Oma's German Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel)

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

Published: Sept 16, 2011, Updated: April 21, 2025

German apple strudel (apfelstrudel) is one of my favorite desserts. Flaky pastry, tart apples, and a touch of sweetness.​

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My piece of apple strudel waiting for that warm vanilla sauce.

Just try this German apfelstrudel recipe and you'll be convinced. This really is the easiest way to make an absolutely wonderful and traditional German dessert. The secret to this quick and easy apple strudel? Frozen puff pastry. 

But, is apple strudel really German? I answer that below :)

Serve the strudel with a fresh cup of coffee and a big dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or, serve it Southern Germany style with a warm homemade vanilla sauce.

Perfect for the holiday season and other special occasions, or a simple afternoon snack.

Top Tips for Best Results

1. Choose Tart Apples: Varieties like Granny Smith or Braeburn hold their shape and give both sweetness and tartness. Boskoop and Golden Delicious are also work well.
2. Optional Add-Ins: Raisins, almonds, and/or a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
3. Handle Puff Pastry Gently: Keep it cold and work quickly to maintain flakiness.
4. Vegan Egg Wash Alternative: Use plant milk for shine
5. Vegan & Gluten-Free Hack: Use vegan puff pastry and a gluten-free version if available. Many store brands offer both

My Strudel Adventure Begins

Years ago, a kind older German lady at church took me under her wing when she learned I didn’t know how to make strudel. She said every German girl should ... and came over to teach me.

She asked for a big table and a tablecloth. I soon learned why. We stretched the dough paper-thin across my dining table, topped it with apples, rolled it up, baked it, and devoured it. It was heavenly.

But I never made it that way again. I truly admire the effort behind traditional Viennese strudel, but I found an easier way: frozen puff pastry or phyllo. We find it just as delicious, with far less fuss.

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So it turns out, many bakeries now use phyllo too. Meaning, my shortcut strudel is actually more like the ones you'd find in Germany today!

1. Frozen Phyllo Dough

I used to make strudel with frozen phyllo dough and the same filling as in the recipe below. It works and tastes great, but phyllo can be tricky to handle and isn’t always easy to find.

It takes more time and care than I’d like these days. That’s why I switched to my easiest method yet:

Enter... frozen puff pastry.

2. Frozen Puff Pastry

Always looking for an easier way to make apfelstrudel, I tried store-bought frozen butter puff pastry and it’s even easier to work with than phyllo.

What’s great is that many puff pastry brands are actually vegan, making it a great option for plant-based baking.

In the photos below, I’m using thawed puff pastry with a pear and apple filling, baked on a silicone liner. It worked beautifully ... no sticking at all.

Making strudel step by step, simple and delicious! Apple Strudel is such a yummy work of art!

How to Make Apfelstrudel

(Find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.)

Core, peel, and cut one pound of apples into thin slices. Combine apples with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, a quarter cup sliced almonds and a quarter cup rum-soaked raisins. (Almonds and raisins are optional.) Set aside.

Roll out thawed puff pastry into a large rectangle, about 12x16 inches.

Roll out your puff pastry dough

Spread the apple mixture evenly over the bottom half of the long side of the puff pastry. Leave a 1-inch border around the outside edge.

As pictured below, fold in the short sides of the dough, then roll up the strudel like you would a jelly roll.

Fold pastry over and roll up the apple strudel

Place the strudel, seam side down, on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Or, line your baking sheet with a silicon baking mat.

In a small bowl, mix a large egg with one tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the strudel.

Cut one-quarter-inch-deep slashes diagonally into the dough.

Cut one-quarter-inch-deep slashes diagonally into the dough.

Place the strudel in the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let it cool before dusting with some powdered sugar.

Serve with some whipped cream, ice cream, or vanilla sauce. Lecker!

German Apfelstrudel served with whipped cream

From Vienna to Bavaria

Is apfelstrudel really German? Well... sort of. Back in the 1600s, when the Turks were besieging Vienna, they accidentally left behind a little culinary inspiration: layered pastry, baklava. 

The Austrians ran with it, turning it into strudel ... first savory, then sweet. And not long after, it came across the border into Bavaria.

That’s where things got interesting. Germans took to apfelstrudel like it had always been theirs. Some even say it was the Germans who tossed rum-soaked raisins into the mix. (Sounds like something we’d do.)

Now? It’s a Bavarian classic. Most German families have a version passed down through generations. Whether it’s truly Austrian or German ... well, let’s just say the filling is warm, the crust is golden, and everyone’s happy to call it theirs

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German Apple Strudel – Oma's Apfelstrudel

German apple strudel (apfelstrudel) is one of my favorite desserts. Flaky pastry, tart apples, and a touch of sweetness.​

Prep Time:

15 minutes

Bake Time:

35 minutes

Total Time:

50 minutes

Servings:

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (454 grams) apples (or pears), peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons (26 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (8 grams) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (25 grams) sliced almonds (optional)
• ¼ cup (38 grams) raisins (optional)
• ½ pound (227 grams) package of frozen butter puff pastry, thawed
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliter) water

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 
• Mix together apple slices, sugar, flour, almonds (if using) and raisins (if using) in a large bowl.
• On a floured surface, roll out the thawed puff pastry dough with a rolling pin into a rectangular shape, about 12x16 inches.
• Put the apple mixture down the bottom half of the long side of the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border around the outside.
• Tuck in the short sides of the dough and then roll it up jelly-roll style.
• Transfer strudel to the prepared baking sheet making sure to place seam side down. 
• Mix egg and water together and brush over strudel. Cut ¼-inch deep slashes diagonally across the top.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.
• Let it cool before dusting with powdered sugar, and serve.

Notes/Hints:

• This recipe is wonderful to make when apple season comes around.
• There are different types of apples you can use. I like using tart apples, but other great ones to use are Boskoop, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith. 
• Almond slices and raisins are optional, but they really add wonderful flavor and texture to the strudel.
• This strudel tastes the best the day it is made, but is still wunderbar the next day. It will keep for 1 to 2 days at room temperature.
• If you have extra apples, try my Versunkener Apfelkuchen, a traditional German apple cake that's also quick and easy to make.
• If you are using raisins, you can soak them in some rum for extra flavor prior to baking. Soak the raisins for at least 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can soak them in some apple juice if you don't have rum on hand. Make sure to discard the rum or apple juice before using (or save it to drink later!).
• Grind poppy seeds (or leave them whole, if you prefer) and use them instead of the raisins for a delicious alternative.

Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

Recipe updated: April 21, 2025

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.