Easy Raspberry Danish with Puff Pastry

This simple Raspberry Danish blends fresh raspberries, creamy sweetened cream cheese, and flaky puff pastry to make a perfect breakfast treat or a delightful dessert.

With just six simple ingredients, you can create these puff pastry danishes that are crispy, buttery, creamy, and bursting with fruity flavor.

Why Make This Recipe

• Super simple: Only 6 ingredients, including convenient store-bought puff pastry, and about 15 minutes of hands-on prep – perfect for busy mornings or last-minute desserts.
• Flaky, buttery layers: Puff pastry delivers that irresistible bakery-style crunch and tenderness, wrapping the filling in delicate, buttery folds.
• Celebrate the season: These cream cheese danishes are a fantastic way to showcase fresh, in-season raspberries or swap in whichever berries or fruits you have on hand.

🥗 Ingredients

• Raspberries: Fresh raspberries really shine here, but you can easily use frozen ones if fresh aren’t available. Just thaw them first and gently pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Another idea is to swap them for raspberry jam for an easy shortcut.
• Cream Cheese: Philadelphia is our go-to, but feel free to use any cream cheese brand you love. Just make sure it’s softened for easy mixing.
• Puff Pastry: Store-bought sheets work beautifully here – no need to fuss with homemade dough.
• Powdered Sugar: If you’re out of powdered sugar, you can make your own by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor until it’s powdery. It’s a handy trick!

🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions

Start by thawing your puff pastry sheet in the refrigerator until it’s ready to work with. In a medium bowl, combine 4 ounces of softened cream cheese, ⅓ cup powdered sugar, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat with a mixer until it’s totally smooth and creamy.

A quick tip: taste your raspberries before you start. If they’re really tart, feel free to add a bit more powdered sugar into your cream cheese mixture to balance that tang.

In a small bowl, whisk together one egg, a tablespoon of cold water, and a pinch of salt to create an egg wash. This will help seal and glaze your pastries.

Grab your puff pastry sheet from the fridge. Lightly sprinkle flour over your countertop or a large cutting board to keep the dough from sticking. Roll the dough into a 10.5-inch square, about ⅛-inch thick. As you roll, flip it over and add more flour if you notice sticking—this keeps things smooth.

Use a knife or pizza cutter to slice your pastry into 9 equal squares, each about 3.5 inches by 3.5 inches.

Place a dollop of the cream cheese mixture (just under 1 tablespoon) right in the center of each square.

Then, top each with about 4 raspberries. Next, paint a little egg wash on one corner of the pastry as you fold that corner over to the opposite side. Press gently to seal the edges together.

Set your egg wash back in the fridge for later use.

Now, chill the pastries before baking so they keep their shape and bake up beautifully. If you have a sheet pan that fits inside your freezer, line it with parchment paper, carefully arrange the pastries on it, and pop it in the freezer.

If the sheet pan doesn’t fit, no worries—line a plate with parchment paper and freeze the pastries there instead. Let them freeze for at least 30 minutes, until nice and firm.

While your pastries chill, go ahead and preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once chilled, place the pastries spaced a couple inches apart on a parchment-lined sheet pan (unless they’re already there). Then brush all the exposed pastry tops with that chilled egg wash for a pretty golden finish.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pastries puff up nicely and turn a gorgeous golden brown.

If you like, sprinkle with a little powdered sugar before serving to add a sweet finish.

🧐 Recipe FAQs for Raspberry Danishes

Can you freeze a raspberry danish?

Absolutely! Since freezing before baking is part of the process, these pastries are excellent for making ahead. Freeze them on a plate or sheet pan until firm. If you’re not baking right away, transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. They keep up to 2 months frozen! When it’s time to bake, no need to thaw—just place frozen pastries on a parchment-lined pan, brush with egg wash, and bake. You might need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time.

How long can I store these Raspberry Danishes with Puff Pastry after they are baked?

Because these bites have cream cheese inside, store any leftovers in the fridge where they’ll be good for 3-4 days. For longer storage, freeze baked pastries in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, reheat in a 375-degree oven to bring back that fresh-baked magic.

