Air Fryer Gingerbread Bites

Air Fryer Gingerbread Bites are fluffy crescent rolls filled with gooey cream cheese and covered in holiday seasonings. Perfect for a Christmas dessert or a quick vegetarian snack — even a breakfast treat!

recipe overview

I don’t eat a lot of sweets throughout the year, but I love all things sugar from October through New Year’s Day. These Air Fryer Gingerbread Bites are like holiday monkey bread stuffed with sweet cream cheese for one great bite.

The secret to this gingerbread flavor is in the spices: ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves. A little bit of each of these seasonings goes a long way, but this combination is perfect.

If you love crescent rolls, you’ll love these Air Fried Oreos! They have fewer calories than the traditional version and are naturally vegan, too.

What you’ll need

• Crescent rolls: This easy pastry-in-a-can is so versatile and usually vegan! I use these in so many recipes.
• Sugar: The sugar gives this a little extra sweetness. You can skip the extra tablespoon in the filling if you want it a little more savory.
• Cream cheese: This soft cheese is such a great surprise filling.
• Ginger: This is the key to your gingerbread seasoning! It’s sweet, peppery, and a little floral with just a touch of citrus.
• Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon brings its sweet, woody flavor and helps mellow the other seasonings a bit.
• Allspice: This seasoning is actually from a berry and is the perfect complement to cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In a pinch, you can skip this seasoning, but it’s worth the addition!
• Nutmeg: This is a spice I’ve learned to appreciate over time. I like to buy whole nutmeg and grate it fresh with a micro planer.
• Cardamom: Cardamom has a lemony and light taste but brings out the sweet and savory in the Gingerbread Bites.
• Cloves: A little goes a long way with cloves! That pungent warm spice has an intense flavor, aroma, and even a little heat.

how to make them

1. Mix all your spices and most of the sugar in a medium bowl. We’ll come back to this.
2. Mix your cream cheese with a little sugar.
3. Unroll your crescent dough and separate the triangles. Put a dab of cream cheese on the wide side of the dough.
4. Gently fold your crescent rolls around the cream cheese completely and pat them into discs. Dip your bites into the seasonings bowl, gently pressing each side into the mix.
5. Once coated, place bites into air fryer basket for 8 to 9 minutes at 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
6. Once the bites are golden brown, remove and serve!

serving ideas

I love the holiday season, from Thanksgiving through Hannukah and Christmas and all the way to New Year’s Day. This year, things will look different for all of us, and planning for a small Christmas dinner is easier said than done.

Skip the whole bird this year and make a simple Air Fryer Turkey Breast. You’ll still satisfy the turkey craving without all the fuss for just a few people!

Want a different take on the traditional stuffing? Try this Gluten Free Mushroom Stuffing packed with veggies.

Combine two side dishes into one with these Roasted Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts, all cooked on one baking sheet!

Additional seasoning ideas

I love this dish year-round and don’t always make it with gingerbread seasoning!

This Air Fryer Gingerbread Bites recipe is also good with a little cinnamon sugar or pumpkin pie spice. Whatever seasonings you add, I recommend mixing in a little sugar to balance and bring the extra sweetness.

do I have to use cream cheese?

You can definitely make this recipe with just crescent rolls and seasoning, but I love the extra creaminess inside.

If you don’t want to use cream cheese, try ricotta or mascarpone cheese! You could also use whipped cream, but it could evaporate more inside than a soft cheese.