Apple Strudel
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This apple strudel recipe uses store-bought phyllo instead of homemade strudel dough, making the classic pastry much easier to pull off at home.
Apple strudel is a classic Viennese pastry filled with brandy-soaked raisins, apples, and chopped walnuts. Traditionally, the dough is made from scratch, rolled, and stretched until it’s paper-thin—a process as tedious as it sounds. For this easy apple strudel recipe, I use store-bought phyllo dough instead, which gives you those crisp, flaky layers without all the work.
And don’t be intimidated by the phyllo. With a few simple pointers, it’s easier to work with than you might think—even if a sheet tears here and there. The strudel is wonderful with coffee or served for dessert with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and it can be assembled ahead of time or frozen to bake later.
“I learned to make strudel dough with my Slovenian mom when I was a child. This is SO much easier!”
What You’ll Need To Make Apple Strudel
- Apples: Choose firm, tart-sweet apples that hold their shape when cooked. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Fuji, or a combination work well.
- Raisins and brandy: Soaking the raisins in brandy plumps them up and adds another layer of flavor. If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can soak them in warm water instead.
- Walnuts: Add crunch and a slightly earthy flavor that balances the sweet apple filling. Pecans would also work well.
- Cinnamon: Adds warmth and pairs naturally with the apples.
- Phyllo dough: A convenient shortcut for traditional homemade strudel dough. Keep it covered with a damp towel while you work so the thin sheets don’t dry out.
- Butter: Brushed between the phyllo sheets to help create crisp, flaky layers and encourage browning.
- Panko bread crumbs: Absorb some of the juices from the apple filling, helping the phyllo stay crisp rather than soggy.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Apple Strudel
Make the apple filling: Combine the apples, sugar, cinnamon, brandy, raisins, and salt in a large skillet. Cook until the apples are tender and the liquid they release has cooked away. Stir in the walnuts, then set the filling aside to cool.
Layer the phyllo: Layer the phyllo sheets, brushing each one with melted butter as you go. Keep the unused sheets covered so they don’t dry out, and don’t worry about an occasional tear—the layers are very forgiving.
Add the filling: Sprinkle the panko near the bottom of the layered phyllo, then spoon the cooled apple filling over top. The panko absorbs any juices from the filling and helps keep the pastry crisp.
Roll the strudel: Fold in the sides first to contain the filling, then bring the bottom edge up and roll the strudel into a neat log. Place it seam side down on the baking sheet and assemble the second strudel the same way.
Bake and cool: Brush the strudels with butter and cut a few diagonal vents across the tops to let steam escape. Bake until the phyllo is crisp and deeply golden brown, then let the strudels cool before slicing. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
More Apple Desserts You’ll Love
Apple Strudel
Ingredients
- 3 large baking apples (about 1½ lbs), peeled, cored and sliced ⅛-in (3-mm) thick (see note)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons apple brandy or regular brandy
- ½ cup raisins
- Pinch salt
- ½ cup walnuts, very finely chopped
- 10 (9x14-inch) sheets phyllo dough, thawed
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- In a large skillet, combine the apples, granulated sugar, cinnamon, brandy, raisins, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid from the apples dissolves and the apples are soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the walnuts and set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wet and wring out a clean dishtowel. Have the melted butter nearby with a brush. Unroll the phyllo and cover it with the plastic wrap from the package (it's usually rolled in a sheet of plastic) or a sheet of wax paper, followed by the damp towel; keep it covered as you work so it doesn’t dry out. (Note: if you work quickly, you don’t need to be quite as careful about this.)
- Place 1 phyllo sheet on a clean work surface with the long side facing you. Brush the sheet with melted butter. You may find it easier to drizzle a bit of butter on the dough with the brush and then spread it across the dough in gentle strokes. Layer with four additional phyllo sheets, brushing each layer with the melted butter. (You should have a stack of five buttery sheets.)
- Spread half of the panko followed by half of the apple mixture (on top of the panko) in a 3x10-inch rectangle about 2 inch from the bottom of the phyllo sheets and about 2 inches from each side. Fold the sides of the phyllo over the filling, then fold the bottom edge of the phyllo over the filling. Roll up jelly-roll style and carefully transfer to the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat the process with the remaining phyllo sheets and apple filling. Brush the top of the strudels with the remaining butter. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal slits in 2-inch intervals through the top layers of the dough just to the filling.
