Flaky Vegan Danish Pastries: Homemade Recipe and Baking Tips

Rich, creamy vegan cream cheese tucked into flaky pastry—this homemade vegan Danish is ideal for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.

Easy vegan cream cheese Danish

Making Danish pastries at home is easier than you might think. This five-ingredient recipe keeps the process simple, and the base accepts many different flavor variations—all vegan.

Bake a batch for a leisurely weekend breakfast, bring them to brunch, or serve as a light dessert. From strawberry cream to blueberry, lemon, or dairy-free Nutella, the flavor possibilities are endless once you master the basics.

Leftover dough? Try Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars.

Vegan Danish flavors

Plain: Double the cream cheese filling and skip the fruit—it’s essentially cheesecake in pastry form.

Blueberry: Swap cherry pie filling for blueberry, or use apple pie filling and a pinch of cinnamon for apple Danishes.

Chocolate: Drizzle melted dairy-free chocolate or scatter mini dark chocolate chips on top just before serving.

Hazelnut (Nutella): Use half a cup of vegan chocolate-hazelnut spread instead of pie filling and dust with powdered sugar after baking.

Cinnamon roll style: Double the cream cheese filling and add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Make a glaze with 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon dairy-free milk.

Strawberry: Top with diced strawberries instead of pie filling.

Banana: Use mashed ripe banana in place of the fruit filling.

Pumpkin: Combine 1/2 cup pumpkin puree with 3 tablespoons brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice for a seasonal filling.

Jam variations: Raspberry, plum, orange, blackberry, grape, or apricot jam all work well—offer a selection for guests to choose from.

Lemon: Use lemon jam or a vegan lemon curd for a bright, tangy filling.

Step-by-step recipe video

Watch the video above to see the vegan Danish made from scratch.

Ingredients

Only five main ingredients are needed for these simple vegan pastries:

• Vegan cream cheese: Use any preferred nondairy cream cheese (brands like Violife, Kite Hill, Trader Joe’s vegan, or Tofutti work well).
• Sugar: 1/4 cup sugar. You can use white sugar, unrefined coconut sugar, pure maple syrup, or xylitol for a lower-sugar option.
• Crescent roll dough: Two tubes of refrigerated crescent rolls—store-bought or homemade. Many common refrigerated crescent roll brands are accidentally vegan; choose a brand without hydrogenated oils if you prefer cleaner ingredients.
• Lemon juice: 1/2 tablespoon adds a bright, tangy note. Vanilla extract (1/4 teaspoon) is optional.
• Pie filling: 1/2 cup canned or homemade pie filling (cherry and blueberry are popular choices). You can double the cream cheese filling and skip fruit if desired.
• Pure maple syrup or agave: About 1/3 cup to brush on the dough for a glossy, sweet finish instead of an egg wash.

Can you use homemade pastry dough?

Crescent roll dough is used here for speed and simplicity, but you may use homemade dough, puff pastry, sourdough, or gluten-free/keto pastry. If you switch dough types, adjust baking time accordingly.

How to make the best vegan Danish

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and gather ingredients.

2. Make the cream cheese filling: blend the vegan cream cheese with sugar, lemon juice, and optional vanilla until smooth. A food processor, stand mixer, or hand beaters give the creamiest texture. If making homemade pie filling, prepare it now.

3. Open the crescent roll packages but do not unroll; slice each tube widthwise into six sections to yield twelve pieces total.

4. Press a well into the center of each section with the back of a spoon or your fingers—make the wells as deep and wide as possible to hold plenty of filling.

5. Brush the tops with pure maple syrup or agave for a sweet, shiny finish.

6. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese filling into each well, reserving a little for drizzling after baking. Add a few teaspoons of pie filling on top of the cream cheese.

7. Arrange the pastries on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake on the center rack for about 18 minutes, until golden.

8. Let cool slightly, drizzle with remaining cream cheese filling or icing, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips for storing leftovers

Store leftover Danishes in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat briefly in the microwave or on the stovetop before serving. You can also freeze them in an airtight container—note that freezing may slightly change the cream cheese and fruit texture.

These pastries hold fine at room temperature for a few hours when serving at a party. When divided into twelve servings, each filled pastry is under 200 calories.

Fancy vegan Danish

For a special presentation, shape the unbaked dough into hearts or other festive shapes using cookie cutters, then make a well for the filling. Heart shapes are perfect for Valentine’s Day; try bunnies for Easter, pumpkins for Halloween, turkeys for Thanksgiving, or trees and snowflakes for winter occasions.

Recipe

More dairy-free breakfast ideas

Chocolate Overnight Oats

Applesauce Muffins

Vegan Pancakes

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

Blueberry Banana Bread

Vegan French Toast

Oatmeal Muffins