Easy Cruffin Recipe with Crescent Rolls (Air Fryer or Oven)

This easy cruffin recipe turns two cans of crescent rolls into flaky, buttery, cinnamon-sugar pastries in under 20 minutes. I make them in the air fryer most mornings, but I’ve included oven instructions too, so you can bake a full dozen in a muffin tin when you have company.

If you love shortcut pastries like my air fryer crescent churros and air fryer cinnamon sugar croissants, cruffins are the next one to try. Same can of dough, bakery-style result.

What Are Cruffins?

A cruffin is croissant dough rolled up and baked in a muffin tin, so you get croissant layers in a muffin shape. The original was created at Lune Croissanterie in Melbourne, and Mr. Holmes Bakehouse in San Francisco later made it famous (and trademarked the name).

Bakery cruffins use laminated dough that takes two days. My version uses refrigerated crescent roll dough, which already has buttery layers built in, so you get the look and the flaky pull-apart texture in a fraction of the time.

Why You’ll Love This Cruffin Recipe

• Four ingredients. Crescent dough, butter, sugar, cinnamon. That’s it.
• Two ways to cook. Air fryer for a quick batch, oven when you need a full dozen.
• Ready in under 20 minutes. No yeast, no rising, no rolling pin required.
• Flaky layers in every bite. The crescent dough bakes up with visible layers, just like a bakery cruffin.
• Easy to customize. Add a filling, swap the spice, or make them savory.

Cruffin Ingredients

Full measurements are in the recipe card below.

• Refrigerated crescent dough sheets: Dough sheets are easier than perforated triangles because there are no seams to press together. If you can only find triangles, unroll them and pinch the seams closed before you start.
• Unsalted butter, room temperature: Spread it on the dough so the cinnamon sugar sticks and the layers stay flaky. If you use salted butter, that’s fine; the cruffins will just taste slightly less sweet.
• Granulated sugar: Half goes inside the roll, half gets rolled onto the outside while the cruffins are hot.
• Ground cinnamon: Mixed into the sugar. Use less if you prefer a milder cinnamon flavor.

How to Make Cruffins in the Air Fryer

Step 1: Prep. Spray 10 small ramekins (or silicone muffin cups) with cooking spray. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon and set it aside.

Step 2: Butter and sugar the dough. Unroll one crescent dough sheet on a lightly floured surface. Spread the softened butter over the whole sheet, then sprinkle about half of the cinnamon sugar evenly over the butter.

Step 3: Layer and cut. Unroll the second dough sheet and lay it directly on top of the first. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the stacked dough into 10 even strips.

Step 4: Roll. Starting at one short end, roll each strip into a tight spiral, like a mini cinnamon roll. Tuck the end underneath and set each spiral in a ramekin, layers facing up.

Step 5: Air fry. Place the ramekins in the air fryer basket and air fry at 375°F for 5 to 7 minutes. Check at 5 minutes; if the tops are golden but the centers look soft, flip the cruffins and give them 2 more minutes. Cook in batches if they don’t all fit.

Step 6: Coat. While the cruffins are still hot, roll each one in the remaining cinnamon sugar. The warm butter on the outside is what makes the sugar stick, so don’t wait.

How to Make Cruffins in the Oven

The oven method is the same recipe, just baked in a standard muffin tin, which is easier when you want all 10 done at once.

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease 10 cups of a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or butter. Set a sheet of foil on the rack below to catch any butter that bubbles over.
2. Butter, sugar, layer, cut, and roll the dough exactly as in Steps 2 through 4 above.
3. Set one spiral in each muffin cup, layers facing up.
4. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the tops are deep golden and the centers are set. Ovens vary, so start checking at 14 minutes.
5. Let the cruffins rest in the tin for 2 minutes, then lift them out and roll each one in the remaining cinnamon sugar while hot.

Cruffin Filling Ideas

Cinnamon sugar is the classic, but cruffins take fillings well. Spread any of these over the buttered dough in Step 2 (go light; too much filling leaks out), then layer, cut, and roll as usual.

