20 Sweet and Easy Danishes and Pastries

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Nothing beats the taste of a fresh, flaky Danish or pastry, and with these easy recipes, you don’t need to be a professional baker to enjoy them. From buttery croissants to sweet fruit-filled Danishes, these recipes take the complexity out of creating bakery-worthy treats. Whether you’re making them for breakfast, brunch, or a sweet snack, these pastries are perfect for adding a little indulgence to your day without too much effort.

Cheese Danish

Close-up of pastries with powdered sugar, almond slices, and red heart shapes in the center of each. The pastries are arranged on a wooden surface.
Cheese Danish. Image Credit: Baking A Moment.

This easy Cheese Danish recipe is as authentic as it gets! With creamy filling and flaky, buttery pastry, it’s streamlined, simplified, and absolutely delicious.

Get This Recipe: Cheese Danish

Peach Danish Recipe

Peach Danish Recipe
Photo credit: Sweet Fix Baker

This peachy puff pastry looks complicated, but it’s quite simple to make thanks to puff pastry. Drizzle each peachy slice with vanilla icing for added hints of sweetness throughout.
Get the Recipe: Peach Danish Recipe

Vanilla Brioche Donut

A tray lined with parchment paper holds eight sugar-coated, round pastries filled generously with cream, one in each. The pastries are evenly arranged in two rows of four, with the creamy filling visibly oozing from the top.
Vanilla Brioche Donut. Image Credit: Baran Bakery.

It seems like every culture has its own take on these treats, so feel free to call them whatever you like. In English, they’re known as “Brioche Doughnuts.” Growing up, my mom made “gogosi,” similar but filled with apricot jam before frying. Absolutely delicious!

Get This Recipe: Vanilla Brioche Donut

Vegan Blueberry Danish

Vegan Blueberry Danish
Photo credit: Namely Marly

Enjoy these delicious vegan danishes with a luscious blueberry filling. Don’t forget the vanilla drizzles on top! Serve these tasty danishes as a luxurious weekend breakfast or brunch.
Get the Recipe: Vegan Blueberry Danish

Lighter Apricot Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

A cinnamon roll topped with a drizzle of white icing and pecan pieces sits partially eaten on a white plate. A fork with a piece of the roll rests beside it.
Lighter Apricot Pecan Cinnamon Rolls. Image Credit: Baran Bakery.

Start the weekend off right with these Lighter Apricot Pecan Cinnamon Rolls! Made with apricot fruit spread, crushed pecans, and warm cinnamon spice.

Get This Recipe: Lighter Apricot Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Crumb Cake

A close-up of a slice of coffee cake on a black plate, topped with crumbly streusel and a dusting of powdered sugar. A fork rests beside the slice. The plate is set on a blue cloth, with another slice of cake slightly out of focus in the background.
Cinnamon Crumb Cake. Image Credit: Baking A Moment.

Cinnamon Crumb Cake is a rich, moist sour cream cake topped with a thick layer of crumbly cinnamon streusel. A classic delight that’s perfect with a cup of coffee!

Get This Recipe: Cinnamon Crumb Cake

Cinnamon Hazelnut Breakfast Pastries

A wooden plate with a stack of rectangular, glazed pastries sits on a sheet of parchment paper. One pastry is split open, revealing its dark filling. In the background, there are cinnamon sticks in a glass jar and a pastry cutter on a white surface.
Cinnamon Hazelnut Breakfast Pastries. Image Credit: Baking A Moment.

These Cinnamon Hazelnut Breakfast Pastries outshine anything from a box! With hazelnut frangipane spiked with cinnamon and sweetened with brown sugar, wrapped in a flaky, buttery crust, and topped with a cinnamon yogurt glaze, this breakfast is worth waking up for!

Get This Recipe: Cinnamon Hazelnut Breakfast Pastries

Cheese Danish

Cheese Danish
Photo credit: Budget Bytes

This buttery, flaky, and budget-friendly Cheese Danish recipe is ridiculously easy to make and can be on your table in under a half hour.
Get the Recipe: Cheese Danish

Strawberry Rhubarb Pop Tarts

Strawberry Rhubarb Pop Tarts
Photo credit: Minimalist Baker

These Strawberry Rhubarb Pop Tarts deliver fruity flavor between layers of buttery pastry. It’s a perfect breakfast treat for the weekends. Or, make them and freeze them to reheat on busy weekday mornings.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Rhubarb Pop Tarts

Banana Nutella Croissants

A baking sheet with twelve freshly baked rugelach pastries arranged in rows on parchment paper. The pastries are golden brown with visible layers of flaky dough and chocolate filling, with some chocolate oozing slightly from the sides.
Banana Nutella Croissants. Image Credit: Culinary Hill.

Inspired by Parisian crepes, my semi-homemade Banana Nutella Croissants use just 4 ingredients. Everyone will be asking for this easy recipe for a bakery-quality pastry!

