This easy shortcut recipe for a strawberry danish is made with store-bought puff pastry dough, a sweet cream cheese filling, and ripe juicy strawberries. Buttery, flaky, and sweet, this recipe is perfect for a decadent breakfast or brunch!
This is one of my Breakfast recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
I don’t know about you, but I could definitely go for a little sweet treat… for breakfast!
A danish is my favorite pastry of all time, but a lot of the time, my patience for making my own dough (especially in the morning), is basically nonexistent.
But that’s where the store-bought puff pastry comes into play! I love to grab a box when I’m at the store and keep it on hand in my freezer.
It thaws relatively quickly, so I can just toss it in the refrigerator the night before.
You’ll love how easy this is to put together (and customize!), and one bite of the perfectly flaky crust, sweet creamy center, and ripe juicy strawberries, and you’ll be in heaven!
What do I need to make this recipe?
- Puff pastry – my favorite brand is Pepperidge Farm, and it’s located in the frozen foods department of larger grocery stores.
- Cream cheese – I’ve only tested this recipe with full fat cream cheese, but I suspect it would work well with lower fat versions as well.
- Granulated sugar – this adds the subtle sweetness to the cream cheese mixture.
- Vanilla extract – I prefer to use real vanilla, versus the clear imitation vanilla extract.
- Strawberries – I’ve only tested this with fresh strawberries that have been sliced.
- Cornstarch – this is used to thicken the strawberries so they don’t release too much juice as they’re baked.
- Butter – you can use salted or unsalted, whichever you have on hand.
- Powdered sugar – for the glaze I do highly recommend using powdered sugar versus granulated.
- Milk – I have whole milk on hand all the time, so that’s what this recipe was tested with. However, lower fat milks will likely work just as well.
How to make strawberry cream cheese danish?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Make the filling. The trick here is to make sure the cream cheese is softened, otherwise you won’t be able to have a smooth creamy filling.
- Prepare the dough. Use a sharp knife here, or a pizza cutter.
- Make strawberry mixture. Just give the sliced berries and cornstarch a good stir to combine.
- Fill the centers. Try to leave a small border between the filling and the edges of the dough, then top cream cheese mixture with the strawberries.
- Brush with butter. Just along the edges, where there’s no filling.
- Bake. This should take around 20 minutes.
- Make glaze. No fancy tools needed for this, just a whisk or fork.
- Drizzle and serve. Drizzle on the glaze as liberally as you’d like.
Helpful Tip!
Using store-bought puff pastry dough is a great shortcut that saves you tons of time, and take the intimidation factor out of making pastries. We like Pepperidge Farm brand (that’s found in the freezer section of most grocery stores), but feel free to use whichever brand you like best. If you feel ambitious, you can also make your own homemade puff pastry dough as well!
Variations of this recipe
- Lemon glaze – if you’re a lemon fan, feel free to add some lemon zest or juice to the glaze ingredients.
- Different berries – raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are great alternatives for the strawberries.
- Jam – some strawberry jam or preserves can be swirled into the cream cheese mixture to really punch up the strawberry flavor.
- Powdered sugar – I never have an issue with graininess, but if you’re concerned, you can use an equal amount of powdered sugar to replace the granulated sugar in the cream cheese mixture.
- One large danish – for a stunning presentation, you can make one long “braided” danish and slice it for your guests/family. See the “chef tips” section below the recipe for the full details.
- Egg wash – instead of the melted butter, whisk together an egg and about 1 Tbsp of water. Brush that on the edges of the puff pastry before baking.
FAQ’s
I’ve only tested this recipe with full fat cream cheese, however, I think it could work with lower fat varieties, as well as Neufchatel (which is lower in fat than cream cheese), or marscapone.
I tend to think it could be, but I haven’t tested it specifically. We never have enough leftover to freeze since we all love it so much!
The cornstarch is added to keep the berries from getting too juicy during baking. It can be omitted, but you run the risk of your danish being a bit wet in the middle.
Making danish ahead of time
This shortcut danish is great to assemble ahead of time! I don’t recommend baking it entirely ahead of time, but it can definitely be prepped ahead.
