Strawberry Danish (with Cream Cheese) - Olives + Thyme (2024)

Strawberry danish is a buttery and flaky Danish pastry made with frozen puff pastry, a creamy sweetened cream cheese filling and fresh strawberries. Top these easy to make strawberry cream cheese danishes withwarm strawberry jam or a vanilla glaze. They’re the perfect quick, simple and beautiful breakfast or dessert treat.

Why Should You Make This Recipe

Ingredients

This easy and delicious strawberry cream cheese puff pastry recipe requires only a handful of ingredients to make. Here’s what you need.

• Cream Cheese Filling: Gather cream cheese, vanilla extract and powdered sugar.
• Fresh Strawberry Filling: Fresh sliced strawberries, sugar and cornstarch.
• Puff Pastry: Gather store bought or homemade puff pastry sheets, an egg and sugar for topping.
• Optional Toppings: Strawberry jam, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk.

Substitutions

These strawberry and cream cheese danish pastries are meant to be quick, easy and delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions for this danish recipe if you need them.

• Cream Cheese: A block of Philadelphia cream cheese is my preferred cream cheese for everything from dips to cheesecakes.
• Powdered Sugar: This is used to sweeten the cream cheese filling. Feel free to use your preferred granulated sugar or powdered sugar alternative such as Lakanto.
• Vanilla Extract: This is purely for flavor and to enhance the flavors of the strawberries and cream cheese.
• Strawberries: Fresh is best for this strawberry danish recipe. This recipe has not been tested with frozen strawberries. If you want to try, make sure to thaw, pat dry and then slice frozen strawberries.
• Cornstarch: This is used to thicken the fresh strawberries and to catch any juices that leak while baking. Feel free to use flour or arrowroot in place of the cornstarch.
• Sugar: Feel free to use any sugar you have on hand.
• Puff Pastry Sheets: Feel free to use homemade puff pastry if you like. I love using store bought puff pastry sheets. Make this strawberry danish recipe gluten free by using gluten free puff pastry.
• Egg: An egg wash brushed on the strawberry puff pastry danishes creates a lovely golden brown color after baking. Feel free to omit if needed.
• Strawberry Jam: Strawberries tend to loose a bit of the vibrant red color after baking. I like to brush on some warm strawberry jam to add a bit of color back into the berries. The jam is optional for this danish recipe.
• Glaze: Like the strawberry jam, a glaze is completely optional. The strawberry cream cheese pastries would also taste wonderful with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Variations

• Lemon Glaze: Top the baked strawberry danishes with a fresh lemon glaze by mixing ½ - ¾ cup (60 - 90 g) powdered sugar with 2 - 4 teaspoons (10 - 20 ml) fresh lemon juice. Drizzle on the cooled danishes.
• Strawberry Danish without Cream Cheese: To make this strawberry danish recipe with no cream cheese, simply swap the cream cheese filling for strawberry jam. Prepare the puff pastry as written in the recipe. Prick or “dock” the interior rectangle with a fork. Brush a teaspoon of strawberry jam across the bottom. Layer the fresh sliced strawberries on top of the jam. Follow the rest of the recipe as written.
• Braided Strawberry Danish: Rather than cutting one pastry “sheet”into 6 smaller rectangles, use the sheet to create on larger braided strawberry danish. Prepare the puff pastry by locating the two outer rectangles. The center rectangle is for the cream cheese and strawberry filling. Start with one of the outer rectangles. Diagonally cut 1 inch slits from the outer edge of the puff pastry through to the outer edge of the center rectangle meant for the filling. Fill the center rectangle with the cream cheese and strawberries. Braid the strips in towards the center to cover the filling. Bake as directed in the recipe.

How To Make

Learn how to make strawberry danishes in a few easy steps.

Prepare the Strawberry Danish

1. Add the cleaned and sliced strawberries, sugar and cornstarch to a mixing bowl. Mix all the ingredients to ensure all the strawberries are well coated. Allow the berries to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Make sure to pull the puff pastry to thaw at room temperature for about 30 - 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In another mixing bowl, mix the room temperature cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust the flavor as needed.
3. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry to form a square. Cut the puff pastry along the folded lines. Cut each of the long rectangles in half in the center to form two smaller rectangles of puff pastry. There should be six smaller rectangles total. With a small pairing knife, score or gently cut into the dough, but not all the way through a boarder about ¼ inch from the edges of the puff pastry rectangle. Smooth 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of cream cheese filling into the center of the puff pastry. Stay inside the borders of the smaller rectangle.

Bake and Serve the Strawberry Danish

4. Decoratively layer the fresh strawberries on top of the cream cheese filling. Lightly brush the edges of the puff pastry with the lightly beaten egg. Sprinkle the entire danish with sugar if you like. If the puff pastry has gotten a bit warm or sticky, transfer the baking sheet with the prepped strawberry danishes into the fridge to chill for 15 - 20 minutes. Chilling helps the puff pastry dough puff up really beautifully. Bake the strawberry cream cheese danish for 20 -25 minutes or until the pastries are a light golden brown color.
5. Cool the strawberry danish on the hot baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature. Top each strawberry danishes with warm strawberry jam, and with a dusting of powdered sugar. If you prefer a vanilla glaze, whisk ½ - ¾ cup (60 - 90 g) powdered sugar with 1 - 2 tablespoons (30 - 45 ml) milk and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Drizzle on top of the cooled danishes and enjoy.

How To Store, Freeze and Thaw

• Store: Transfer any leftover strawberry puff pastry danishes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 - 3 days. Strawberry danishes are fine to enjoy at room temperature within 2 - 3 hours after baking. Make sure to warm them in the toast or oven for the best strawberry danish flavor.
• Freeze: I do not recommend freezing these cream cheese and strawberry puff pastries. The texture of the strawberries after thawing won’t be the same. However, if you want to try, flash freeze completely cooled danishes on a baking sheet for 20 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container to store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• Thaw: Remove the frozen danishes from the freezer to thaw at room temperature for an hour or in the fridge for a few hours.

M’s Expert Tips

• Prepare the pastries on the baking sheet.This is the easiest way to ensure the pastries stay intact.
• Don’t overfill the puff pastry. 1 - 1 ½ tablespoons of cream cheese filling is the perfect amount for these strawberry puff pastry danishes. 5 - 6 slices of fresh strawberries is also perfect. Any more cream cheese filling or berries will make it difficult for the puff pastry dough to hold and puff up while baking.
• Use a cookie scoop. Using a small, 1 tablespoon cookie scoop makes adding the filling to the puff pastries super quick and easy.
• Make sure the strawberries are dry. Before slicing the strawberries, wash and pat dry the strawberries. After slicing the berries, make sure to pat them dry once again. Then mix with the sugar and cornstarch.

FAQs

Other Strawberry Recipes To Try

• Strawberry Glaze
• Strawberry Bars
• Strawberry Dump Cake
• Strawberry Angel Food Cake

If you try this Strawberry Danish recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking!