Sweet cream cheese and fresh fruit are nestled into buttery, flaky puff pastry to make an irresistible fruit and cream cheese danish. Choose your favorite fruit—raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, or peaches—to create a flavor combination you love.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Simplicity — These fruit and cream cheese danishes are quick and straightforward. Using store-bought puff pastry keeps the process easy, and you can have fresh danishes on the table in about 45 minutes. They’re an attractive, impressive choice for weekend breakfasts or guests.
Texture — Each bite delivers juicy fruit, smooth cream cheese, and flaky pastry. The contrast of soft filling and crisp layers makes every mouthful satisfying.
Flavor — Tangy cream cheese paired with sweet, ripe fruit and rich, buttery pastry is a classic combination. Swap fruits or mix a few to enjoy a variety of flavors and colors.
Ingredients
- Puff pastry — One sheet of frozen puff pastry (thaw in the fridge before using). This recipe yields six danishes; double the sheet if you want more.
- Cream cheese — Full-fat, brick-style cream cheese at room temperature for easy spreading.
- Fruit — Any soft, fresh fruit works well: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches, or a mix.
- Sugar — Granulated sugar for the cream cheese and the fruit.
- Cornstarch — Thickens juices released by the fruit during baking; don’t skip it.
- Vanilla — Adds warmth and depth to the cream cheese filling and optional icing.
- Egg — For an egg wash to brown the pastry edges (optional but recommended).
- Jam — Optional warmed jam or preserves brushed on after baking to give the fruit a glossy finish.
See the recipe card further down for precise amounts and a printable version.
Fruit Toppings for the Cream Cheese Danish
Popular choices include:
- Strawberry
- Raspberry
- Cherry
- Blueberry
- Blackberry
- Peach
A raspberry danish is a favorite, but cherry and peaches-and-cream are also excellent. Feel free to mix fruits for added color and variety.
How to Make this Recipe
One: Mix the cream cheese with granulated sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Two: Lightly roll the thawed puff pastry to about 1/8″ thickness, keeping a rectangle shape. Cut into six even pieces.
Three: Use a paring knife tip to score a 1cm border inside each rectangle without cutting all the way through.
Four: Spoon about a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese filling into the center of each scored rectangle and smooth to the border.
Five: Prepare the fruit: hull and slice strawberries, pit and slice cherries or peaches, and leave berries whole. Toss fruit gently with sugar and cornstarch to coat.
Six: Spoon roughly 1/4 cup of fruit into the center of each cream cheese-filled pastry, keeping it inside the scored border.
Hot tip! Be gentle when tossing and placing fruit so berries stay intact.
Seven: Brush the exposed pastry edges with egg wash (egg whisked with a splash of water). Bake until golden and bubbly.
Eight: Warm a few tablespoons of jam and brush over the fruit for shine. Optionally, drizzle a simple vanilla icing made from powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
Hot tip! Avoid letting egg wash drip over the scored border, which can seal the layers and prevent proper puffing.
Expert Tips
- Trim any uneven or sealed edges with a sharp knife for the best puff.
- Brush away excess flour from the pastry before adding filling to help layers rise evenly.
- Keep the assembled pastries very cold before baking; chilling improves flakiness.
- Serve warm for the flakiest texture and best flavor—reheat briefly to refresh crispness.
Substitutions & Variations
- Double the ingredients and use two sheets of puff pastry to make 12 danishes.
- Mix different fruits together or divide the filling and top half with one fruit and half with another for variety.
- Use cookie cutters to create different shapes; press straight down and lift up to avoid compressing layers.
- For frozen fruit, thaw fully, drain if needed, and add 1 tablespoon cornstarch instead of 1/2 tablespoon to account for extra moisture.
Making the Danish with Rough Puff Pastry
If you prefer to make pastry from scratch, rough puff pastry is an excellent, quicker alternative to classic puff pastry. It produces similar flaky layers with less effort and can be used in this recipe for equally delicious results.
You can make rough puff pastry ahead of time and proceed with the same assembly and baking steps described above.
Recipe FAQs
No. Both are laminated doughs, but Danish pastry is yeast-leavened while puff pastry is not. Puff pastry produces very flaky layers without yeast.
Yes. Assemble up through spreading the cream cheese, cover the pastries tightly, and refrigerate. Keep the prepared fruit separate and toss with sugar and cornstarch just before baking. Add fruit and egg wash just prior to placing in the oven.
Danishes are best eaten fresh. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to one day; the pastry will soften. Re-crisp in a 400°F oven for 5–7 minutes if desired.
Storage
Store baked danishes at room temperature for up to one day, or covered in the refrigerator for an additional day. To freeze, wrap each danish in plastic wrap, place in a freezer bag, and freeze up to one month. To reheat from frozen, bake at 400°F for about 10 minutes until warmed through and crisped.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
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Strawberry Almond Bostock Pastry with Croissant
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Pumpkin Sour Cream Muffins
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Easy Jumbo Blueberry Muffins (Bakery Style)
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Pecan Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
Recommended Tools
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📖Recipe
Fruit and Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Danish
Callan Wenner
Equipment
- Rolling pin
- Paring knife
- Pastry brush (optional)
- Rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 4 oz full fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 sheet puff pastry (or homemade rough puff)
- 1½ cups fresh fruit (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, cherry, peach)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (for fruit)
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
- Jam, jelly, or preserves (optional, for glaze)
Vanilla Icing
- ½ cup powdered sugar (60g)
- 1–2 tablespoons milk or water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Mix soft cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
- Roll dough to 1/8″–1/4″ thickness. Cut into six shapes and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Lightly score a 1/2″ border inside each piece without cutting through.
- Add about a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese to each center and spread to the scored border.
- Chill the assembled pastries while you prepare the fruit—cold pastry puffs better.
- Prep fruit: hull/pit and slice as needed; leave small berries whole.
- Toss fruit with sugar and cornstarch, mixing gently.
- Whisk an egg with a splash of water for the egg wash.
- Assemble: Add approximately 1/4 cup fruit to each cream cheese center.
- Brush exposed pastry edges with egg wash, avoiding the scored border.
- Bake 20–25 minutes until the edges are golden and flaky.
- Warm a few tablespoons of jam and brush over the fruit for shine. Optionally, drizzle vanilla icing made from powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Store baked danishes at room temperature for one day, or covered in the refrigerator for an additional day. Re-crisp in a 400°F oven for 5–7 minutes if needed.
To freeze, wrap individually in plastic wrap, place in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to one month. Bake from frozen at 400°F for about 10 minutes.
Carbohydrates: 44 g
Protein: 7 g
Fat: 17 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g
Sugar: 23 g
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving.