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Crescent Dogs

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By Pillsbury Kitchens
Updated Sep 26, 2024
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Crescent dogs are dinner version of pigs in a blanket for adults and kids alike, and they are even better than you remember. Hot dogs and melty American cheese are wrapped inside buttery, flaky, crescent rolls, for a comforting dinner the entire family will devour.

This classic recipe never goes out of style and you’re never too old to enjoy them for dinner or as a snack. With only 10 minutes of prep and 15 minutes in the oven, they’re ready by the time you get on your comfy clothes and prep something to serve with them. A hot and cheesy homemade dinner that’s on the table in under 30 minutes is always a winner!

A traditional pig in a blanket recipe stuffs breakfast sausage inside pancakes, for a totable breakfast you can eat with your hands. Or made with cocktail weenies, baked in pie pastry, they make tasty little appetizers when served with a sauce for dipping. But over 700 hundred of our fans told us this dinner version makes a deliciously easy meal that’s hard to beat. How could you go wrong with hot dogs, cheese, and flaky crescent rolls, all rolled into one delightful, hand-held meal? It’s a match made in heaven!

How to Make Crescent Dogs

It’s so easy to make these Pillsbury crescent dogs, even your kids will want to get in on the fun. These general tips will give you a sense of how simple they are to make, and you can refer to the recipe for all the details:

Stuff the Hot Dogs with Cheese

Slit the hot dogs and stuff them with strips of American cheese. We’ve tested this recipe multiple ways. By stuffing the hot dogs you’ll get the most out of every cheesy bite, without it all melting onto the cookie sheet.

Roll the Dough around the Hot Dogs

Separate the dough into triangles, along the perforations. Wrap a dough triangle around each hot dog, starting with the widest part of the dough under the hot dogs. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet, cheese side up, so the cheese stays contained within the crescent dog when baked.

Bake and Enjoy

Bake them just 12 to 15 minutes or until they are golden brown. Let them cool enough you won’t burn your tongue, and dive in! They are extra cheesy and melty when they’re warm.

Crescent Dog Variations

If you’re looking for even more crescent dog recipes, try one of these tasty variations:

Crescent Mummy Dogs are a spook-tacular way to enjoy crescent dogs at Halloween. They are so cute and are equally delicious as the original recipe, you’ll get requests to serve them every year.

Crescent Corn Dogs combine a state fair favorite with a hand-held crescent dog, for a delicious take with a little cornmeal crunch.

Pigs In A Blanket is the one that will bring the raves! Crescent roll dough is cut into smaller triangles to wrap around cocktail-size sausages, for one-or two-bite crescent dogs the crowd will devour. Perfect for an appetizer to take to a party.

Sweet Sausage Bites are a surprising sweet-and-savory take on crescent dogs. Pecans, brown sugar and maple syrup buddy up with cocktail-size smoked sausages.

How to Store Crescent Dogs

Our crescent dogs with cheese take only 10 minutes of prep and up to 15 minutes in the oven, so they are super-fast to get on the table or eat on the go. For the cheesiest taste and tender, flaky crescents, it’s best to make this hot dog wrapped in dough recipe right before you plan to enjoy them. With storage, the cheese loses its moistness, and the crescents pick up moisture from the hot dogs and cheese. This makes the crescents more tough rather than flaky and tender, and the reheated crescent dogs tend to be drier. For ideas on how to prep them ahead, see the can the crescent dogs be made in advance section below.

If you do find yourself with leftover crescent dogs, wrap them tightly on a plate and store in the refrigerator up to 2 days. To reheat them, place one on a microwavable plate and cover loosely. Microwave on medium-high (70%) 30 seconds to 1 minute or just until warm. You can serve them with your favorite condiment, such as ketchup or mustard, to help make up for the change in texture.

We do not recommend freezing either baked or unbaked crescent dogs for the same reasons we don’t recommend storing them in the refrigerator.

