This Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danish Recipe have a flakey pastry crust, filled with a swirl of sweetened cream cheese and pumpkin, that is topped with a crunchy brown sugar streusel, and a simple vanilla glaze. They taste bakery-worthy that are actually so easy to make!
These Pumpkin Danishes start with frozen puff pastry, so they’re perfect for a lazy morning at home, or fancy enough for a brunch party. You’ll also love them for an afternoon snack, or evening dessert.
The filling is a swirl of a sweetened cream cheese (the same as I use in our Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish) and a sweetened pumpkin, with the best fall spices. Then we add our favorite brown sugar crumb topping for a little crunch and extra sweetness. And of course a light vanilla glaze. It may seem complicated, but comes together in just a few minutes, without any hard to follow steps.
Why You’ll Love these:
- Keeping it Simple: We’re using Puff Pastry from the grocery store to make these easy and stress-free.
- Perfect Fall Flavor: Creamy Pumpkin Filling that is loaded with cozy fall spices!
- Beautiful Pastries: The color combination, streusel topping, and icing drizzle comes together to make a beautiful pastry that looks like its from a bakery!
- Make Ahead Friendly: These store great for a couple days. Just pop them in the microwave for 15 seconds, or the oven for a couple minutes to reheat!
Ingredients Needed:
This is a quick overview of some of the ingredients you’ll need for this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danish Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- All Purpose Flour: I haven’t tried this with other types of flour.
- Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar: Add the right amount of sweetness to the fillings and crumb.
- Ground Cinnamon and Pumpkin Pie Spice: Gives the filling and crumb topping a cozy fall flavor
- Unsalted Butter: If you use salted butter you can skip the added salt in the crumb topping
- Pumpkin Puree: Use pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
- Eggs: One egg yolk for the pumpkin filling and one whole egg for the egg wash.
- Cream Cheese: Use a block of cream cheese, I recommend full fat.
- Puff Pastry: Two sheets of puff pastry, I like Pepperidge Farm
- Powdered Sugar: To make the vanilla icing
How to make a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danish
Step 1: Make the Streusel Topping. Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Add the softened butter and use two forks or a pastry cutter to cut the ingredients together until you have a mixture that has some sandy texture, and some bigger clumps. Place the bowl in the fridge until needed.
Step 2: Make the Pumpkin Mixture. Stir together the pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla in a small bowl. Set aside until needed.
Step 3: Make the Sweet Cream Cheese Mixture. Add the softened cream cheese to a medium sized bowl and beat it with an electric hand mixer, or stand mixer, until smooth. Then add in the powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and beat them together until smooth and creamy.
Step 4: Assemble the Danishes. Spread out the puff pastry, and cut each into 6 pieces. Score an outline about 1/2 inch from each edge around each piece of pastry dough. Scoop a couple Tablespoons of the sweetened cream cheese into the center of the pastry, spread it around a little, but not to the scored edge. Add dollops of the pumpkin filling on top of the cream cheese. Take a butter knife and gently swirl the two together. Sprinkle the prepared streusel on top.
Step 6: Bake the Danishes. Brush the edges of the Danish with a quick egg wash (one egg mixed with a couple Tablespoons of water or milk). Bake them in the heated oven until the edges are puffed up and golden brown. Let them cool for a bit, about 20 minutes.
Step 7: Make the Icing. Whisk all the ingredients (powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla extract) together in a small bowl, and then drizzle over the top of each pastry with a spoon. Enjoy right away, or let them sit for a few minutes so the icing can set, if desired.
Tips and Tricks
- Puff Pastry: Make sure your puff pastry is thawed but still cool. You can put it in the fridge the night before, or for at least a few hours. Or at room temperature for about 1 hour. Or in 15 second increments at half power in the microwave if you forget to thaw it sooner.
- Egg Wash – The egg wash will give your pastry a nice golden, and glossy finish, so don’t forget it.
- Cream Cheese: Make sure to let the cream cheese mixture sit at room temperature for at least an hour to soften so it blends up easily without any chunks.
Storage Instructions
This Danish is extra delicious on the first day, but can be stored great for about 2 to 3 days, when stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat the leftovers in the air fryer, or oven for a couple minutes to bring back the crispy edges. But you can also microwave for about 15 seconds for quicker results.
These Pumpkin Danishes are flaky, creamy, crunchy, golden perfection. Perfect for any fall morning, and once you make them you’ll want to make them over and over again.
More Pumpkin Breakfast Ideas
If you try this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danish Recipe, please leave a 🌟 rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danish
Ingredients
For the Streusel Topping:
- 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 5 TBS Unsalted Butter (softened)
For the Pumpkin Filling:
- 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 large Egg Yolk
- 2 TBS Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
- 6 TBS Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Danishes:
- 2 Sheets Puff Pastry (thawed)
- 1 large Egg
- 2 TBS water
For the Icing:
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 4 TBS Heavy Cream
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
For the Streusel Topping:
- Add the dry ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk them together. 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour , 1/3 cup Brown Sugar, 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon , 1/8 tsp Salt
- Add the butter and mix into the dry mixture using two forks or a pastry cutter until the mixture is nice and crumbly. 5 TBS Unsalted Butter
- Place the bowl in the fridge until needed.
For the Pumpkin Filling:
- Add the pumpkin puree, egg yolk, brown sugar, pumpkin spice, and vanilla extract to a medium bowl and stir together until smooth. Set aside until needed. 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree, 1 large Egg Yolk, 2 TBS Brown Sugar, 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice, 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Cream Cheese Filling:
- Add the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla to a medium bowl and beat together with an electric mixer for a couple minutes until smooth and creamy. 8 oz Cream Cheese, 6 TBS Granulated Sugar , 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Danishes:
- Unfold the puff pastry, and cut it along the three fold lines. Cut each of the strips in half so you have 6 pieces from each sheet. 2 Sheets Puff Pastry
- Gently score each puff pastry square with a sharp knife about 1/2 inch in from the edges. Make sure not to cut through all the way. Prick the center of each pastry a few times with a few. Transfer the pastries to the prepared baking pans.
- Spoon a couple Tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture onto the pastry, making sure to stay inside the border. Spread slightly.
- Add a few spoonfuls of the pumpkin mixture on top of the cheesecake mixture. Use a butterknife to swirl the two mixtures together slightly.
- Whisk the egg and water together in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Use a silicone brush to brush it all over the outside edges of the pastries. 1 large Egg, 2 TBS water
- Bake the pastries until they have puffed up and turned a golden color, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool in the pan for another 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool another 10.
For the Icing:
- Add the icing ingredients to a small bowl, and whisk them together until smooth. Add a little more powdered sugar, or a little more cream as needed, until they are smooth and drizzle- able. 1 cup Powdered Sugar, 4 TBS Heavy Cream, 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Use a spoon to drizzle the icing over the top of each pastry. Enjoy immediately, or let the icing set if desired.
Notes
- Puff Pastry: Make sure your puff pastry is thawed but still cool. You can put it in the fridge the night before, or for at least a few hours. Or at room temperature for about 1 hour. Or in 15 second increments at half power in the microwave if you forget to thaw it sooner.
- Egg Wash – The egg wash will give your pastry a nice golden, and glossy finish, so don’t forget it.
- Cream Cheese: Make sure to let the cream cheese mixture sit at room temperature for at least an hour to soften so it blends up easily without any chunks.
Nutrition
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