Easy Apple Strudel With Puff Pastry | German Apfelstrudel

An easy homemade apple strudel (German Apfelstrudel) that is simply perfect for fall and winter but can be enjoyed at any time of the year. It’s flavorful, flaky, buttery, juicy, crispy, and very delicious! This holiday recipe is vegan, can be made refined sugar-free, and contains only 10 ingredients in total!

Easy Apple Strudel Recipe

As you might know, I am German but I am not living in Germany for a long time. However, recently I visited my family in Germany and my sister and I made our traditional apple strudel. Mind you, our parents are Czech and strudel was our favorite dessert when we were kids.

My grandmother (Oma) used to make apple strudel quite often and my mom made it almost every weekend. I really love “Apfelstrudel” (that’s how it’s called in Germany and Austria) and therefore, it was time to create my own easy recipe and share it with you on my blog.

3 reasons why you should be making this German strudel asap:

1. It’s perfect for apple season and ridiculously easy to make.
2. This dessert is vegan and can be made refined sugar-free.
3. The recipe contains only 10 simple ingredients!

Vegan Puff Pastry

Did you know that puff pastry is vegan? Well, most brands are vegan, not all, so make sure to check the packaging before you buy it. Vegan puff pastry will contain margarine (or vegan butter) and the German brand, that I bought, actually had the word “vegan” mentioned on the package.

I never tried making my own puff pasty, however, I found out that you actually can make your own gluten-free puff pastry with this recipe:

• 16 oz Gluten-free Pie Crust Mix
• 12 oz Vegan butter cold, divided
• 6-8 oz Ice water

Find the recipe instructions HERE.

How To Make An Easy Apple Strudel?

As mentioned before, the recipe contains only a few ingredients and you probably have all of them at home (except the puff pastry). You can also use phyllo pastry instead of puff pastry. Check the below photo to see the easy instruction steps!

• Place the puff pastry on a baking sheet. My puff pastry was actually wrapped in parchment paper, therefore, I didn’t need to line the baking sheet with extra parchment paper. However, if yours isn’t, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Add all filling ingredients to a bowl and stir with a spoon.
• Pile the filling on the puff pastry, forming a long rectangle (see picture below).
• Fold the top and bottom ends of the puff pastry over the filling.
• Now carefully wrap the sides of the puff pastry over the filling, pinching at the seams to form a seal. It’s totally ok if there are some small cracks, just leave it like that, it will form an interesting pattern when baked. 🙂
• You can brush the puff pastry with some melted vegan butter and sprinkle more sugar on top.
• Bake for 35 minutes or until slightly golden-brown.
• Let cool to room temperature and dust with icing sugar (you can use powdered Erythritol for a refined sugar-free version).
• Slice and serve with vegan ice cream or whipped coconut cream.

Perfect For Breakfast Or Dessert

You can enjoy this easy apple strudel for breakfast or dessert. We used to eat this vegan dessert for breakfast on weekends and I loved it with lots of raisins and chopped walnuts!

In my opinion, this strudel tastes the best warm right from the oven but it also tastes delicious at room temperature. You can reheat it in the oven for a few minutes and then serve it with the toppings I just mentioned (vegan ice cream or whipped coconut cream). I also love serving it with vanilla sauce, it’s a great combo!

I haven’t tried freezing the assembled apple strudel but I guess it should work without problems.

Apple Strudel Ingredients

The 10 simple ingredients are as follows:

• Apples
• Raisins
• Walnuts (you can use any nuts of choice)
• Vanilla bean paste (you can use vanilla extract)
• Lemon juice
• Cinnamon
• Ground ginger
• Cardamom
• Sweetener of choice
• A sheet of puff pastry

Find the exact measurements below in the recipe card!

Variation

You can vary the apple strudel as you wish. For example, you could use chopped dates or any other dried fruit instead of raisins. If you don’t like walnuts, simply use almonds, cashews, hazelnuts or sunflower seeds (for a nut-free version).

This Easy Apple Strudel Is:

• Vegan (dairy-free, egg-free)
• Can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free puff pastry (see recipe above)
• Can be made refined sugar-free by using Xylitol or Erythritol
• Flaky
• Crispy
• Buttery
• Flavorful
• A great breakfast or dessert
• Very easy to make with simple ingredients

Should you give this easy apple strudel a try, please leave a comment and rating below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your remakes! 🙂

If you want to try out more healthy apple desserts/breakfast recipes, please make sure to also check out the following delicious vegan recipes:

• Apple Streusel Pie
• Plum And Apple Crumble
• Easy Apple Crumble Muffins
• Apple Cinnamon Crepes
• Apple Cinnamon Rolls

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5 from 4 votes

Easy Apple Strudel

An easy homemade apple strudel (German Apfelstrudel) that is simply perfect for fall and winter but can be enjoyed at any time of the year. It's flavorful, flaky, buttery, juicy, crispy, and very delicious! This holiday recipe is vegan, can be made refined sugar-free, and contains only 10 ingredients in total!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: Austrian, Czech, German

Keyword: apfelstrudel, apples, dessert, puff pastry

Servings: 6

Calories: 193kcal

Author: Michaela Vais

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of vegan frozen puff pastry thawed (gluten-free if needed)
• 4 medium (500 g) diced apples peeled and cored
• A squeeze lemon juice
• 1/2 scant cup (50 g) walnuts chopped
• 1/3 cup (50 g) raisins (*see notes)
• 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar + more for sprinkling on top (*see recipe notes)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• One heaped tbsp cinnamon
• Pinch of ground ginger
• Pinch of cardamom

Instructions

• Check the video below for easy visual instructions.
• Place the puff pastry on a baking sheet. My puff pastry was actually wrapped in parchment paper, therefore, I didn't need to line the baking sheet with extra parchment paper. However, if yours isn't, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Add all filling ingredients to a bowl and stir with a spoon.
• Pile the filling on the puff pastry, forming a long rectangle (see pictures above in the blog post).
• Fold the top and bottom ends of the puff pastry over the filling.
• Now carefully wrap the sides of the puff pastry over the filling, pinching at the seams to form a seal. It's totally ok if there are some small cracks, just leave it like that, it will form an interesting pattern when baked.
• You can brush the puff pastry with some melted vegan butter (optional, I didn't do it) and sprinkle more sugar on top.
• Bake for about 35 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
• Let cool to room temperature and dust with icing sugar (you can use powdered Erythritol for a refined sugar-free version).
• Slice and serve with vegan ice cream or whipped coconut cream. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

• I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe.
• You can use powdered Erythritol (or Xylitol) for a refined sugar-free version.
• Chopped dates or dried fruit of choice (e.g. figs, apricots, etc.) can be used instead of raisins.
• Any chopped nuts or seeds can be used in this recipe.
• You might also enjoy this Vegan Caramel Apple Cheesecake.
• Nutrition facts are for 1 of 6 servings (1/6 of the recipe).

Nutrition Facts

Easy Apple Strudel

Amount Per Serving

Calories 193 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Carbohydrates 28.1g9%

Fiber 2.7g11%

Sugar 22g24%

Protein 2.3g5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 28.1g | Protein: 2.3g | Fat: 8g | Fiber: 2.7g | Sugar: 22g

Kitchen scale

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