Lemon curd puff pastry is a snap to make at home. You only need six different ingredients to make these mouthwatering treats. Danish pastry fans will love the tangy lemon flavor these pastries offer, and they’re perfect with a cup of coffee as an indulgent breakfast.
Jump to:
You can make your own lemon curd with egg yolks, lemon, sugar, butter, and salt, or simply grab a jar from the supermarket.
These zesty, citrusy treats are made with ready-made puff pastry, so you simply have to make the filling and bake them. It’s never been so fun or easy to make Danishes!
If you’re new to this type of baking, this is a good recipe to begin with because of its simplicity. Once you know how to make these, you will want to experiment with other flavors, such as chocolate, jam or jelly, chocolate and nuts, or sweetened cream cheese.
This recipe makes twelve delicious Danishes, or twenty-four if you double up! A batch of these would be great to take to work and treat your colleagues. This citrus-packed recipe is well worth making. It’s a really simple recipe that rivals anything at your local bakery.
When I'm in the mood for lemon-flavored desserts, I also like to make these mini lemon cheesecakes or this lemon biscotti, both of which I highly recommend!
Main Ingredients
Anyone who loves lemon and Danish pastries can satisfy their sweet tooth by making these! Let’s take a look at some of the key ingredients in this easy recipe:
- Lemon curd: For a rich, tangy filling.
- Puff pastry: The perfect type of pastry for Danish pastry recipes.
- Lemon juice: To add a zesty taste to the glaze.
- Milk: This adds a creamy taste to the glaze.
- Confectioner’s sugar: To sweeten the glaze.
Instructions Overview
This recipe is so easy to prepare. Imagine how wonderful the kitchen is going to smell with this flaky pastry recipe cooking in the oven. The first thing you need to do is unfold a pair of thawed puff pastry sheets and cut each one into six strips. Twist them up and roll into a spiral. Brush some melted butter over them.
Next, you can add some curd in the middle of each puff pastry spiral. They will then take about 18 minutes to cook. As the Danishes are cooling down, you can get to work on the zesty glaze.
The glaze is a combination of confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar), milk, and lemon juice. You might not need to use all the milk or lemon juice. It should be pourable consistency but not too thin, so use your judgment. Now all you have to do is eat them!
Common Questions
Known as Danish pastry, or simply Danish, this baked dessert is a layered, sweet pastry concoction with ingredients like eggs, milk, butter, sugar, and cream. Most Danishes are leavened with yeast. This lemon curd puff pastry recipe uses ready-made puff pastry sheets to save time so you won't have to work with yeast to make it.
Lemon curd is a rich, sweet, lemon-flavored spread often found in pies and tarts. Lemon jam isn't the same thing. Curds are prepared by cooking fruit juice with sugar, while jams are made by cooking the whole fruit with sugar.
If you like lemon pastry, you'll also enjoy lime curd Danishes for a change of pace. Once your curd (either lemon or lime) has been opened, keep it refrigerated and use it up within a couple of weeks at most.
It depends on the recipe. Some recipes are strict about the type of butter. Although this lemon curd puff pastry calls for unsalted butter, you can use the salted kind if that's all you have on hand. For pastry, cookies, and so on, go ahead and use either kind. For something like a bread recipe, it's best not to switch because it will affect the end result.
It's your choice. They are good either warm or cold and at their very best the day they're made. To reheat them, give them 4 in the oven at 350°F or about 8 seconds in the microwave (covered with a damp paper towel). Don't give them any longer or the filling will melt and run out. You want to get them nice and warm rather than piping hot.
You can freeze these if you like. When they are cooled and glazed, wrap them in plastic wrap then put them in an airtight container. They will freeze for up to 3 months. When you want to thaw them, put them in the refrigerator overnight then warm them up a little in a 350°F oven for 8 minutes.
These taste better the day they are made, in terms of freshness and flakiness, but you can make them a day ahead if you need to and they’ll still taste good.
These will keep for about 3 days in an airtight container, either on the countertop or in the refrigerator. After that, the pastry will have dried out too much.
These versatile treats are really good in the morning served with a cup of coffee. They also make a great mid-morning or late afternoon pick-me-up. Yet another idea is to serve one for dessert after dinner.
Chopnotch Tips
- Make sure the Danishes are completely cool before glazing them.
- You can use homemade or store-bought lemon curd.
- Add some crunch if you like by sprinkling some chopped nuts over the top.
- Sometimes I like to add a couple of drops of vanilla extract to the glaze mixture.
- Fresh lemon juice is better than bottled if you have a fresh lemon on hand.
These pastries are lemon-icious. I bet you didn’t know an easy six-ingredient recipe could give such mouthwatering results!
Related Recipes
Let us know what you think! Give this recipe a rating in the comments section below.
Recipe
How to Make
Lemon Curd Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- ¾ cup lemon curd
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Unfold the pastry sheet and cut it into 6 strips lengthwise. Repeat with the other sheet, making 12 strips in total.
- Twist each strip then fold it into a spiral. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, each with some distance. Brush the top of the pastry sheet with melted butter.
- In the center of each pastry, place a heaping tablespoon of lemon curd and bake in a preheated oven at 400 F, until pastries are golden brown, for about 18 minutes. Once done, let it cool.
- Add confectioners' sugar to a bowl and whisk in milk and lemon juice until desired consistency.
- Drizzle over the edges and enjoy!
Notes
- Let the Danishes cool completely before adding the glaze.
- You can use homemade or store-bought lemon curd.
- Sprinkle chopped nuts over the glaze to add some crunch, if preferred.
- Add a couple of drops of vanilla extract to the glaze mixture, if preferred.
- Fresh lemon juice is better in the glaze than bottled, if you have a fresh lemon on hand.
I've made these twice this week! My husband loves them, I made my own lemon curd, I also made them with cherry and apple filling. They are a new favorite!❤️
Thank you so much for your review, Pauline! I'm thrilled to hear that your husband loves them and that you've had success with making them with both lemon curd and other fillings!
A picture of the twist and fold of the puff pastry would be helpful. What you need is 12 long, thin, strips.
I would say that it is a tight twist of the strips, then coil them into a spiral.
These were good. A quick dessert that everyone liked.
Absolutely! Thanks for the feedback, Jackie. I'll try to add more photos to the recipe. Glad everyone liked them!