Puff Pastry Danishes

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.

{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!