Everything in this recipe just works! The flakiness of the homemade gluten-free puff pastry, the tanginess of the cream cheese, the sweetness from the berries... all paired with a lemon glaze to tie all the flavors together. Yes please, I could bake and eat these gluten-free cream cheese Danishes everyday!
The base of the recipe is my gluten-free puff pastry. You could use store-bought, but I don't know how it will handle. My puff pastry is designed to handle all your creativity: you can twist it, shape it, braid it, and it will not fall apart of crumble on you.
I hope I've convinced you to give it a try, it will wow your guests at your next brunch!
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Ingredients
Most of these ingredients are pantry staples, yay! The most important ingredient is arguably the gluten-free puff pastry. I highly recommend making it yourself (recipe link just below the picture), because I guarantee it will give you a dough that you can work with and won't break on you. I know how frustrating it can be to have a vision and using a gluten-free dough that can't handle your art.
- Gluten-free puff pastry (you will not be disappointed making it yourself!)
- Cream cheese
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Lemon juice and zest
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh berries
- Vanilla extract
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Once you have followed the instructions for the gluten-free puff pastry and have stored two squares (10 x 10 inch) in the fridge, you're ready to make these yummylicous gluten-free cream cheese Danishes.
Make the Filling
Start by adding an egg yolk, cream cheese, vanilla extract, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest to a mixing bowl. Mix it with an electric mixer until the filling is smooth and creamy, which takes less than a minute.
Shape the Dough
Take one sheet of 10x10 inch gluten-free puff pastry, and cut it into 6 equal pieces. Start by folding one corner onto itself, and keep folding the dough clockwise around a small tablespoon-sized dot in the middle. It doesn't have to be perfect, friends! Add a generous tablespoon of filling, and top with fresh berries.
If you want to get a little fancy, I found this interesting way of shaping Danishes on Natasha's Kitchen. You can watch me try this method below.
Bake the Danishes
Brush a generous egg wash on top of the gluten-free puff pastry so it gets beautiful and golden. Bake in a preheated 425F oven for 13 minutes. Fully cool on a rack, and drizzle with a lemon glaze. So good, enjoy!
Hint: when I trim the edges of the gluten-free puff pastry to make a perfect 10 x 10 inch square, I often have enough left-over dough to bake an extra Danish!
Substitutions
The allergens in this recipe are: milk, eggs.
- Egg-Free - I do not recommend subbing the eggs out, either in the dough or in the cream cheese. It will affect the dough's ability to handle well, and the filling may become too loose. If you're looking for egg-free dessert, try my gluten-free vegan strawberry cupcakes!
- Dairy-Free - I have successfully made the gluten-free puff pastry dough without dairy several times. Simply follow the instructions in the recipe for the dairy-free sub. I have never used a vegan cream cheese myself, but I have had great success with Miyoko's vegan butter, and they do make a cashew-based cream cheese. If you have tried it, please let me know! Alternately, if you prefer not to use cream cheese, you can try my cherry-almond Danish braid!
Variations
Most of the customization in this recipe will come from the toppings you use. I chose fresh berries, but here are a few additional ideas that are sure to please.
- Cherries - fresh pitted cherries would be sublime with the tang from cream cheese!
- Apricot jam - if you want something slightly different, drizzle a little apricot jam!
- Orange - sub the lemon zest and juice with orange, which pairs well with raspberries!
- Other ideas - if you have other ideas, please let us know so we can all enjoy them too!
Equipment
You'll need a few kitchen staples for this recipe.
- Pizza cutter: or a sharp knife
- A rolling mat: or a piece of parchment paper on the counter
- An electric mixer: you could probably make the filling by hand with a lot of elbow grease
- Baking tray
Storage
The best way to eat these gluten-free cream cheese Danishes is once they've just cooled to room temperature. Leftovers are not great... Because the filling contains cream cheese, these Danishes are not considered shelf-stable, and should be stored in the refrigerator. However, gluten-free puff pastry does not love the fridge. Here's how I do it:
Once the gluten-free cream cheese Danishes are fully cooled, store the leftovers in an air tight container. You can use a tall container, and separate the pastries with parchment paper.
- Store in the fridge for up to 2 days
- Store in the freezer for up to 1 month (thaw in the refrigerator, and then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before eating).
Read my tip below to avoid leftovers!
Top tip
This recipe yields 12-14 gluten-free cream cheese Danishes. Each sheet of puff pastry will make 6-7 Danishes. What I like to do is bake half the recipe on Saturday morning, and the other half on Sunday morning. The puff pastry sheet can stay in the fridge several days, same for the cream cheese filling, so it's easier to plan for no leftovers this way! It will make two super fresh breakfasts for the kiddos to enjoy!
