Apple Strudel Recipe Without Puff Pastry

This vegan apple strudel is made with a gooey cinnamon-apple filling nestled inside a flaky puff pastry braid. It's surprisingly easy to make and absolutely delicious!

Is there anything better than a delicious dessert that's also easy to make? Yes, there is: a delicious and easy dessert that

Fancy and fussy. You know, one of those dishes that will have your dinner guests oohing and aahing all over the place, thinking you're a secret five-star pastry chef, but were you secretly knew that minimal skills were involved in making it?

Quick Puff Pastry Apple Strudel Recipe

Well this vegan apple strudel is just one of those dishes. It looks all involved with the braid and flaky layers, but it's really easy to throw together, thanks to the super simple filling and the magic of accidentally vegan store-bought puff pastry! Even the braid is pretty basic — I'll show you how it's done below.

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!

Apple strudel is best served the day it's made, but if you have leftovers you can store them in a sealed container or bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Apple Strudel In Puff Pastry

Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!

This vegan apple strudel is made with a gooey cinnamon-apple filling nestled inside a flaky puff pastry braid. It's surprisingly easy to make and absolutely delicious!

Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.Apple strudel, a flaky phyllo pastry filled with brandy-soaked raisins, apples and walnuts, is delicious any time of day with a cup of coffee.

Puff Pastry Apple Strudel Recipe: How To Make It

Apple strudel is a traditional Viennese pastry filled with brandy-soaked raisins, apples, and chopped walnuts. Traditional strudel dough is made from scratch, rolled, and stretched over a table until it is paper-thin. (It’s as tedious as it sounds!) The modern shortcut is to use store-bought phyllo dough, a tissue-thin dough used for making flaky European and Middle Eastern pastries, such as baklava and spanakopita. There are a few tricks to working with phyllo dough, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy. Apple strudel is meant to be eaten for dessert or any time of day with a cup of coffee. The recipe can be multiplied for a crowd, prepared ahead of time, or frozen to bake at a later date. Serve the strudel on its own, with whipped cream, or with vanilla ice cream.

You can find phyllo dough it in the freezer section of most grocery stores (be sure to thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before using).

For the apples, be sure to use baking apples that hold their shape when cooked, otherwise you’ll end up with applesauce. Some readily available baking apples include: Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, and Fuji. And, if possible, use a mix of different varietals for better flavor.

Homemade Cinnamon Apple Strudel Recipe

Panko may seem like an unusual ingredient for a dessert like this; it serves to soak up the excess juice that the apples give off while baking. When at the store, make sure you select the plain version of panko as it is usually placed right next to panko seasoned with Italian herbs.

Unlike most strudel recipes, this one calls for cooking the apples first before rolling them up in the dough. This ensures that they soften adequately, and also ensures that they don’t exude too much liquid while baking, which would make the pastry soggy.

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid from the apples dissolves and the apples are soft, 10 to 12 minutes.

Apple Strudel Twists

Wet and wring out a clean dishtowel. Have the melted butter nearby with a brush. Unroll the phyllo and cover it with the plastic wrap from the package or a sheet of wax paper, followed by the damp towel; keep it covered as you work so it doesn’t dry out.

Layer with four additional phyllo sheets, brushing each layer with the melted butter. (You should have a stack of five buttery sheets.)

Spread half of the panko in a 3 by 10-inch rectangle about 2 inches from the bottom of the phyllo sheets and about 2 inches from each side.

Mini Apple Strudel Recipe

Bake until the strudels are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool for at least 20 minutes. Transfer the strudels to a cutting board and slice each one into thirds or quarters. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, then serve warm or room temperature.

I'd love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a review below. Or snap a photo and share it on Instagram; be sure to tag me @.

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.This easy apple strudel recipe can be made quickly because we're using pre-made frozen puff pastry! A crisp, golden crust filled with sweet cinnamon sugar, tart apples and optional sliced almonds and golden raisins. Delicious with a mug of mulled wine.

Puff Pastry Austrian Apple Strudel

“Great recipe! I’ve made this so many times since first finding it and it is perfect every time. Your detailed instructions are key! Thank you!

Apple strudel is one of my all-time favorite desserts. It makes me all warm and fuzzy, and pairs perfectly with an ice cold glass of apple cider or a cup of warm coffee.

You see this apple strudel above? It was made possible by a very small dent in my very large basket of apples I pick in my annual “pick all the apples I can carry” event.

Authentic German Apple Strudel (apfelstrudel)

And because it was a very small dent, I have enough apples left to make 683590135 more apple strudels. My German heritage is not upset by this in the least.

There are several different ways to make strudel, and as far as I'm concerned you don't need to be overly worried about if you're making it the traditional Viennese way or not – we're going for an easy-to-make recipe, not a replica of the one your Austrian great grandmother used to make.

Don't get me wrong – a traditional, legit apple strudel is phenomenal. But, again, we're going for quicker and easier and we're taking some shortcuts.

Easy Apple Strudel Recipe With Berries

Step 2: Peel and thinly slice or dice your apples, placing them in the bowl of lemon juice and coating thoroughly as you add them to the bowl.

Step 5: Add flour and stir to coat. If you feel that your filling is too liquidy, drain a bit of the liquid.

Step 6: On a clean work surface, roll out pastry onto a large sheet of parchment paper or a large pastry mat in a rectangle (up to 11″x17″). Using a paring knife, lightly score the pastry into three columns (I usually eyeball it – as you can tell from my pictures it's not 100% even, but it doesn't affect the taste!).

How To Make Homemade Apple Strudel

You want the middle to be wider than the outer thirds. Cut even slits on each outer column – as many as you want. The more you have, the longer it's going to take you to wrap.

Step 8: Fold the center section of the pastry over at the top and bottom. Now start wrapping the center by pulling alternating slits of pastry from each side and pressing the ends into the pastry on the opposite side, pressing gently on the ends to connect to the base of the dough. Make sure you're not leaving big holes across the top!

Step 9: Carefully transfer the pastry to a prepared baking sheet. Brush the top of the folded pastry with an egg wash.

Apfelstrudel (apple Strudel)

Step 10: Sprinkle raw sugar (or sparkling sugar) on top. You could also add some delicately placed almond slices on top if you wanted. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400°F or until the top is golden brown.

Unless you have a gargantuan-sized spatula, you might find yourself having a bit of a tough time moving the warm strudel from the baking sheet to a wire rack. There are a few options:

The goal

Easy 30 Minute Apple Strudel