• Nutella: About 3 tablespoons, warmed for 20 seconds so it spreads thin. If you want the full chocolate version, my air fryer Nutella croissants use the same dough.
• Cream cheese and jam: 2 tablespoons softened cream cheese and 2 tablespoons strawberry or raspberry jam.
• Lemon curd: 3 tablespoons, plus a little lemon zest in the cinnamon sugar.
• Pumpkin butter: 3 tablespoons, and swap half the cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice.
• Apple pie: Finely diced apple tossed with the cinnamon sugar; press it in before rolling.
• Almond: 3 tablespoons almond paste or frangipane, then sliced almonds on top. It tastes like my air fryer almond croissants in muffin form.
• Savory ham and cheese: Skip the sugar. Brush with butter, add a layer of thin-sliced ham and shredded Swiss or cheddar, and roll.
• Everything bagel: Skip the sugar, brush with butter, and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning inside and out.

Cruffin Recipe Tips

• Use dough sheets, not triangles. Sheets have no perforations, so the layers stay intact when you cut and roll. If you only have triangles, press the seams together firmly.
• Keep the dough cold until you use it. Warm crescent dough gets sticky and the layers blur together. Work straight from the fridge.
• Roll with the layers facing up. Set each spiral in the ramekin cut side up so the swirl shows and the top bakes crisp.
• Don’t overcrowd the air fryer. Leave space between the ramekins so hot air can circulate. Two batches of five is better than one crowded batch.
• Check early. Air fryers vary a lot. Start checking at 5 minutes; crescent dough goes from golden to dark fast.
• Flip if the centers are soft. If the tops are brown but the middle is still doughy, flip the cruffins for the last 2 minutes.
• Coat while hot. Roll the cruffins in the remaining cinnamon sugar the moment they come out. Once they cool, the sugar won’t stick.

Storing and Reheating Cruffins

Room temperature: Store baked cruffins in an airtight container for up to 2 days. They soften as they sit.

Refrigerator: Up to 4 days in an airtight container, though the texture is best in the first two.

Freezer (baked): Cool completely, wrap individually, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or reheat straight from frozen.

Freezer (unbaked): Shape the spirals, freeze them on a parchment-lined sheet until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen in the oven at 375°F, adding about 5 minutes, or air fry at 375°F, adding 2 to 3 minutes.

Reheating: Air fry at 350°F for 2 to 3 minutes, or warm in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes. Skip the microwave; it makes the layers chewy. I use the same method for all my pastries in how to reheat croissants.

Cruffin Recipe FAQs

What is the difference between a cruffin and a croissant? Same dough, different shape. A croissant is rolled into a crescent and baked flat; a cruffin is rolled into a spiral and baked upright in a muffin tin, so it has a crisp top and soft, layered center.

Can I use puff pastry instead of crescent rolls? Yes. Puff pastry gives flakier, more delicate layers but takes longer to bake. Use the oven at 375°F and plan on 25 to 30 minutes.

Can I use canned croissant dough? Yes, it works the same way as crescent dough. Just unroll it as a sheet instead of separating the triangles.

How long do cruffins take in the air fryer? About 5 to 7 minutes at 375°F. Check at 5 minutes and flip if the centers are still soft.

How long do cruffins take in the oven? About 15 to 18 minutes at 375°F in a greased muffin tin. Start checking at 14 minutes.

Do I need ramekins for the air fryer? No. Silicone muffin cups or an air fryer muffin pan work just as well. Ramekins are what I reach for because I always have them.

Why did my cruffins come out doughy in the middle? They were either overcrowded or pulled too early. Give them space in the basket and flip for the last 2 minutes if the tops brown before the centers set.

Can I make mini cruffins? Yes. Cut the dough into 20 narrower strips instead of 10, use a mini muffin pan, and start checking at 4 minutes in the air fryer or 10 minutes in the oven.

Can I make cruffins ahead for a brunch? Yes. Shape and freeze them unbaked (see Storing above), then bake from frozen the morning of. They taste freshest baked the same day.

More Easy Crescent Dough Recipes

If a can of crescent dough is your favorite shortcut too, these are the ones I make most:

• Air Fryer Crescent Churros – one can, twisted and rolled in cinnamon sugar, in about 14 minutes
• Air Fryer Cinnamon Sticky Buns – crescent dough sheets with a brown sugar, pecan, and raisin glaze
• Air Fryer Cinnamon Sugar Croissants – the simplest version of the same flavor
• Air Fryer Nutella Croissants – crescent rolls stuffed with Nutella and chocolate chips, ready in 7 minutes
• Air Fryer Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls – from the can to the table in under 10 minutes
• Air Fryer Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread – gooey pull-apart bread with cream cheese frosting

Made these cruffins? Leave a star rating and a comment below, and tag @forktospoon on Instagram so I can see them.