehow taste better than regular-sized pieces! The same Pillsbury crescent roll would taste slightly better if you just cut it into a few parts.

So, instead of making one roll out of each triangle, make three small, cute rolls and pop them in the oven. They will taste so good you won’t be able to stop nibbling on them. This is a great idea to upgrade your Pillsbury crescent rolls and turn them into a delicious movie snack. 

Turn Them into a Pie

If you have the time and energy and feel the creative juices flowing, you can go ahead and repurpose your Pillsbury crescent roll triangles and make pie. Just take half of them out and line them up in a circle. Roll the rolling pin over them to make them into one big piece, and add your favorite pie filling. 

You can add cheese, spinach, meat, mushrooms, or some fruit or marmalade. Take the other half and roll it as the first one. Use the second rolled circle to cover the filling. Bake as usual and enjoy your new and enriched crescents in the form of a pie.

Braid Them with Seeds

Not only are they nutritious, but seeds are also a great flavor enhancer. They work on everything and are genuinely one of the most versatile ingredients you can use to add flavor and texture. 

Roll out the Pillsbury crescent rolls and cut them into stripes. Sprinkle whatever seeds you like over them and braid them, turning them into a rustic snack. The seeds will stick to the rolls or braids, giving you a deliciously crisp taste. 

Make Cream Buns 

Cream buns are some of the most delicious dessert snacks, and made with crescent roll dough, they climb easily to the top. All you need is some chocolate cream, and you are ready to turn your kitchen into a dessert bakery. 

Smear each of the triangles with a thick layer of cream and make a small bun with it. The buns will look similar to dumplings. 

Another way to make the Pillsbury cream buns is to make the buns first and inject the cream inside with a syringe. You don’t need a needle or anything, just a regular syringe filled with chocolate cream. 

After they are ready, you can roll them in crushed nuts for extra flavor and texture. 

Turn Them into a Sandwich Braid

Turning your Pillsbury crescent rolls into one giant sandwich braid may be the best thing you do that week. Line up the triangles in two parallel rows and cut them into stripes. 

Smear some butter and layer them with cheese, meat, maybe some sauce, and everything else you want in your sandwich braid. Cover the filling with the stripes and bake as you normally would. 

After your Pillsbury sandwich braid is done, cut it into small pieces and pair it with your favorite dip. I have a family that loves to dip snacks into sauces, and they especially liked this one!

Add Cheese

Cheese is a fantastic ingredient that gives flavor and texture to anything you pair it with. Dough, in particular, becomes incredibly delicious when enriched with cheese. Pillsbury crescent rolls are not an exception here, so hesitate to add some cheese in the middle of the triangle before rolling it. 

Besides cheese, I also sometimes add olives, some deli meat, or mushrooms to enhance the flavor, and it works like a charm.

How to Make Pillsbury Crescent Rolls Flaky?

Pillsbury crescent rolls are already flaky and perfect as they are. However, they can sometimes dry out due to improper storing, though they are perfectly safe to eat. The key to delicious Pillsbury crescent rolls is for them to be flaky; otherwise, they won’t taste as they should, and you will be disappointed. 

Luckily there is a way to make them flaky and enjoy them to the fullest:

Add Butter and Flour

To make your crescent rolls flaky, you need some butter, flour, and a rolling pin. Smear some butter onto the Pillsbury crescent roll triangles and start rolling. 

The rolling will naturally result in thinner triangles, which is not what we are going for. To prevent this from happening, you need to ball up the dough when it starts to get thinner. Add more butter and roll it out again. 

This isn’t laminating the dough but simply re-flaking it. When you are done, put some flour on the surface and roll it out again. I always make sure to keep the thickness closest to the original triangle thickness. 

Returning the flakiness of the rolls is not always an easy job. It can be more than a bit tricky to bring them to their former state, especially since the ready-made dough isn’t as receptive to new ingredients and procedures as the freshly made. Before baking, add some more butter to the ready-to-bake crescent rolls and let them bake. 

Therefore go slowly, and don’t add too much flour or butter too quickly. Roll gently and maintain the thickness of the Pillsbury crescent roll triangles.