The easiest way to make a delicious apple strudel is by using store-bought puff pastry. I guarantee this baked treat, with its flaky crust and sweet apple filling, will quickly 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:
- Apple cake jelly
- Pan fried apple rings
- Dried apples (Czech Krizaly)
- Cinnamon apple crumb cake
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Other readers and I love hearing what you think. Stay in touch by following me on Facebook and Pinterest. For more Czech stuff, subscribe to my newsletter!
📖 Recipe
Easy Puff Pastry Apple Strudel
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry dough refrigerated or frozen
- 5 medium apples
- 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 1 puff pastry dough ready: If you bought the puff pastry frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or at least two hours in advance on the kitchen counter. If the dough has not been flattened, roll it into a 14x10-inch rectangle. Dust the work surface with 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour to prevent the dough from sticking while rolling it out.
- Prep the apples: Peel 5 medium apples using a vegetable peeler. Remove the cores with a core remover. In a medium bowl, shred the apples using the large holes on a hand box grater.
- Begin stacking the layers onto the prepared puff pastry sheet: 1. First, sprinkle the surface of the dough with 2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs. 2. Spread the shredded apples over the breadcrumbs. To do this, scoop the apples into your hand and press them moderately to squeeze out the excess juice. (Tip: Drink the apple juice; it tastes amazing!) Important: Cover only ¾ of the dough lengthwise with apples, leaving ¼ of the dough apple-free on one side. 3. Sprinkle the apples with 2 Tablespoons dried raisins, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Roll the dough into a strudel shape. Start by rolling from the longer side where the apple filling is, and continue towards the side of the dough where you left a free space.
- Bake the apple strudel. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to
350 °F. Carefully transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Press the ends of the loaf and tuck them under to prevent the apple juice from leaking out. - Place the baking sheet with the strudel in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the surface turns golden brown.
- Sprinkle the Let the baked puff pastry apple strudel cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes. Then, using a sharp knife, cut it into angled slices about 2 inches thick. Dust the golden crust with powdered sugar and serve your warm strudel as a fresh apple dessert.strudel with 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- The basic recipe 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 delicious apple dessert.
- For a special occasion, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or garnish the strudel with whipped cream.
- Optional: Before rolling up the strudel, sprinkle the shredded apple mixture with coarsely chopped walnuts. Some people enjoy the added crunch, while others prefer strudel without nuts; the choice is yours!
- Instead of shredding the apples, slice them into thin pieces. While apple slices may require a bit more effort, they will retain more moisture and result in a juicier filling.
Chris says
super, thank you
Petra Kupská says
You are very welcome 🙂
Tim says
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 says
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!
Tata says
My grandmother always sprinkled a little tapioca on the bottom of her apple crusts to absorb the liquid.
Petra Kupská says
Great tip! Tapioca is a clever way to keep the crust nice and crisp. I have never thought of that.
Therese Anderson says
A favorite always. The recipe was easy to follow and the taste was the reward.
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Thank you for the feedback, Therese!
Greetings from the Czech Republic.
Suzana says
Love a good strudel and everyone loved it!! Reminded me of my childhood when my Baba made it. Dekuji
Barbara Ferbrache says
Applle strudel is the best recipe. This one is better than my mom's. I am 4th generation Czech and love making Czech food. 😍.Thank you.
Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs says
Thank you so much! That’s such high praise, especially from a fellow Czech, just maybe don’t let your mom hear that. 😄
Jitka Jirku says
This recipe is almost exactly how I make it. I use brown sugar instead of white one, I soak the raisins in rum (soften them in microwave) and sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of the apples. My family loves it!
Petra Kupská says
Ooh, rum-soaked raisins and walnuts? Love those tweaks! No wonder it is a hit in your family.
janet Douglas says
Loved so much. Thank you for sharing. I'm from Southern California and love any desert especially with apples.