The easiest way to make apple strudel is to use store-bought puff pastry. I guarantee that this baked treat with a flaky crust will become a family favorite!
Traditional apple strudel, like the Kaiserschmarrn, is one of the many authentic Austrian dishes still served in Viennese cafés.
A strudel is made from a sheet of dough filled with grated apples and raisins, sweetened with sugar, and flavored with ground cinnamon. After that, the dough is rolled up into the shape of a cylinder and baked.
Now, all that is left to do is dust the strudel with powdered sugar, cut it into pieces, and serve them with a cup of either coffee or tea.
While the apple filling is clearly defined, people use different types of strudel dough.
If you want to make an amazing strudel quickly and easily, head to your local grocery store's aisle with refrigerated foods and pick up puff pastry pre-rolled into a sheet.
This is what unroll puff pastry looks like from a shop in the Czech Republic:
If you can't find refrigerated/chilled puff pastry, you'll probably have a better chance of finding it frozen. Puff pastry dough sheets are perfect for both beginners and more seasoned home bakers.
NOTE: I bought my puff pastry as a folded whole (see the ingredient list below), so I had to roll it out for the strudel.
MY TIP: Puff pastry is popular in Germany and the Czech Republic for baking savory and sweet treats. Besides strudel, my other tip is to bake a Czech treat called "rooster combs," which is a nicely shaped puff pastry with poppy seed filling. Try them; they're fantastic!
➜ Ingredient list
To make homemade apple strudel with puff pastry, you will need:
- Store-bought puff pastry; ideally refrigerated. If you only get frozen puff pastry, let it thaw slowly in the fridge overnight or on the kitchen counter at room temperature before making the strudel. Look for dough that has already been rolled out into a rectangle about 14x10 inches, often already with parchment paper on it.
- Fresh apples; whatever you have on hand, sweet or tart. They don't even need to look good. If you don't have any at home, get some baking apples at the market or store.
- Dried raisins; regular or golden raisins. Rum-soaked raisins taste the best. If you have spiced rum, soak the raisins in it the day before. This trick is often used in the Czech Republic and Germany to enhance the flavor of strudel.
- Ground cinnamon
- Granulated sugar; regular white sugar
- Breadcrumbs; plain, unflavored breadcrumbs shredded from dried white bread. The breadcrumbs are placed as the first layer on the puff pastry to soak up the excess juice from shredded apples.
- Powdered/icing sugar; do dust the strudel before serving
- All-purpose flour; to sprinkle on the work surface in case you need to roll the puff pastry into a sheet. If you've already got the dough rolled out into a rectangle, you don't need to worry about flour. I got my puff pastry in whole, so I had to roll it out.
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
For equipment, you will need a vegetable peeler, core remover, hand grating box, and a cookie sheet about 16x12 inches.
➜ Instructions with photos
STEP 1: Get the puff pastry ready. If you bought it frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or at least two hours ahead of time on the kitchen counter.
In case the dough has not been flattened out (like mine), roll it into a 10x14-inch rectangle. Dust the work surface with a little flour to prevent the dough from sticking when rolling it out.
STEP 2: Prep the apples. Remove the apple skins with a vegetable peeler. Using a core remover, cut out the center of the apple. In a medium bowl, shred the cored apples on a hand box grater with large holes.
More about the topic: How to shred apples
STEP 3: Begin stacking the layers onto the prepared puff pastry sheet.
First, sprinkle its surface with breadcrumbs.
Spread the shredded apples over the breadcrumbs, but first, scoop the apples into your hand and press them moderately to squeeze out the excess juice. Drink the apple juice, as it tastes wonderful!
Important! Cover only ¾ lengthwise of the rolled-out dough with apples, leaving ¼ of apple-free space on one side.
Then sprinkle the apples with raisins, sugar, and ground cinnamon.
STEP 4: Roll the dough into a strudel shape. Start by rolling on the longer side where the apple filling is and continue towards the quarter of the dough you left free.
