This Strawberry Turnover recipe with puff pastry is so easy and insanely delicious! Add a thick drizzle of cream cheese frosting on top for tangy-sweet perfection.
This post is all about how to make Strawberry Turnovers.
These impressive and delicious Strawberry Turnovers are filled with fresh jam and slices of juicy strawberries. Swirl some homemade cream cheese frosting on each one for added creamy sweetness.
When you first bite into one of these handheld dessert babies, you’re immediately met with cream cheese frosting that’s to die for and crunchy, flaky layers of puff pastry. The best ingredient of this quick and easy snack is the bursts of strawberries tucked inside.
It reminds me of an adult/gourmet version of a pop-tart or strawberry danish, except it doesn’t really compare because it’s so damn GOOD. Whether you enjoy these Strawberry Turnovers as a breakfast treat, dessert, or any time nosh, they will bring a smile to everyone who eats them.
This recipe has two easy components that make it unique and the very BEST. Because my mom is famous in our family for making AH-MAZING strawberry pies, I followed her filling recipe for the jam insides of the turnover. I then drizzled the outside with sinful cream cheese frosting instead of a simple sugar glaze.
The results? An unbelievably delicious Strawberry Turnover that NO ONE will ever forget.
Fresh Strawberry Turnovers
How Do You Make Strawberry Pastry Turnovers From Scratch?
The one ingredient from the recipe that won’t be “from scratch” is the puff pastry dough. I bought the Pepperidge Farm brand of frozen puff pastry sheets from the grocery store. It’s easy to work with and makes this recipe super quick.
However, the strawberry filling and cream cheese frosting are entirely homemade, and the simple, step-by-step instructions are listed below. But first, let’s list the ingredients.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Puff Pastry & Egg Wash Ingredients:
- Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets (It comes with 2 sheets, each sheet makes 4 Strawberry Turnovers.)
- Egg White, 1 egg. This adds shine, seals edges together, and slightly enhances the color of the baked puff pastry. Crack the egg and carefully discard the yellow egg yolk. Add the egg white to a cup.
- Sugar – After brushing the outside of the turnover with the egg wash, I sprinkled sugar on top.
Strawberry Filling Ingredients:
- Strawberries, 20 medium-sized. Cut 10 strawberries into quarters and set them aside. Keep the other 10 strawberries whole because they will be mashed down and used for the filling.
- White Granulated Sugar, 1/2 cup
- Corn Starch, 1.5 teaspoons
- Lemon Juice, 1/2 teaspoon
- Red Food Coloring, 2 drops. Optional but adds a beautiful pop of red. Most strawberry pie recipes call for a couple of drops.
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
- Powdered Sugar, 1 cup
- Cream Cheese, 1/2 cup (room temperature)
- Milk, 1 tablespoon
- Vanilla Extract, 1/2 teaspoon
Equipment Needed For This Strawberry Turnover Recipe:
- Wooden Spoon – For stirring the sauce.
- Masher – For mashing the strawberries.
- Egg Wash Brush – For lightly brushing each turnover with the egg white wash.
- Ziploc Sandwich Bag – I added the frosting to this bag and cut off a small corner of the bag. This small hole made it (so easy!) to add decorative swirls on top of the Strawberry Turnovers.
- Fork – Making holes on top of the turnover allows steam to escape while baking. The fork also helps to enclose and crimp the dough’s edges after folding.
How To Make Strawberry Turnovers, Step-By-Step
Step 1: Defrost one puff pastry sheet. This recipe will make at least four Strawberry Turnovers. I usually leave my puff pastry dough in the fridge overnight to defrost.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 3: Wash your strawberries (approximately 20 medium-sized) thoroughly and cut off the stems. Set aside 10 whole strawberries. Cut the other 10 strawberries into 3-4 quarter pieces and set them aside.
Step 4: Add the 10 whole strawberries to the saucepan and mash them down.
Step 5: Mix the sugar and cornstarch and add it to the saucepan with the mashed berries, lemon juice, and drops of food coloring.
