Puff Pastry Apple Strudel
Make a flaky puff pastry apple strudel filled with warm spiced apples and a hint of cinnamon. Perfect for a cozy dessert or a treat with coffee. Easy and flavorful!
It is one of the best puff pastry desserts to make in fall and winter.
Making the original Viennese apple strudel recipe can be a bit intimidating knowing you have to make your own dough, roll it out thin and then fold it carefully with the filling inside.
I used store-bought flaky pastry to simplify the preparation and more importantly so that everyone can make it at home in a fraction of time with simple ingredients. It is not the real deal but tastes as good as the original!
How to make apple strudel with puff pastry
You will need:
- Apples
- Sugar – Regular white sugar (either granulated or superfine).
- Cinnamon – A popular fall and winter spice that goes so well with apples.
- Whole star anise – This is optional, but it does add an extra flavor to this recipe.
- Butter – This is a must! No substitutions here. I used unsalted butter.
- Cornstarch – This is to thicken the apple filling.
- Puff pastry
- Powdered sugar – For dusting just before serving. It is completely optional, but it does make the puff pastry strudel look better.
What tools to use?
- Cutting board and knife – for coring, peeling and dicing the apples
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Small bowl and spoon – To prepare cornstarch slurry
- Medium saucepan – To make the apple pie filling
- Baking sheet/tray and parchment paper
- Pastry brush
- Spoon
- Rolling pin and a little flour for dusting – These are not needed if you bought pre-rolled puff pastry!
The preparation
We start with making the apple filling. Peeled, cored and diced apples go to a saucepan together with sugar, cardamom and cinnamon.
We let them simmer until they are soft. This can take 15-20 minutes, and the length will depend on the softness and type of the fruit you use.
Then we add butter to make it creamier and tastier. When ready, there should be plenty of juice, so we need to thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. After this we let it cool down.
Next step is filling the puff pastry. If you bought frozen one, you must let it thaw following the package instructions. Note that you will only need ½ of the package if it comes with 2 sheets. You might also need to roll it out a bit. It should not be thick.
If you bought the pre-rolled from the chilled section, all you need to do is take it out from the packaging and fill it.
This filling can be also used to make an apple pie.
Recipe FAQ
When warm, it tastes delicious as is, but if you like you can add a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.
Keep it either in the fridge for 3 days or on your counter or in your pantry for up to 2 days. Store it either in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil. Now that being said, puff pastry strudel is best enjoyed shortly after being taken out from the oven. The crispy crust tastes the best!
You can serve it both ways, but I recommend eating it warm! Especially with this puff pastry strudel recipe, the flaky pastry and warm apple filling are the tastiest.
Useful tips
- If you are wondering what kind of apples are best for apple strudel, know that any will work. I prefer cooking apples or those that are not way to soft or mushy on the inside. Here are some options: Granny Smith (the tart green variety), Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Royal Gala, Fuji. A combo of any of those will work great too!
- You can use either white or brown sugar. Dark muscovado sugar will also work just fine.
More apple recipes
Puff Pastry Apple Strudel
Ingredients
- 4 apples , medium-sized, (3 cups diced and peeled), see note 1
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams) + 1 teaspoon, see note 2
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 whole star anise
- 2 ounces butter (60 grams) + 1 tablespoon
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 sheet puff pastry (about 8.5 ounce/240 grams), see note 3
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Place a medium saucepan on the stove. Add apples, 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon and star anise and 1/8 cup water. Turn on the stove to high. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the apples are tender.
- Add 2 ounces of butter and shortly after a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water). Mix until the liquid thickens. Turn off and set aside to cool down.
- When the sauce is cooled down, preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit/200 Celsius.
- Meanwhile: Place the rolled-out puff pastry sheet (you might need to roll it out if you have frozen pastry) onto a baking sheet/tray lined with parchment paper. Spoon the apple pie filling in the middle of the sheet, lengthwise. Fold over one side, then another. Pinch the edges together.
- With the help of the parchment paper, roll carefully the strudel over so that the folded part is at the bottom. Score the top of the pastry with a knife like if you were to slice it for serving. This will make it easier to cut for serving but also creates holes so that the steam can escape, and pastry can puff nicely.
- Brush with melted butter (1 tablespoon) and sprinkle with a teaspoon of granulated sugar.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and nicely puffed.
- Best enjoyed warm the same day as is or with a scoop of ice cream!
Notes
- Granny Smith, Fiji, Golden Delicious, Gala,… they will all work but might have slightly different cooking times.
- You can use either granulated sugar, brown or demerara.
- Use any puff pastry that you usually buy. I normally work with a sheet of pre-rolled chilled pastry that is about 9 ounces in weight. If you buy frozen pastry, you will need to thaw it following the package instructions. If you have 2 sheets in the packaging weighting 17 ounces, thaw 1 sheet only!
I made this today with honey crisp apples and puff pastry. I followed your recipe word for word but did add some chopped dates to the apples while cooking. It turned out beautiful and delicious and served vanilla ice cream with it. A beautiful dessert.
Hi Joyce. Thanks a lot for your feedback and rating! It means a lot!