STEP 5: Bake the apple strudel. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Transfer the strudel carefully to the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Press the ends of the loaf and fold them down so that the apple juice does not have a chance to leak out.
Place the baking sheet with the strudel in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes until its surface turns golden brown.
Is salty food more appealing to you than sweet? Try the puff pastry strudel filled with sauerkraut and smoked bacon!
➜ Serving
Let the baked puff pastry cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes. Then cut it with a sharp knife into slanted slices about 2 inches thick, dust their golden crust with powdered sugar and serve your warm strudel as a fresh apple dessert.
For a special occasion, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or garnish the strudel with whipped cream.
If you like Czech pastries, try this puff pastry with a sweet cream cheese filling!
➜ Useful tips
- Optional: Before rolling the strudel, sprinkle the shredded apple mixture with coarsely chopped walnuts. Some people enjoy them, while others prefer strudel without nuts; the choice is yours!
- Instead of grated apples, slice the apples into thin pieces. Apple slices may require a bit more effort, but the apples will retain more moisture and be juicier as a result.
- Do you want the surface of your baked apple strudel to be beautifully glossy? Brush it with beaten egg yolk before baking to ensure a perfect look.
More apple recipes:
Tried this recipe?
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Easy Puff Pastry Apple Strudel
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry dough refrigerated or frozen
- 5 apples mid-sized
- 2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons dried raisins
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour optional, to sprinkle on the work surface if you have to roll out the puff pastry
Instructions
- Get the puff pastry ready: If you bought it frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or at least two hours ahead of time on the kitchen counter. If the dough has not been flattened out, roll it into a 14x10-inch rectangle. Dust the work surface with flour to prevent the dough from sticking when rolling it out.
- Prep the apples: Remove the apple skins with a vegetable peeler. Using a core remover, cut out the center of the apple. In a medium bowl, shred the cored apples on a hand box grater with large holes.
- Begin stacking the layers onto the prepared puff pastry sheet: 1. First, sprinkle its surface with breadcrumbs. 2. Spread the shredded apples over the breadcrumbs, but first, scoop the apples into your hand and press them moderately to squeeze out the excess juice. Drink the apple juice, as it tastes amazing! Important: Cover only ¾ lengthwise of the rolled-out dough with apples, leaving ¼ of apple-free space on one side. 3. Then sprinkle the apples with raisins, sugar, and ground cinnamon.
- Roll the dough into a strudel shape. Start by rolling on the longer side where the apple filling is and continue towards the quarter of the dough you left free.
- Bake the apple strudel. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Transfer the strudel carefully to the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Press the ends of the loaf and fold them down so that the apple juice does not have a chance to leak out.
- Place the baking sheet with the strudel in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes until its surface turns golden brown.
Notes
- Makes 1 strudel roll, about 12 slices.
- SERVING: Let the baked puff pastry apple strudel cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes. Then cut it with a sharp knife into angled slices about 2 inches thick, dust their golden crust with powdered sugar and serve your warm strudel as a fresh apple dessert.
- For a special occasion, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or garnish the strudel with whipped cream.
- Optional:Before rolling the strudel, sprinkle the shredded apple mixture with coarsely chopped walnuts. Some people enjoy them, while others prefer strudel without nuts; the choice is yours!
- Instead of grated apples, slice the apples into thin pieces. Apple slices may require a bit more effort, but the apples will retain more moisture and be juicier as a result.
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chart
Chris
super, thank you
Petra Kupská
You are very welcome 🙂
Tim
I made this. It was very tasty and easy. I was a bit disappointed in it when it first came out of the oven because the dough on the bottom was mushy. The next day, however, that dough had firmed up and it was very good. Díky za recepty!
Petra Kupská
Hi Tim, thank you for your feedback. I'm glad to hear that you were happy with the outcome in the end. Puff pastry strudel is always a hit in our family!