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Our Easy Apple Strudel has puff pastry wrapped around a golden raisin and apple pie filling, then baked to golden perfection. A simple confectioner’s sugar glaze is the perfect finishing touch.

Easy Apple Strudel
This delicious and easy-to-make Apple Strudel is a great option when you need a last-minute dessert or a pastry for a special breakfast or brunch.
It starts with frozen puff pastry sheets and canned apple pie filling that we doctored up with golden raisins and some panko breadcrumbs for extra texture and flavor.
The edges of the pastry dough are cut into strips and braided over and around the filling, then baked until light and crispy and golden on top and warm and bubbly inside. Top with a simple powdered sugar glaze – and you’re ready to slice and serve!
Why you’ll love Easy Apple Strudel
- The sweet apple filling, crispy pastry, and creamy glaze is heaven in every single bite!
- You can keep the ingredients on hand in the freezer, fridge, and pantry – so you’ll be ready for any last-minute guests that stop by this holiday season.
- This is a flexible recipe – you could swap in other pie fillings for a variety of flavors.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Dough – Buy frozen puffed pastry sheets from the supermarket. We used the Pepperidge Farm brand. A homemade puff pastry can also be used if you prefer.
- Apple Filling – We made our pastry filling with a canned apple pie filling/topping (Lucky Leaf is a good brand), and stirred in added panko breadcrumbs and golden raisins. You can make a homemade apple pie filling if you have a recipe you like – just make sure that it is a thickened pie filling for best results.
- Water
- Unsalted Butter
- Egg Wash – This is a whole egg beaten with a little bit of water.
- Glaze – A simple glaze is made with confectioner’s/powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, melted butter, and salt.
Special Tools Needed
- Two Cookie Sheets lined with sheets of Parchment Paper
- Rolling Pin
- Mixing Bowl – To mix the filling.
- Various Small Bowls and Pastry Brushes – For spreading melted butter, the egg wash, and water through the steps of the recipe.
- Whisk
- Sharp Knife – To cut the dough strips.
- Serrated Knife – To cut for serving. A serrated knife helps stop the pastry from collapsing as you cut it.
How do I make Easy Apple Strudel?
- Lay each sheet of puff pastry dough on its own parchment-covered cookie sheet and roll to approximately 10X12-inches. Don’t worry about getting the ends even.
- Brush dough with melted butter leaving a 1-inch inch border, unbuttered, all the way around each sheet.
- Brush the outer edges (the 1-inch border that isn’t buttered) of both sheets with water.
- Use a sharp knife and cut one-inch-thick strips across and down the length of the outer third of both sides of each sheet. (To describe it a different way: The center third of the sheet will be uncut with strips (still attached) coming off each side. See photos above.)
- Place canned apple filling, panko breadcrumbs, and raisins in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Divide the filling between the two pastry sheets, spooning it down the center third of each sheet.
- Fold strips over to the center, alternating from both sides and crossing them over each other. Do one end halfway, then go to the opposite end and go halfway to meet the first overlapped pieces. Tuck the end flaps in and pinch the end of each up and over to seal the end.
- Brush with egg wash and bake until golden.
- Cool baked strudel to room temperature on cooling racks.
- Make glaze by whisking melted butter, vanilla, salt, milk, and powdered sugar.
- Use the whisk to drizzle the glaze over each baked apple strudel.
Tips & Tricks
- If the boxed dough sheets stick to the rolling pin, brush the rolling pin with some flour.
- This recipe can easily be cut in half; however, you will be left with half a can of filling and one pastry sheet leftover. Instead, make as recipe calls for but freeze one whole strudel after baking but before glazing. Make half the glaze as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make this Apple Strudel ahead of time? Yes, this can be glazed warm and served immediately or chilled, glazed, and served later.
- How do I store leftovers? Store refrigerated for up to four days.
- How do I reheat leftovers? N/A
- Can I freeze? Yes, these freeze well. Freeze before glazing and wrap tightly in plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn. Thaw completely, then glaze when ready to serve.
You might like these other Apple Recipes:
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Easy Apple Strudel
Our Easy Apple Strudel has puff pastry wrapped around a golden raisin and apple pie filling, then baked to golden perfection. A simple confectioner’s sugar glaze is the perfect finishing touch.
Ingredients
1 box frozen puff pastry dough, thawed (two sheets per box)
3 tablespoons butter melted
1 21-ounce can apple pie filling
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 whole egg, beaten with a teaspoon of water
Glaze
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1–2 tablespoons whole milk
2–3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with two racks in top and bottom thirds of the oven.
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and turn the pan so the pan lip faces away from you.
- Lay one thawed piece of dough onto each pan, with folds vertical on the pan.
- Use a rolling pin and roll each sheet of dough right on the parchment to 10” wide by 12” long.
- Brush melted butter all over each sheet, leaving a one-inch border on all four sides.
- Brush water on the one-inch border on both sheets.
- Use a sharp knife and cut strips on the two outer thirds of both sheets. Strips should be about an inch wide. Does not need to be precise.
- In a large bowl, mix apple pie filling, panko breadcrumbs and raisins then divide the filling down the center third of both sheets, leaving an inch open on both ends of both sheets.
- Start from one end and overlap each strip, alternating left and right until you reach the center, but leave the first set of strips until the end. Go to the other end and repeat to the center.
- Lastly, use the end strips on both ends overlapping and the very end up and over and pinched close. Repeat for second cookie sheet.
- Brush both strudels with egg wash and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate pans from rack to rack and spin each one around for even browning and set timer for ten minutes. Check for doneness and bake for a few more minutes if needed. Bottom and tops should be golden and tops slightly puffy.
- We baked ours for a total of 38 minutes, but ovens vary.
- Slide parchment from both cookie sheets to cooling racks, being careful not to let strudel slide off of the parchment.
- Cool to room temperature.
- While strudel bakes, make glaze by placing butter, vanilla, and milk in a medium bowl. Add two cups of powdered sugar and whisk. Depending on consistency, add more milk or more powdered sugar until a thick glaze is formed. You should be able to lift the whisk and have the glaze drizzle off in a thick stream.
- Drizzle glaze over both strudels in a side-to-side motion.
- Slide them off onto your cutting board and cut each into six portions with a serrated knife and serve.
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