Step 6: Mix the mashed strawberries and other ingredients over medium heat, stirring constantly. This will take approximately 5 minutes. The goal is to get a thick consistency like jam. The filling will begin to look clear.
Step 7: After about 5 minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat to cool. I usually transfer the filling to another bowl and pop it in the freezer for about 20 minutes so it cools faster.
Step 8: Begin preparing the egg white wash and cream cheese frosting.
Egg Wash: Take one egg, crack it and separate the yolk and egg white. Place the egg white in a cup and have your brush nearby.
Cream Cheese Frosting: Add the room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to a bowl and mix it until it’s creamy. Grab a Ziploc sandwich bag and cut off a small corner.
Step 9: Now that your filling has cooled, lay the thawed puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Cut it into four squares. You can use a knife or pizza cutter. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper at this time.
Step 10: Take one square piece of dough and spread out one tablespoon of the strawberry filling evenly to the edges of the square. Next, add 3 to 4 pieces of strawberries that you quartered earlier. Add another tablespoon of filling on top of those chunks.
Step 11: Take your egg white wash and tab the outside edges of the puff pastry square.
Step 12: Fold the individual square in half and use a fork to press and crimp down the edges of the turnover. Poke holes on top with a fork at least two times.
Step 13: Lightly brush the Strawberry Turnover with egg wash and then sprinkle with sugar. Repeat these steps for the other three squares of dough.
Step 14: Transfer the turnovers to the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Step 15: After 20 minutes, they should look golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let them set up on the baking sheet for another 10 minutes. Set a timer.
Step 16: Transfer them to a cookie sheet to finish cooling.
Step 17: Add cream cheese frosting to the Ziploc bag and generously drizzle frosting onto each turnover before serving.
**For extra, extra added goodness, serve them with a few strawberry slices and a dollop of whipped cream on the side. Enjoy!
FAQs For Strawberry Turnovers
Can I use frozen strawberries?
Yes! Just be sure to defrost the berries first and drain the excess liquids.
How do you make Strawberry Turnovers with crescent rolls?
Just swap out the puff pastry dough for crescent rolls. Follow the baking times on the crescent roll package.
How many calories are in these Strawberry Cream Cheese Turnovers?
There are about 450 calories in each Strawberry Turnover. The calories will vary depending on the recipe.
What are Strawberry Rhubarb Turnovers?
They are pretty much the same dessert, except they call for strawberries and rhubarb.
Can you make Strawberry Turnovers with pie crust?
Yes! Just use pie crust instead of puff pastry dough.
What’s the best way to defrost the puff pastry?
It’s best to keep the dough chilled, so allowing time for it to defrost overnight in the refrigerator is best.
Why do I have to let the strawberry filling cool?
It’s essential to let the filling cool because you don’t want to shock the chilled dough and disrupt the flaky pastry layers that are supposed to puff up slowly in the oven for 20 minutes.
Can you make these Strawberry Turnovers without puff pastry?
Absolutely! Use pie crust or crescent rolls.
Can these be made in advance?
Yes! You can prepare the Strawberry Turnovers ahead of time but do not add the egg wash and sugar coating until you’re ready to bake them. Keep them stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for no more than three days.
How should I store the leftovers?
Because these Strawberry Turnovers are drizzled with thick cream cheese frosting, it’s best to keep the leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Where do I get puff pastry sheets?
Most grocery stores, including Target and Walmart, sell puff pastry dough sheets. You can find them in the frozen section.
Can I freeze the Strawberry Turnovers before baking?
Yes! You can prepare the turnover but do not add the egg white wash until you’re ready to bake them. Store them in an airtight container in the freezer.
Are these turnovers just like Lara Jean’s from the movie “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before?”
Almost! Lara Jean makes cherry turnovers for Peter as a gift for Valentine’s Day.
Strawberry Turnovers
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Wooden Spoon – For stirring the strawberry filling.
- Measuring Cups and Measuring Spoons
- Masher – For mashing the whole strawberries.
