20 Puff Pastry Recipes That Are Sure to Impress

It’s hard to imagine a more versatile ingredient than puff pastry, which feels just as appropriate on a fine beef Wellington as wrapping around cocktail wieners for homemade pig-in-a-blankets. The incomparably light pastry is a product of butter being wrapped in dough, then folded again and again, resulting in more than 700 individual layers. Though this once had to be done painstakingly by hand (and is still how the best bakers and pastry chefs do it), the modern miracles of the dough-sheeting machine for mass-production and a freezer section in every grocery store mean that puff pastry is always within reach for any home cook. And so, even elaborate dishes like pot pie can come together quickly, an asparagus tart can be a weeknight side dish, and you can go from “What’s for dessert?” to apple turnovers quicker than you could make a round trip to the bakery. New to working with puff? Why not start with this crowd-pleasing roll, which combines the soul of an Italian hero sandwich with the pleasure of dipping warm, salty goodness into pizza sauce? The recipe doubles easily, which is a good thing, because once it shows up at a party, it won’t last long.

These crunchy and flaky cones make everything taste better. The filling possibilities are endless: Try sweet (like berries and cream) or savory (like chicken salad). You can also give your cone an upgrade by sprinkling the egg wash with sesame seeds or poppy seeds.

No mini pie plates are necessary for these individual pot pies, which are delightfully all corners and edges. Melissa D’Arabian’s take is comfortingly studded with veggies, its sauce enhanced with a little Dijon.

Ann Burrell substitutes ready-to-use puff for a time-consuming yeasted dough to make quicker cinnamon rolls. The maple and bacon won’t hurt their popularity, either.

Giada de Laurentiis takes beef Wellington on an Italian vacation, swapping the classic mushroom filling for sun-dried tomato pesto and prosciutto. (A side effect? The prep is that much faster!)

If you want the absolute classic preparation for these savory appetizers, this is it. Just one bite, and you’ll see why good old fashioned cheese straws will never go out of style.

Trisha Yearwood’s ode to summer tomatoes would dazzle at an elegant brunch, but it would also make a savory foil alongside a grilled steak. Trisha’s technique of salting the tomatoes first heightens their meaty flavor, here, punched up with the brightness of lemon zest and fresh mint.

Take one bite of these cheesy turnovers and you’ll swear that they came from the State Fair. But since they get cooked in the air-fryer, you don’t have to put up with the grease or the traffic!

Typically, palmiers are sweet treats, but leave it to Ree Drummond to make them irresistibly savory! They are so easy to like, they will simply fly off the platter.

Just a few ingredients and a few steps result in an Ina Garten appetizer that feels like the height of sophistication. Go ahead and swap in a different sausage if you have trouble finding the lamb.

These apps benefit from the pastry chef’s trick of weighing down puff pastry as it bakes, resulting in a sturdy, crisp bite. Topped with a tangy yogurt and bright tamarind chickpeas, they are bewitching.

Ree Drummond’s brunch- and dessert-worthy braid looks like it came from an old-school Eastern European bakery, which is what makes the surprise filling of salty peanuts and chocolate hazelnut spread that much more delightful.

These salmon bites are so beautifully composed, your friends will think you’ve gone into catering. But since the store-bought puff and smoked salmon are ready to go, all you have to do is bake, make your filling, and assemble.

These savory nibbles are simplicity itself (particularly if you use ready-made za'atar). They’re the perfect cocktail snack, pairing well with martinis, bubbly, or dry cider, and not so filling that you’ll ruin your appetite.

Speaking of State Fair, a little best-of-Wisconsin stuffed inside this puff package yields the perfect accompaniment to a cold glass of beer. Don’t forget the mustard!

Buttery pastry filled with the warm, oozing funk of ripe Brie and punctuated with sweet apricot jam in Jet Tila’s retro appetizer might just ruin you for unbaked Brie.

Why should meat eaters have all the fun? Katie Lee Biegel throws a (boneless) bone to vegetarians with this show-stopping main course that’s delicious and elegant—get ready for the oohs and ahhs once you start slicing.

Tarte tatin, the upside-down cake of the pastry world, is commonly made with pears or apples; here, the jewel-like beauty of citrus is ingeniously employed to turn a simple preparation into a feast for the eyes and the mouth.

If an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese collided with a bacon and egg sandwich, you’d have these tasty toaster pastries from Molly Yeh. They’re a great way to start a day, but no one would turn them down at lunch or dinner, either.