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Easy 30-Minute Apple Strudel

November 30, 2014 by Matt Robinson 78 Comments

If your pores are sweating gravy from all the Thanksgiving leftovers, I’ve got you covered with this 30-minute, easy-to-make apple strudel—a little sweetness to balance out all of that savory.

30-Minute Apple Strudel with Real Food by Dad

I know, I’m pushing it with this, but food logged or not—let’s start talking Christmas. I can’t believe that in a little more than three weeks, I’m going to be back to filling my 9-inch plate  from edge-to-edge with turkey and 5-7 sides.

I love holiday food, can you tell?

30-Minute Apple Strudel from Real Food by Dad

Well this year, Naomi and I decided to host Christmas day dinner at our home for my family and this strudel is going to make an appearance alongside Naomi’s dessert.

30-Minute Apple Strudel via Real Food by Dad

I have no idea what she has planned for dessert, or if it fits the scheme, the menu or whatever it  is people do to coordinate flavors. But this apple strudel is my easy way out for the baking portion—30 minutes and done—yay me!

Of course I still have to figure out the savory stuff, but that, as I’ve learned, needs to be coordinated—no mish-mosh of things thrown together like some cheap buffet.  So, yeah, you may just see some of those Christmas dishes here in the coming weeks.

Until then, enjoy the strudel! And if you are tired of apples, try swapping out the apples and cinnamon for pears and cardamom, or persimmons with cinnamon and Grand Marnier.

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Easy 30-Minute Apple Strudel

Easy 30-Minute Apple Strudel

Ingredients

  • 1 puff pastry sheet, thawed according to instructions
  • 4 cups honeycrisp apples (about 5 medium apples), peeled, cored and sliced
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flour
  • Topping
  • egg wash
  • 4 tablespoons cinnamon sugar (4 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon combined)

Instructions

  1. Preparation: Heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Remove one sheet of puff pastry from freezer and thaw according to instructions. In the meantime, add apples, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract in a bowl and toss to combine; set aside for minutes 15 minutes to sweat. Add in flour and toss to combine.
  3. Roll out puff pastry to a 12x16 rectangle on top of a sheet of parchment paper, Lightly score puff pastry into three vertical columns, with the middle column being 7 inches wide and the two outer columns at 21/2 inches. Cut slits on either side of the center column to 1 inch wide and 2 1/2 inches long.
  4. Place apple mixture in the center and fold top of puff pastry down. Begin to pull alternating slits from one side to the other, making sure ends reach the edge of filling. Brush egg wash on top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. For extra crunch, finish with a sprinkling of coarse sugar.
  5. Transfer strudel on top of parchment paper to the oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before slicing into it.
© Foodie Digital

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Filed Under: Christmas, Dessert, Easy, Family, Fruit, Holiday, Sweets Tagged With: 30-minute apple strudel, apple pie, apples, braided apple strudel, easy apple strudel, easy braided apple strudel, honeycrisp, puff pastry

« Turkey and Waffles {that’s waffled stuffing!}
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Comments

  1. Tori Cooper says

    December 1, 2014 at 3:46 am

    You’re the boss of fast and easy yet totally amazing recipes! You totally owned it with this one. Pinned!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:04 am

      Thanks Tori! I took a little break and glad to be back. Have a great week!

      Reply
  2. Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says

    December 1, 2014 at 4:37 am

    THESE PHOTOS! I adore all the process shots!
    my Grandma makes a mean apple strudel..but you made yours in 30 mins, which wins. Bring on all the Christmas recipes Matt! Pinned!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:06 am

      Thanks Taylor! Those were done with the boys begging me to play with them. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

      Reply
  3. Mike @TheIronYou says

    December 1, 2014 at 4:49 am

    Look at you man, you look like a true Maitre Patissier!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:06 am

      Ha! So far from that but I have fun in there for sure. Hope you had an awesome Thanksgiving Mike.

      Reply
  4. HalfBakedHarvest says

    December 1, 2014 at 5:45 am

    This recipe (and photos!) are killing!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:07 am

      Thanks so much Tieghan!

