Cream Cheese Puff Pastry

If you’re looking for an easy puff pastry recipe that delivers bakery-style results, this Cream Cheese Puff Pastry is it. The flaky pastry, the tangy cream cheese center, and the option to top each one with fresh fruit, jam, or nothing at all makes this recipe incredibly versatile. I’ve made versions with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, and even plain cream cheese, and every variation turns out beautifully.

If puff pastry is new to you, I also have a full Puff Pastry Guide that walks through how to handle and bake it so you get a perfect rise every time.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Bakery-style pastries with almost no effort
• A creamy, tangy filling that comes together in minutes
• Flaky, golden puff pastry that feels indulgent without being complicated
• Easy to customize with any fruit, jam, or topping you already have
• Works for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or holidays
• Reliable results, even if you’re new to puff pastry recipes

Ingredients needed

Below are the ingredients you’ll need and a quick walkthrough so you can make these pastries confidently at home.

• Puff pastry: can be found in the frozen food aisle at the grocery store, or you can make your own. I have a wonderful homemade puff pastry recipe you can follow.
• Cream cheese: full fat works best, but you can use lower fat, but the result will be a less rich filling.
• Granulated sugar: just a bit of sugar for sweetness, this pastry is not overly sweet.
• Egg yolk: makes the filling creamy.
• Lemon juice: gives a tangy taste to the pastry and also helps the filling obtain a firm consistency.
• Pure vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar: for the glaze or for sprinkling on top before serving
• Milk: to make the glaze

Puff Pastry Dough

First things first, make sure the puff pastry is thawed. Remove it from the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes before using. You can also microwave the pastry wrapped in paper towel for 15 seconds on each side to speed up the thawing process.

Cream Cheese Filling Instructions

Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla, and mix again. That’s it. You can fold in lemon or orange zest if you want a citrus note. One batch of filling makes enough for 12 pastries (2 puff pastry sheets).

Assemble the Cream Cheese Puff Pastry

1. Cut the thawed pastry sheet into 6 rectangles.
2. Place on a lined baking sheet and lightly score a smaller rectangle inside each piece—don’t cut all the way through.
3. Add a couple tablespoons of filling to the center.
4. Add berries or fruit if using.
5. Brush the edges with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
6. Bake until puffed and golden, 15–20 minutes.

To serve

To serve the pastries, you can sprinkle powdered sugar on top, or drizzle a sugar glaze. Making the glaze is super easy, just whisk powdered sugar and milk together. Simply use a spoon to drizzle it over the cooled pastries.

Variations

These cream cheese puff pastries have a delicious cheesecake flavor, and you can customize it to your liking by adding anything you want to them.

• Biscoff or lemon curd
• fresh berries
• sliced peaches or cherries
• raspberry jam
• chocolate hazelnut spread
• dulce de leche

Tips for successful pastries

• Don’t over fill the pastries with filling before baking, or the filling will leak out.
• Bake at 375ºF or higher so the pastry rises properly.
• These taste best fresh, but leftovers keep well for a day in the fridge.
• Baked pastries can be reheated at 350ºF for a few minutes.
• You can freeze the assembled pastries (without egg wash) and bake straight from frozen.

These pastries are wonderful served for breakfast, brunch, for dessert, or afternoon tea time snack. They are delicious treats to be enjoyed at anytime! And I haven’t met anyone who hasn’t loved them!

If you love these Cream Cheese Puff Pastries, you’ll definitely want to try a few more of my favorite puff pastry desserts. For something fruity and fresh, my Blueberry Puff Pastry and Cherry Turnovers are always a hit. If you’re craving something rich and indulgent, the Boston Cream Puff Pastry or Pecan Pie Pastry are perfect for special occasions. And if you want a light but elegant option, the Mascarpone Puff Pastry or Key Lime Pie Puff Pastry make show-stopping treats with minimal effort.

