These quick and easy Lemon Cheesecake Crescent Rolls start with flaky store-bought crescent roll dough. You can have bakery-style croissants at home in under 30 minutes. Take your next brunch, breakfast, or dessert to the next level!

We love using store-bought crescent rolls in recipes! They work wonderfully in both sweet and savory dishes. If you like this Cheesecake Crescent Rolls recipe, be sure to try Chicken Enchilada Puffs, Chocolate Croissants, and Caramel Raspberry Banana NapoleonBe sure to sign up for my email… to get new recipes and ideas in your inbox!

lemon cheesecake crescent rolls with powdered sugar and almond slices on a white plate

Why We Love Lemon Cheesecake Crescent Rolls

During spring and summer, I just can’t get enough lemon treats (like these Lemon Cool Whip Cookies)! Maybe the yellow just screams sunny days ahead to me after a long, cold winter inside the house. In any case, I’m on a lemon kick as the weather delightfully warms up.

I love these lemon cheesecake crescent rolls because they’re so easy to make, but look and taste like you spent hours in the kitchen. I think the almond slices as a garnish at the end really sell the fancy look of this delicious treat! Of course, the tangy lemon cheesecake filling is the best part of all. An added bonus is that these little rolls only take 25 minutes total to whip up. They’re SO perfect for your next brunch get-together!

photo collage showing how to make lemon cheesecake crescent rolls

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Ingredients for Lemon Cheesecake Crescent Rolls

Lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon curd are just enough lemon to satisfy anyone’s cravings!

  • cream cheese – Make sure the cream cheese has had time to soften. This makes for a smoother texture for the cheesecake base.
  • granulated sugar – Sugar will make the cheesecake mixture sweet to combat the tangy, citrusy flavors.
  • lemon juice – Fresh lemon juice is best. This lemon squeezer tool makes it super easy to get juice from a fresh lemon.
  • lemon zestThis zester and grater is a must for zesting and grating everything from citrus to cheese and chocolate.
  • crescent rolls – I use Grands Big and Flaky. You can use your favorite brand, just make sure they are the big rolls.
  • lemon curd – Lemon curd is a creamy lemon version of jam. This adds a sweet and very tart flavor to the dessert.
  • powdered sugar – An added touch of sweetness to sprinkle over the croissants after baking.
  • sliced almonds – Use these as an added garnish, although this can be skipped if almonds aren’t your favorite. I love the slight crunch they provide.

lemon cheesecake crescent rolls on a baking sheet with fresh lemon slices

How To Make Lemon Cheesecake Crescent Rolls

With a prep time of about 10 minutes and a bake time of only 15, this zesty treat comes together in under half an hour!

(full printable recipe at the end of this post)

Grab your apron let’s make Lemon Cheesecake Crescent Rolls

Step One: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Step Two: Using a small bowl and an electric mixer, combine the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat on medium speed until well combined.

Step Three: Separate the crescent roll dough into 8 triangles. Lay the triangles out on the lined baking sheet and pat each triangle out slightly.

Step Four: Scoop about ½ tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each crescent roll. Then scoop about ½ tablespoon of lemon curd onto the cream cheese mixture. Repeat and roll up each of the crescent rolls. Bake for 14-16 minutes, until nice and golden.

Step Five: Sprinkle the warm Lemon Cheesecake Crescent Rolls with powdered sugar and almond slices. Enjoy!

lemon cheesecake filled crescent rolls
Tips For Lemon Cheesecake Crescent Rolls

For a bakery texture and appearance, brush the rolls with an egg wash to achieve that perfect golden-brown sheen on the croissants.

To help the crescent rolls puff up more, place them in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes before placing them in the oven. If you’re really in a hurry you can always skip this step and still come out with a great end result too.

Storage: The filled crescent rolls are best the same day they’re baked, but they are still great leftover too. In order to preserve any leftover croissants, place them in a ziptop bag, or airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Reheat: While these cheesecake crescent rolls are just as delicious cold or room temperature, if you’d like to warm them up you can put them in the toaster oven or regular oven at 350° F for 5-10 minutes.

lemon cheesecake crescent rolls with almond slices on a sheetpan

Changing It Up!

Try topping croissants with a glaze instead of dusting them with powdered sugar. To whip up a glaze, mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of milk and drizzle over the crescent rolls while still warm. You could also use a splash of lemon juice in place of the milk.

Use strawberry preserves or jam instead of lemon curd.  Strawberry and lemon are such a wonderful combination! The cheesecake filling will still be lemon, but try topping it with strawberry jam!

Just like strawberries, blueberries are a great complement to lemon.  Swap out the lemon curd for blueberry preserves.

Maybe lemon isn’t your favorite flavor or you want to try out something new, use orange (or lime) juice or extract and orange (or lime) zest in place of lemon.

Make lemon cheesecake crescents in a pan instead of a baking sheet – Unroll half the can of crescent rolls and spread the crescent roll dough on the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish. Press the seams together. Spread your cream cheese mixture over the crescent roll layer, and unroll the remaining crescent rolls. Press those seams together as well. Then place on top of the cream cheese layer. Bake for 20-30 minutes in an oven preheated to 350°F. Top with glaze or sprinkle with powdered sugar and sliced almonds. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

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lemon cheesecake crescent rolls on white plates

lemon cheesecake crescent rolls with a cup of coffee

Lemon Cheesecake Crescent Rolls

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

These quick and easy LEMON CHEESECAKE CRESCENT ROLLS start with flaky store-bought crescent roll dough. You can have bakery-style croissants at home in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 can crescent rolls (I use Grands Big and Flaky)
  • 1/2 cup lemon curd
  • 1/4 powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

  1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Using a small bowl and electric mixer combine cream cheese, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and zest. Beat on medium speed until well combined.
  3. Separate crescent roll dough into 8 triangles. Lay out on the lined baking sheet and pat each triangle out slightly.
  4. Scoop about ½ tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on the center of each crescent roll. Then scoop about ½ tablespoon of lemon curd onto the cream cheese mixture, Repeat and roll up all crescent rolls and bake for 14-16 minutes.
  5. Sprinkle warm crescents with powdered sugar and almond slices. Enjoy!

Notes

VARIATIONS:

  • Top with a glaze instead of dusting with powdered sugar. Mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 2-3 teaspoons on milk and drizzle over crescents while warm. (you could also use a splash of lemon juice for some of the milk)
  • use orange juice or extract and orange zest in place of lemon.
  • Make lemon cheesecake crescents in a pan - Unroll half the can of crescent rolls and spread the crescent roll dough on the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish and press the seams together. Spread cream cheese mixture over crescent roll layer, and unroll the remaining crescent rolls, press the seams togher, and place on top of the cream cheese layer. Bake for 20-30 minutes in a 350° F oven. Top with glaze or sprinkle with powdered sugar and sliced almonds. Slice and serve.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 257Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 189mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 4g

Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used.

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lemon cheesecake crescent rolls with a cup of coffee