- Bake until the strudels are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool for at least 20 minutes. Transfer the strudels to a cutting board and slice each one into thirds or quarters. Dust with confectioners' sugar, then serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
- Readily available baking apples include Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Jonagold, and Honey Crisp. Use a mix of different varieties for best results.
- Phyllo is more forgiving than you think. If it tears, just continue layering and it will all work out.
- Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can prepare the strudel rolls and refrigerate them for up to 2 hours before baking. You can also wrap the individual rolls in heavy-duty aluminum foil and freeze for a few months; just keep in mind that frozen strudel rolls will take a bit longer to cook. (Leftovers reheat well in a 300°F oven or toaster oven.)
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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What brand of skillet are you using in the photograph?
Hi Beth, That’s an All-Clad skillet. 🙂
it was very easy to make and it turned out amazing! Not too sweet and delicate
Just baked this and very thrilled. Needs whipped cream and a little runny cream I think.
I will be quicker next time now I have done it as first time I needed to get rhythm going with damp tea towel after buttering each one.
Well worth the effort very much loved combination raisins, cinnamon and apple. Brandy nice and a bit of lemon juice to add a little combination of flavour. Yummy.
I think next time I try to complete wraps ahead of time and put damp tea towel over until ready to bake.
I’m from Czech Republic so Strudel is also our traditional dessert. We make it a little bit different. We use puff pastry and we don’t cook the apples before putting them in we just put them in raw with some raisins , walnuts, cinnamon and sugar or honey. I didn’t try your version but I’m sure it’s delicious.
I made this last weekend and everyone loved it!! So easy and really comes out amazing. The raisins make it! Just don’t forget to thaw the phyllo dough in the fridge overnight like I did. I had to leave it on the counter for a few hours and handle the sheets gingerly!
Is it possible to assemble these the day before and keep in the fridge until ready to bake? Or would they dry out? Hoping to not have to do it all the day of, just in case there are any issues.
Hi Kristi, It’s fine to assemble the strudel about two hours ahead, but I don’t recommend stretching it to a day. If you’d like, you can freeze them. See the bottom of the recipe for make-ahead/freezer-friendly instructions.
So tempted to make this for my husband for our anniversary! Quick question: We’re an anti-raisin household – any reason we couldn’t just leave them out (as well as the brandy)? Thanks!
Sure, KB, that’s fine, but I’d add some more apple to make up for the lack of raisins. Hope you both enjoy!
Made this today for a dinner club tonight. I made extra so I would have a roll for the freezer as we are having company in 2 weeks. Unfortunately, I mis read about freezing BEFORE cooking it. So, will it be OK if I freeze a cooked roll? I wondered if I wrapped it tightly in foil and left it in the foil to bake at a lower temperature (directly from the freezer)? Do you think that would work? Or should I just make something else for our company…sigh? 😶
Hi Cathi, I think that would be fine!
I made this today…and the inside was entirely black….and had the appearance of meat loaf. I used Granny Smith apples…and cooked them as soon as they were pealed and cored. I did not use rum..or raisins. So upsetting. Any ideas why this might happen?
Hi Maureen, sorry you had a problem with this. While the filling gets a little bit darker as it bakes, it definitely shouldn’t be black so that’s a definite head-scratcher! Besides omitting the rum and raisins, did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
I wonder if the sugar got caramelized? That would turn everything black.
Thanks so much for this super easy recipe. I tried it earlier with great results and have frozen a couple per your instructions to serve this weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving). Thanksgiving “feasts” can be stressful for the cook and I am always looking for ways to minimize the “day of” work so that I have time to enjoy the day and be thankful.
Can I substitute dried cranberries for the raisins? Forgot to buy them!
Thank you.
It will make the filling the slightest bit more tart, but it will work. Please LMK how it turns out!
Thank you…they were sweetened so it was still delicious. Another question. Am making again ( have raisins!) but am short of time. Could I prepare the cooked fruit in the morning and assemble with the fillo and bake later in the day?
Thank you.
Glad it turned out well! Yes, I think it’s fine to make the fruist mixture ahead and then assemble before baking (I may remove the filling from the fridge and bring it to room temprature before assembling.)
I appreciate your always prompt replies!
Hi Jenn,
Can I make this with the 11x 17 phyllo (the original size) instead of 9x 13? I am worried that it might be too much phyllo. What is the best way to cut the phyllo to the recommended size? The phyllo is so fragile that everything breaks apart when I try to cut them individually. Please help.
Otherwise, I love this recipe.
Hi Lucy, I think that would work. Keep in mind that you can always trim the phyllo after you’ve layered it together.
Okay, thanks. That makes sense.