Starbucks Cheese Danish Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jun 30, 2025 
Skip the coffee shop and make a batch of these super flaky, gooey, and delicious copycat Starbucks Cheese Danishes with a hint of lemon right at home!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
If you think Starbucks is all about the coffee, think again. The best thing you can order at any Starbucks is their cream cheese danish, in my humble opinion… For anyone not familiar, these baked beauties feature a thick layer of rich, sweet cream cheese filling, with a light taste of lemon, nestled in a buttery flaky puff pastry base. So, uh yeah, this treat is THAT good.
But if you don’t feel like waiting in line at the coffee shop (and/or paying those prices) you can make our amazing copycat recipe for Starbucks Cheese Danishes at home, with very little time and effort. They’re so amazing that you might take one with you as you run out the door to get your coffee. You can even have both a cheese danish and coffee at home to save time and money!
Why You’ll Love These Copycat Starbucks Cheese Danishes
- Better for you – These homemade cheese Danishes are so much better than the store-bought version because they’re made fresh and without preservatives!
- Quick and easy – You just need a handful of easy to find staple ingredients and in less than an hour you’ll be devouring these unbelievably delicious treats.
- Customizable – You can drizzle these with anything you like, from fruit preserves and honey to a drizzle of nutella.
This fabulous no-fuss recipe includes just 7 ingredients, like handy store-bought puff pastry sheets, tangy cream cheese, and bright lemon zest. Bake up a dozen danishes in only 30 minutes and keep them on hand for delish grab-and-go breakfasts throughout the week.
Ingredients and Tips
- Frozen puff pastry dough – Make sure you’ve thawed this before cooking with it.
- Cream cheese – Use a cream cheese that’s softened at room temperature.
- Granulated sugar – You can instead any other sugar alternatives, but note that this will alter the flavor.
- Vanilla extract – Make sure to use a high quality extract to enhance the sweet and rich flavors.
- Lemon zest – Use fresh lemon zest.
- Salt – You just need a pinch to balance the sweet flavors.
- Egg – Use an egg yolk at room temperature plus a bit of water, to make the egg wash.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Gluten-free – Use a GF puff pastry dough and make sure the extract and cream cheese are gluten-free as well.
- Dairy-free – Swap the cream cheese with a plant-based alternative and use a dairy-free puff pastry dough found at specialty stores.
- Fruit – Add a spoonful of your favorite berry jam on top of the puff pastry before baking for a fruity finish.
- Honey – Drizzle some honey onto the freshly baked Danish.
- Spices – Sprinkle cinnamon or nutmeg into the cheese mixture before baking for a cinnamon-bun-like taste.
How To Make Starbucks Cheese Danishes
These rich, buttery and flaky Cheese Danishes are actually a lot easier to whip together than you think! In a few simple steps, load up the puff pastry sheets with your cheesy mixture and get baking!
Find the full Starbucks Cheese Danish recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Tips For Success
- Thaw the puff pastry in the fridge. Avoid thawing it in a hot room because the sheets will stick together.
- Make sure not to over bake. Otherwise the edges will burn up and they’ll lose that flaky texture.
- Use a zip-loc bag to pipe. It’s the easiest, most hassle free and cheap option for piping that cream cheese mixture.
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or store in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Serving Suggestions
These warm, buttery, Copycat Starbucks Cream Cheese Danish delights are delicious with coffee, tea, or milk. Enjoy one with a hot cup of coffee, Iced Coffee, or iced latte with homemade Brown Sugar Syrup, depending on how you are feeling that day.
One of the (many) things I love about a Starbucks Cheese Danish is that it feels appropriate to eat any time of day – morning, noon, and night. Snag one for breakfast, give yourself an afternoon pick-me-up, or dig in for a sweet and satisfying dessert. Yum!
Cheese Danish Recipe Sstarbucks
Video
Ingredients
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed (1 box)
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar + 1 tb for tops
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg + 1 tb water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set out a large baking sheet and line it with parchment paper.
- Set out a small bowl for the cream cheese filling, and an even smaller bowl for the eggwash. Crack the egg into the smallest bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water. Whisk well to create eggwash.
- In the second bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and salt. Mix until very smooth.
- Lay one sheet of thawed puff pastry on a clean work surface. Brush eggwash over the top of the puff pastry. Then lay the second sheet of puff pastry evenly over the top. Gently press. Brush the top of the second sheet with egg wash. Then use a pizza cutter to cut the puff pastry sheet into 12 small rectangles. That's 2 long cuts in one direction and 3 long cuts perpendicular to the first cuts.
- Move the puff pastry rectangles to the baking sheet, 1-2 inches apart. Use a fork to poke holes down the center of each puff pastry rectangle, leaving a half inch rim around the edge.
- Scoop the cream cheese filling into a freezer Ziploc bag. Cut off one corner of the bag to create a disposable piping bag. Pipe the cream cheese filling down the center of each puff pastry sheet, over the top of the punctured holes.
- Bake the cheese danishes for 15-20, until the edges are golden brown and evenly puffed on all sides.
- Allow the cheese danishes to cool for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Then serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. Although this Starbucks cheese danish recipe does have a nice amount of protein, there is also a good amount of fat and calories per serving. As with most tasty baked goods they should probably be enjoyed in moderation.
This is totally your call… A warm danish heated up in the oven or microwave will have a nice gooey cheese center. But a room temperature or cold pastry is also delicious!
Just what you’d suspect, by using two layers of pastry, it doesn’t fully bake in-between both layers of pastry. Even after 18 mins it remained doughy in-between, though browned around the top edges 😐 Good flavor though, lemon zest mostly, but I also added a drizzle of icing, which helped.
Epic Fail. At least Double Cream Cheese. These were so dry. Great idea because I live these from Starbucks but I’m going to try to create my own recipe.
Wonderfully delicious! So much better than the originals found in Starbucks! My husband asks for these constantly and because they are easy to make I never mind making them. Thank you for sharing!
love this, thank you for breaking it down, spend too much time in line per month buying these things!
This is my favorite bakery item to order from Starbucks so I’m really happy I found this recipe to make it at home! It was so easy to make and tasted exactly like a Starbucks cheese danish!! Thank you for the recipe!
So easy to make. They came out flaky just the way I like it. The creamy, lemony, vanilla-filling was so good.
So easy to make at home, and tastes just as delicious as the real thing!
this is the best thing that tastes so much like the ones from starbucks! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe with us! Its going to be a staple