This vegan cherry strudel is a beautiful, simple dessert with thin crispy layers of dough, tart cherries, and a soft vegan cream cheese that has notes of lemon and vanilla.
What I love about this strudel the most is that it’s not too sweet. Only three tablespoons of sugar are added to the cream cheese filling and a light dusting of icing sugar on top.
You’ll only require ten ingredients to make this cherry strudel and it’s the perfect dessert to whip up last minute!
A little background on the strudel
Strudel is a type of pastry that is either sweet or savoury with layers of filo and a filling inside.
It’s a traditional Austrian dessert that dates back to the 17th century first appearing with an apple filling. It has since spread throughout Central Europe and many different variations of the strudel have been made.
It’s one of my favourite desserts and I’m particularly fond of the cherry and cheese one.
Before becoming vegan, every time I would visit a European cake shop or cafe, it would be my first choice of dessert if it was on offer. If not cherry and cheese strudel, I would gravitate towards a dessert like Kremšnita (Vanilla Custard & Cream Cake).
And I’ve been on a mission to veganise all my favourites. This strudel has been on my list for years!
Tools you will need to make this vegan cherry strudel
It’s a pretty straightforward dessert to make, but you do need a few basic tools to get the best results. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Food processor or electric hand mixer
- Bowl
- Strainer
- Silicone spatula
- Pastry brush
- Parchment paper
- Spoon
- Baking tray
- Small saucepan or bowl (for melting the vegan butter)
Some tips for making a cherry strudel
There are a few things to keep in mind when making this vegan strudel. I’ve made this dessert a few times and have come across a few things that I’ve picked up along the way to reach the best result every single time.
- Make sure you strain the cherries well so that your pastry doesn’t become soggy.
- You can use either raw cane sugar or icing sugar (confectioners sugar) in the cream cheese filling. The latter will make the filling firmer.
- I like to keep mine in the fridge for a few hours before cutting so that it slices with ease and that you can get a firm filling. A small serrated knife is best.
- You can use cherries from a can, jar, or even frozen for this strudel. I haven’t personally tried it with fresh cherries because it won’t give you the same flavour profile. You want to use sour cherries for this recipe.
- The breadcrumbs help to absorb any excess moisture that seeps out of the cherries while it bakes. You won’t detect their presence in the final dish.
- It will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. I personally think that it gets better with age.
- Only dust the top of the strudel with icing sugar (confectioners sugar) before serving, otherwise it will seep into the filo pastry when refrigirated.
- You can keep this dessert at room temperature or in the fridge.
- Unbaked strudel can be prepared several hours ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to bake it.
I hope you love this vegan cherry strudel as much as I do!
I honestly can’t tell the difference between this and the non-vegan version. I’m really happy with how it turned out and my non-vegan friends have also given it their tick of approval!
My initial inspiration for when I started researching this recipe came from this wonderful video.
Other European dessert recipes you’ll love:
- Easy Vegan Apple Burek (Posna Pita Sa Jabukama)
- Vegan Kremšnita (Vanilla Custard & Cream Cake)
- Vegan Tufahije Recipe (Bosnian Walnut Stuffed Poached Apples)
- Sweet Poppy Seed Pasta
- Vegan Plum Dumplings (Posne Knedle sa Šljivama)
- Simple Vegan Baklava
- 3-Ingredient Chestnut Puree With Whipped Coconut Cream (Kesten Pire)
If you try this recipe, let me know! We’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest.
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Vegan Cherry Strudel with Cream Cheese
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Bake Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8-10
Description
This vegan cherry strudel has beautifully thin layers of dough, that’s paired perfectly with creamy vegan cream cheese and sour cherry filling. A dessert that’s super easy to make and even easier to eat!
Ingredients
- 150g / 5.29 ounces firm tofu, cut into cubes
- 150g / 5.29 ounces vegan cream cheese*
- Zest of one small lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons raw cane sugar* (or confectioners / icing sugar)
- 3 tablespoons aquafaba,* lightly whisked
- 670g / 1.48 pound jar Morello cherries
- 4 tablespoons unsalted vegan butter, melted (or neutral oil)
- 7 sheets phyllo / filo pastry
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs*
- Confectioners / icing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
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Strain the jar of cherries and set it aside to continue to drain excess liquid.
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Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celcius (390 degrees Fahrenheit) fan-forced. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set it aside.
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Place the tofu, vegan cream cheese, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and sugar in a food processor* and process until smooth. This will take about 1-2 minutes.
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Add in the whipped aquafaba and blend for another 30 seconds. Set aside.
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Layer pastry sheets, brushing melted butter in between each layer. Brush the top layer with butter and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over evenly. Use your fingers to do so if necessary.
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Spoon the cream cheese mixture along one long end of the pastry, leaving a 5cm / 2-inch border on three sides.
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Give the cherries a press down over the sieve with the back of a spoon to press out any excess juice and spoon the cherries over the cream cheese filling.
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Fold in the sides of the pastry, then carefully roll into a log shape- brushing the edges of the pastry with melted vegan butter to stick it down. You may need to tighten the filling by pulling it towards you with the pastry like you would a burrito to get a nice tight log.
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Lift onto prepared tray, seam side down. Brush it all over with the remaining butter.
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Bake at 200 degrees Celcius (390 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180 degrees Celcius (355 degrees Fahrenheit) and bake for a further 5 minutes or until golden brown.
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Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes before dusting with sugar.
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Cut it with a small serrated knife and serve.
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To achieve a firm filling, I like to place mine in the refrigerator for a couple of hours after it has completely cooled. This step is not necessary.
Notes
Vegan cream cheese: I have used Toffuti and Down Under cream cheese style for all the tests and remakes, so I’m unsure how other vegan cream cheese brands will perform. If you try it with any others, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Sugar: The sugar used in this recipe isn’t too important. If you want a firmer filling, use confectioners / icing sugar. Please also make sure to use organic sugar if you’re in the US; otherwise, it most likely isn’t vegan.
Aquafaba: This is just the chickpea water in a can of chickpeas. Strain 3 tablespoons of it from a can of chickpeas and set the rest aside to use for something else. I have plenty of recipes using chickpeas on this website. To learn more about aquafaba, you can do so here.
Bread crumbs: Please check the ingredients of the bread crumbs that you use to make sure that they are vegan.
Food processor: If you don’t have a food processor, crumb the tofu with your fingers into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients and beat with an electric mixer for the same amount of time.
Unbaked strudel can be prepared several hours ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to bake it.
See tips earlier in the post to get the best results.
- Diet: Vegan
