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This Cheese Danish recipe will blow your socks off! It’s not only so easy but also SO delicious and drizzled with icing on top! Made with a can of crescent rolls and a block of cream cheese, this tasty breakfast or dessert will quickly become a favorite. While you’re making pastry desserts, you have to try my Apple Turnover! It’s amaaaaazing!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
This is truly the easiest and simplest Cheese Danish recipe! Warm, sweet and flaky soft…doesn’t get much better than that! Whether you want to make this the night before for a special breakfast, or share it with friends and family for dessert, it’s one you’ll keep coming back to. It’s easily customizable too! Try adding a fruit filling on top of the cream cheese filling!
Aren’t Danishes Typically Made with Puff Pastry?
Yes, yes they are. Puff Pastry dough is made with flour, water and butter. It’s then rolled out and folded several times creating layers. When it’s baked, it creates air pockets within the layers which makes the light and flaky pastry. Crescent roll dough is made with similar ingredients plus sugar making it a bit sweeter, but still has that light and flaky texture that we all love in a danish or other pastries. I used crescent roll dough for this recipe because honestly it’s what I had on hand. I found that it was a bit easier to work with and it turned out great too!
How to Make a Cheese Danish
For full recipe details, including ingredients needed and measurements, see the printable recipe card down below. Here is step by step what you can expect when making this recipe:
Preheat Oven + Combine Filling Ingredients Together in a Bowl
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla. Set aside.
Lay Out Crescent Dough on Baking Sheet
Pop open crescent roll dough and unroll, leaving crescents in rectangles. On an ungreased baking sheet, lay the crescent roll rectangles together, lining them up width wise. The dough should be almost the entire length of a half sheet pan. Press edges together to even out edges and seal any holes.
Add Cream Cheese Filling
Carefully spread cream cheese filling down the center of the dough to be about 2-3 inches wide.
Next, cut 1/2 inch diagonal strips up each side of the dough. Fold 1/2 inch dough pieces up over filling alternating sides to get a braided pattern. You may have excess dough once you reach the end of the danish, so fold them in as best as you can.
Bake
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until filling is set and the crescent dough is golden in color. Cool before removing from the baking sheet.
Make the Icing
Once danish has cooled, remove to a serving platter. In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream to create icing. You may need to add more cream to get the desired consistency.
Drizzle Icing, Cut + Serve!
Drizzle icing over danish. Cut into pieces and serve.
Storing Leftover Cheese Danish
Any leftover Cheese Danish should be refrigerated, covered, for up to a week! This is no store-bought danish where it can sit out. No crazy preservatives here, so be sure to refrigerate.
Freezing
Unfortunately, this cheese danish does not freeze well. This is because the cream cheese filling will change textures when frozen then thawed again. It becomes less of a creamy filling and more of a crumbly texture. Ew.
But if you want to make this danish recipe without the cream cheese filling, you can freeze it (baked or unbaked).
Unbaked. Prepare recipe completely up to the point of baking. Place the unbaked danish on the parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer for a few hours until frozen. Once frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place it into an airtight container. Return to the freezer for up to two months.
You can bake the danish straight from the freezer. Give it an extra 15-20 minutes to bake and watch closely!
Baked. Cool the danish completely then place in an airtight container. It can last for up to two weeks in the freezer. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge overnight. To heat the danish up place in the oven until heated through. Store any leftovers in the fridge.
Make-Ahead Directions
Thankfully this cheese danish recipe is super easy to make ahead. This is great to save you even more time! Whether you are making this the night ahead for breakfast in the morning or for dessert the next day you can follow these easy steps.
- First, follow the directions as normal and stop before baking!
- Make some room in your fridge because now you can take your whole baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.
- Keep in your refrigerator for up to two days.
- When ready to bake, pull it out of your fridge and let the danish get to room temperature. Then bake as you normally would! Enjoy!
Cheese Danish Variations
Check out my other versions of this Danish recipe, they are SO good!
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Danish
- Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Danish
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danish
- Easy Blackberry Cheese Danish
More Sweet Pastries to Try!
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. It’s perfect for breakfast or dessert! I’d love for you to give a star-rating and tell me what you think in the comments! The printable recipe card is below, enjoy friends!
Cheese Danish
Ingredients
- 1 tube crescent rolls
- 1 8 oz. package cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 + tablespoons heavy cream
- splash vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla. Set aside.
- Pop open crescent roll dough and unroll, leaving crescents in rectangles. On an ungreased baking sheet, lay the crescent roll rectangles together, lining them up width wise. Dough should be almost the entire length of a half sheet pan.
