Banana Strudel Recipe

This banana strudel is one sheet of puff pastry wrapped around sliced bananas tossed with brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and lemon juice. It bakes at 375°F (190°C) for 30 to 35 minutes and cuts into 8 slices, about 50 minutes from start to finish. Two tablespoons of breadcrumbs under the filling soak up the banana juice, so the bottom stays crisp.

Serve it warm for breakfast with coffee, or as dessert with a spoon of cream. If your weekend baking already includes brioche French toast or almond flour banana bread, this one fits right in.

Puff Pastry, Phyllo or Stretched Strudel Dough?

Traditional Austrian strudel dough is stretched by hand until you can read through it, then rolled many times around the filling. Phyllo gets you close to that shatter. It also dries out fast, and you have to butter and stack sheet after sheet while the rest of the pack waits under a damp towel.

This recipe uses puff pastry. One sheet, thawed and rolled a little to smooth the creases, gives tall, buttery layers with almost no handling. The result is closer to a fruit braid from a bakery than to a thin rolled strudel, and it holds a soft banana filling well. If you only have phyllo, the same filling works, but you would butter each layer instead of using the egg wash.

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Picking and Slicing the Bananas for Strudel

You need 3 to 4 ripe bananas. Not mushy ones. Look for yellow peel with a few brown freckles, firm enough to slice into clean rounds. Very soft, spotty bananas taste sweet but release a lot of liquid in the oven, and that liquid is what turns the pastry soggy.

Slice evenly. Then fold them gently with ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon white sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. The lemon matters more than it looks: it keeps the cut bananas from going grey while you roll the pastry, and its sharpness stops a sweet, soft filling from tasting flat.

Raisins (¼ cup) are optional, and so are chopped walnuts or almonds and a pinch of nutmeg. Raisins give little chewy pockets, nuts give crunch. Mix the filling just before you shape the strudel. Timing matters here. Sugar pulls juice out of the bananas the longer the bowl sits. For banana between cake layers instead, see this banana cake filling.

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Breadcrumbs, Filling and the Braid

Lay the pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it just enough to even it out. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs in a strip down the middle third only, and keep the two outer thirds completely clean, because breadcrumbs on the strips you fold over stop them from sticking to each other. Clean edges seal.

Spoon the banana mixture over the breadcrumbs in an even line, leaving a clear border at the top and bottom. Do not pile it high. An overfilled strudel looks generous on the board, but it splits at the seams in the oven and the juice runs out onto the tray, where it burns.

You have two ways to close it, and both are in the recipe card:

• Braid: cut slanted strips about 1 inch wide down both sides, then fold them over the filling one from each side in turn, so they crisscross. Tuck the top and bottom ends in first so the filling cannot escape.
• Log: fold one long side over the filling, then the other, and press the seam and the ends closed. Turn it seam side down. Cut a few slits for steam.

Whisk 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of milk and brush it over every bit of exposed pastry. The egg wash is what gives the deep, shiny color.

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How Long to Bake Banana Strudel at 375°F

Bake on a parchment lined tray for 30 to 35 minutes. It is done when the top is a deep golden color, the sides have puffed into clear layers and the filling bubbles at the cuts. Lift one corner with a spatula before you take it out. The underside should be browned, not pale. Pale means another 5 minutes.

Give it 10 minutes on the tray, then a rack. Steam escapes from the bottom there instead of softening it. Dust with powdered sugar right before slicing, since the sugar melts into warm pastry if you add it too early.

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Serving Banana Strudel Warm or for Brunch

Serve it slightly warm. The filling is soft then and the pastry still crackles. A little whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or a spoon of vanilla pastry cream turns it into dessert. For brunch, set it next to banana chia pudding and a pot of coffee.

If you like fruit in pastry, try the sweet cabbage strudel next, and the puff pastry cinnamon twists use the same sheet of pastry in a different shape.

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Keeping, Reheating and Making Banana Strudel Ahead

Eat it the day it is baked if you can. Leftovers keep at room temperature, loosely covered, until the evening, or in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat slices in a 350°F oven or an air fryer for about 5 to 8 minutes to crisp the pastry again. The microwave warms the filling but makes puff pastry chewy.

You can shape it up to an hour ahead and keep it in the fridge before the egg wash goes on. Any longer and the bananas start to weep into the pastry. For a make-ahead banana bake that holds for days, a loaf of classic banana bread is the better choice.

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Quick Answers About Banana Strudel

Can I make banana strudel without raisins?

Yes. They are optional. Skip them, or use nuts.

Why is my banana strudel soggy on the bottom?

Usually the bananas were too ripe, the breadcrumbs were left out, or the filling sat in its sugar before baking. Bake until the underside is browned.

What is the difference between banana strudel and apple strudel?

Bananas need no precooking and bake down soft and creamy in 30 minutes, while apple strudel keeps more bite and usually takes longer. The breadcrumb layer does the same job in both.