Cherry Danish Recipe

5 from 1 vote
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Make flaky, sweet Danishes the easy way! Made with puff pastry and topped with sweet cherries and icing, these are is the most effortless cherry Danish recipe you will ever make.

Hand holding a rectangle shaped cherry danish with white icing.

Lazy Day Cherry Danishes

Cherry Danishes are one of my favorite go-to treats, especially when I want something that tastes impressive without spending hours in the kitchen. The flaky crust, perfectly smooth cream cheese, and tart cherry topping come together in the best possible way—sweet, crispy, fruity, and creamy all in one bite. And the best part? They’re so easy to make that even my kids can whip up a batch on their own! Minimal effort, minimal mess, and maximum deliciousness—it doesn’t get better than that.

Cherry Danish Ingredients

The ingredients needed to make this easy Cherry Danish recipe are simple:

  • Frozen puff pastry sheets – thawed, this makes the recipe a breeze!
  • Cream cheese – softened
  • Granulated sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Cherry pie filling – another time saver!
  • Egg and a splash of water- for egg wash
  • Icing – Simply made with powdered sugar and milk
Ingredients to make Cherry danish, including puff pastry, sheets, cream, cheese, milk, sugar, egg, vanilla, water, and cherry pie filling in a can.


How to Make Cherry Danishes Step-by-Step

  1. Thaw the pastry sheets and cut into 6 even rectangles.
  2. Next, combine the cream cheese filling ingredients until smooth.
  3. Score the pastries, creating a border. Then use a fork to pierce holes inside of the scores. This will make it so the outer edges of the puff pastry will puff up and the center will stay flat and keep the filling in. (see image below)
  4. Place about 1 tablespoon of the sweet cream cheese mixture in the middle of each puff pastry, smoothing it out towards the scored edge. Spoon cherry pie filling over the cream cheese layer.
  5. Make the egg wash and brush along the outside border of each pastry, then bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the pastries look golden brown.
  6. Make the icing by combining milk and powdered sugar. Drizzle icing over the pastries and serve!
Six separate images showing how to make cherry danishes, step by step. From cutting the dough, layering the ingredients. to baking, and then glazing with icing.

Using Fresh Cherries

Fresh cherries add a vibrant, natural flavor to Danishes. To use them, start by halving and pitting the cherries before placing them on top of the cream cheese mixture. That’s it! For a sweeter, pie-filling-like consistency, cook the cherries down with sugar. Simply add 4 cups of cherries to a saucepan and cook on medium heat, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup of sugar and 4 tablespoons of cornstarch, then mix it into the cherry juice. Let the mixture cool and thicken before adding it to your pastries. Now you have a homemade filling that takes your Cherry Danish to the next level!

Cherry danish, cut and half with white icing. Cooling rack of cherry danishes in the background with a dish of white icing and spoon.

Puff Pastry Dough Tips

A great tip for impatient people (like me) is that it’s okay if the pastry dough isn’t completely thawed. In any case, you don’t want it to be really soft or you won’t be able to score it. I have even just broken the dough apart at the seams while still pretty frozen and then used a knife to cut the long rectangles in half. This made it easy to score,. By the time I was done with adding the fillings, the dough was pretty much thawed and ready to go.

Substitutions and Variations

Try other fillings: I love using different fillings to switch things up. Mixed berry, apple, blueberry, strawberry, lemon, any kind of pie filling you can find.

More topping ideas: I like it with the icing the best, but you can also add sliced almonds, coarse sugar, powdered sugar, or glaze.

Using crescent dough – If you can’t find pastry dough you can also use crescent rolls, like in our strawberry rhubarb danish recipe.

Cherry danishes on a cooling rack with white icing.
Cherry danish drizzled with white icing on a cooling wired rack.

Cherry Danish Recipe

5 from 1 vote
Make flaky, sweet cherry Danishes the easy way! Made with puff pastry and topped with sweet cherries and icing, these are the most effortless Danishes you will ever make.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Cooling Time 10 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, Danish
Servings 12 pastries

Ingredients

  • 2 (8.8 ounce) frozen puff pastry sheets (thawed)
  • 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
  • 1 egg (for egg wash)
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons whole milk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400℉.
    Unfold puff pastry sheets and cut each into 6 rectangles. You can achieve this by cutting along the seams and then cross-wise right through the middle.
    Rolled out, puff pastry sheet cut into six rectangles with a pizza slicer.
  • Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the rectangle puff pastries between the 2 sheets and place in the refrigerator to allow them to become firm again.
    Baking sheet lined with parchment paper and six angled shaped puff pastry.
  • While pastry dough is cooling, use a mixing bowl and an electric mixer to mix together cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
    Glass mixing bowl with whipped cream cheese and electric beaters resting in the bowl.
  • Remove pastries from the refrigerator and score around each pastry about 1/2-inch from the border, being careful to not slice all the way through the dough. Then use a fork for pierce holes inside of the scores.
    This will make it so the outer edges of the puff pastry will puff up and the center will stay flat and keep the filling in.
    Puff pastry rectangle scored around the edge with a knife and poked with a fork in the center.
  • Place about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each pastry and smooth it out toward the scored edge. Be sure to stay inside the scoring lines.
    Puff pastry rectangles with cream cheese layer spread in the center.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of cherry pie filling over top of the cream cheese layer and smooth it over the top, again, staying inside of the inner scoring lines.
    Unbaked puff pastry rectangle with cream cheese, spread in the center and cherry pie filling in the center.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together egg and water to create an egg wash. Brush around the border of each pastry.
    Bake in the preheated oven for 16-18 minutes or until the pastries are puffy and golden brown. Remove from oven and allow pastries to cool for 5-10 minutes.
    Brushing egg wash onto outside edge of unbaked cherry danish.
  • While pastries are cooling, prepare the icing.
    Combine powdered sugar and milk until sugar is dissolved. Add more powdered sugar for a thicker icing or a little more milk for a thinner icing (only add ½ teaspoon at a time of milk).
    Glass mixing bowl with white icing and a spoon.
  • Drizzle icing over pastries and serve warm.
    Spoon drizzling white icing onto baked cherry danish.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 262kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 139mgPotassium: 60mgFiber: 0.003gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 31IUVitamin C: 0.003mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 0.1mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Hi! I haven’t made this recipe, but I can tell by reading it that it is absolutely Devine. I will try it with both the puff pastry
    and crescent rolls, but I am guessing the puff pastry is going to be the best because it will have the proper texture. And I will also want to try out some of the other flavors. I don’t think you mentioned blueberry, but it would be good too. I do have a question. Whenever you post more than one recipe, I find that after I save one, no other recipe will save. Why is only one recipe allowed. Can you change that? I’m missing a lot of good recipes because of it as I like to keep them in my computer ao I don’t have reams of paper to deal with and organize. I am an avid cook, and my departed husband was an Executive Chef. Thank you!