- Sharp knife
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment paper
- Wire Cooling Rack
- Egg Wash Brush – For lightly brushing each turnover with the egg white wash.
- Ziploc Sandwich Bag – I added the frosting to this bag and cut off a small corner of the bag. This small hole made it (so easy!) to add decorative swirls on top of the Strawberry Turnovers.
- Fork – Making holes on top of the turnover allows steam to escape while baking. The fork also helps to enclose and crimp the dough’s edges after folding.
Ingredients
Puff Pastry and Egg Wash Ingredients:
- 1 box Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets
- 1 Egg – This adds shine, seals edges together, and slightly enhances the color of the baked puff pastry. Crack the egg and carefully discard the yellow egg yolk. Add the egg white to a cup.
- Sugar – After brushing the outside of the turnover with the egg wash, I sprinkled sugar on top.
Strawberry Filling Ingredients:
- 20 Medium Strawberries – Cut 10 strawberries into quarters, and set them aside. Keep the other 10 strawberries whole because they will be mashed down and used for the filling.
- 1/2 cup White Granulated Sugar
- 1.5 tsp Corn Starch
- 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 2 drops Red Food Coloring – Optional, but it does add a beautiful pop of red color to the filling.
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 cup Cream Cheese (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp Milk
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
How To Make Strawberry Turnovers, Step-By-Step
- Defrost one puff pastry sheet. This recipe will make at least four Strawberry Turnovers. I usually leave my puff pastry dough in the fridge overnight to defrost.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Wash your strawberries (approximately 20 medium-sized) thoroughly and cut off the stems. Set aside 10 whole strawberries. Cut the other 10 strawberries into 3-4 quarter pieces and set them aside.
- Add the 10 whole strawberries to the saucepan and mash them down.
- Mix the sugar and cornstarch and add it to the saucepan with the mashed berries, lemon juice, and drops of food coloring.
- Mix the mashed strawberries and other ingredients over medium heat, stirring constantly. This will take approximately 5 minutes. The goal is to get a thick consistency like jam. The filling will begin to look clear.
- After about 5 minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat to cool. I usually transfer the filling to another bowl and pop it in the freezer for about 20 minutes, so it cools faster.
- Begin preparing the egg white wash and cream cheese frosting.Egg Wash: Take one egg, crack it and separate the yolk and egg white. Place the egg white in a cup and have your brush nearby.Cream Cheese Frosting: Add the room temperature cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to a bowl and mix it until it’s creamy. Grab a Ziploc sandwich bag and cut off a small corner.
- Now that the filling has cooled, lay the thawed puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Cut it into four squares. You can use a knife or pizza cutter. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper at this time.
- Take one square piece of dough and spread out one tablespoon of the strawberry filling evenly to the edges of the square. Next, add 3 to 4 pieces of strawberries that you quartered earlier. Add another tablespoon of filling on top of those chunks.
- Take your egg white wash and tab the outside edges of the puff pastry square.
- Fold the individual square in half and use a fork to press and crimp down the edges of the turnover. Poke holes on top with a fork at least two times.
- Lightly brush the Strawberry Turnover with egg wash and then sprinkle with sugar. Repeat these steps for the other three squares of dough.
- Transfer the turnovers to the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.
- After 20 minutes, they should look golden brown. Remove them from the oven and let them set up on the baking sheet for another 10 minutes. Set a timer.
- Transfer them to a cookie sheet to finish cooling.
- Add cream cheese frosting to the Ziploc bag and generously drizzle frosting onto each turnover before serving.
- **For extra, extra added goodness, serve them with a few strawberry slices and a dollop of whipped cream on the side. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Final Thoughts On Strawberry Turnovers
I hope you enjoy this fresh strawberry dessert! You can NEVER go wrong serving these buttery, flaky, sweet Strawberry Turnovers. Please share this recipe with your friends and family on social media if you LOVE it.
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This was easy and very tasty! My daughter made them last weekend!
I’m happy to hear that!