Easy Strawberry Strudel {With Puff Pastry}

Quick and easy strawberry strudel with puff pastry, homemade with 3 simple ingredients. Perfect flaky sugary crispy tops with jam filling.

I woke up yesterday morning craving these easy treats that my Aunt makes all the time. She fills them with strawberry and chocolate chips but surprisingly, I was out of chocolate chips. So, I settled on making a simple and classic version. I had to make two batches of these because hubby finished off the first batch and left me with only one strudel to photograph! Can you blame him though? Just look at that flaky golden brown top and that vibrant fruity filling! You can fill these with any flavor of preserves you like such as apricot, blueberries, or raspberries or try this Mini Apple Strudel Recipe which is just as delicious.

How to make easy strawberry strudel recipe with puff pastry?

1. Make egg wash- Keep this aside for now.
2. Cut pastry sheets- Into small rectangle strips.
3. Add preserves- In the center of the pastry strip.
4. Fold pastry- Press to seal. Then, flip onto a cookie tray, lined with parchment paper. 
5. Slice tops- So that steam can easily escape. 
6. Brush egg wash- On top. Sprinkle some sanding sugar. 
7. Bake- Until the strudels are puffy and golden brown. Enjoy!

Key ingredients

• Pastry- Store bought puff pastry is perfect.
• Preserves- High quality and thick is best.
• Egg- To make an egg wash

Why is my strudel soggy?

This means the strudel was under-baked. Keep baking it until they are golden brown and crispy on top.

Why did my filling leak out of the puff pastry?

There may be too much preserves in the pastry, or it wasn't sealed around the edges well. Don't worry they will still taste great.

Variations for mini strudels

Drizzle glaze on top- Such as Powdered Sugar Glaze {Vanilla Cake Glaze} or Lemon Glaze For Cake {Lemon Drizzle Icing}.

Drizzle melted white chocolate- Wait till the strudels are baked and cooled. Then add the drizzle on top.

Other filling options- Such as cream cheese, Nutella, peanut butter, poppy seeds, or chopped or sliced almonds, pecans, or walnuts.

Use a different preserve- Such as plum, apricot, peach, apple, blueberry, or cherry.

Make a large strudel- Instead of cutting into mini ones, make one large strudel and slice it for individual servings.

Tips and techniques for mini strawberry strudel bites-

Avoid homemade jams- I highly recommend using high quality strawberry preserves in this recipe and definitely avoid homemade jams. Even though I have an amazingly easy homemade strawberry jam recipe, it does not seem to work too well in these strawberry strudels. I think it's not super thick. It oozes out when the strudels are baking and leads to a sticky ugly mess.

Sanding sugar topping is optional- I highly recommend it because it makes the tops so wonderfully crispy and crunchy.

Line baking pans with parchment paper- Because this prevents the strudel from sticking and makes clean-up so much easier.

What is sanding sugar? Can I use granulated sugar instead? It is a type of decorative sugar that won't melt when baked because of the large size of the crystal. No, you cannot use granulated sugar because it will melt due to the small size of the crystals.

When rolling pastry sheets over the jam, place the seam side down on the pan- Because it looks better when baked and keeps the seams from opening during baking.

Tastes best when served immediately- Or after they have cooled for 20-30 minutes. 

How to cut pastry sheets? Unroll your pastry sheets and cut them into small rectangle strips using a sharp knife. Mine were about 2-3 inches wide and 5-6 inches long.

You must cut slits in the top of the puff pastry- Because this allows the steam to escape.

Storage

Room temperature- In a container for up to 2 days.

Refrigerate- They don't need to be refrigerated but can be for 2-3 days, if you like. They taste the best when served freshly baked out of the oven. Over time, they do become slightly sticky and soggy.

Freeze- These do not freeze well.

More Easy Strawberry Desserts

• Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes {From Scratch}
• Strawberry Shortcake Cake {Cake Mix}
• Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes (Mini)
• Strawberry Cookies {Fresh Strawberries}
• Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes {Valentine’s Day Cupcakes)
• Strawberry Icebox Cake {No Bake}

Recipe