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These quick and easy sausage and cream cheese crescent rolls are made with just 3 ingredients! They’re a savory snack or appetizer that’s guaranteed to get gobbled up by any crowd.
Serve these cheesy sausage pinwheels with more favorite party appetizers, like pepperoni pizza dip, million-dollar dip, and deviled eggs.
Get acquainted with these drool-worthy bites of sausage cream cheese goodness – you will want to whip them up over and over again! I’ve made these sausage and cream cheese crescent rolls for lunch dates, tailgates, book club gatherings, and just about any other time I’ve needed an easy appetizer. They’ve been a smash hit every single time.
Everyone Loves These Sausage Cream Cheese Pinwheels
- Crowd-pleasing. Whenever I need a savory treat that’s capable of feeding a crowd, I know I can count on these sausage crescent rolls. I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t go for seconds!
- 3 ingredients, 10 minutes of prep. This might be the easiest appetizer ever created. Store-bought crescent dough is an easy shortcut.
- Adaptable. Change up the kind of sausage you use to make these spicy or mild, and try different seasonings, herbs, and add-ins to make the recipe your own.
What You’ll Need
Let’s talk about the trifecta of ingredients you’ll need to make these addictive, semi-homemade sausage and cream cheese crescent rolls. Scroll to the recipe card for the printable recipe with the full details and amounts.
- Cream Cheese: I recommend using the cream cheese that comes in bricks and bringing it to room temperature first.
- Sausage: Use your favorite kind. Not one encased and in link form, since you’ll want to be able to crumble it (otherwise, you’ll need to remove the casing).
- Crescent Rolls: We like the original Pillsbury Crescents, but any brand will do. Of course, if you wanted to go the homemade route, feel free to use your favorite homemade crescent roll dough.
How to Make Sausage and Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls
Follow the instructions below to transform your ingredients into the ultimate appetizer.
- Cook the sausage. First, crumble up the sausage in a skillet. Sauté until that’s cooked through, then drain the excess grease.
- Combine. Once cooled, stir the sausage into the softened cream cheese.
- Prepare the crescent dough. Meanwhile, roll the crescent dough out into a rectangle (do not separate the crescents). Press the seams together so they’re sealed.
- Assemble. Now, spread the sausage and cream cheese mixture evenly over the dough. Then, roll the dough up around the filling. Wrap the log with parchment and then chill it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, or overnight.
- Cut and bake. When you’re ready to bake, slice the log into 1/4-inch pinwheels. Arrange the crescent rolls on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375ºF for 13-15 minutes, until golden. Serve warm, and enjoy!
Feeling Adventurous? Try These Variations
- Different ground meat. I personally love how these taste with sausage, but you can make them with any ground meat, like chicken, turkey, beef, or pork. Try spicy Italian sausage if you like the heat.
- Different cheese. Any soft, spreadable cheese, like ricotta, can be used in place of the cream cheese.
- Add veggies. As long as you dice them into small chunks, any veggies can be added to these crescent rolls. Tomatoes, broccoli, onions, jalapeños—there are tons of possibilities! Be sure to precook the vegetables and drain them well before adding them to the filling, so the crescent rolls don’t turn out watery.
Tips for Success
- Drain the cooked sausage well. Be sure to drain all of the fat from the pan before you set your sausage aside to cool. You don’t want to add any excess moisture to the crescent rolls.
- Assemble over parchment paper. It’s super helpful to lay out the dough over the sheet of parchment paper you will use to wrap up the log. If you place it directly onto the flat surface, it could end up sticking and ripping when you try to roll it up.
- Chill the roll for long enough. If you don’t chill the dough log, it won’t be firm enough to cut into slices. Refrigerate it for at least 20 minutes, or you can speed things up and pop it into the freezer for at least 8-10 minutes.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerate. Once they’ve cooled, leftover crescent rolls should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy them within 2-3 days for optimal freshness. You can warm them up in the microwave or reheat them in a 350°F oven until they’re warmed through.
- Freeze. Place the cooled crescent rolls into a freezer-safe container and store them for up to 2 months. Thaw them out in the fridge before reheating them.
More Crowd-Pleasing Appetizers
Recipe
Sausage Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 25
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These quick and easy sausage and cream cheese crescent rolls are deliciously savory pinwheels made with just 3 ingredients! Serve them as a snack or appetizer at your next party.
Ingredients
- 8 oz package cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 lb ground sausage
- 1 package of crescent rolls
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Crumble sausage and cook thoroughly in a pan. Drain fat from pan and allow sausage to cool.
- Combine cream cheese and sausage in a bowl and mix well.
- Open package of crescents and roll out into a rectangle on a flat surface without separating the crescents. Press together and seal the perforated lines in the rolls.
- Spoon sausage and cream cheese mixture onto the dough, spreading all over.
- Roll the dough lengthwise. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or throw it in the freezer if you’re in a hurry. You could also make it the night before and leave it in the fridge overnight. The main thing is to get the roll firm enough to slice easily.
- Cut slices to about 1/4 inch and place on cookie sheet.
- Bake for about 13-15 minutes or until they are golden on top.
Notes
- Makes 20-25 crescent rolls.
- To Store & Reheat: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 2 days. Reheat in the microwave or a 350°F oven until warmed through.
- To Freeze: Place cooled crescent rolls into a freezer-safe container and store for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Pinwheel
- Calories: 178
- Sugar: 2.5 g
- Sodium: 232.8 mg
- Fat: 14.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 6.7 g
- Protein: 4.6 g
- Cholesterol: 45.4 mg
Great, easy recipe! I used 2 tubes of crescent rolls instead of just one and had plenty of the mixture to go on both! The longer you let chill, the easier it is to slice and the neater your pinwheels turn out.
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Silly question – is rolling lengthwise starting the roll from the long side or the short side?
From the long side.
I was just wondering if it would be okay if I used bacon instead of sausage? hosting a small dinner and was just wondering because we have a lot of bacon lovers and i’m not to big on sausage.
I’ve honestly never tried bacon so I’m not sure.
I tried it with bacon and I love it so much! as did my guests:)
I love this recipe. I’ve made it a few times, but this time it’s all falling apart. Are you sure 1 lb and 1 package cream cheese for just one crescent roll? I feel like I could spread it across two and it would hold better. Not sure what I did better last time.
Yes, it’s correct. But you could try spreading it across two, if you prefer.
I made these – then put them in the fridge, intending to cook them the next day, but then things came up and it never happened. How long can these stay in the fridge rolled and ready to cook?
Thanks!
They should be fine for a couple days. There’s nothing in them that would go bad.