You’ve heard of easy as pie? Well, this Strawberry Dumpling recipe is even easier than pie – but just as satisfying with all of the same flavours and textures into a single-serve bundle.

Strawberry Dumplings Dessert Recipe

These Crescent Dough Strawberry Dumplings are one of the most popular summer recipes on my friend Stacey and I’s kids’ baking site, In the Kids’ Kitchen, so I figured I’d spread the love and share the recipe here, too.

(Though if you’re in search of easy recipes that kids’ can make and fun, kid-friendly recipes for parties and holidays, I definitely suggest you check out In the Kids’ Kitchen for some inspiration! Below are a couple of our most popular recipes this month to give you a taste of what we share on the site.)

Our strawberry dumpling recipe is only 6-ingredients and super simple for kids to make. It’s great for teaching younger kids basic kitchen skills (like cutting up strawberries, measuring ingredients and following directions) while older kids can feel proud of making this recipe from start to finish.

The result is a buttery pastry bursting with fresh, juicy strawberries, smothered in a cinnamon and lemon flavored brown sugar caramel sauce, with a crackly, golden crust thanks to the “secret ingredient” of a can of lemon-lime soda.

When you dig into these caramel-drenched strawberry dumplings, the crispy, crunchy tops give way to buttery, soft dough surrounding the juicy, cooked strawberries. It’s heaven in a bite.

Why does this recipe call for 7-UP? Adding the 7-UP to the casserole dish before baking is an easy hack to render a sweet, caramel-like sauce without any extra effort, as the carbonization will react with the butter and brown sugar while the lemon-lime flavor of the soda lends the dessert a light citrus flavor that complements the caramel and strawberries perfectly.

Can I use something other than 7-UP to make these dumplings? Yes, 7-UP, Sprite or Mountain Dew can be used based on your personal preferences. If you prefer, you can use a sparkling lemonade, orange soda even a strawberry-flavored soda to make these dumplings, though using those will change the flavor profile slightly.

One big caveat – do not use diet soda to make this recipe! You need the sugar content of the soda to make this recipe work.

What makes these dumplings? A dumpling is defined as a dish that consists of pieces of dough wrapped around a filling or pieces of dough with no filling… so while these strawberry crescent dumplings aren’t what I’d typically picture when thinking of dumplings, they are, by definition, dumplings.

How to store leftover strawberry dumplings: Leftover strawberry dumplings can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. I do not recommend freezing this recipe.

Strawberry Dumpling Ingredients

• Chopped strawberries
• Crescent dough
• Butter
• Brown sugar
• Cinnamon, or to taste
• 7UP or Sprite

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: swap out the strawberry filling for your favorite fruits – or whatever is cheapest when you hit the grocery store. Also, swap out the 7UP for your preferred fruity soda.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Sharp Kitchen Knife
• Cutting Board
• Casserole Dish
• Measuring Cups and Spoons

How to Make Strawberry Dumplings

Preheat oven to 350F

Butter a 10×10 baking dish and set aside. (Or approximate dimensions – we used an 8×8 dish and it was only big enough for 6 of our 8 dumplings to cook at once.)

Open and unroll the crescent dough; working individually, take each triangle and place approximately 1 Tablespoon of chopped strawberries and place along the shortest end.

Carefully roll the crescent so that the strawberries remain in the middle.

Place the crescent in the baking dish and repeat with all crescent triangles.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir occasionally to combine. Once the butter is melted, continue to cook for just one minute to thicken, then remove from heat and pour over the crescents.

Pour the 7UP in the corners of the baking dish to avoid disturbing the brown sugar topping.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until desired level of doneness is achieved. 

Pin this Scrumptious Strawberry Dumplings recipe for a sweet summer treat:

Grab your free printable recipe card for our easy strawberry dumpling recipe:

I hope your family loves these easy strawberry dumplings as much as mine does!

For more decadent desserts, check out our full dessert recipe collection here: