This easy and beautiful Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish is perfect for a breakfast treat, light dessert, or Sunday brunch. Simple, sweet, and only seven ingredients. You will be delighted in every way!
Looking for more ways to use puff pastry? Don’t miss our easy Blueberry Puff Pastry Tarts and Jam Puff Pastry Twists.
Easy Strawberry Cream Cheese Puff Pastry
This Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish is one of those pastries that’s super simple but looks so impressive. It’s sweet, the puff pastry is delightfully flaky, and it requires very simple ingredients. The top is braided, which gives it a bit of a fancy touch, and it pairs so nicely with a mug of coffee.
For ease, I use strawberry jam in this strawberry puff pastry recipe but I’ve also included notes on using fresh strawberries as well. Whether you use jam or fresh berries, this is a wonderful summer treat for the morning or after dinner dessert!
Ingredients Needed
As I mentioned, there are just 7 ingredients in this strawberry danish.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Cream cheese – I used regular cream cheese for this, but if you want to try a strawberry cream cheese, or mixed berry cream cheese, feel free to do so. If you get even more creative with other types of cream cheese, make sure to choose sweet cream cheeses, and not savory ones.
- Powdered sugar – I prefer the smooth texture that powdered sugar provides, but you can also use granulated sugar or brown sugar.
- Puff pastry dough – You can try this with refrigerated pie crust as well, though you won’t get the airiness of a puff pastry.
- Strawberry jam – You can also use other jam flavors if desired.
- (optional) Orange or lemon zest – Mixed with the jam for a citrus flavor.
- Milk – Whole, 2%, and skim milk all work.
- Vanilla – To flavor the glaze.
- Turbinado sugar – This gives the shell a nice textural crunch, but you can replace the turbinado sugar with granulated sugar.
Can I Use Fresh Strawberries instead of Jam?
Instead of using strawberry jam, you can use actual fresh strawberries. Macerate (soak) the strawberries in some sugar for about 15 minutes, then add them in place of the strawberry jam. You will need about 3/4 cup of diced strawberries.
Use Refrigerated Puff Pastry
How to Make Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish
Here are the few steps in this easy puff pastry recipe.
(Scroll down to the printable recipe card for details and measurements, and don’t miss the video below.)
- Beat the cream cheese. With an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth.
- Prepare the puff pastry. Lay one of the puff pastry sheets on the sheet pan. Use a knife to cut strips on each side of the pastry sheet, leaving the middle one completely intact.
- Add the filling. Add half of the cream cheese mixture to the center of the pastry sheet, smoothing it out to cover the entire section. Top with the strawberry jam.
- Braid the pastry. Fold the top slits of the pastry sheets and cross them into a wide V over the filling. Continue with the rest of the strips, creating a braid-like pattern.
- Bake. Coat the top of the danish with milk and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake at 375F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top turns golden brown.
- Add the glaze. Let the danish cool for 15 minutes then add the glaze. Stir the powdered sugar and milk to create a pourable consistency and drizzle over the top of the danish.
Tips for Braiding the Danish
If you’re worried about creating the perfect braid, here are a few tips that may help.
- Make sure the strips are even on both sides. It is important to get the same amount of strips on both sides of the pastry. If you are worried about it, use a ruler as a guide to mark where to cut one side, and then the other.
- How to handle the end strips. When braiding this pastry at a downward angle, you will run into the last two, awkward strips that can’t fit directly on the pastry. It is normal to run out of room on the pastry with these last two strips, so don’t stress about them. You can either set them directly below the previous ones or fold them under the pastry slightly.
- Make sure they don’t stick to the pan. If you don’t have any parchment paper, you can spray the sheet pan with cooking spray. This pastry isn’t in too much danger of sticking unless the inside drips out, so make sure that your strips aren’t cut too far in if you decide to use cooking spray.
Video: How to Make Strawberry Danish
Can I Cut This Recipe In Half?
This strawberry puff pastry recipe makes 2 large danishes. When sliced, it’s enough to feed a pretty big crowd. If you are making these for a smaller group and would like just 1 danish, just cut the ingredients in half. Everything else about the recipe will stay the same.
How to Store
- Storing leftovers. You can store any leftovers you may have in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can reheat it in the oven or microwave if you’d like it warmed.
- To freeze. You can also wrap the danish and store in the freezer for up to one month. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator and heat in the oven at about 275 degrees F for about 10 minutes.
More Strawberry Desserts:
- Strawberry Sauce
- Strawberry Cobbler
- Easy Strawberry Cake
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble
- Easy Strawberry Pie
- Strawberry Scones
- Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish
Ingredients
For the Danish
- 8 ounce package cream cheese , softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 17.3 ounce box puff pastry dough (2 sheets), thawed but refrigerated
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
- 1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest (optional)
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
For the Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a hand electric mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together in a medium bowl until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Prepare both puff pastry sheets by unfolding and laying one out on the baking sheet.
- The puff pastry should already be divided into three separate vertical sections based on the fold. The middle section will stay intact and is where you will put the filling. The outer two sections will be where you create slits to fold the pastry closed using a braiding pattern.
- Use a knife to cut 1-inch strips (like tassels), starting at the fold, on both sides of the pastry sheet. You will need to cut an even amount of strips on both sides. All the strips will still be connected to the middle at the fold in the pastry dough.
- Divide the cream cheese filling between your two pastry sheets onto each center section and smooth to cover the entire section.
- Mix the strawberry jam with orange or lemon zest (if using) and top the cream cheese filling with 1/4 cup of the jam for each pastry.
- On each pastry, take both of the top, matching outer slits and fold them over each other into the middle at a slight downward angle, crossing and in a very wide V, so they lay on top of the cream cheese filling. Then do the next two slits further down, crossing them just under the first two slits, repeating until all of the slits have been folded into the center in a simple 2 strand pattern that looks like a braid.
- Use a pastry brush to coat the top of the danish with milk, wetting the visible part of each strand of the braid completely.
- Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top.
- Place each pastry in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top of the Danish starts to turn golden brown.
- Let each danish cool for 15 minutes, or until the outside is slightly warm to the touch, before making the glaze.
- Prepare the optional glaze by stirring together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until it reaches a thick, yet pourable consistency. (Add more powdered sugar or milk in order to get the consistency that you want.)
- Pour the glaze over the top of the Danish, let set, slice and serve.MAKE ONLY 1 DANISH: This recipe makes 2 large danishes. If you are making these for a smaller group and would like just 1 danish, just cut the ingredients in half. Everything else about the recipe will stay the same.
The braid takes a bit of time, but the rest is easy. I used a pizza cutter. It’s lovely and delicious.
This came out beautiful – just like the pictures! I think I’ll make blueberry next time.