Treat yourself to a delicious strawberry croissant made with flaky, buttery puff pastry, creamy vanilla custard filling, fresh strawberries, and dusted with powdered sugar. So simple and easy to make. They taste like they came straight from the bakery!
This recipe is a copycat recipe for the strawberry croissant from Cream Pan, a well-known bakery in Orange County, California. People form lines down the block just to try these picture-worthy pastries and I’m proud to say, this recipe tastes just like the real thing!
Although called croissants, they’re actually made from puff pastry dough to achieve that perfectly fluffy and flakey texture. These beautiful pastries are surprisingly easy to make, especially if you use premade puff pastry dough from the store.
The puff pastry is cut into squares, folded into half triangles, and baked in the oven. Once baked, the flaky croissants are filled with easy homemade vanilla custard and fresh sliced strawberries. They’re then topped with powdered sugar for the perfect amount of sweetness.
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Croissant Recipe
- Get the delicious flavors of the cream pan strawberry croissant in the comfort of your own kitchen without waiting in long lines.
- These homemade croissants look very impressive but are easy to make!
- Can be prepared in advance to serve at parties or gatherings
- This refreshing summer dessert is the perfect balance of buttery and sweet
Strawberry Croissant Ingredients:
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this strawberry puff pastry dessert recipe:
- Puff Pastry Dough – My favorite store-bought brand of puff pastry is Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets but if you’re feeling brave and want to make your own puff pastry dough, I used this homemade puff pastry dough recipe and it turned out great!
- Fresh Strawberries – The strawberries are the star of the show in this recipe. The best time to buy fresh strawberries is in spring and summer when they’re in season.
- Eggs – We’ll only be using the yolks for this recipe but be sure to get “large” eggs. I find that pasture-raised eggs produce a really delicious rich custard, but this is just preference, any large eggs will work.
- Milk – This recipe requires whole milk, I would not recommend substituting for reduced fat or fat-free milk as they won’t produce the same creamy consistency as whole milk will.
- Half and Half – I like to use half and half in this recipe because it’s easy to find at the store and produces a perfectly creamy custard.
- Sugar – Cane sugar or granulated white sugar works best for this recipe
- Butter – the custard comes out beautifully when using salted butter
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch is used in this recipe as a thickener, do not omit this ingredient or you will be left with very runny custard.
- Vanilla Extract – I recommend using a good quality vanilla extract here to ensure that delicious delicate vanilla flavor. You can also use an equal amount of vanilla bean paste if you don’t have extract.
- Powdered Sugar – powdered sugar adds a little hint of sweetness to this recipe and makes for beautiful picture-worthy pastries.
How to Make Strawberry Croissants Step by Step:
Below is a list of visual instructions. Full instructions with the exact ingredients and measurements will be on the recipe card at the end of this post.
The Custard:
Step 1 – Before heating, mix sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan.
Step 2: add egg yolks, milk, and half-and-half. Whisk to combine.
Step 3 – Place the saucepan on the stove and heat over medium-low heat, constantly stirring the mixture for about 15 minutes. Allow the mixture to boil for one minute while whisking.
Step 4 – Remove the pan from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract.
Step 5 – Spoon mixture into a container and cover. Place in fridge to cool for about 2 hours.
The Croissants:
Step 1 – Preheat the oven and defrost the pastry dough according to the package instructions. Cut each sheet into about 3.5×3.5 inch squares.
Step 2 – Place the dough on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper and fold each square into half triangles. Gently push down the edges so the dough doesn’t lift up too much when baking.
Step 3: Make the egg wash by whisking an egg in a small bowl. Brush pastry dough with egg wash and bake in the oven according to package instructions until golden brown.
Step 4: Remove the croissants from the oven and let them cool.
Assembly:
Step 1: Slice several strawberries lengthwise and set aside.
Step 2: Once the croissants have cooled, slice them open, using a piping bag or a plastic ziplock bag with the tip cut off, fill the croissants with custard and sliced strawberries. Dust croissants with powdered sugar.
