17 Recipes That Start With Puff Pastry, From Appetizers to Desserts
Keep this versatile ingredient in your freezer so you're ready for all kinds of culinary adventures.
Marcus Nilsson
Although puff pastry may not rank quite as high as chicken stock and canned beans on your must-have food staples list, if you keep a package of it in your freezer, you’ll never be far away from a delicious dessert—or dinner, for that matter. Turns out, the light and flaky dough, which you'll find in the freezer aisle, is a key building block for so much more than sweets.
In this collection, we've pulled together store-bought puff pastry recipes that put this essential to clever use, from breakfast options (like toaster pastries and waffles!) and snacks (pigs in blankets!), to lunches, hors d'oeuvres, dinners, and, yes, desserts (like peach pie, apple tart, and so much more).
Want to set yourself up for shortcut success? Your best bet is to thaw the frozen puff pastry in the fridge, overnight, before you start cooking or baking. The dough should be pliable, but not too soft or limp. Once it's thawed, unfold it carefully—if it's still frozen in parts, it will crack or break, so it's worth the extra few minutes to let the dough thaw completely.
Be gentle as you roll or cut it—less is more, and you want maximum flakiness. If you can, chill the pastry again before baking, so the butter can firm up; this will help contribute to a beautiful crunch and flake.
Related:What Makes Puff Pastry and Phyllo Different?
Tomato and Brie Tart
Here's an easy, refined dinner option that calls on puff pastry: This cheesy tart showcases juicy slices of heirloom tomatoes, buttery brie, and briny capers. It's best accompanied by a salad for a main course—or cut it into smaller slices and serve it as an appetizer.
Pigs in Blankets
These snacks combine easy familiarity with an elegant touch. For this truly irresistible version, we brush the puff pastry with honey mustard before baking. It's a versatile recipe, too: You can use any fully cooked sausage, from frankfurters and andouille to chicken sausages.
Date, Olive, and Goat-Cheese Tart
This tart takes everything you love about a cheese plate and puts it in tart form. A creamy, tangy cheese filling is studded with sweet Medjool dates, briny Kalamata olives, and fiery pickled serranos.
Puff-Pastry Turkeys
Tuck this fun "turkey" recipe away for November, and you're sure to delight carnivores and vegetarians alike. It starts with sprinkling store-bought puff pastry with cinnamon sugar; then, you shape "feathers" by folding the dough. Slice and bake until crisp, and decorate with a white-chocolate-chip eye, a candied-sunflower-seed beak, and a freeze-dried strawberry wattle.
Blueberry Toaster Pastries
To make these homemade sweet treats, pack puff pastry with fresh berries and lemon zest, then bake them in the oven. (Don't even think about using the toaster!) Then, finish them with a sugary glaze or violet icing.
Pork Wellington With Prosciutto and Spinach-Mushroom Stuffing
For this twist on the traditional Wellington, pork tenderloin replaces beef and spinach and prosciutto take the place of pâté. What's familiar: mushrooms and, of course, puff pastry. The resulting dish is just as beautiful and delicious as the classic—and a bit lighter.
Puff-Pastry Waffle Hearts (Puffles)
These cute little tickers hide a tasty secret: They're actually pockets made from puff pastry that you stuff with chocolate-hazelnut spread. The waffle iron turns them crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
Easy Peach Potpie
When peaches are in season, this speedy version of peach pie is a must—it's one of our favorite puff pastry recipes. You bake the fruit into a vanilla-bourbon nectar, top it off with a flaky round of pastry, bake, and serve warm.
Apple Jalousie Tart
This French tart takes decorative inspiration from shutters, aka "jalousie." The eye-catching folds of puff pastry do indeed look like windows; behind them lies a delicious filling of vanilla-flecked baked apples.
Individual Chicken Potpies
Here's a classic comfort food made even better in individual portions. Frozen puff pastry serves as a crisp, flaky topping for the savory and warm chicken breast filling.
Puff-Pastry Cannoli Cake
If you like cannoli, you're going to love this dazzling cake inspired by the beloved Sicilian confection. To make it, you sandwich the creamy ricotta between crisp layers of puff pastry. Chopped pistachios add a gorgeous green accent to the finished dessert.
Salmon Coulibiacs
Akin to a seafood version of beef Wellington, coulibiac is a Russian dish; puff pastry envelops poached salmon, mushrooms, and rice. This recipe makes individual pouches, which are lovely for entertaining. Serve them with a sour cream dill sauce.
Cherry-and-Cream-Cheese Hand Pies
A cross between a sour cherry pie and a cheese Danish, these flaky pastries are the perfect way to showcase a quintessential summer fruit. The recipe also includes variations for strawberry, mixed berry, apricot, peach or plum-blueberry.
Bacon and Egg Casserole
Like quiche, this savory brunch dish has a custard filling; using frozen puff pastry instead of traditional pie dough makes it even simpler to prepare. Gruyère gives the dish a rich, subtly nutty flavor.
Puff-Pastry Cheese Straws
Pure butter puff pastry results in the best flavor and texture for these cheese straws. Our recipe makes several variations: sesame-poppy, tomato-rosemary, and pecorino-black pepper.
Easy Churros With Mexican Chocolate Sauce
To make these tasty, churros-inspired treats, you twist rectangles of puff pastry dough into spirals, bake, and toss with sugar and cinnamon. A Mexican chocolate sauce is essential for dipping, combining the sweet and the spicy.
Strawberry Napoleons
Tangy creme fraîche and fragrant vanilla bean perk up the whipped cream sandwiched between layers of puff pastry and strawberries in this towering summer dessert, which feels like the ideal combo of a French Napoleon and American strawberry shortcake.
