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These Starbucks copycat cheese Danish pastries are surprisingly easy to make at home with a sheet of puff pastry and a simple cream cheese filling. The pastry bakes up golden and flaky around a sweet, creamy center flavored with vanilla. I love them best while they’re still a little warm from the oven with a cup of coffee. They take just 25 minutes from start to finish, so they’re an easy way to get that Starbucks-style treat without making pastry from scratch.
Why You’ll Love It
Make your very own Starbucks copycat cheese Danish and enjoy the ultimate tasty pastry and cream cheese-filled sweet treat.
Budget-friendly: Making these at home costs much less than a coffee shop run, especially since one sheet of puff pastry makes 6 Danishes.
Just like Starbucks: The combination of flaky golden pastry and sweet vanilla cream cheese filling really does hit the spot when I’m craving the Starbucks version.
So easy to make: Store-bought puff pastry does all the hard work, so you only need about 10 minutes of prep before these go into the oven.
Also try cream cheese berry Danishes, a cheesecake tart with berries, Starbucks pink drink, or this recipe for pecan sugar cookies.
Copycat Cheese Danish Starbucks Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Puff pastry: Store-bought frozen puff pastry is what makes these so quick. Thaw it according to the package directions, but keep it cold until you’re ready to cut and fill it so you get those flaky layers in the oven.
Cream cheese: Let it come to room temperature before mixing. Softened cream cheese blends much more smoothly with the powdered sugar and is easier to pipe down the center of the pastry.
Powdered sugar: This sweetens the cream cheese filling without making it gritty.
Vanilla extract: A little vanilla gives the cream cheese filling its sweet bakery-style flavor.
Egg: Whisk it with water for the egg wash that gives the exposed puff pastry a glossy, golden finish.
How to Make a Starbucks Cheese Danish
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Prepare the pastry: Cut the thawed puff pastry into 6 equal rectangles and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Keep the pastry cold while you make the filling.
Make the cream cheese filling: Beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy, then mix in the vanilla.
Fill the pastries: Spoon the cream cheese mixture into a piping bag or Ziploc bag with one corner snipped off and pipe it down the center of each rectangle, leaving the pastry edges exposed.
Add the egg wash: Whisk the egg with water and brush it over the exposed pastry around the cream cheese filling.
Bake: Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, then let the Danishes cool for a few minutes before serving.
Substitutions and Variations
Add lemon zest: Mix a little finely grated lemon zest into the cream cheese filling for a fresh citrus flavor.
Add fruit: Spoon a small amount of raspberry, strawberry or blueberry preserves over the cream cheese before baking. Don’t add too much or it can overflow as the pastry bakes.
Try almond: Add a small splash of almond extract to the filling and sprinkle sliced almonds over the pastries before baking.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizer: Serve your cheese danish from Starbucks with fresh fruit salad, chocolate spaghetti, or mango mousse.
Main: Sheet pan eggs make the perfect main as do these sausage burritos or my Italian frittata.
Dessert: End with a Starbucks cheese Danish recipe and a steaming hot latte breve or tea.
How to Store Starbucks Cream Cheese Danishes
Store: Once cooled, keep leftover cheese Danishes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I prefer them freshly baked, when the puff pastry is at its flakiest.
Freeze: Freeze the baked Danishes in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Thaw: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Warm them in a 350°F oven for about 5 to 7 minutes. The oven does a much better job than the microwave of bringing back some of that flaky pastry texture.
Top Tips
Keep the puff pastry cold: Cold pastry gives you the best puff and flaky layers. If it gets very soft while you’re working with it, pop the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking.
Soften the cream cheese: Room-temperature cream cheese makes a much smoother filling and is easier to pipe. Cold cream cheese can leave little lumps behind.
Leave a pastry border: Pipe the cream cheese down the center without covering the edges. That exposed pastry has room to puff up around the filling as it bakes.
Don’t overfill them: More filling sounds tempting, but too much can spread over the pastry as it bakes. Divide the cream cheese mixture fairly evenly between the 6 pieces.
Use the color as your cue: Start checking around 10 minutes and look for puffed pastry with deeply golden edges rather than relying only on the clock.
Serve them warm: I think these are best after they’ve cooled just enough for the cream cheese filling to set but the pastry is still warm and crisp.
Starbucks Danish Recipe FAQs
No. A handheld electric mixer works just as well, and you can even mix the filling by hand if your cream cheese is very soft. The important thing is getting the cream cheese and powdered sugar smooth before piping the filling onto the pastry.
They’re best freshly baked, but you can prepare the cream cheese filling ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container. When you’re ready to bake, let the filling soften enough to pipe easily, then cut and assemble the puff pastry. I prefer assembling them shortly before baking so the pastry stays cold and flaky.
Start with softened, not warm, cream cheese and avoid overfilling the pastries. Keep the puff pastry cold while you’re assembling them, and leave a border around the filling so the pastry has room to puff as it bakes. If the assembled Danishes have become very soft, refrigerate them for about 10 minutes before putting them in the oven.
Starbucks Cheese Danish Recipe
Starbucks Copycat Cheese Danish
Equipment
- Sharp Knife or Pizza Cutter
- Stand Mixer or Handheld Mixer
- Pastry Bag or Ziploc Bag
Ingredients
- 1 Sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 4 Ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ Cup powdered sugar
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the thawed pastry into 6 equal rectangles, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Cream together for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix until fully combined.
- Place the cream mixture into a pastry bag or Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe filling down the center of each pastry.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Brush the egg wash over the exposed puff pastry around the filling.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the puff pastry is risen and golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Soften the cream cheese: Room-temperature cream cheese makes a much smoother filling and is easier to pipe. Cold cream cheese can leave little lumps behind.
Leave a pastry border: Pipe the cream cheese down the center without covering the edges. That exposed pastry has room to puff up around the filling as it bakes.
Don’t overfill them: More filling sounds tempting, but too much can spread over the pastry as it bakes. Divide the cream cheese mixture fairly evenly between the 6 pieces.
Use the color as your cue: Start checking around 10 minutes and look for puffed pastry with deeply golden edges rather than relying only on the clock.
Serve them warm: I think these are best after they’ve cooled just enough for the cream cheese filling to set but the pastry is still warm and crisp.
Nutrition
This easy-to-make Starbucks-inspired cheese Danish delivers melt-in-your-mouth pastries that are perfect for kicking off your day and way more budget-friendly than grabbing them at Starbucks! Enjoy them fresh from the oven with a hot cup of coffee. The soft, sweet cream cheese filling tucked into a buttery pastry epitomizes comfort food.
Other Sweet Breakfast Recipes To Try
- Make French toast-style muffins for a fusion of two breakfast favorites!
- These Italian doughnuts have a lemony, luscious center that oozes out.
- Rainbow unicorn toast will be a hit with kiddies – they are as pretty as a picture.
- Whip up this French toast skillet layered with cinnamon and maple syrup.
- Nothing is more delicious than these soft and cozy sheet pan buttermilk pancakes.
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I love anything with cheese on it. And this danish recipe is fantastic.
Tried this recipe yesterday and it is a perfect match to the ones at Starbucks. Delish!