Healthy Homemade Toaster Strudel with Puff Pastry (2024)

Homemade Toaster Strudel is a base recipe that you should let your creativity out with. Maybe you think of classic cream cheese and jam as a toaster strudel, but it can be so much more than that! Typically I make this with brie cheese and red pepper jelly, and that's what is in the recipe card. You get all the goodness of baked brie in puff pastry, but you don't have to share or make your own bites. Perfect for standing around a party with a glass of wine, or a snack as you head out the door. Keep reading for other flavor suggestions and to see some of my other favorite variations. I love to think of my favorite flavor combos and vary it up in one batch for my homemade version!

Looking for other dessert type recipes that would be great for a party? You might love Sopapilla Cheesecake Bites!

Equipment Required

One of the things I love most about this recipe is that it's so simple to throw together and doesn't require fancy kitchen equipment. If you ever bake you probably have all of this on hand!

• Rolling Pin - You will need to roll out the puff pastry into a larger, thinner piece. I like this thin French rolling pin, because it's smaller and takes up less space! If you don't have a rolling pin you can use a wine bottle, a drinking glass, or your Hydroflask!
• Pastry brush - A pastry brush will make your job of brushing on whisked egg much easier! While I've had a more traditional artist brush style pastry brush, I find it hard to clean. I prefer a silicone basting brush! Super easy to clean and you'll find yourself reaching for it over and over in the kitchen!
• Fork - This is so that you can crimp the two pieces of puff pastry together. If you do not have one of these already, then I'm just confused.
• Baking Sheet with Silicone Mat - I think I call for this in just about every recipe on here. So if you are reading this and you haven't made the jump, it is time! You can certainly use a foil sheet if don't have a baking mat.

Ingredients and Flavor Combinations

All About Frozen Puff Pastry

What makes homemade toaster strudel taste like the real thing is the flakey puff pastry. You can find Pepperidge farm puff pastry sheets in the freezer isle of your grocery store near the desserts (where the whip cream and pie things are). I like to keep the puff pastry and brie on hand and frozen so that anytime I need a quick meal or snack it's easy to throw together!

My preference is for Trader Joe’s Frozen All-Butter Puff Pastry. It's made with real butter (which Pepperidge Farm's is not) which makes it a game changer. Plus you can keep it in the freezer for any of your puff pastry needs for the rest of the year. So if you're reading this in the fall or around holiday season, then go stock up!

Frozen store bought puff pastry is definitely an easier and foolproof way to get puff pastry. Plus at $5 a box (even less at Trader Joe's) it's not worth the effort to me to make it. But if you're feeling antsy at home, I would recommend checking out this recipe for puff pastry from scratch!

Flavor Combos

Now this is where it gets fun. Once I made a batch of homemade toaster strudel and used 4 different kinds of jelly (3 toaster strudels for each flavor) just to see what my preference is. You might want to make some for the grownups and some for the kids! A perfect treat for everyone. Your favorite combinations with cheese would go perfectly here.

My recommended variations are:

• Cream cheese and berry jam with icing drizzled over the top after cooling
• Brie sprinkled with herbs de provence
• Mozzarella with a bit of pizza sauce and a couple of pepperoni
• Cheddar with apple slices
• Cream cheese and cinnamon (or any frozen fruit, like blueberries)
• Brie and pears
• Nutella and raspberry jam

Recipe Top Tips and Notes

The first time I made homemade toaster strudels, I did not freeze the cheese and that was a huge mistake. When I went to take the pan out of the oven all of my cheese was all over the pan! It had literally completely melted out of the flakey pastry. It was still decent, but not at all what I had in mind. So trust me and freeze your cheese, whichever one you choose.

Another thing you'll want to consider is whether not you want to egg wash the top before baking. In the photo below, I did them 4 different ways. You can see that it's shiner and browned up more when an egg wash was used. The egg wash can also be handy if you want to add sugar or salt to the top before baking, which I did for the blueberry cream cheese and the red pepper jelly brie ones. Sugar will give it a sparkly sweet crunch which is delicious! Salt is perfect for your savory versions of homemade strudel and I like the texture it provides.

FAQ

You will love this fool-proof, endlessly customizable recipe that can fulfill many of your breakfast, appetizer, snack, lunch on the go, wine night needs. I know everyone in your family will love them. If you run into any issues or have questions while making them, please leave me a note! I am here to help.

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