Soft and flaky dinner rolls are swirled with moist onion, poppy seeds, and a hint of sweetness. Store-bought dough means these onion crescent rolls are ready in twenty minutes!
One of my very favorite, can’t-pass-them-up, kinda sorta crave them foods are onion rolls. You know the ones. Fluffy soft dough that’s topped with (good) or swirled with (great!) onion.
They’re my sandwich roll of choice for slow cooker pulled pork. Well, along with pretzel rolls. Another favorite.
Anyway, in my opinion onion rolls are well worth having to pop a mint afterwards and/or flossing your way to a poppy seed-free smile.
So here are some onion rolls! Or at least a super quick, impossibly simple homage to them.
What’s in the filling?
Onion rolls feature a soft minced onion swirl inside. Since slicing fresh onions into tiny, tiny pieces doesn’t exactly fit the whole ‘quick’ thing I’m going for here, I use dried minced/chopped onion to bring that onion flavor in a hurry.
First heat some oil in a small saucepan, add a pinch of each salt and sugar, and then stir in the dried onion. Let this heat for 5-8 minutes, or until the onion is turning more golden and has begun to soften. It’ll soften more as the rolls bake.
Next separate out your refrigerated crescent roll dough. That’s (obviously) a big reason why this roll recipe can be confidently labeled ‘quick’. No rise time required! This is a semi-homemade crescent roll recipe idea at its finest.
I like to use a classic crescent roll here, not one with a flavor. They’d be fine to use if you like them, but one time I used the butter flavor and found it a little strong when combined with the other ingredients. Just a personal preference.
Evenly spread the moistened onion filling onto each of the crescent roll segments, then dot the filling with a little bit of honey. Not too much! Just enough to add a touch of sweetness.
Then it’s time to sprinkle it with poppy seeds. While not technically necessary, poppy seeds are a mainstay in classic onion rolls, so I thought it fitting that these onion crescent rolls follow suit.
Carefully roll up each roll, starting with the short side of each triangle(-ish), then brush the tops with a little extra oil and garnish with more poppy seeds.
Bake for 9-10 minutes or until golden-brown and cooked through. They’re great both served warm or at room temperature.
Recipe notes
- I recommend using ‘classic’ crescent rolls (found in the refrigerated section) and not a flavor like honey butter or butter.
Quick Onion Crescent Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 8-oz tube refrigerated crescent dough (classic flavor)
- 2 1/2 tbsp neutral-tasting cooking oil, divided
- 1/4 cup dried minced or chopped onion
- Pinch of granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp honey (approximate)
- 1/2 tsp poppy seeds (approximate)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, heat 2 tbsp of oil over low heat. Add a pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt, and minced onion stir to moisten all of the onion.
- Let onion flakes heat in the oil for 5-8 minutes, or until edges of the onion become golden brown and onion becomes just slightly soft (it will also soften while baking later on). Remove from heat.
- Unroll crescent dough and separate the eight perforated triangles. Spread onion mixture evenly over each of the eight triangles. Dot a small amount of honey over top of onion filling, then sprinkle poppy seeds.
- Roll up each dough triangle, beginning to roll with the short side of the triangle. Place rolls onto prepared baking sheet.
- Add remaining 1/2 tbsp oil to a small bowl and then brush it on the top of each crescent roll. Top with a sprinkle of poppy seeds.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until outsides of rolls are golden brown and firm to the touch. Serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
Oh my gosh – where have these been all my life? I am already imagining these for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. Get the idea? I’m in!!! Pinned!
Alyssa says
Haha, my thoughts exactly!! I’d like to have a batch of these babies around all the time, please. 🙂 Thanks for pinning!
Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods says
I do that same thing all the time. I’m talking to my husband or kids about something someone made and they’ll ask who is that? It is kind of like having imaginary friends, but with bloggers you get great recipes 😀
These rolls look delicious. I love that you start with something easy and then elevate the flavors!
Alyssa says
Imaginary friends that provide you with awesome recipes! I like that, Cindy. 🙂 And thanks! Using crescent roll dough certainly cuts down on the steps, but they’re still packed with flavor. A win-win!