Learn how to make an easy apple strudel recipe with a golden, flakey crust and a delicious, sugary, soft apple filling. This simple recipe can be made with store-bought puff pastry or my homemade puff pastry. It uses a variety of apples for a beautiful flavor that can be enjoyed for breakfast, a snack or dessert. Save this recipe to Pinterest so you can always find it!
When it is September, I love to do September things. Here on the farm that means using our apples or our neighboring farms’ apples to create delicious recipe dishes that really run the gamut from breakfast to lunch, dinner and dessert. September is truly peak apple season here in Michigan and it is one of the fruits that my family enjoys the most in dishes, especially when it comes to desserts. This easy Apple Strudel recipe is a simple take on a traditional Austrian dessert that we love to enjoy all fall through the winter. It is easy to make and a great option for a weekend treat or company too.
What is strudel?
Apple strudel is actually a dish that originated in Austria. Traditionally it is a flakey dessert filled with apples soaked in rum with raisins and almonds. The dough for traditional apple strudel is a very, very thin dough. It reminds me of patsy dough that we have in the Michigan Upper Peninsula. It is basically a paper thin wrapping that does not have a lot of sweetness but includes layers of the dough itself.
The crust for the apple strudel
Instead of using a traditional dough, my easy Apple Strudel recipe uses puff pastry. You can use a store-bought puff pastry sheet if you want. I find this makes it easy to make the strudel and you can make it quickly. However, if you prefer to make your own homemade puff pastry, I have a recipe for that {HERE}. It takes some time after the hands-on time to refrigerate again and get the butter to re-chill within the layers of the pastry dough. But the cold butter is the key to making homemade puff pastry light and fluffy because when it hits the hot oven it perfectly puffs the layers. Unlike in other recipes though, this dough can be rolled out a little more to create that thinner, more strudel like dough consistency.
For the filling
When it comes to a filling for the traditional Apple Strudel, it uses a variety of sweet and tart apples. It also uses raisins and almonds. For my family, we keep it simple and use just the apples. I use two Granny Smith apples and then one Fuiji or Honey crisp to really get that flavorful mix from the apples. If you want to use the raisins and almonds, I have included measurements for those in the recipe below.
Tips for making my easy Apple Strudel recipes
- Whether you are using store-bought puff pastry or my homemade puff pastry, you can roll this out thinner than you might usually when working with puff pastry. Specifically to get it the side you bed 12-14 inches by about 10 inches, you might feel like it is not going to work, but it still will.
- I work with my dough on a piece of parchment paper and move it around on that piece of parchment paper throughout the process of making this. It helps to keep from handling the dough/pastry and helps to keep its shape.
- When it comes to the apples, you will have some juices in the bottom of the bowl. You do not need to use those. Easy Apple Strudel recipe does not need the additional juice because you don’t want the bottom of the pastry to get soggy.
Storing leftovers
You can store the easy Apple Strudel on the counter for about 24 hours if you want. Just make sure it is wrapped nicely. You can also wrap it and place it in the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing this because it just will not hold up as well through the thaw process.
Reheating instructions
To reheat the east Apple Strudel recipe, you can put it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. If you want to place it in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then place the strudel on a cookie sheet. Bake it for about 5-7 minutes.
Looking for more apple recipes?
If you love fall recipes and apple recipes like my easy Apple Strudel recipe, try these too.
- Apple Cider Pot Roast in a slow cooker {HERE}
- Creamy Apple Gouda Sausage Pasta {HERE}
- Hot Buttered Apple Cider with Rum {HERE}
- Apple Crumble Muffins {HERE}
- Irish Apple Cake {HERE}
- Braised Apple Cider Pork Tenderloin {HERE}
- Homemade Apple Pie {HERE}
Visit on our Social Channels!
- Substack Sugar Maple Farmhouse
- Instagram @sugarmaplefarmhouse
- Pinterest Pinterest Sugar Maple Farmhouse
- YouTube Sugar Maple Farmhouse
- Amazon Storefront Sugar Maple Farmhouse
- LTK Shopping Sugar Maple Farmhouse
- Facebook Sugar Maple Farmhouse
- Tik Tok Sugar Maple Farmhouse
Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope that you love my easy Apple Strudel recipe. You can find the full, printable recipe below. Happy eating.
Easy Apple Strudel recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for the easy Apple Strudel recipe
- 1 sheet puff pastry Store bought or homemade
- Juice from half a lemon
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 2 pinches ground ginger
- 1 pintch ground cloves
- 2-3 apples, sliced Use 2 Granny Smith and 1 Honey Crisp or Fuji
- 1/2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup raisins, optional
- 1/8 cup sliced almonds, optional
- Optional: 1 -2 tbsp coarse sugar crystals for topping or more sliced almonds to add on top of the glaze
Egg wash
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp water
Ingredients for the glaze topping
- 3/4 cup powder sugar
- 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp whole milk Start with 1 1/2 and add a little more if you think it is too thick.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- If you are using a puff pastry from the store, they will be frozen. Remove it from the freezer about an hour before you want to to start making the apple strudel recipe and place it on the counter. If you made my homemade puff pastry, remove it from the refrigerator. Gently roll the puff pastry out into a rectangle 12-14 inches long on a piece of parchment paper.
- Using a knife, carefully score the pastry dough into three long columns, making sure to not cut all the way through the pastry. You want the middle column to be a little wider than the sides. Then on each of the side columns, cut horizontal slits 1/2 - 1 inch wide, from the scored line to the end of the pastry. This time cut all the way through the dough.
- Move the dough and the parchment paper to a large baking sheet and then place the whole thing in the refrigerator until needed.
- In a small bowl, mix together the 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/8 tsp of nutmeg, the 2 pinches of ginger and 1 pinch of cloves. Set aside.
- Next prep the apples. Add the lemon juice to a large bowl. Then slice the apples into about 1/4 inch slices and add them to the bowl and mix with the lemon juice. Sprinkle the spice mix over the top and combined everything well using your hands. Add the flour in and then combine everything again. Set it all aside for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and begin layering the apples in the middle column. I add on one layer and then another layer. I will usually have 2-3 layers of apples. You do not need to add any of the juice that has accumulated on the bottom of the bowl. Add the raisins on top and if you want add a sprinkling of almonds across the top.
- Begin wrapping the strudel by pulling the dough on the sides and pulling them over to the opposite side. Braid them down the entire strudel and then tuck the ends in.
- Brush the top of the apple strudel with the egg wash and then sprinkle on the coarse sugar crystals if you are using them.
- Place it in the oven and bake it for 25-30 minutes. It is done when the top is golden brown.
- Let it cool for 5 minutes on the counter while making the glaze. Then carefully remove the parchment paper with the strudel on it and place it on a cooling rack. Drizzle the glaze over the strudel. Add the additional sliced almonds if you want them now.
- Slice and serve while warm. You can eat it plain, add whipped cream to the top or even a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
Leave a Reply