FAQ
They're made out of a yeasted laminated puff pastry dough and are typically filled with delicious creams and or custards.
They're both made out of a laminated puff pastry dough, so in that sense they are very similar. However, the puff pastry used here is called "shortcut" pastry because the butter is integrated directly in the dough, as opposed to a butter block like for croissants. You could definitely make a Danish out of croissant dough, but not a croissant out of Danish dough, if that makes sense.
Gluten-Free Cream Cheese Danish
Equipment
- 1 rolling mat or parchment paper
- 1 rolling pin
- 1 Pizza Cutter or sharp knife
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 electric mixer
Ingredients
For the Danish
- 1 recipe of gluten-free puff pastry yields 2 squares, 10x10 inches
- 226 grams cream cheese 1 block
- 50 grams sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ lemon juiced & zested
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 220 grams fresh berries about 3-4 berries per Danish
- 1 egg for the egg wash
For the glaze
- 50 grams powdered sugar
- ¼ lemon juiced & zested
Instructions
Make the Puff Pastry
- Follow the instructions to make your gluten-free puff pastry.
- Store it in 2 sheets of 10 x 10 inches, plastic wrapped in the refrigerator.
Make the Filling
- Juice and zest half a lemon, and split the juice and zest in half (some is for the filling, some is for the glaze).
- In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract.
- Using an electric mixer, mix until creamy and smooth, which should take less than 1 minute.
- Set aside (store in the refrigerator if not planning to use immediately).
Shape the Danish
- Preheat oven to 425 °F (218 °C)
- Please see the image gallery and video in the instruction section of this post for visual guidelines.
- Split one sheet of gluten-free puff pastry dough into 6 rectangles. Note: my puff pastry sheets are 10x10 inch, and a bit less than ¼ inch thick.
- Take a corner of the rectangle, and fold in on itself.
- Work around clockwise and keep folding the dough around itself, until you get a circular shape with a tablespoon size of empty space in the middle.
- Repeat this for all the rectangles, and then again for the second sheet of gluten-free puff pastry.
- In the middle of each Danish, place a generous tablespoon of cream cheese filling.
- Top the Danish with fresh berries. Depending on berry size, 3-4 berries should fit.
- Place the Danish on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake the Danish
- Beat an egg in a small bowl, and brush it on the gluten-free puff pastry dough.
- Bake the Danishes in the center of a preheated oven (425 °F (218 °C) ) for 13 minutes.
- Transfer the Danishes to a cooling rack and fully cool to room temperature.
Make the Glaze
- In a measuring cup, mix the powdered sugar and remaining lemon juice/zest.
- Whisk well. Depending on the amount of juice your lemon had, you may need to thin the glaze with a few drops of water.
- The correct consistency is thick, but not pasty.
- Pour the glaze onto the cream cheese Danish, and enjoy!
- These are best eaten fresh immediately after they cool. Leftovers should be stored in the fridge.
Erik
One of my fave pastries of all time! Easy to make and so cool it’s GF.
Gianne
The flakiness of the pastry combined with the creamy, tangy cream cheese filling is simply divine. A must-try for anyone, whether gluten-free or not!
Naelle @ GlutenFreeDIYers
Thanks Gianne! You're right, you don't have to be gluten-free to appreciate these Danishes!
Charah
Healthy! I am looking for something that I can eat after gym and I'll add this one to my list. Thanks
Mahy
This danish is stunning. Definitely one of the best ones I have seen to date!
Donalyn
This looks so good and I can't wait to try my hand at the gluten free puff pastry. I never would have thought of it, so I'm glad I stopped by!
D
I did not use your pastry dough since I didn't have the time to make it and instead used dough from Good Love Foods. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as directed. I didn’t know how thin to roll out the dough and couldn’t find that info on your page (adding that to your recipe/post would be very helpful!), but guessed and they turned out well.
Naelle @ GlutenFreeDIYers
Hi, thanks for stopping by! You're right, I didn't give thickness measurements, only size since I roll my dough to those dimensions every time. Thickness will probably depend on how sturdy the dough you use is, but mine will roll to a bit less than 1/4 inch. I'll add it to the notes!
Janahy
They came out great and the flavor is amazing! The texture is great for a gluten free pastry. Just delicious!
Naelle @ GlutenFreeDIYers
I'm glad you tried and liked it, yay!
Kate
Remarkable recipe, even compared to glutinous versions! I have tried so many gluten free danish / pastry recipes and nothing comes close to the flaky and crisp and tender texture this provides. My celiac partner was blissed into silence after taking his first bite. This was also easier to prepare than others I’ve tried - so very easy to roll out and work with. This may be the best pastry I’ve ever baked with or without gluten. I’m so glad I stumbled across this page. Thank you!
Naelle @ GlutenFreeDIYers
Awesome, I'm so glad!!