These Sweet and Savory Puff Pastry Recipes Look Super Expensive But Are Actually Budget-Friendly
Frozen puff pastry is a spectacular ingredient to use in puff pastry recipes ranging from appetizers to desserts—and everything in between. It’s an ingredient commonly used by chefs who buy prepared puff pastry for use in restaurants and catering. And for the home cook, it’s a no-brainer to utilize this buttery flaky pastry in your own kitchen.
With puff pastry, you can make anything from an impressive Puff Pastry Antipasto Stromboli and savory salmon, to crunchy cheese snacks, savory sausage rolls, Pastelitos de Guayaba and more. Read on for what you need to know about this frozen shortcut, and then browse this collection of sweet and savory puff pastry recipes. They’ll inspire you to serve five-star dishes at your own kitchen table.
Where to buy puff pastry
Puff pastry is in the frozen food aisles of the grocery store. You can usually find it near frozen desserts, or sometimes by frozen breads.
Related: 23 Phyllo Cup Filled Delights That Work For Every Occasion
Is phyllo dough the same as puff pastry?
Though you find both in the freezer aisle, phyllo dough and puff pastry are pretty different—enough that you don’t want to use phyllo dough for your puff pastry recipes.
Phyllo
This dough is composed of paper-thin sheets that crisp up when you bake them. There’s hardly any fat in the dough, so you’ll likely have to brush it with butter before you use it.
Puff
Puff pastry is about as thick as pie dough and has quite a bit of fat in it. The dough is laminated, meaning it’s a lot of alternating layers of dough and butter. When you bake it, the dough puffs up, creating a multi-layered flaky pastry.
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Is puff pastry vegan?
Traditional puff pastry is made with butter—and a lot of it. So generally, it’s not vegan. But vegan substitutes are available, and you can check the ingredients list of the puff pastry in the freezer aisle. Some companies may swap out ingredients to make the dough more shelf stable.
If you want to make vegan puff pastry at home, try using a vegan butter substitute or firmed up coconut oil.
How to thaw puff pastry
Thaw puff pastry either in your refrigerator or at room temperature. It works best when it stays cold, so only let it sit out on the counter for about 30 minutes—just until it’s newly thawed. If you have a warm kitchen, leave it in the fridge until it thaws.
Is puff pastry gluten free?
Puff pastry is not gluten free. Flour is a major ingredient, which contains gluten because it is generally made from wheat. It’s possible to make gluten-free puff pastry recipes, though—you just need to either find a gluten-free brand (don’t worry, plenty exist) or make your own with an all-purpose flour alternative, like rice flour.
Related: 14 Recipes That Prove You Can Make Anything With a Box of Store-Bought Pancake Mix
Can you refreeze puff pastry?
Depending on your puff pastry recipe, you’re not always going to use the entire package of dough. You can store it in the fridge for a few days, but if you aren’t going to get back to it, just pop the dough back in the freezer. It should work just fine when you decide to thaw it and bake it again.
Best Puff Pastry Recipes
Easy Peasy Cinnamon-Pecan Rolls

Parade
Puff Pastry Cheese Straws

Photo by Alison Ashton
Everything-Spiced Cocktail Weenies with Mustard

Alison Ashton
Cranberry-Brie Puff Pastry Bites

Photo by Mark Boughton / Styling by Teresa Blackburn
Guava Pastries (Pastelitos de Guayaba)

Erica Dinho
Kevin McKidd’s Salmon in Pastry

Photo by: Lucy Schaeffer
Puff Pastry Tomato-Basil Pizza

Photo: iStockphoto
Poached Pears in Puff Pastry

Alison Ashton
Puff Pastry Antipasto Stromboli

Alison Ashton
Sandra Lee’s Pear Puffs

Photo: Courtesy of Sandra Lee
Apple Sauce Puff Pastry Tarts

Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Pastry Croutons

Photo by Quentin Bacon
Julia Child’s Sexy Pear Tarte (Tarte aux Poires)

Claudia Raschke
Italian Zeppole Recipe

Theresa Greco
Twisted Puff Pastry Cheese Bacon Sticks

Jack Campbell
Rosemary Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Milk Anglaise and Turmeric Puff Pastry

Community Table
Easy Chicken Pot Pies

Sausage Pinwheels

Photo by: Yortw via Flickr
Easy Baked Brie

Photo: iStockphoto
Pizza Cocktail Weenies

Quick Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream

Photo courtesy of Breyers
Sun-Dried Tomato & Goat Cheese Tartlets

Photo by: CIA/Ben Fink
Double Piggies in a Blanket

Jon Ashton
Plum-Coconut Tart

Andrew Purcell for Dash; Food styling, Carrie Purcell; Prop styling, Heather Chontos
Butternut Squash Cheddar Tart

Jon Ashton
Sausage Rolls

Parade
‘Toaster Doodles’

Brent Weber
Witches’ Fingers Cheese Straws

Photo by: David Loftus
Asparagus Tomato Tart

KELSEY FOSTER
Maple Almond Pear Tarts

Sanura Weathers
Spinach Feta Tarts

Sweet Potato Slab Pie

Mark Boughton Photographs / styling by Teresa Blackburn
Sausage Mummies Resting in Peas

Asparagus-Ricotta Tart

Andrew Purcell for Parade; Food styling, Carrie Purcell; Prop styling, Heather Chontos
Zucchini & Goat Cheese Tart with Walnuts

Mark Boughton
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