Need a fast and easy brunch option? This crescent roll cheese danish is a total crowd pleaser. With minimal ingredients and maximum flavor, you'll make this again and again!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love Cream Cheese Danish Made With Crescent Rolls
- Ingredient Information And Substitutions
- How To Make Cream Cheese Danish Using Crescent Rolls
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Tips For Making Danish With Cream Cheese
- What To Serve With Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish
- More Brunch Recipes To Try
- Crescent Roll Cheese Danish
Why You'll Love Cream Cheese Danish Made With Crescent Rolls
We all need that quick, throw-together option for events and holidays calling for a brunch dish-to-pass. Christmas morning. Easter Sunday. Mother's Day. That random Sunday morning when you planned to entertain and accidentally overslept. It happens!
This cream cheese danish pastry is outrageously quick and easy to throw together. It's got delicious but logical shortcuts, so you can work smarter, not harder. And the results are a beautifully braided, flaky, golden-brown crust filled with sweet and creamy cheese.
Whip it up in as little as 10 minutes, pop it into the oven, and you've got a delicious danish that is sure to impress! It's just one of many reasons to love this recipe.
- Made with ingredients you can keep on hand
- Light and sweet
- Super flaky
- Perfect for sharing
Ingredient Information And Substitutions
- Cream cheese- Make sure to soften it first! It only takes about 20 minutes on the counter, maybe less if you unwrap the block.
- Eggs- Use 1 egg yolk in the filling, then a whole egg whisked with water for the egg wash.
- Sugar- Also split. Use granulated sugar to sweeten the cream cheese mixture, then turbinado sugar (AKA raw sugar) on top for a little added sparkle and texture.
- Almond extract- For a hint of flavor. You can substitute with the same amount of vanilla extract or any other flavored pure extract of your choice.
- Refrigerated crescent roll sheet- This also comes in a tube, but it's a solid sheet of dough without the perforations to make rolls. If the sheet isn't available, buy crescent rolls and use a rolling pin to help them stick together in a rectangle.
How To Make Cream Cheese Danish Using Crescent Rolls
Step 1- Make cheese filling and prep dough.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Add softened cream cheese, egg yolk, granulated sugar, and almond extract to the bowl of your mixer. Beat until well combined and smooth, scraping down the sides as you go.
Gently flatten the sheet dough onto the parchment-lined pan. Cut 1-inch strips along both sides, about 1 ½ inches into the dough. There should be a column of uncut dough down the middle, about 3-4 inches across.
Step 2- Add filling and braid.
Spread the cheese filling evenly down the center of the dough. Fold the outer strips over each other to make a simple braid, pressing lightly in the center to hold them in place. Then, fold the top and bottom ends in so the filling doesn't leak out.
Step 3- Bake.
Whisk together one whole egg with water, then lightly brush the mixture over the dough. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar before baking for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let the braided danish cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then slice and serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While they're both breakfast pastries, danishes are typically baked while donuts are often fried (although also sometimes baked). Donuts are usually a different shape and not all pastry used in donuts contains yeast.
It's totally ok! Just place the (unwrapped) cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl and zap it for 30 seconds to soften, then whip it extra well.
Once baked, danishes are best eaten the same day, though you can save leftovers and reheat them later.
Tips For Making Danish With Cream Cheese
- No need to make the dough from scratch. A refrigerated crescent dough sheet saves you loads of time, and honestly, no one will be able to tell the difference.
- Soften the cream cheese for the best texture. This will help all the ingredients combine evenly and be nice and creamy.
- Use an electric mixer for the filling. Trust me, it takes way too long to get the same creamy, whipped texture by hand.
- Trim the edges of the dough into strips (that you'll be braiding) with a sharp pizza cutter. Or if you don't have one, just use a sharp knife.
- Don't forget the egg wash! It keeps the top of the pastry brown and crisp, and helps the sugar crystals stick to the surface.
- Ingredients to prep ahead- Soften the cream cheese and mix the filling. Filling will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Leftovers and storage- Around 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven (or air fryer, if you have one) to get the pastry flaky again.
What To Serve With Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish
I love to nibble on one of these with a hot cup of coffee on the weekends, but this cream cheese danish recipe is fabulous as part of a full brunch spread! Here are a few ideas to round out your meal:
- Blueberry Buckle
- Crispy Parmesan Potatoes
- Grandma Hinz's Apple Pancakes
- Chorizo and Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
- Grapefruit Sparkler
More Brunch Recipes To Try
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down. Check out my Amazon Store for all my favorite tools, including those used in this recipe. And follow @thelifejolie on Instagram and TikTok!
Crescent Roll Cheese Danish
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 package crescent roll dough sheet (or use a rolling pin to adhere crescent rolls together into a rectangle)
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1-2 teaspoons Turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment, set aside.
- In a the bowl of your mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer) mix the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar and almond extract until smooth and well combined, scrapping down the sides as you go. Set aside.
- Place the crescent sheet onto the lined sheet pan and slightly flatten it (you don't want it too thin).
- Using a pizza wheel or knife, cut 1 inch strips about 1 ½ inches into each side, leaving around 3-4 inches of dough uncut on the inside.
- Place the cream cheese mixture down the center where the dough is not cut.
- Take the strips and fold them over each other, pressing lightly in the middle to create the braid.
- Fold the ends in to hold in the filling.
- In a small bowl, whisk egg and water together to make an egg wash. Lightly brush the egg wash over the braided pastry and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Bake uncovered for around 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool for 10 minutes and then slice and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- No need to make the dough from scratch. A refrigerated crescent dough sheet saves you loads of time, and honestly, no one will be able to tell the difference.
- Soften the cream cheese for the best texture. This will help all the ingredients combine evenly and be nice and creamy.
- Use an electric mixer for the filling. Trust me, it takes way too long to get the same creamy, whipped texture by hand.
- Trim the edges of the dough into strips (that you'll be braiding) with a sharp pizza cutter. Or if you don't have one, just use a sharp knife.
- Don't forget the egg wash! It helps the top of the pastry brown and crisp, and it helps the sugar crystals stick to the surface.
- Ingredients to prep ahead- Soften the cream cheese and mix the filling. Filling will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Leftovers and storage- Around 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven (or air fryer, if you have one) to get the pastry flaky again.
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