Make beautiful puff pastry danish like a pro with this easy recipe!
We’re using store-bought puff pastry sheets to make things quick, and a homemade cream cheese filling to take the flavor over the top.
You’ll be proud to serve your masterpiece for breakfast, brunch, dessert or any time!
Homemade danish pastries are a labor of love, and if you’re really into baking, the rewards are amazing.
But if you want that homemade result without spending 2 days laminating dough, this is the recipe for you.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for this easy danish recipe:
- Frozen puff pastry
- Cream cheese
- Confectioner’s sugar (also known as powdered sugar)
- Eggs
- Raspberry jam
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon juice
How to Make Puff Pastry Danish
Thaw the Puff Pastry
The first thing to do is remove the puff pastry from the freezer. It will take about 45 minutes for it to thaw, and while you’re waiting you can make the cream cheese filling.
Make the Creamy Filling
Be sure to start with room temperature cream cheese, and making the filling will be easy.
Simply beat the cream cheese, egg yolk, powdered sugar, vanilla and lemon juice together in a bowl. Get it nice and creamy and set it aside while you do the next step.
Prepare the Pastry
Once your puff pastry dough is thawed but still cold, roll it out onto a work surface until you have a rectangle measuring about 10×15 inches.
Transfer the dough to a sheet pan and trim the top two corners off. Now, cut diagonal lines down both sides of the pastry sheet, leaving the center of the pastry uncut.
Fill the Pastry
Grab the cream cheese filling and spread it down the center of the pastry, on the uncut portion. Then, spread the jam over the cheese.
It may seem like a lot of filling, but trust me, it’s the right amount!
Braid the Pastry
Here comes the fun part. Fold the top of the pastry over the filling just a little bit. Now, criss cross the pieces of pasty over each other, all the way to the bottom.
Give it a brush of egg wash and a sprinkle of raw sugar. Now it’s ready to bake!
Make the Glaze
The glaze is super simple: just whisk the confectioner’s sugar and milk together. Drizzle it over the cooled danish before serving.
Serving Suggestions
The most traditional way to serve danish pastry is for breakfast or brunch along with coffee, tea and milk.
Include this raspberry cream cheese puff pastry danish as part of a larger brunch spread that includes both sweet and savory items.
Or, serve it for dessert with espresso martinis!
Recipe Variations
Try some of these popular flavor varieties the next time you make this flaky pastry:
1. Cheese danish: A super popular variation, simply leave out the fruit jam for a simple, sweet cream cheese danish.
2. Fruity danish: Experiment with different flavors of jam beyond raspberry! My favorites are cherry and strawberry.
3. Cinnamon danish: Swap out the fruit jam and sprinkle a layer of cinnamon and brown sugar over the cheese filling for a delicious cinnamon variation.
Storage
Leftover danish? Not to worry. Here’s how to store it for another day:
1. Short term storage: Wrap your leftover danish tightly in plastic wrap. It will stay fresh at room temperature for 1-2 days. Beyond that, pop it in the fridge.
2. Long term storage: This danish freezes beautifully! Start by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap. Then, place it into an airtight container or seal it in a freezer bag for double protection. The next time you want to enjoy your danish, allow it to thaw at room temperature first.
Make Ahead Instructions
The most time consuming part of this recipe is the braiding of the danish. And you can definitely do this ahead of time!
Follow the steps in the recipe card up until the braiding is complete. Do not brush the danish with egg wash.
Place the braided danish on a baking sheet and cover it with plastic wrap. From here, you can either refrigerate it to bake within the next 1-2 days, or freeze it to bake in the future.
If you freeze it, be sure you wrap it with a few layers of plastic for extra protection.
Is Danish pastry the same as puff pastry?
Both danish pastry dough and puff pastry are laminated doughs with lots of flaky layers. The difference between the two is that danish dough has yeast and puff pastry dough does not. This makes danish pastry softer and fluffier, while puff pastry tends to be crispier.
As I mentioned earlier in this post, making laminated danish dough is an experience that every experienced baker should have at least once!
That said, using puff pastry to make danish is much faster, easier and friendly to beginners. Not to mention, it tastes delicious!
When you make this easy puff pastry danish recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more puff pastry recipes, try these:
- Easy Cheese Danish
- Puff Pastry Apple Dumplings with Streusel Topping
- Blackberry Goat Cheese Puff Pastry Twists
Puff Pastry Danish
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- 1/4 cup raspberry jam
- 1 large egg beaten
- coarse sugar for sprinkling
Cheese Filling
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Glaze
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 Tbsp. milk
Instructions
- Remove the puff pastry from the freezer and thaw according to package directions.
- Prepare the cheese filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese in a medium bowl with the powdered sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and lemon juice until creamy. Set aside. (Alternatively, use a handheld electric mixer.)
- Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry sheet to a 10×15 inch rectangle. Gently transfer it to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice the top two corners off and discard the dough. Now, cut diagonal slits down both sides of the pastry, leaving the center uncut.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture down the center of the puff pastry. Spread the jam on top of the cheese filling.
- Fold the top of the pastry slightly over the top of the cheese and jam. Now, criss cross the slices of pastry over the filling. Using a pastry brush, coat the pastry dough with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheet.
- To make the glaze, whisk the confectioner's sugar and milk together in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled danish.
Made this in no time. Easy. Fun. Taste great!
Liz, yay! So glad you enjoyed the danish and thank you for sharing your feedback 🙂