Cherry Cheesecake Danish

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Made with cherry pie filling, cream cheese, and Pillsbury crescent roll dough, this Cherry Cheesecake Danish recipe makes the most tender and sweet pastries.

If you love cherry (and cherry pie filling) as much as we do, you should also try my Cherry Almond Cake or Cherry Coffee Cake.

Cherry Danish

You are just five ingredients away from homemade cherry Danish pastry with cream cheese you can have ready in less than 30 minutes, start to finish.

I find that any pastry made with Pillsbury crescent roll dough bakes up pretty heavenly and is always popular with friends and family.

This recipe can be made 2-3 hours before you want to serve breakfast, doubled, or frozen to bake fresh later. If you prefer, you can also make these pastries into mini Danish.

Ingredients

View the complete recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and suggested substitution amounts.

• Pillsbury crescent roll dough: Or similar brands, make sure it is an 8-count package.
• Cream cheese: Softened. You can substitute low fat cream cheese if desired…but why? It’s PASTRY!
• Cherry pie filling: I use the Duncan Hines Wilderness brand whenever possible; use your favorite. You can also make this with other fruit pie fillings, such as apple, blueberry, or peach.
• Granulated sugar and vanilla extract: These ingredients sweeten and flavor the cream cheese to make the cheesecake filling.
• All-purpose flour: This is an important ingredient since it acts as a stabilizer in the cream cheese filling, keeping it from spreading too much as the pastries bake.

How to Make Cherry Cream Cheese Danish

View the complete recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and suggested substitution amounts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium mixing bowl, prepare the cheesecake filling by combining the softened cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla, stirring until smooth.

Unroll both tubes of crescent roll dough, cutting the dough into 8 separate rectangles. You can use kitchen shears or a pizza cutter to make this task easy.

Use your fingers to smooth together the perforated line across each rectangle of dough. (This will keep the filling from escaping as the pastries bake.)

Starting at the long side of each rectangle of dough, roll up each one to form a cylinder. Now, form each cylinder of dough into a circle, pinching the ends together to secure.

Using your fingers, press the circle of dough into a cup that is about 4-inch across.

Place the 8 crescent roll cups onto a greased, rimmed baking sheet, 4 on each side.

Divide the prepared cream cheese mixture between the crescent roll cups on the baking sheet, spooning it into the center of each one, then spreading it out evenly.

Bake the Danish, uncovered, on the center oven rack for 15-18 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown on the sides and bottom. *Don’t worry if the filling falls a bit in the center as the pastries cool.

Top each Danish with the desired amount of cherry pie filling. Serve while the pastries are still warm. If desired, you can drizzle the Danish with a bit of powdered sugar glaze.

To reheat the Danish later, warm for 12-15 seconds in the microwave.

Make mini danish

Instead of making 8 pastries, divide the dough into 16 portions to make 16 small cups and proceed with the recipe. Since the pastries are smaller in size, bake them for just 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Make danish ahead of time

You can assemble these danish 2-3 hours of time; store in the fridge, lightly covered with plastic wrap, on a baking sheet until ready to bake.

How to Freeze

These pastries to freeze well. After you’ve filled the pastry cups with the cream cheese filling, they can be frozen. Bake from frozen according to the recipe directions, then top with cherry pie filling and serve.

Keep in mind that they may need a couple of extra minutes of baking time when baking from frozen.

What can I serve with cherry cheesecake danish

We love these Breakfast Meatballs and also these easy Ham and Egg Cups. Crispy Oven-Baked Bacon is a good option (according to my family!) and if you’ve got an Instant Pot, you can whip some Pop-and-Go Egg Bites in just minutes. And, homemade Instant Pot yogurt (also made in your Instant Pot!) would be delicious served topped with this healthy granola recipe.

More Favorite Recipes to Enjoy

• This Honey Bun Cake takes a plain yellow cake mix and makes a breakfast treat your family will request again and again.
• This Cherry Pecan Banana Bread makes two big loaves of the most moist banana bread you’ll EVER find.
• These Easy Orange Breakfast Crescent Rolls are a perfect spin on Pillsbury orange Danish and can easily be made into orange cinnamon rolls.

Originally published April 19, 2022. Updated November 5, 2024.