These Rotel sausage cream cheese crescent rolls are the kind of appetizer that disappears fast. They’re flaky, golden, and packed with creamy, spicy filling that tastes like sausage dip wrapped in a warm pastry.
I’ve made these dozens of times for game nights, brunch tables, and even Christmas morning — and every single time, someone asks for the recipe.
Things We Learned From Recipe Testing
✔️ Cook and drain the sausage completely. Any leftover grease will make the filling heavy and cause the crescents to slide open while baking.
✔️ Drain the tomatoes and chilies well. Press them lightly with paper towels or a fine-mesh sieve — moisture is the enemy of crisp pastry.
✔️ Use a cookie scoop for even portions — it’s faster and keeps your hands clean.
✔️ Don’t overfill. A tablespoon may not look like much, but it expands as it bakes. Overfilling leads to blowouts.
Serving Ideas
These bites are incredibly versatile.
- Serve them warm as an appetizer with ranch dipping.
- Make them part of a brunch spread alongside breakfast casserole and fruit.
- They’re also great for tailgates or potlucks — easy to grab, easy to eat, and guaranteed crowd-pleasers.
If you’re serving a crowd, one batch of this recipe makes about 32 pieces, which comfortably feeds six to eight people as an appetizer.
Storage and Reheating
Let leftovers cool fully before storing. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, warm them in a 350°F oven for five to eight minutes to crisp them back up — they taste freshly baked again.
They also can be stored in the freezer. Once cooled, store them in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating, or just bake straight from frozen for an extra few minutes.
Sausage Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls
Equipment
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 Pizza Cutter
- 1 Cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 1 pound mild breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 10 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes and green chilies, well drained
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley finely chopped
- 2 cans refrigerated crescent roll dough (two 8-ounce cans)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together the cooked and crumbled sausage, softened cream cheese, drained tomatoes and green chilies and the chopped parsley until completely combined.
- Roll out one canister of crescent dough.
- Cut along the perforated lines with a pizza cutter. Separate the triangles of dough. Carefully slice the triangles in half lengthwise.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of the sausage filling with the cookie scoop, and place at the center top of the triangle. (If you do not have a small cookie scoop, you can use regular teaspoons).
- Stretch the top of the dough over the sausage filling and roll towards the end of the triangle. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Before adding the scoop of sausage mixture I like to pat the dough out just a bit to get more coverage of dough.
- Chopped cilantro can be added to the filling for even more southwest flavor.
- Feel free to substitute mild or hot diced tomatoes and green chilies if you are not able to find the fire roasted.
- Turkey sausage and low fat cream cheese can be substituted for those who are watching their fat intake.
Nutrition
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