Easy Starbucks Cheese Danish Recipe
Starbucks Cheese Danish (Easy Copycat Recipe) – Skip the coffee shop and make a batch of super flaky, gooey, and delicious cream cheese danishes with a hint of lemon right at home!
Why We Love This Recipe
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, you might take one with you as you run out the door to get your coffee. Or even have both a cheese danish and coffee at home to save time and money!
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 You Need
- Frozen puff pastry dough – thawed
- Cream cheese – softened at room temperature
- Granulated sugar – or use other preferred sugar alternatives, but note that this will alter the flavor
- Vanilla extract – to enhance the sweet and rich flavors
- Lemon zest – squeeze the lemon juice and use it to make any number of other recipes, like homemade buttermilk or ricotta cheese
- Salt – a pinch to balance the sweet flavors
- Egg – plus a bit of water, to make the eggwash
How to Make the Best Copycat Starbucks Cheese Danish Recipe
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 egg wash. Crack the egg into the smallest bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water. Whisk well to create eggwash.
In the second bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and salt.
Mix until very smooth. (You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer for this if you like.)
Lay one sheet of thawed puff pastry on a clean work surface. Brush egg wash over the top of the puff pastry.
Then lay the second sheet of puff pastry evenly over the top.
Get the Complete (Printable) Copycat Starbucks Cheese Danish Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
Gently press. Brush the top of the second sheet with egg wash.
Then use a pizza cutter (or sharp knife) 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 mixture 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.
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!
Frequently Asked Questions
They are made with sweet and tangy cream cheese.
Yes, the puff pastry is layered with an egg wash.
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 will have a nice gooey cheese center. But a room temperature or cold pastry is also delicious!
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or store in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Looking for More Fabulous Breakfast Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Raspberry Sweet Buns
- Honey and Goat Cheese Tart
- Peach Hand Pies (Pop Tarts!)
- Cheater Kouign Amann
- Arnold Palmer Sweet Rolls
Easy Starbucks Cheese Danish Recipe + 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.
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