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Elegant and easy to make, Puff Pastry Danishes are flaky, crispy-edged breakfast pastries that you can customize for everyone at your table. This easy danish recipe comes together almost too quickly to be believed.
Puff Pastry Danish
These danishes may not be exactly the same as their very labor-intensive traditional counterparts, but they are a delightful, super-fast substitute.
While you most certainly can use homemade pastry in this recipe, I generally use frozen puff pastry. The frozen stuff is just too convenient!
To make these even more quickly, I prep all the filling ingredients the night before and then just assemble and bake them in the morning.
Danish with Puff Pastry
To make these breakfast beauties, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Cream cheese
- Sugar
- Egg
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla extract
- Puff pastry
- Water
- Jam, jelly, and/or chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
You may be tempted to try using pie filling instead of jam or jelly, but I don’t recommend it. I found it to be a little too watery for these danishes.
These are best enjoyed the same day they are made. Don’t get me wrong, these are still good 24 hours later, they just don’t have the same crispness after the first day.
Puff Pastry Danish Recipe
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. To prepare the filling, use a hand mixer or sturdy spoon to beat the cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Beat in the egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla until well combined. Set this aside.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll each puff pastry sheet into a 12 x 12 inch square.
Cut each into 9 pieces. Prick with a fork three or four times in the center, leaving an untouched border around the outside edge. Beat the egg white and water together and brush onto each puff pastry square.
Dollop a scant tablespoon of cream cheese filling into the center of each square and then top with a teaspoon of your choice of jam, jelly, or chocolate chips.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until puffy and light golden brown. Use a spatula to transfer them to cool on wire racks.
Whisk together the powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk to start. If it is too thick, you can whisk in additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Drizzle over the top of the danishes.
While these are best served the same day, you can store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
If you make them, let me know what filling you tried! Chocolate chip was my kids’ favorite because they really do love everything chocolate, but I loved the raspberry ones.
Puff Pastry Cream Cheese Danishes
Ingredients
For the filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
For the Danishes
- 2 puff pastry sheets slightly thawed
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1/2 cup jam jelly or chocolate chips
For the glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400º F.
- With a hand mixer or sturdy spoon, beat the cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Beat in the egg yolk, lemon juice and vanilla until well combined. Set aside.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll each puff pastry sheet into a 12 x 12 inch square. Cut each into 9 pieces.
- Prick with a fork 3 to 4 times in the center, leaving an untouched border around the outside edge. Beat the egg white and water together and brush onto each puff pastry square.
- Dollop a scant tablespoon of cream cheese filling into the center of each square and then top with a teaspoon of your choice of jam, jelly, or chocolate chips.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until puffy and lightly golden brown. Use a spatula to transfer them to cool on wire racks.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk to start. If it is too thick, you can whisk in additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Drizzle over the top of the danishes.
- While these are best served the same day, you can store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 7/2/18 – recipe notes and photos updated 3/27/25}
Looking for some more ways to use puff pastry? Try Caramel Apple Puff Pastries or Pumpkin Pie Puff Pastry Turnovers!
These were very easy to make and quite tasty! I was thinking 18 might be too many, but my family proved me wrong … gone in 2 days, no worries! LOL I will definately make this recipe many, many more times. Delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Love these but my cream cheese filling seemed to get crumbly after a day. It did not stay soft and creamy.
Did you store them in the fridge? or on the counter, Carmen? I’ve found that warming them briefly will help with that.
These danishes were very easy to make! I only wished the underside where the filling was had risen a little more, but otherwise they were so good. I used a variety of fillings and we loved the Trader Joe’s Apple Cider Fruit Spread the best.
I’m so glad you like them, Laura!
These were a huge hit at my daughters holiday gathering…
These were so easy to make and yummy!!!!!!!! I’ll definitely make them again!
I’m thrilled that you love them, Paula!
These were the absolute best and easiest recipe. Only 2 were left for the next day and I agree they are better on the day made. I used strawberry preserves for the top and tried just to use the fruit and they were terrific without the icing. Thanks for sharing what will become a family favorite!
I’m glad you’re enjoying them, Elaine!
Truly a wonderful recipe. And very simple too! For a novice like me it was really easy. A quick question though: has anyone figured out what to do with the leftover cream cheese filling, because I’m not quite sure what to do with it?
I’m glad you like the danishes, Maddi. I typically use all of the cream cheese filling, but it would be delicious on pancakes or waffles, on muffins, pretty much any way you think it might be tasty!
I crumbled up a few Graham crackers, melted butter, pressed into cupcake tin and made mini cheesecakes
These are so “bakery shop” looking, so easy and oh so good! My son said he’d rather have these than kolackys I make and they used to be a favorite in the house. I used apricot, raspberry and cherry cans of Solo filling.
I’m so happy to hear that you like them, Jean!
I am 67 and I just learned to make puff pastry so you could be right about the timing thing. I just wanted to tell you it’s not very hard but it is time consuming and it will give you muscles in your arms and back. I’m going to give you the link here if I can make it work for a guy who I learn to make it from and he just has the simplest easiest method. I haven’t made these yet but I’m going to get the ingredients today. I do have quite a large piece of puff pastry that I finish making yesterday In the refrigerator so I’ll be making a ground beef and cheese roll tonight with it and also these danishes I think. I do love a good cheese danish so I’ll let you know how they turn out. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi,
Will it be alright if I use canned pie filling?