- Press edges together to even out edges and seal any holes. Carefully spread cream cheese filling down the center of the dough to be about 2-3 inches wide. Cut 1/2 inch diagonal strips up each side of the dough. Fold 1/2 inch dough pieces up over filling alternating sides to get a braided pattern. You may have excess dough once you reach the end of the danish, so fold them in as best as you can. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until filling is set and crescent dough is golden in color. Cool before removing from baking sheet.
- Once danish has cooled, remove to serving platter. In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar, vanilla and cream to create icing. You may need to add more cream to get the desired consistency. Drizzle icing over danish.
- Cut into pieces and serve.
I love this recipe so much, I’ve made it so many times. I’ve recently started to add guava paste. It’s delicious !
So yummy and sooo easy!! My family LOVES it! Easily one of my FAVORITE recipes ever! It’s fluffy one the outside and creamy on the inside! Good job!!!
These are an easy and delicious dessert treat.
Mind got a little ‘well done’ on the bottom and I used less time bc I was afraid I’d burn them.
Would greasing the pan make it worse or better?
I made this with puff pastry and replaced the flour with 1 egg yolk. Brushed the top with egg wash before baking and sprinkled some raw sugar on top as well. I didn’t want to cover the beautiful braid with icing. I wish I could share my pics.
I am confused. Should the prepared braided Cream Cheese Danish be baked before freezing, or freeze first?
This recipe gets points for ease but the flavor was just ok. I may have higher standards than most for cheese danish as it’s my absolute favorite pastry. The filling was lacking flavor and was a bit too firm. However, it’s easy to throw together if your need something in a pinch. Doubt I’ll be making it again.
They now make danish sheets they are wonderful for making danish…I like to throw some fresh fruit on top of the cream cheese..blueberries, raspberries, or pie filling…goes over big at my house….
I make this recipe at least once a week on my daughter’s insistance since I found it months ago. Thank goodness we haven’t gained any weight! Lol! It’s so quick & easy & the taste is excellent. My filling never oozes out. It’s the perfect recipe. Make sure your crescent dough is fresh (freshly bought & used soon after), or it may not rise at all.
We love it. Everyone does!
Thanks again!
This was so easy to make and was so good! The icing was about too much…so sweet, could about done without half of it, but it was delicious! Will definitely be doing this often!
It’s the middle of the night & we are making this! We’re having puppies! Two so far. Big Momma had 9 last time, so…
This is our 3rd time making this braid -so easy- and definitely addictive .
Thanks for this version of cream cheese danish!
Christmas morning will be the next one. Will have to make two for sure.
It just came out. Yum. & It only took 13 min in my gas oven.
Happy Holidays!🎄
Yup! It’s worth the hype. I was worried it wouldn’t be as good without an egg in the cream cheese filling, but it was BETTER with flour, instead! It allows the cream cheese flavor to shine, without any egg interference. I combined 1/3 cup strawberry jam with 1/2 T flour, just to make sure it wouldn’t be too runny, and spooned it on top of the cream cheese. I pulled the edges up, but didn’t fully cover the top with the crescent dough.
Looks stunning! Tastes even better.
This time I added chopped fresh figs & chopped pecans & cinnamon sugar! Wonderful!
This recipe is DELICIOUS! My family loves it. So easy to make and looks like it came from a professional bakery! Highly recommend!
These are so wonderful and I put a line of homemade lemon curd down the middle of the cream cheese mixture. Oh, so good!
But I don’t know if it’s my computer, or printer but anything you highlight in blue will not print. So when it comes off the printer I have to fill in the ingredients. Has anyone else had this problem? But I filled in the items , made the danish and we certainly enjoyed them.
I would die for it! Love it! Tate’s as good as it looks. Well at least in your picture. I’m not the best presenter
:(:(
This was so easy and tastes better than anything from the grocery store. I recommend a splash of lemon in the cream cheese mix.
Do left overs need to be refrigerated? I know they aren’t in the store but maybe this is fresher? Lol
I’ve made this recipe THREE TIMES in the last month. Everyone thinks I am so clever…no need to tell them how incredibly easy it is. Thank you, Lauren, from one supermom to another.
Love making this super easy recipe! It is the ONLY breakfast dish that my mother-in-law requests that I make for family get togethers!
This is a delicious and easy danish recipe! My 9 year old daughter loves to make it with me.
[…] I thought as a beginner I would be able to make, This one over at Laurens Latest looked perfect: https://laurenslatest.com/easy-cheese-danish I did make a couple of small adjustments to the recipe but kept it pretty […]
So easy and comes out great just as written!
The filling sets nicely.
I used this recipe as a base for filled croissants and they were so delicious! Make the filling without vanilla and half the sugar and add two tablespoons of strawberry jam and 1/2 of an egg yolk. Spoon onto the crossant dough triangle 1/2 inch from the wide edge and roll like you would a regular croissant. Pinch it closed if you have to. Paint with an egg wash and sprinkle some sugar and bake. ZOMG! Crazy good.