Substitutions
Strawberries – not strawberry season but craving a delicious strawberry croissant? Try substituting fresh strawberries for strawberry jam or another delicious berry that IS in season. Any berry will pair well with vanilla custard and flaky croissants.
Half-and-Half – If you don’t have half-and-half you can substitute it for 3/4 cup light cream and an additional 3/4 cup milk or 1/4 heavy whipping cream and an additional 3/4 cup milk for the pastry cream custard filling.
Puff Pastry – Although I do believe puff pastry is the best option for this cream pan copycat recipe, you can substitute it for premade crescent roll dough if you have to.
Storage Instructions
Storage: store leftover croissants in an airtight container or a plate covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Make-ahead: If you want to make these strawberry croissants ahead of time, I would recommend storing the individual components of the recipe separately until the day you want to serve them for the best results. You can make the custard a day or two in advance and store it in an airtight container. You can make puff pastry croissants 2-3 days in advance and store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Expert Tips
- Cooking the custard on medium-low heat helps to keep the eggs from scrambling while cooking.
- Constantly whisk your custard while it cooks to ensure your milk doesn’t burn.
- To speed up the cooling process of your custard, it can be placed in the freezer. Just keep an eye on it and don’t let it freeze, move to the fridge once cooled.
- Easily fill your croissants with custard by using a plastic bag with the tip cut off or a piping bag.
- If you like your croissants on the sweeter side, feel free to sugar your strawberries before stuffing them into the golden croissants.
- To get a nice, even coating of powdered sugar on top of your strawberry croissants, sift the powdered sugar through a mesh strainer.
- Have leftover custard? Don’t throw it away, use it as a topping on your french toast or eat it on its own topped with fruit. It’s too tasty to let it go to waste!
If you make these strawberry croissants be sure to leave a comment, give a rating, or share on Instagram! Don’t forget to tag me, I love looking through photos of the recipes you make!
Strawberry Croissants (Cream Pan)
Ingredients
- 1 Frozen Puff Pastry Dough
- 10 Strawberries
- Powdered Sugar (for topping)
Custard
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 1/2 Cup Cane Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Cornstarch
- 2 Cups Whole Milk
- 1 1/2 Cups Half and Half
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Custard
- Before heating, mix sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan.
- Add egg yolks, milk add half-and-half. Whisk to combine.
- Place the saucepan on the stove and heat over medium-low heat, constantly stirring the mixture for about 15 minutes until it thickens and comes to a boil. once the mixture comes to boil, let it bubble for one minute while whisking.
- Remove the pan from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract.
- Spoon mixture into a container and cover. Place in fridge to cool for about 2 hours.
Croissants
- Preheat the oven and defrost the pastry dough according to the package instructions. Cut each sheet into about 3.5×3.5 inch squares.
- Place the dough on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper and fold each square into half triangles. Gently push down the edges so the dough doesn’t lift up too much when baking.
- Make the egg wash by whisking an egg in a small bowl. Brush pastry dough with egg wash and bake in the oven according to package instructions until golden brown.
- Remove the croissants from the oven and let them cool.
Assembly
- Slice several strawberries lengthwise and set aside.
- Once the croissants have cooled, slice them open, using a piping bag or a spoon, fill the croissants with custard and sliced strawberries.
- Dust the tops of the croissants with powdered sugar and they’re ready to eat.
Notes
- Cooking the custard on medium-low heat helps to keep the eggs from scrambling while cooking.
- Constantly whisk your custard while it cooks to ensure your milk doesn’t burn.
- To speed up the cooling process of your custard, it can be placed in the freezer. Just keep an eye on it and don’t let it freeze, move to the fridge once cooled.
- Easily fill your croissants with custard by using a plastic bag with the tip cut off or a piping bag.
- To get a nice, even coating of powdered sugar on top of your strawberry croissants, sift the powdered sugar through a mesh strainer.