Cream Cheese Danish

From the flaky puff pastry to the sweet creamy filling, to the bright lemon glaze, this Cheese Danish is an easy, yet irresistible, brunch recipe.

This recipe for Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Danish comes together easily and makes a show-stopping addition to any brunch, especially when paired with Spinach Frittata, Quiche Lorraine, Strawberry Spinach Salad, and/or Oven Baked Bacon.

I have been making cream cheese puff pastry danishes for decades. It has become a staple brunch recipe, and one my friends and family beg me to make again and again.

And I am happy to oblige to their request!

While this cream cheese puff pastry danish is a stunner, it is the easiest recipe for preparing a homemade danish. But I may just keep that our little secret, and continue to wow my guests at brunch😉

Notes on Ingredients

• Puff Pastry: This is one recipe in that I do rely on a packaged ingredient. Store-bought puff pastry is puff pastry makes these danishes incredibly easy to prepare. Both refrigerated and frozen puff pastry work for this recipe. If you do use frozen puff pastry, be sure to place it in the refrigerator to thaw the day before making these danishes, as you want the pastry to thaw slowly in a chilled environment. And while I personally opt to use puff pastry without hydrogenated oils, this recipe works with any brand of puff pastry you have on hand.
• Cream Cheese: You can use regular cream cheese or low-fat cream cheese, but do not use fat-free cream cheese as the flavor will not be the same.
• Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is the best choice of sweetener to use for this recipe, as it will dissolve perfectly into the cream cheese and is used for the glaze on the pastry as well.
• Eggs: An egg yolk is used for the filling of the danish and a whole egg is used for an egg wash that helps give the pastry its beautiful golden color.
• Fresh Lemons: I use the lemon zest and lemon juice in the cream cheese filling for a pop of flavor and the fresh lemon juice to make the glaze. The lemon really pairs beautifully with the sweetened cream cheese to add citrus notes and balance the overall sweetness of these danishes.

How to Make a Cheese Danish Using Puff Pastry

• Prepare the cream cheese filling. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon zest, egg, vanilla, and lemon juice until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set the mixture aside.

• Prepare Puff Pastry. Unroll the puff pastry and place it on a lightly floured surface or piece of parchment paper. Very gently, roll out the pastry, using a rolling pin, just enough to remove the creases from the dough.
• Fill Danish. Spread cream cheese filling down the center of the puff pastry, in about a 2-3 inch wide section. If you are adding any toppings to your danish, add them to the top of the cream cheese mixture at this time.

• Braid Dough. Cut ½ inch diagonal strips up each side of the dough and then fold those pieces over the filling, alternating sides to resemble a braided pattern. Tuck any excess dough under the ends to seal the danish.

• Brush with Egg Wash. In a small bowl, mix together an egg with 1 tablespoon of water. And then use that egg wash to brush the exposed puff pastry. This will help the danish to get golden brown with baked.

• Bake Puff Pastry Danish. Bake until golden brown and the puff pastry has browned and is cooked through.

• Cool. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet onto a cooling rack and let cool for 15-20 minutes before glazing.
• Prepare Glaze. While the pastry is cooling, mix together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. You want the mixture to drizzle slowly off a fork. Add 1 tablespoon more powdered sugar at a time to thicken or ½ teaspoon more lemon juice to thin.

• Glaze Pastry. Drizzle the lemon glaze over the cream cheese danish after it has fully cooled.

Preparing in Advance

This cream cheese pastry is perfect for entertaining at breakfast or brunch, not only because it is an easy, show-stopping recipe, but also because it can be prepped in advance, making it that much easier to wow your guests!

• Prepare the danish as directed up to the egg wash. Place the baking tray, with the assembled danish, directly in the freezer and freeze for several hours or overnight until the danish has frozen solid.
• Once frozen, you can carefully remove the danish and tray from the freezer, and place it in an airtight container, or wrap it well in plastic wrap and foil.
• When ready to bake, place frozen pastry onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and brush with an egg wash. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees F, or until golden brown.
• Glaze as directed.

 More Brunch Recipes

• Mini Breakfast Quiche
• Easy Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
• Green Chile Egg Casserole
• Homemade Breakfast Sausage
• Overnight French Toast Casserole
• Blueberry Coffee Cake

If you enjoyed this cream cheese danish, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below. Also, be sure to let us know what your favorite flavor topping is!

This post was orginally published in 2019 but was updated in 2023.