      Reply
  5. David @ Spicedblog says

    December 1, 2014 at 6:29 am

    Woah! I know who I’m inviting over to make breakfast and dessert for us during the holidays! Nice work, my friend! #WolfpackEats

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:07 am

      We should all meet up in the middle of somewhere one of these days for sure. Thanks David!

      Reply
  6. Kim says

    December 1, 2014 at 6:47 am

    Can’t wait to try this! And have for breakfast because it’s all I want now 🙂 Yum

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:07 am

      It’s incredibly easy, Kim, you have to! Thanks:)

      Reply
  7. grandbabycakes says

    December 1, 2014 at 7:25 am

    That my friend is a stunner!!!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:08 am

      Thanks so much Jocelyn!

      Reply
  8. Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits says

    December 1, 2014 at 8:46 am

    A gorgeous strudel, Matt! Love all that sugar on top, too! And of course, love the step-by-step photos!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:08 am

      This was so fun to make, thanks so much Lisa!

      Reply
  9. KevinIsCooking says

    December 1, 2014 at 9:06 am

    I am all over this and with Honey Crisp oh yeah! Love that “sweating gravy…” line. Classic! #WolfpackEats

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:08 am

      That’s exactly how I felt, thanks Kevin!

      Reply
  10. Meggan | Culinary Hill says

    December 1, 2014 at 9:35 am

    I love how easy this recipe is! Puff Pastry is always a good choice, and I’m loving the Honeycrisp apples. 🙂 Thanksgiving is over, so of course we all need to move on to Holiday recipes!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 11:01 am

      Thanks Meggan, hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

      Reply
  11. Natasha (@Natasha's Kitchen) says

    December 1, 2014 at 10:12 am

    The coarse sugar on top and braiding looks amazing! I love 30 minute desserts that have everyone else thinking it took way longer! 🙂

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 11:01 am

      That’s all the time I’ve got:) Thanks Natasha!

      Reply
  12. Brenda Klein Score says

    December 1, 2014 at 10:37 am

    Tired of apples? Never! I love them year-round. Wonderful strudel!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 11:01 am

      Thanks Brenda, hope you and your family had an awesome Thanksgiving!

      Reply
  13. Zainab @ Blahnik Baker says

    December 1, 2014 at 11:05 am

    OOoooo what a great idea!! And apples are forever welcome on my plate!!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:08 pm

      Thanks so much Zainab!

      Reply
  14. Amy | Club Narwhal says

    December 1, 2014 at 12:00 pm

    This is one beautiful strudel! The braided top makes it look so fancy pants–I’m sure it will be devoured in nanoseconds 🙂

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:08 pm

      And it’s really not so fancy, super easy to make. Thanks Amy!

      Reply
  15. The Blonde Chef says

    December 1, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    Ok, this looks SO good I can almost taste it! In fact, my husband saw your sneak peak photo yesterday on insta and immediately asked me to make it! Awesome job!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:09 pm

      Love hearing that, thanks so much Aubrie! Let me know how it turns out:)

      Reply
  16. ITheeCook says

    December 1, 2014 at 1:22 pm

    Pretty food that tastes good! My kind of dessert.

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:09 pm

      And very simple to make too:) Thanks Rina!

      Reply
  17. Danae | Recipe Runner says

    December 1, 2014 at 1:42 pm

    This is such a perfect dessert! I love how easy it is to make. Anything and everything apple is winning in my book!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:09 pm

      It really is an easy one, Danae. Thank you!

      Reply
  18. Alexandra says

    December 1, 2014 at 2:10 pm

    Love this recipe & all the process shots you included. I’d be all for the apple cinnamon mixture, but persimmon and grand marnier? That sounds AMAZING as well. 🙂

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:10 pm

      Glad to be back and had fun making this one for sure. Thanks Alexandra!

      Reply
  19. GarlicGirlBlog says

    December 1, 2014 at 2:19 pm

    Love this – I should have made this for my family’s Thanksgiving bake-off. Instead I made a coconut cream pie that failed miserably. 🙁 I guess I can look forward to the Christmas competition. 🙂

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:12 pm

      We all fail miserably with some recipes, right? Impossible not to! Thanks so much and I do hope you try this one!