What is a Danish pastry?

A Danish pastry is a sweet, flaky treat that originally comes from Austrian bakers but became famously popular in Denmark. Traditional Danish dough uses yeast along with flour, butter, milk, eggs, and sugar. It’s rolled out with layers of butter and folded multiple times, creating delicate flakiness. Danishes typically feature toppings or fillings like fruit, custard, chocolate, or nuts. In the U.S., the most popular versions often have sweetened cream cheese and fresh fruit, just like this recipe!

👩‍🍳 Expert Tips

Handling puff pastry dough is the trickiest part, but I promise it’s manageable. The key is thawing it slowly in the fridge. If you’re in a rush, you can thaw it on the counter but keep a close eye. Flip it every 5-10 minutes and check if it’s ready—it should be pliable but still chilly. Work quickly once it’s soft because warm dough gets sticky and hard to shape. If it warms too much, pop it back in the fridge for a bit to firm up.

Don’t stress if a few edges pop open while baking. The goal is to keep filling mostly sealed, but some raspberries might squeeze out and get a little juicy. If that happens, just tuck them back on top before serving—it all tastes delicious either way.

Want to mix things up? Try swapping or adding fruits like blueberries, blackberries, or diced apples for different takes. You can also stir some lemon zest and a splash of lemon juice into the cream cheese for a bright, fresh lemon-raspberry version. The flavor combos are endless and fun to experiment with!

More Recipes to Try

📖 Recipe

Raspberry Danish

Chef Molly

This no-fuss Raspberry Danish combines fresh raspberries, sweetened cream cheese filling, and flaky puff pastry for a breakfast or dessert everyone will love.

4.88 from 58 votes

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Additional Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and refrigerated
• 5 ounces fresh raspberries
• 4 ounces cream cheese softened
• ⅓ cup powdered sugar plus extra to garnish
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg for egg wash
• Flour for sprinkling on cutting board

Instructions

• Place the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl.
• Mix everything together with a hand or stand mixer until nice and smooth. Remember to taste your raspberries—if they’re on the tart side, add a little more powdered sugar to sweeten the filling.
• In a separate small bowl, whisk one egg together with a tablespoon of cold water and a pinch of salt to make your egg wash.
• Take your puff pastry sheet out of the fridge.
• Lightly dust your work surface with flour to keep the dough from sticking.
• Roll out the pastry into about a 10.5-inch square. Flip the dough over and sprinkle on more flour as needed if it starts to stick. Aim for roughly ⅛-inch thickness.
• Cut the dough into 9 equal squares measuring about 3.5 inches on each side.
• Add a dollop of the cream cheese filling (a bit less than one tablespoon) to the center of each square.
• Place about four raspberries on top of the cream cheese. Brush one corner of the pastry with egg wash, fold it over to the opposite corner, and gently press to seal.
• Return the egg wash to the fridge for now.
• Line a small sheet pan with parchment paper and carefully place the pastries on it. Chill them in the freezer to firm up before baking. If your freezer can’t fit a sheet pan, use a parchment-lined plate instead.
• Freeze the pastries for at least 30 minutes until they are firm.
• Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400°F.
• After chilling, place the pastries spaced a couple inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet if you took them off earlier.
• Brush all exposed pastry surfaces with the chilled egg wash.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until pastries are puffed, golden, and cooked through.
• If you want, dust them with powdered sugar before serving for a pretty, sweet touch.

Notes

Make-Ahead Instructions: Because the recipe calls for freezing before baking, you can easily prepare these ahead of time. After shaping, freeze on a plate or sheet pan until firmly frozen. If baking isn’t planned right away, transfer pastries to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze up to 2 months. When ready, bake straight from the freezer with a quick egg wash and possibly a few more minutes in the oven.

Storage Instructions: Store any leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days because of the cream cheese filling. For longer storage, freeze baked pastries in an airtight container for up to 2 months. To serve, reheat in a 375-degree oven until warmed through.

Nutrition

Calories: 155kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 4gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 64mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6g