Easy Cheese Danish – Lauren’s Latest

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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!

sliced cheese danish on a serving spatula

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.

cream cheese filling ingredients in a bowl

mixing cream cheese ingredients together in a bowl

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.

woman's hands laying crescent dough out on a baking sheet

Add Cream Cheese Filling

Carefully spread cream cheese filling down the center of the dough to be about 2-3 inches wide.

woman's hands pressing the dotted edges together

cream cheese filling being spread down the center of crescent dough

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.

knife cutting diagonal cuts into the crescent dough

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!

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!