More About This Recipe

  • The crescent dog is easily one of the most-loved snacks (or dinner!) of our childhood. It also doubles as the perfect party food and can be served as an appetizer. While most people grew up calling sausage rolled in a buttery croissant “pigs in a blanket,” there have been several renditions of the traditional concept created like our Mini Crescent Dogs or Everything Bagel Crescent Dogs. In the United States, we usually roll a classic hot dog up in crescent dough and bake until the crescent is warm and flaky. In other countries, pigs in a blanket uses Vienna or breakfast sausage rolled up in some form of bread. Pigs in a blanket has also become a popular breakfast idea; a breakfast sausage gets wrapped up in pancakes and drizzled with maple syrup. Betty Crocker™ published a recipe for pigs in a blanket or crescent dogs in 1957 in its “Cooking for Kids” publication but there are several claims that the recipe was made and enjoyed long before Betty Crocker™ published it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do the hot dogs need to be cooked before making crescent dogs?

You do not need to cook the hot dogs first. The beauty of this simple recipe is that the hot dogs will cook while the crescents bake, making it a snap to get them in the oven. Also, it’s a lot easier to wrap the crescent dough around cold hot dogs than it would be to wrap it around warm ones. The warm dogs will soften the dough, making it sticky and stretchy, and hard to work with.

How do you cook crescent dogs in the air fryer?

We haven’t tested them in the air fryer but can give you some suggestions to try. Cut an 8-inch circle of cooking parchment paper and line the bottom of the air fryer basket. Try heating your air fryer to 325°F; cook the crescent dogs, cheese-side up, 3 to 4 minutes or until the crescents are light golden brown. With tongs, turn the crescent dogs over; cook 3 to 4 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Can crescent dogs be made in advance?

For the cheesiest crescent dogs with the flakiest, most tender crescent wraps, it’s best to serve the crescent dogs as soon as you’ve made them. You can make them through step 2; cover and refrigerate them up to 2 hours in advance. Opening the can of crescents starts to activate the leavening that causes the dough to rise. After 2 hours, the dough will begin to decline in quality.

If you want to get a jump on the preparation, so it is even faster to get them into the oven, you could fill the hot dogs with cheese, as directed in step 1. Cover and refrigerate the filled hot dogs up to 3 days. When you are ready to bake the crescent dogs, unwrap the hot dogs and continue with step 2 of the recipe.

Want to bring crescent dogs to a party? For the best results, ask the host if their oven would be free when you arrive. Prep the recipe through step 2. Cover and bring to the party unbaked. When you arrive, unwrap, and bake as directed in step 3. Do not bake the crescent dogs at home and bring them in a slow cooker. The slow cooker will cause the crescents to take on moisture, making them soggy when served.

What to serve with crescent dogs

Crescent dogs are a terrific snack or can be part of a quick and comforting dinner any night of the week. Try them with air-fryer-french-fries and a Caesar salad kit. Or serve them with a side of taco-smashed-potatoes and steamed broccoli—yum!

Served with a steaming, hot bowlful of soup or chili would be another fantastic way to enjoy crescent dogs. Try make-ahead slow-cooker-pumpkin-chili or slow-cooker-bacon-corn-chowder. Either would make it a hearty and cozy dinner on a chilly evening.

Crescent Dogs

  • Prep Time 10 min
  • Total 25 min
  • Ingredients 3
  • Servings 8
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Step 
    1
    Heat oven to 375°F. Slit hot dogs to within 1/2 inch of ends; insert 3 strips of cheese into each slit.
  • Step 
    2
    Separate dough into triangles. Wrap dough triangle around each hot dog. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, cheese side up.
  • Step 
    3
    Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutrition

290 Calories
23g Total Fat
9g Protein
13g Total Carbohydrate
4g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Sandwich
Calories
290
Calories from Fat
200
Total Fat
23g
35%
Saturated Fat
9g
45%
Trans Fat
2g
Cholesterol
35mg
12%
Sodium
810mg
34%
Potassium
60mg
2%
Total Carbohydrate
13g
4%
Dietary Fiber
0g
0%
Sugars
4g
Protein
9g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
2%
2%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
6%
6%
Iron
6%
6%
Exchanges:
1 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 1 High-Fat Meat; 2 1/2 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
1
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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