I hope you enjoyed today’s recipe, leave a comment below, or tag me on instagram if you make this recipe!

Cream Cheese Puff Pastry

Camila Hurst

This Cream Cheese Puff Pastry is one of my favorite puff pastry recipes—easy, flaky, and delicious. Make it with berries, jam, or a simple tangy cream cheese filling.

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 21 minutes mins

Total Time 51 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 pastries

Calories 230 kcal

Ingredients

 

Puff Pastry

• 2 sheets puff pastry store-bought, or homemade recipe here

Cream Cheese Filling

• 8 oz. cream cheese softened 226 grams
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 grams
• 1 large yolk
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

To assemble

• berries, jam, or any fruits

Egg wash

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup coarse sugar

To serve

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar 62.5 grams
• 1 tbsp milk

Instructions

 

Puff Pastry

• Thaw the puff pastry sheet. You can let it sit at room temperature for 30 min to 1 hour until softened. Or wrap each sheet in paper towels and microwave for 15 seconds on each side. It’s ready to be used when you can easily unfold it.
• Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF.

Cream Cheese Filling

• In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat the cream cheese with the sugar for 2 minutes on medium speed. You can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
• Add the egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat again until combined.
To assemble

To assemble

• Unfold each pastry sheet.
• 
  Cut each into 6 rectangles.
• Place the rectangles on top of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat.
• 
  Score a smaller rectangle on the center of the pastry using a sharp knife or a pastry cutter. But don’t cut all the way through.
• 
  Pipe or spoon a couple of tablespoons of filling in the center of the pastry.
• Top with berries, or a teaspoon of jam, or leave the cream cheese filling by itself.

Egg wash

• Whisk the egg to form the egg wash. Brush on top of the pastry around the edges. Top with coarse sugar.

Baking

• Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is a deep golden brown and puffed.
• If you under bake, the center of the pastry will be raw, which is why I recommend baking this pastry at 375 and not 400 Fahrenheit, and baking for longer this way the center has a chance to cook.
• Let the pastry cool down for about 10 or 15 minutes.

Glaze

• Mix the powdered sugar and milk until it has a thick but runny consistency. If the glaze is too runny, add a bit more powdered sugar. And if the glaze is not dripping, add a little bit more milk, about 1/2 tsp at a time. A little liquid goes a long way, just make sure to whisk well.
• Leave the glaze covered, or it will form a crust. If you don’t drizzle it over the pastries immediately after making the glaze, it will start to get thicker and you may have to add a splash of milk to get it to the proper consistency again.

To serve

• You can drizzle the glaze over the pastries using a spoon. Scoop a bit of glaze with a spoon and simply move the spoon side to side on top of the pastry as the glaze drips.
• Instead of the glaze, you can sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the pastry and serve.

Storage

• You can store the pastry in the fridge for up to 2 days. To re-heat, place in a toaster oven for a few minutes, or in the 350ºF oven for 5 to 10 minutes until warm on the inside.

Notes

Lemon juice: Don’t skip the lemon juice. The filling won’t taste like lemon. The lemon simply helps with the tanginess of the filling, and also helps it become creamy by acting with the cream cheese to coagulate. I highly recommend you don’t skip the lemon juice.

Lemon zest: If you do want this filling to taste like lemon, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon zest to it.

Berries: You can use raspberries, blueberries, just make sure they are small. To use larger berries such as strawberries, either chop the berries, or make the pastries larger.

Make ahead: You can assemble these Cream Cheese Puff Pastries ahead of time, and then freeze them to bake later. When freezing the pastries, don’t brush the egg wash on top until you are ready to bake. Then, when you are ready to bake, remove them from the freezer and place them on top of a sheet pan, brush the egg wash on top, and bake in the pre-heated oven until puffed and golden brown.

Homemade puff pastry: here is a homemade puff pastry dough recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pastryCalories: 230kcal

Keyword pastry, puff pastry

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