- Filling – the filling can be whipped up and kept refrigerated until ready to use.
- Strawberries – the berries can be sliced ahead of time and kept refrigerated for a day or so.
Storage
Leftover danish should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days, although I find they taste best the day they’re made.
To reheat, add a slice of the danish to the microwave for about 10 seconds to warm.
More Sweet Breakfast/Brunch Recipes:
My Favorite Hand Mixer!
I’ve had this mixer for years, and it still works just as well as it did the day I got it. It’s perfect for making homemade no churn ice cream!
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Ingredients
Danish
- 17.3 oz package puff pastry sheets
- 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
Sweet glaze
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar whisked to remove any lumps
- 4 tsp whole milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare
- Set out puff pastry package out of the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F, and line a large baking sheet (or two smaller ones) with parchment paper.
Make the filling
- In a large mixing bowl, add cream cheese, granulated sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Beat with a handheld mixer until well combined and creamy.
Make strawberry mixture
- In another mixing bowl, add sliced strawberries and cornstarch. Stir well, until cornstarch has sort of melted into the berries
Prepare puff pastry sheets
- On a clean countertop or large cutting board, add a sheet of puff pastry. Use a rolling pin to roll it out to a rectangle roughly 10×13".
- Slice in half, and then slice each half into 3 even pieces, so you have 6 in total.
- Repeat with the remaining puff pastry sheet.
- ** Optional ** Use a butter knife to gently score a smaller rectangle inside each piece, leaving about 1/2 – 1" of a border. (this helps you keep the filling away from the edges of the puff pastry)
Assemble
- Carefully spread about 2 Tbsp of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each piece of puff pastry dough, leaving that border around the edge.
- Repeat with remaining pieces of puff pastry, then evenly divide the strawberries over the top of the cream cheese mixture.
Brush with butter
- Use a pastry brush, or your fingertips, and brush the edges with the melted butter.
Bake
- Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Make glaze
- While danish is in the oven, add the glaze ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine until smooth.
Drizzle and serve
- Once the danish is finished baking, let cool a few minutes, then drizzle liberally with the glaze and serve warm.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- I estimate this recipe will serve approximately 12, but that can be adjusted based on your preferences.
Large “braided” danish:
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix cream cheese mixture as directed, and mix strawberries and cornstarch as directed.
- Unroll the puff pastry and use a rolling pin to roll it out a bit to flatten it.
- Carefully cut slits, about 1.5-2” long and 1” apart going down the side of the sheet. Repeat on opposite side.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture down the center of the puff pastry sheet, leaving a small border between the mixture and the slits.
- Top cream cheese mixture with strawberries.
- Cross the strips over the top of the strawberries, alternating from one side, then the other, overlapping the ends in the middle.
- Brush the top with melted butter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.
- Pastry will be puffed up, but will settle as it cools. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet.
- While pastry is cooling, add glaze ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until creamy and smooth.
- Drizzle glaze over the top of the baked pastry.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
tisha says
This strawberry danish recipe is a breeze, using store-bought puff pastry, sweet cream cheese filling, and ripe, juicy strawberries. It’s a delicious, quick treat that’s perfect for satisfying your pastry cravings!
April says
I want to eat these every day, they’re soooooo delicious.
Sandra says
Made these yesterday and they turned out amazing! Easy to make and delicious, they’re my favorite breakfast or brunch this summer!
Catalina says
I made the Easy Strawberry Danish for brunch and everyone loved it! It was so simple to make but tasted incredible. The perfect blend of sweet and tart. A new favorite in our household!
Beth says
As much as I love the flavor of these, what I love even more is that I don’t have to do any braiding or pinwheeling of dough. These are so simple!
Krystle Smith says
I recently made this for brunch and everyone loved it! The cream cheese filling turned out creamy and sweet.
Michelle says
I made these for a baby shower and they turned out great! Followed instructions exactly as written, no changes. Next time we’re doing family brunch I will try the braided pastry option but the individual danishes worked great for the party.