      Reply
  20. Tutti Dolci says

    December 1, 2014 at 2:57 pm

    I love that sugared topping, 30 minutes is just perfect for an easy and delicious apple dessert!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:13 pm

      30 minutes is all I’ve got most of the time:) Thanks Laura, and I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

      Reply
  21. Shashi @ RunninSrilankan says

    December 1, 2014 at 3:56 pm

    Fantastic idea Matt – I love this quick and incredibly easy dessert – but wait – this can even double as breakfast!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:13 pm

      It can totally double as breakfast, Shashi! Thanks!

      Reply
  22. Paula says

    December 1, 2014 at 4:54 pm

    Well. We hosted both of our family’s for Thanksgiving and I needed a xanax by 10 a.m.! 30 minute desserts are the best especially good (or maybe that’s ‘bad’) for cravings! This is a great recipe, Matt!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:13 pm

      Hilarious Paula! Thanks so much.

      Reply
  23. Nora @ A Clean Bake says

    December 1, 2014 at 5:13 pm

    I can’t believe how easy to make this look! It’s perfect for the busy holiday season 🙂

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:14 pm

      It really is, you should try it. Really fun to make. Thanks Nora!

      Reply
  24. foodonfifth says

    December 1, 2014 at 5:51 pm

    Beautiful and beautifully delicious no doubt!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:14 pm

      Thanks so much Teresa!

      Reply
  25. Brian Samuels says

    December 1, 2014 at 6:02 pm

    Desserts are always the last thing I think about at dinner parties… so a recipe that’s quick, simple and seasonal is a good thing to have available.

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:15 pm

      I am the same way, Brian. I rarely have room for them anyway, but this one is so easy and light. Thanks!

      Reply
  26. Ashley | The Recipe Rebel says

    December 1, 2014 at 7:19 pm

    I am NOT sick of apple desserts yet — and this looks totally amazing! Good luck with your Christmas dinner! I’m sure you guys will be cooking up an incredible feast!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:16 pm

      Thanks Ashley! Yeah, that will be fun, we will feed our family for a change instead of our neighbors:)

      Reply
  27. CrazyforCrust says

    December 1, 2014 at 7:48 pm

    I’m up for strudel ALL year long, no matter when it is. This is fabulous!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:16 pm

      Same here Dorothy, thanks so much. Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving!

      Reply
  28. Maggie Zhu says

    December 1, 2014 at 9:00 pm

    You’re always making the dish looks so delicious buy not difficult to cook at all! I have tons of apple at home and this recipe is perfect to get rid of them!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 1, 2014 at 9:16 pm

      Yes, you have to try this then, Maggie!

      Reply
  29. Arman @ thebigmansworld says

    December 2, 2014 at 1:08 am

    Loving the action shots, mate! Forwarded your epic waffle creations to my mates and so many are a huge fan…who knew stuffing could be…waffled.

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 2, 2014 at 11:45 am

      Wow, that’s awesome to hear, thanks so much Arman!

      Reply
  30. Matt @ Plating Pixels says

    December 2, 2014 at 8:50 am

    Yay for quick and decadent dessert recipe! Please keep the Christmas recipes coming. I got a few in the works as well.

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 2, 2014 at 11:46 am

      Can’t wait to see them Matt, thanks!

      Reply
  31. Megan {Country Cleaver} says

    December 2, 2014 at 6:18 pm

    My grandma has an apple streudel that is a tradition in our house – I’ve never made it myself but I will have to try this one – ESP because it’s ONLY 30 minutes!! WIN!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 2, 2014 at 7:46 pm

      You should Megan, so good, especially this time of year!

