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Puff Pastry Apple Strudel

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
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Puff Pastry Apple Strudel

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This Puff Pastry Apple Strudel is so simple to make! Store bought puff pastry is filled with spiced apples and lightly sweetened cream cheese. It’s baked to golden perfection and drizzled with a simple icing for an easy and delicious sweet treat.

Puff pastry apple strudel is the perfect holiday breakfast or simple dessert.

Puff Pastry Apple Strudel

I don’t know about you, but I grew up with a box of Entenmann’s strudel every holiday morning. I love a good danish or strudel with my morning coffee while waiting to open presents. 

While there’s no shame in the boxed danish game, puff pastry apple strudel is too simple to not make at home! It all starts with good, all-butter puff pastry.

We mix up a simple cream cheese filling with a bit of sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla; spread that onto the puff pastry and finally top with brown sugar apples. Bake until golden brown and then drizzle a quick glaze over the top. So good and so simple!

Need more holiday breakfast inspo? Check out all my tried and true breakfast and brunch recipes!

puff pastry apple strudel

How to Make Puff Pastry Apple Strudel

You’re going to be shocked at how simple puff pastry apple strudel is to put together! You only need a handful of ingredients.

Tools Needed

Ingredients & Substitutions

  • Puff Pastry. Opt for high-quality all-butter puff pastry. My favorite is the all-butter puff pastry from Trader Joe’s.
  • Cream Cheese. You’ll want to use a brick of cream cheese here, not the spreadable whipped kind.
  • Egg Yolks. Egg yolks give the filling a cheesecake-like texture without feeling grainy.
  • Egg. An egg whisked with a bit of water for brushing the top of the puff pastry so that it turns golden brown.
  • Sugar. Classic granulated sugar is the play here. You’ll also need brown sugar for the apples.
  • Vanilla. If you have it, vanilla bean paste is great, but vanilla extract works too.
  • Apples. I like using honey crisp or pink lady, but any firm semi-tart apple will work.
  • Turbinado sugar. I like to sprinkle coarse sugar all over the apple strudel before baking for texture, but this is an optional step.
  • Powdered Sugar. The almond glaze is a simple mix of milk, powdered sugar, and a touch of vanilla extract.

The Process

  1. Defrost the puff pastry: The day before you plan to make puff pastry apple strudel, transfer the puff pastry to the fridge so that it can defrost overnight.
  2. Saute the apples. Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and foamy, add the diced apple, sugar, cinnamon, and flour and toss well. Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and the sauce is thick. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
  3. Make the cream cheese filling. Combine the cream cheese, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla bean paste in a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag or a sturdy ziplock bag. 
  4. Prep the puff pastry. Remove the puff pastry from the fridge and dust a work surface with flour. Lightly roll out the puff pastry into an 8×11 inch rectangle, with the long edge facing you.
  5. Assemble the strudel. Pipe half the cream cheese mixture into the center, leaving about 3 inches of bare puff pastry on either side of the cream cheese. Top the cream cheese with half the apples. Use a sharp knife, kitchen shears, or pizza cutter to cut strips on both sides of the pastry.
  6. Fold the strudel. Starting at the top, fold the strips over toward the middle, stretching gently to overlap pieces. Work your way down to the bottom, then tuck in bottom and top of pastry. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the other sheet of puff pastry and the remaining cream cheese and apples. Set the second strudel next to the first on the baking sheet and transfer to the freezer while the oven preheats.
  7. Bake. Brush the tops of the strudels with the egg wash and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the strudel is puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool. Drizzle with glaze, if desired.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

Properly thaw your puff pastry. The best way to do this is to defrost it in the fridge overnight. You want the puff pastry to be thawed, but still cold because it’s easier to work with.

Dust your work station with flour. Puff pastry is incredibly sticky to work with! To make it easier to roll out, dust both sides of the puff pastry, and your work area, with flour.

Cool your apples before adding them. It’s okay if they’re slightly warm, but you don’t want them to be piping hot. You can also make the apples up to 3 days in advance and simply store them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Chill the assembled strudel before baking. The whole reason that puff pastry is able to puff is because the cold butter in the dough creates steam as it melts, causing the pastry to rise. While the oven preheats, I pop my strudel in the freezer to keep them cold before baking.

Storage Instructions

Puff pastry apple strudel can be stored at room temperature, wrapped or in an airtight container, for about 2 days. If you do not plan to eat it within 2 days, I recommend storing it in the refrigerator. 

You can rewarm the entire danish, or individual slices, in a 350°F oven until heated through. Individual slices will take about 5 minutes, while the whole danish will take longer to warm.

puff pastry apple strudel


Puff Pastry Apple Strudel is the simple and easy holiday breakfast you need in your life! It comes together quickly and is so delicious and warmly spiced. If you do give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!

More Holiday Breakfast Recipes to Try

Banana Coffee Cake
Ham and Cheese Croissant Bake
Cranberry-Almond Danishes
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

This post contains affiliate links from which I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate links allow me to keep providing great recipes for free and I never recommend products that I don’t love and personally own.

puff pastry apple strudel
Baking, Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Puff Pastry Apple Strudel

This Puff Pastry Apple Strudel is so simple to make! Store bought puff pastry is filled with spiced apples and lightly sweetened cream cheese. It's baked to golden perfection and drizzled with a simple icing for an easy and delicious sweet treat.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Makes: 8 – 10 servings

Ingredients

Apple Filling

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 medium firm apples, peeled and diced
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • pinch of salt

Strudel Ingredients

  • 8 oz full-fat brick cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 egg yolks, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 sheets all-butter puff pastry
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
  • turbinado sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Glaze

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Defrost the puff pastry: The day before you plan to make puff pastry apple strudel, transfer the puff pastry to the fridge so that it can defrost overnight.
  • Saute the apples. Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and foamy, add the diced apple, sugar, cinnamon, and flour and toss well. Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and the sauce is thick. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
  • Make the cream cheese filling. Combine the cream cheese, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla bean paste in a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer to beat until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag or a sturdy ziplock bag. 
  • Prep the puff pastry. Remove the puff pastry from the fridge and dust a work surface with flour. Lightly roll out the puff pastry into an 8×11 inch rectangle, with the long edge facing you.
  • Assemble the strudel. Pipe half the cream cheese mixture into the center, leaving about 3 inches of bare puff pastry on either side of the cream cheese. Top the cream cheese with half the apples. Use a sharp knife, kitchen shears, or pizza cutter to cut strips on both sides of the pastry.
  • Fold the strudel. Starting at the top, fold the strips over toward the middle, stretching gently to overlap pieces. Work your way down to the bottom, then tuck in bottom and top of pastry. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat with the other sheet of puff pastry and the remaining cream cheese and apples. Set the second strudel next to the first on the baking sheet and transfer the baking sheet to the freezer while the oven preheats.
  • Preheat an oven to 400 F.
  • Bake. Brush the tops of the strudels with the egg wash and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the strudel is puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool.
  • Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. You want the glaze to be thick, but drizzle-able. Drizzle over the strudels

Nutrition

Calories: 564kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 7gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 247mgPotassium: 143mgFiber: 2gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 559IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 2mg

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