Get This Recipe: Banana Nutella Croissants

Blueberry Lemon Tart

Blueberry Lemon Tart
Photo credit: Erren’s Kitchen

This delightful tart features a crumbly lemon shortbread crust filled with plump blueberries and a zesty lemon flavor.
Get the Recipe: Blueberry Lemon Tart

Peach Scones

Close-up of freshly baked scones topped with a drizzle of icing. The scones are golden brown with visible chunks of peaches throughout, resting on white parchment paper. Another scone is partially visible in the background.
Peach Scones. Image Credit: Two Peas and Their Pod.

Peach Scones – fluffy, buttery scones dotted with fresh peaches and topped with a sweet honey vanilla glaze. These homemade scones will quickly become your new favorite breakfast treat.

Get This Recipe: Peach Scones

Apple Pop Tarts with Homemade Apple Butter

A close-up of several homemade pastries, some whole and some halved. The pastries have golden, flaky crusts and a brown filling. They are topped with a glaze, and a dusting of cinnamon is visible on some of them. Crumbs are scattered around the pastries.
Apple Pop Tarts with Homemade Apple Butter. Image Credit: Baran Bakery.

The ultimate fall breakfast treat, Apple Butter Pop Tarts feature a simple pie crust filled with brown sugar apple butter and topped with a sweet apple glaze!

Get This Recipe: Apple Pop Tarts with Homemade Apple Butter

Cherry Turnovers

Cherry Turnovers
Photo credit: Budget Bytes

Cherry Turnovers are a delicious baked dessert made with flaky puff pastry and sweet, tart cherry sauce. This is the best easy dessert recipe!
Get the Recipe: Cherry Turnovers

Mini Raspberry Tarts

Close-up of several raspberry-filled tartlets topped with a light dusting of powdered sugar. The tartlets have a flaky, golden-brown crust and are set against a blurred background with soft, warm lighting.
Mini Raspberry Tarts. Image Credit: Baking A Moment.

Mini Raspberry Tarts are dainty cream cheese pastry cups filled with sweet raspberry jam and topped with buttery streusel. Pour the coffee!

Get This Recipe: Mini Raspberry Tarts

Danish Kringle

A rectangular, glazed almond pastry topped with colorful sprinkles is cut into several pieces and displayed on a cooling rack. A small bowl of sprinkles and a bowl of glaze with a spoon are seen beside the rack on a parchment paper-lined surface.
Danish Kringle. Image Credit: Culinary Hill.

Wisconsin’s official state pastry, the Danish Kringle, is a delightful almond treat perfect for sharing with friends over coffee or tea. It may not look like a traditional Kringle, but it tastes just like it and is easy to make at home while you’re still in your slippers.

Get This Recipe: Danish Kringle

Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

A slice of strawberry crumb cake sits on a white plate. The cake has a golden crust, a layer of creamy filling, and a crumbly topping with visible strawberry pieces. A fork holds a small piece of cake, and fresh strawberries are placed beside the slice.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. Image Credit: The Baking Chocolatess.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake is a delightful vanilla butter coffee cake packed with a classic cream cheese filling, juicy roasted strawberries, and a delectable buttery sugar-cinnamon streusel topping.

Get This Recipe: Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe

A dozen homemade cookies, golden brown and baked to perfection, sit cooling on a black wire rack. The cookies are evenly spaced in a 3x4 grid, placed on a light-colored textured surface. They appear soft and slightly crumbly.
Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe. Image Credit: Culinary Hill.

This easy Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe is ideal for brunch, breakfast, or as a gift. No more fighting over the biggest slice—these walnut-studded cinnamon muffins are perfectly portioned and incredibly delicious.

Get This Recipe: Coffee Cake Muffin Recipe

Apple Cream Cheese Tart

Close-up of sliced apple pie bars on a white surface. The bars feature a golden-brown crust, a layer of apple slices, and are drizzled with a light white icing. The apple slices are evenly distributed and slightly caramelized.
Apple Cream Cheese Tart. Image Credit: The Baking Chocolatess.

This stunning Apple Cream Cheese Tart boasts a buttery, flaky pastry crust filled with a rich, creamy layer of irresistible cream cheese filling.

Get This Recipe: Apple Cream Cheese Tart

Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish Braid

Slices of raspberry danish pastry on a parchment paper, drizzled with icing and sprinkled with sliced almonds. A few fresh raspberries are scattered around the pastries, and a small bowl with a spoon of icing sits nearby.
Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish Braid. Image Credit: Two Peas and Their Pod.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish Braid is a luscious, flaky breakfast pastry which uses store-bought puff pastry and a sweet raspberry cream cheese filling. It’s easy to make, delicious, and stunning to serve—perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!

Get This Recipe: Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish Braid

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About Jenny deRemer

I am a Charleston, South Carolina-based culinary novice, an ardent authority on all things travel, a designer by trade, and the creator of Not Entirely Average. I have a weakness for farmers' markets, delight in adventures way off the beaten path, enjoy documenting my many moods through photography, and have been known to conquer the occasional yard sale with gusto!

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