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Traditional Austrian Apple Strudel filled with tender cinnamon apples, raisins and buttery breadcrumbs wrapped in delicate pastry. A cozy European dessert perfect with vanilla ice cream.
Save this classic Austrian Apple Strudel! 🇦🇹🍎 Flaky golden pastry surrounds a warm filling of cinnamon-spiced apples, raisins and buttery breadcrumbs. Dust it with powdered sugar and serve warm with vanilla ice cream for a beautiful traditional European dessert.
Traditional Austrian Apple Strudel
Few desserts capture the atmosphere of a cozy European café quite like a warm slice of Austrian Apple Strudel, or Apfelstrudel.
Inside the crisp golden pastry you’ll find layers of tender apples flavored with cinnamon, sugar, lemon and raisins. Buttery breadcrumbs help absorb the juices released by the apples, keeping the pastry crisp while creating a wonderfully rich filling.
The contrast is what makes strudel special: delicate pastry on the outside and warm, juicy cinnamon apples inside.
A generous dusting of powdered sugar is the classic finishing touch.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 35–40 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients
For the Strudel Dough
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (120 ml) lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp vinegar
For the Apple Filling
- 5 medium tart apples
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (75 g) raisins
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup (50 g) chopped walnuts, optional
For the Breadcrumb Layer
- ¾ cup (75 g) fine breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
For Finishing
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Choosing the Best Apples
Apple strudel benefits from apples that maintain some structure while baking.
Good choices include Granny Smith, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Jonagold, or Golden Delicious.
Combining a tart apple with a naturally sweeter variety can produce an especially balanced filling.
Why Are Breadcrumbs Used?
Breadcrumbs may sound unusual in a dessert, but they’re an important part of traditional strudel.
Apples release significant moisture while baking. Toasted breadcrumbs absorb some of those flavorful juices and help prevent the bottom of the pastry from becoming soggy.
Butter also gives the breadcrumbs a lightly toasted, nutty character.
Tips for a Beautiful Apple Strudel
Slice the apples fairly thinly. Thick chunks can make rolling more difficult.
Don’t overload the pastry. Too much filling increases the chance of tearing.
Keep excess moisture under control. Very juicy apples may need to be drained briefly.
Use enough cinnamon. The warm cinnamon aroma is one of the defining characteristics of apple strudel.
Serve it warm. The contrast between warm apples and cold vanilla ice cream is particularly good.
Easy Variations
Apple Walnut Strudel
Add chopped toasted walnuts to the apple mixture for additional crunch.
Apple Almond Strudel
Replace the walnuts with sliced or chopped almonds.
Apple Cranberry Strudel
Swap some or all of the raisins for dried cranberries.
Pear and Apple Strudel
Replace approximately one-third of the apples with ripe but firm pears.
What to Serve With Apple Strudel
Austrian Apple Strudel is wonderful on its own, but you can make it even more indulgent with:
- Vanilla ice cream
- Vanilla custard
- Lightly whipped cream
- Powdered sugar
- Caramel sauce
- Fresh berries
- Espresso
- Cappuccino
- Hot tea
Make Ahead
The apple filling can be prepared several hours ahead and refrigerated.
For the best pastry texture, however, assemble the strudel relatively close to baking time rather than allowing the raw pastry to sit around the moist apple filling for many hours.
Storage
Keep leftover strudel covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For the best texture, warm individual portions in the oven or air fryer rather than the microwave. This helps bring back some of the crispness in the pastry.
Final Note
Cinnamon apples, raisins, buttery breadcrumbs and delicate golden pastry make Austrian Apple Strudel a fantastic addition to our PinTheRecipe dessert collection.