This easy Apple Strudel Recipe uses store-bought puff pastry dough, fresh apples, golden raisins, and an easy four-ingredient cinnamon glaze. It is amazingly easy to make and perfect with that hot cup of coffee early in the morning.
This picture-perfect, tasty treat is ideal for brunches and lazy long weekend breakfasts. For my holiday brunches, I love to serve it with a hashbrown breakfast casserole and homemade biscuits and gravy.
Fall is my absolute favorite season. There is just so much to love about it. I adore the cool, crisp nights, the bright colored leaves and mums, the warm, cozy soups, stews, and chilis, and the apple desserts and pastries.
If your family is anything like mine, they can not get enough apple recipes. Have you tried any of my other apple recipes? Apple brown Betty, apple cookies, apple pie, and this strudel are just a few of our favorites.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Raisins: I think golden raisins taste better and look so much nicer mixed with apples, but you can use any raisins.
- Rum: If you don’t have rum and don’t want to purchase it, soak the raisins in a bowl full of warm water to plump them up.
- Apples: Use good baking apples like Honey Crisp, Braeburn, Pink Lady (Cripps Pink), and Granny Smith.
- Puff pastry dough: It is a frozen, ready-made pastry dough that is buttery, flaky, and light. It makes delicious strudel dough and is easy to work with. The butter is worked inside the dough, folded, and rolled out multiple times before freezing, creating light, delicious layers. It is available in the freezer section of most grocery stores in the United States.
How to Make Apple Strudel
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the raisins to a bowl with a little bit of rum. Place that bowl in a sink of hot water and let them sit for about 15-20 minutes. For an alcohol-free version, use water.
Meanwhile, peel, core, and finely dice your apples (see picture). Toss the apples with the lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir to combine.
Next, unfold the puff pastry dough and lay each on a piece of parchment paper big enough to fit a large cookie sheet. Now, use a rolling pin to gently roll it out. Cut the dough into strips using a pizza cutter, skipping the middle and carefully lining up the cut as close as possible on each side. Next, gently (using the parchment paper) move the cut puff pastry to baking sheets, keeping the paper on the baking sheet.
Sprinkle the center with breadcrumbs, and layer the apple filling down the center of the puff pastry on top of the breadcrumbs. Fold each strip across at a slight downward angle, starting with the left or the right. So you will go left, right, left, right, left, right.
Moisten the far outer bottom one inch of the strips that you fold over lightly with water. In a small bowl, beat the egg and milk. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the tops and sides of the pastry. Bake, and after a few minutes of cooling, use the parchment paper to move the strudel to a wire rack to cool. Drizzle the vanilla sauce over the cooled strudels.
Preparation Tips
- Thaw the puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter just until it is pliable enough to unfold without cracking.
- Drain as much rum as you can from the raisins before adding them to the apple mixture.
- If you dislike nutmeg, omit it or add a couple of pinches of ground cloves. As I always say, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
- It is best to use a paper towel to clean up any oozing apple mess or egg wash around the pastry before placing it in the oven.
- For an over-the-top flavor treat, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
Store and Reheat
You can store it in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days and in the fridge for an additional 2-3 days.
To reheat, place it on a baking sheet covered loosely with aluminum foil in a preheated 275-degree oven for about 10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but 8 hours is as long as I would go before working with it. Puff pastry must remain cold and be worked with shortly after it thaws. Don’t leave the puff pastry at room temperature for long, as the butter in the dough will start to melt, making it hard to work with. If the dough becomes too soft, place it back in the fridge for 30 minutes or so and then work with it
When baking puff pastry, the optimum temperature is 400 degrees, as this gets the biggest rise out of the dough. If it browns too fast, quickly cover it with a loose piece of aluminum foil.
You can bake the apple strudel up to 2 days in advance and store it covered on the counter. Reheat it on a baking sheet covered loosely with aluminum foil in a preheated 275-degree oven for about 10 minutes.
I do not recommend prepping it in advance, as puff pastry is best baked as soon as possible, and you don’t want the juices from the apples to make the crust soggy.
