Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls: Labelgrade C- (56/100)
C- 56 / 100 — Additive-heavy formulation (maltodextrin or corn syrup), low sugar load, and high sodium per 100g.
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Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls delivers 1g of protein and 100 calories per 1 roll (USDA FDC 2758513). Per 100g that’s 3.6g of protein; per oz, 1g. The Labelgrade is C- (56 / 100): Additive-heavy formulation (maltodextrin or corn syrup), low sugar load, and high sodium per 100g.
Why this Labelgrade
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C- | 55 / 100 | 3.6g per 100g — below the high-protein bar; not the right product for protein hunting |
| Ingredient quality | C+ | 65 / 100 | 31 ingredients; flagged maltodextrin or corn syrup |
| Saturated fat load | C- | 59 / 100 | 2g per serving (7.1g per 100g) — meaningful saturated fat load |
| Sodium load | F | 26 / 100 | 220mg per serving (223mg per oz) — high; structural for cured/preserved foods |
| Sugar load | B+ | 84 / 100 | 3g sugar (1.99g added) — low overall |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0g fiber, expected for animal-protein products |
| Overall | C- | 56 / 100 | Weighted blend: protein 23% · ingredients 21% · saturated fat 18% · sodium 15% · sugar 15% · fiber 8% |
How it compares
We’re still building out this category. As a benchmark, plain cooked chicken breast contains 31g of protein per 100g (8.8g per oz). Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls delivers 3.6g of protein per 100g (1g per oz).
A treat bread, graded as one
The right mental category for crescent rolls isn’t “bread” in the sandwich-loaf sense — it’s pastry, the soft, buttery, flaky kind you serve warm on the side. That framing explains the grade. Judged against whole-grain sandwich bread, a crescent roll looks thin: bleached refined flour, vegetable shortening, no fiber, 1g of protein. Judged as what it actually is — an indulgent dinner roll you eat a couple of at a holiday meal — it’s an honest, unremarkable treat, and that’s how the C- should be read.
What pulls the score down isn’t sugar; it’s the two things that make the roll taste rich. Sodium is high for the size (220mg in a 28g roll, an F on a per-100g basis), and the shortening brings 2g of saturated fat per roll (a C-). Those are the costs of soft, flaky, buttery-tasting dough. The bright spot is that, unlike most things in the treat aisle, it’s barely sweet — just 1.99g of added sugar, an A on sugar load. So the honest profile is a savory indulgence: low on sugar, but salty and fairly fatty for its small size, with nothing nutritional to balance it. Perfectly fine occasionally; not a daily bread.
What “refrigerated dough” actually buys you, and what it costs
The appeal of a can of crescents is obvious: warm, flaky pastry in fifteen minutes with zero skill, no proofing, no mess. That convenience is real, and it’s most of why this product exists. But it’s worth knowing what makes shelf-stable, pop-open, bake-and-puff dough possible, because it’s the source of the long ingredient list. To stay stable in the can and rise reliably in the oven, the dough leans on a chemical leavening system (baking soda with sodium aluminum phosphate and sodium acid pyrophosphate), emulsifiers and monoglycerides, and dough conditioners like L-cysteine — plus the hydrogenated and fractionated palm oils that keep the shortening solid. Thirty-one ingredients is a lot for something that’s morally just flour, fat, and salt, and it’s what lands ingredient quality at a C+.
None of that makes crescent rolls unsafe — these are standard, approved baking aids doing exactly their job. The takeaway is just expectation-setting: this is engineered convenience pastry, not a simple butter-and-flour roll from scratch, and it grades accordingly. If you love them, the move is to lean into what they’re good at — warm, flaky, occasional — and let the protein and fiber on your plate come from the rest of the meal. Keep it to a roll or two alongside real food and the sodium and saturated fat stay easily in check.
Scope
This page covers Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls (4 ONZ), UPC 00018000004027, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 2758513. Pillsbury sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)
Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Vegetable Shortening (soybean and palm oil, hydrogenated palm oil, fractionated palm oil, mono and diglycerides, water, TBHQ and citric acid [preservatives], beta carotene [for color]), Sugar. Contains 2% or less of: Baking Powder (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate), Dextrose, Soybean and/or Palm Oil, Salt, Wheat Protein Isolate, Monoglycerides, Potassium Chloride, Pectin, Calcium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), Dough Conditioners (L-cysteine hydrochloride, enzymes, wheat flour, salt), Annatto Extract (for color).
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 roll
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 roll) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 100 |
| Protein | 1g |
| Total Fat | 4.5g |
| Saturated Fat | 2g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 12g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 3g |
| Added Sugars | 1.99g |
| Sodium | 220mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 0mg |
| Iron | 0.599mg |
| Potassium | 0mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Original Crescent Rolls (4 ONZ) · UPC 00018000004027. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
contains a gluten-bearing ingredient
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Pillsbury Crescent Rolls bad for you?
They're a treat bread, and the grade reads them as that — a soft, buttery indulgence, not an everyday staple. One roll is 100 calories with 1g of protein, 4.5g of fat (2g saturated), 220mg of sodium, and no fiber, built on bleached refined flour and vegetable shortening. Nothing here is alarming for an occasional roll alongside a meal; the knocks are simply that it's refined, fairly salty for its size, and contributes almost nothing nutritionally. Enjoyed as the warm bread on the side, it's fine — just not a health food.
Why do Pillsbury Crescent Rolls earn a C- (56/100)?
Two real knocks against one bright spot. Sodium is high for the portion (220mg in a 28g roll, which scores an F per 100g) and the rolls carry a meaningful saturated-fat load from the shortening (2g per roll, a C-). The 31-ingredient label with dough conditioners and emulsifiers lands ingredient quality at C+, and there's essentially no protein or fiber. The one thing it does well is sugar — just 1.99g added (an A). Blend it and you get C- (56/100): a fine occasional treat bread, not a daily one.
How much sodium is in a Pillsbury crescent roll?
220mg per roll — about 10% of the FDA's 2,300mg daily limit in a single 28g piece. That's high for the size, and it adds up quickly: two rolls with dinner is 440mg, close to a fifth of the day, before anything else on the plate. The sodium comes from added salt plus the baking-powder and dough-conditioner system that makes the dough puff. It's the number to watch if crescent rolls are a regular thing rather than a holiday one.
Are crescent rolls a good source of protein?
No — they're a bread, not a protein food. At 1g per roll (3.6g per 100g), the protein is negligible, and the rolls are mostly refined starch and fat. The label lists wheat protein isolate among the minor ingredients, but it's there as a dough conditioner, not in any amount that makes these a meaningful protein source. If you want the warm-roll experience to keep you full, the protein needs to come from what you serve alongside them, not the rolls themselves.
What's the best way to enjoy crescent rolls?
Treat them as the indulgent bread on the side of a balanced plate, not the base of the meal. A roll next to eggs and fruit at brunch, or beside a protein-and-vegetable dinner, lets the refined dough play its actual role — warm, flaky comfort — while the protein and fiber come from the rest of the plate. Holding to one or two rolls keeps the sodium and saturated fat in check, and that's really all the discipline this treat needs.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-06, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2758513. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days of a reformulation.