      Reply
  32. Alice Choi says

    December 3, 2014 at 10:38 am

    This is the prettiest Apple Strudel I’ve ever seen! and ok, I need that apple core remover thing. Where did you get that?! and I’m totally already thinking and planning for Christmas dinner. . I’m just glad we’re going to my parents’ house so they are in charge of the main dishes and I will help with sides and dessert 🙂

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 3, 2014 at 9:34 pm

      Wow, thank you Alice! We got it at Sur La Table, but a long time ago. The brand is Messermeister. It’s actually fun using it. Stress reliever for sure:)

      Reply
  33. Glory Albin says

    December 3, 2014 at 1:45 pm

    Gorgeous + Simple is always a win in my book!! This looks amazing!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 3, 2014 at 9:34 pm

      Thanks so much Glory!

      Reply
  34. Shareba says

    December 3, 2014 at 3:39 pm

    This is so pretty, and it looks easy enough to make. Can’t wait to try this one 🙂

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 3, 2014 at 9:35 pm

      You have to Shareba, super easy and so worth it. Thanks!

      Reply
  35. Nagi | RecipeTin Eats says

    December 4, 2014 at 12:46 am

    How could I NOT pin this recipe when we are store bought puff pastry soul-mates??! So Naomi didn’t offer to make you a fresh batch of homemade puff pastry?? Shocking!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 4, 2014 at 9:18 pm

      Hilarious, Nagi! Seriously though, right? 🙂 Thanks so much!

      Reply
  36. Stephanie @ longdistancebaking says

    December 6, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    This looks beautiful! I hosted Thanksgiving, so I’m looking forward to letting someone else do all the work at Christmas. Though this strudel just may need to make an appearance!

    Reply
    • realfoodbydad says

      December 7, 2014 at 7:36 pm

      Thanks so much Stephanie!

      Reply
  37. BTownBaker says

    September 3, 2015 at 1:14 pm

    This recipie simply and sadly does not work. The puff pastry rolled out to to 12×16 is too thin to hold the contents. Which brings me to the point that 5 apples is too much volume for such weak pastry dough.

    Between the water sweated by the apples and the super thin puff pastry, the bottom of the pastry does not bake in the 10-12 minutes called for, but instead turns into a soggy mess that does not hold the apples at all. I’ve had to resort to turing over the entire strudel and cooking it in the oven upside down to bake the bottom. I’ve even tried baking directly ON the oven racks with only a sugary mess in the bottom of my overn.

    I’ve tried this recipe now three times and am looking to the comments to tell me where my error is. But instead, I find the comments being about how “excited” people are to make it or how “pretty” it looks. It is indeed very beautiful. Alas, no one has made it! My advice is to not bother. And it doesn’t happen in 30 minutes either. After peeling, coring, slicing (mandolin) sweating, assembly and baking, you’re looking at more like 1.5 hours. Trust me. I had such high hopes for this very nice recipe.

    Reply
  38. Laura says

    September 24, 2015 at 5:41 pm

    Can this be made the night before and stored on counter or fridge?

    Reply
  39. Dianne Gillespie Leone says

    November 1, 2015 at 3:08 pm

    Do you put the parchment filled struedel on a baking sheet??

    Reply
  40. Kim O'Kane says

    November 15, 2015 at 10:41 am

    This is just beautiful. Going to make this for my grandsons school. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  41. Krissa Burdan says

    October 9, 2016 at 3:06 pm

    I just made this last night! It was delicious and surprisingly simple (especially because I have a 3-in- 1 apple peeler/corer/slicer). HOWEVER, the bake time for me was significantly too short. I folloved the recipe to a “t” , but even 20 min into baking the dough was still raw. I kept checking it every 4 min or so, but it took about 25-30min to cook. It wasn’t at all dry or over cooked after 25 min, but was finally no longer raw. Did I miss some “pre-bake the puff pastry step” or something? It’s strange how different our cook times were.

    Either way, it was so delicious and easy and impressive-looking, so I’ll be saving this recipe for the future! Thank you!

    Reply
  42. Mimi says

    January 24, 2021 at 10:13 am

    Made this today but took 30 min not 10-12 …did I misread somrthing🤔? Fresh apples take longer than that to cook through.

    Heres my photo. Looks good

    Reply

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Welcome to Real Food by Dad, where I create and share easy-to-make, everyday meals, snacks and desserts for my family, along with my adventures of being a husband, dad and coach. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy your time here and become a regular visitor!

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