More Apple Recipes
Apple Strudel Recipe
Ingredients
Apple Strudel
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 2 tablespoons rum
- 4 large apples peeled cored and finely diced (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 package 2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Cinnamon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix raisins and rum in a small bowl. Place the bowl in a sink filled with a couple of inches of hot water; soak for 15-20 minutes. Drain any excess rum from the raisins.
- Toss the apples with the lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir to combine.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay out two large pieces of parchment paper for working and baking on. Gently unfold the puff pastry and place one on each piece of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the folds and creases in the pastry to smooth the dough. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs down the center of each sheet. Divide the apple mixture evenly between the two sheets, spooning on top of the breadcrumbs.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into strips about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide, being careful to line up the cut as closely as possible on both sides of the apple mixture. Gently (using the parchment paper) move the cut puff pastry to baking sheets keeping the parchment paper on the baking sheets.
- Fold each strip across at a little bit of a downward angle, starting with either the left or the right. So you will go left, right, left, right. As you go along, moisten the far outer one inch of the strips that you fold over lightly with water so they adhere to the pastry. Using paper towels, soak up any excess juice around the edges of the strudel.
- In a small bowl, beat egg and milk. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the tops and sides of the strudel. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, ground cinnamon, and vanilla. Drizzle over fully cooled apple pastry.
Notes
- Thaw the puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter just until it is pliable enough to unfold without cracking.
- Drain as much rum as you can from the raisins before adding them to the apple mixture.
- If you dislike nutmeg, omit it or add a couple of pinches of ground cloves. As I always say, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
- It is best to use a paper towel to clean up any oozing apple mess or egg wash around the pastry before placing it in the oven.
- For an over-the-top flavor treat, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
Nutrition
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Kimberly Pedersen
Hello Beth,
Have you ever tried freezing one? Do you think that possible?
Beth Pierce
Yes you can freeze it. I prefer to freeze after baking. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat at 350 degrees covered loosely with aluminum, for about 15 minutes or until warm.
mary lou howard
Does this recipe make one or two strudels?
Beth Pierce
two strudels
Patricia Cole
Can I leave out the rum from the raisins, or perhaps use rum extract? If so, what amount should I use?
Beth Pierce
If you don’t have rum and don’t want to purchase it, soak the raisins in a bowl full of warm water to plump them up.
Colleen
I’ve just finished baking these for guests tomorrow. They look and smell divine. I’ve snuck a bit of the cooked apple and it is delicious. I got caught out by the number of strudels the recipe makes. I thought there was a lot of apple and wondered how two pieces of pastry were going to become one strudel! 🥴 Should have looked at the photos first but the recipe refers to the dish in the singular e.g. ‘strudel’ and ‘it’, so I thought it was just one. The neighbour’s children will benefit from my mistake.
Beth Pierce
Sounds like a great plan. I will put a note in the recipe. Thanks for the heads up.
Gene Melzer
My glaze was more light brown than white
Beth Pierce
It is supposed to be. It has cinnamon and vanilla in it.
Free ride
Excellent!
Erin
Really yummy
Alison
Excellent recipe, easy and very tasty!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Allison!
Roxann
Never cross crossed before! Beautifully displayed and we are enjoying this now!!! I folded vanilla bean pods and Madagascar Vanilla in Vanilla ice cream foe the extra Joy! Looking forward to creating dinner meals with the crisscross design. Thank You
Beth Pierce
My pleasure, Roxann! I am so glad that you liked it and the crisscross design.
Angelica
I love this apple strudel recipe and any type of apple dessert. This strudel was easy to make with puff pastry, turned out delicious and looked beautiful.
Zadie
I love apple strudel. You are correct. It is so much easier to make with puff pastry.
Alice
So great for the fall season. It was so delicious. I can really make use of the TON of apples I picked while apple picking, so thank you for this recipe! The cinnamon glaze takes it to the next level.
Predrag Kovačević
This recipe looks amazing. I love cakes with apples and cinnamon. It’s not easy to make, but the effort is worth it in the end. Thanks for sharing.