These adorable Pumpkin Crescent Rolls prove that turning ordinary refrigerated dough into festive fall treats is easier than you might think.
Filled with a cream cheese mixture and topped with a sweet glaze, these rolls are shaped into pumpkins before baking.
All you need is kitchen twine and a little patience and you can enjoy this Easy Pumpkin Dessert for a snack with your afternoon cup of coffee.
I really didn't think these rolls would turn out as cute as they did. The magic happens in the oven!
As the crescent rolls bake and puff up around the kitchen twine, they transform into adorable pumpkin shapes.
The stem is made from a piece of pretzel twist stuck into the center after the rolls are baked.
This recipe was inspired by my pumpkin cream cheese crescents , and it's surprisingly quick to make. However, tying the twine took a bit of time, but the adorable pumpkin shapes that emerged from the oven made it totally worth it!
Table of Contents
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Next time I tackle this recipe, I'm definitely reaching for the Pillsbury Crescent Roll Sheet Dough.
While I appreciate the convenience of regular crescent rolls, I found that even after carefully pinching the seams together, they had a tendency to separate as I shaped the dough balls into pumpkins.
The seamless sheet dough should eliminate that issue, allowing for smoother shaping and a more polished final product. I'm excited to see how much easier it makes the assembly process!
Helpful Kitchen Tools
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Main Ingredients Needed
Here's a quick overview of the ingredients for this recipe. Find the exact amounts and click the Instacart button to easily add them to your cart – all in the printable recipe card below!
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Not a fan of pumpkin and cream cheese together? No worries! My Pumpkin Pie Crescent Rolls capture all the cozy fall flavors you love.
- You can also swap out the pretzel twists and use cinnamon sticks.
- Want to try using a different type of refrigerated dough? Try my Pumpkin Shape Cinnamon Rolls recipe.
- Make pumpkin crescent rolls with a savory flavor of garlic and cheese!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: In your KitchenAid mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
Step 2: Add the pumpkin puree. Mix well.
Step 3: Add the pumpkin pie spice. Continue mixing until everything is well combined and smooth.
Step 4: Let the filling rest while you prepare the crescent rolls.
Step 5: Open the crescent roll can but keep the triangles connected. Pinch the seams together to form a sheet, then cut it into 4 equal rectangles.
Step 6: Cut each rectangle in half lengthwise, creating 8 squares total.
Step 7: Place about a tablespoon of the pumpkin filling in the center of each square.
Step 8: Bring the corners of each square up to the center and pinch them together, gently forming a ball.
How to Form the Pumpkin Shape
Step 9: Arrange the crescent roll balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 10: Gently wrap kitchen twine around each ball in a crisscross pattern, making 6-8 passes to create the pumpkin's ridges. Don't pull too tight or the filling might peek out – a little bit is okay!
Step 11: Brush the egg white on top of the pumpkin rolls.
Step 12: Then sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar.
Expert Tip
Don't skip the egg wash! It's the secret to those bakery-style, golden-brown crescent pumpkins, and it helps the cinnamon-sugar topping stick perfectly.
Baking Instructions
Step 13: Bake in a preheated 375°F oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let them cool slightly on the baking sheet before carefully removing the twine.
Step 14: Finish by drizzling with the powdered sugar glaze and adding a pretzel piece to the center of each roll to create the pumpkin stem.
Before You Begin!
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Storing, Freezing and Reheating Tips
Refrigerator: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Reheating: You can reheat the pumpkin crescent rolls in the microwave if you want to warm them up a little bit.
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Pumpkin Crescent Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 - 8 ounce container Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup cream cheese; softened
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon/sugar mixture
- 1 egg white; beaten
- 4 pretzel twists
For the Sugar Glaze
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- In the bowl of the KitchenAid mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth with the sugar.
- Add the pumpkin puree.
- Then add the pumpkin pie spice.
- Continue mixing until everything is smooth. Set aside while you prepare the crescent rolls.
- Open up the can of crescent rolls but do not separate them. Pinch the seams together and then slice into four even pieces.
- Then slice each piece in half so you have 8 pieces total.
- Add about a tablespoon of the pumpkin mixture in the center of each square. Do not overfill the rolls. You will have mixture leftover.
- Starting with one square, pull the corners up to the center and pinch together and gently form a ball.
- Place the crescent roll balls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Using the kitchen twine start wrapping the dough balls in a criss cross pattern at least 6 to 8 times to form the creases of the pumpkin. Don't pull too tight or the pumpkin filling will start to come out.
- Brush the egg white on top of the pumpkin rolls.
- Then sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar.
- Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 10 minutes until the crescent rolls are golden brown.
- Allow them to cool slightly before removing the string and drizzling with the powdered sugar glaze.
- Then add the pretzel pieces in the center to resemble the pumpkin stems.
Leona says
How much twine?
Lois says
About 24 inches of twine per pumpkin crescent roll. Thanks for visiting.
Holly Shupe says
When do you take off the kitchen twine?
Lois says
After they have baked and cooled slightly. Thank you for visiting!