We Tried Every Brand of Crescent Rolls We Could Find and This Is the Only One We Will Buy From Now On

Canned crescent rolls have been a staple in my house since I was a kid. Besides baking them plain, we'd often add cheese and ham to make them a hearty breakfast, or use them to make Pigs in a Blanket for an always crowd-pleasing appetizer. The dough is so versatile that you could even throw an entire appetizer party starting with a few cans. Now that I have kids of my own, I still keep a can or two in my fridge because I'm always in need of a quick breakfast or side to share at a party.

I'll admit, when I started this tasting I thought I knew which canned crescent roll dough would win but my prediction was wrong. We tasted all the options we could find and there was a clear winner, and the can I usually buy came in last!

How We Tested

We included all the brands you might know—Pillsbury, Trader Joe's, Immaculate Baking Company—along with several store-brands, including two from my local grocery stores as well as Walmart and Aldi. All were baked on dark-color baking sheets at the same time in the same brand of ovens. Tasters were given samples blind, i.e. they didn't know what brand coincided with each sample. The crescent rolls were scored based on 3 categories:

1. Color
2. Flavor
3. Texture

The Clear Winner: Trader Joe's Organic Crescent Rolls

Every single taster ranked Trader Joe's crescent rolls number 1. I've been doing blind packaged baked goods testing for 10 years and this has NEVER HAPPENED. Tasters liked that the Trader Joe's crescent rolls had a light buttery flavor that "didn't taste fake" with a touch of sweetness but not so much so that they couldn't see using it in savory applications. They also liked the texture which was "soft but not gummy" and flaky.

1st Runner Up: Great Value Crescent Rolls from Walmart

The store-brand crescent rolls from my local grocery stores and Walmart were a close second. They too had buttery flavor and a flaky texture but tasters said the butter flavor tasted artificial (which it is) and the texture was a little more gummy than the Trader Joe's version. The differences were extremely subtle between Walmart and other store-brands, and Trader Joe's. Honestly, if we weren't tasting them next to each other, you wouldn't be able to notice a difference, which makes them worthy back-ups. Especially since Trader Joe's crescent rolls are only available seasonally.

2nd Runner Up: Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

The classic blue label is synonymous with crescent rolls and these did win for appearance. They puffed up and browned more than the other brands however, they didn't quite taste as good as the others when sampled side-by-side. Again, all the testers said these were still delicious and they'd be happy with this option as well.

The One to Skip: Immaculate Baking Company Organic Crescent Rolls

I was shocked that the brand I usually stock in the fridge came in dead last. Just as the Trader Joe's crescent rolls were the clear winner, the Immaculate Baking Company Crescent Rolls were the clear loser. Compared to the other brands, they were the gummiest, driest, and blandest of the bunch. Of course, everyone still said they were "ok" but considering this is the most expensive can, I'll be stocking my fridge and freezer with Trader Joe's Organic Crescent Rolls instead from now on.