German Nut Strudel Recipe

Also known as a German Nut Roll, or Nußstrudel, this German Nut Strudel Recipe can be made with yeasted dough or puff pastry and is filled with ground nuts, sugar, and cream. It’s creamy, full of flavor, and the perfect addition to kaffee und kuchen.

What is a German Nut Strudel?

Traditionally a Nut Strudel or Nut roll is an enriched, yeasted dough, filled with ground walnuts (or nuts of your choice), egg, cream, and sugar. It’s moist, rich, and the perfect combo of sweet and savory.

Do I have to use Walnuts?

No, while walnuts are the most common and traditional, you can definitely use any nuts you want. This recipe uses a combination of almonds and pecans, but you could also use hazelnuts!

Can this be made in advance?

Yes! I actually prefer to bake this the day before I need it. This is because, it is best to cut it once it is fully cooled and the flavors intensify and meld while it rests.

How to make this German Nut Strudel Recipe with Puff Pastry

I get it, sometimes you don’t have time or want to make a yeasted dough, that’s where frozen puff pastry comes in.

• Preheat the oven to 375 F, slightly roll out one sheet of puff pastry and prepare half of the nut filling.
• Spread the nut filling down the center third of the puff pastry – it should be quite thick.
• Make diagonal slices into the sides of the puff pastry, without the filling, at a 45 degree angle, going up. Starting at the top, fold the top flap down, then fold the two “wings” or strips over the filling, crossing one over another.
• Working your way down the puff pastry, fold the strips from each side across the filling,
• Continue alternating a strip from the left side and then one from the right side until you reach the last two strips.
• Fold the bottom flap up and then fold the bottom two strips over the top using an egg yolk whisked with 2 teaspoons of water to stick the strips down.
• Brush the top of the strudel with the remaining egg wash. Place on a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes until puffy and golden brown.
• Once baked, leave to cool fully and then slice into 8 slices. Optionally serve with vanilla ice cream.

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Tips for making this German Nut Strudel Recipe

• Be sure to chop or grind the nuts relatively finely but don’t let them become butter, this will create a creamy and rich filling and prevent the filling from falling out of the slices. I recommend using a high speed blender or food processor.
• When making the dough, be sure to knead it fully until smooth. If it breaks when pulled and doesn’t stretch, it won’t be strong enough to hold in the filling.
• The dough is likely to rip slightly while baking but to prevent it from spreading, roll the strudel in a sheet of parchment paper, but be sure to leave about 2 inches of space between the paper and the roll to allow it to grow.
• Once baked, immediately brush the top of the roll with all of the butter written in the recipe and then dust with a thick layer of powdered sugar. After an hour of cooling, check the roll and if any of the powdered sugar has disappeared, dust it with another layer of powdered sugar.

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Ingredients for Nußstrudel

• Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt: Sour Cream adds moisture and richness to this dough which keeps it from drying out.
• Vanilla Extract: As in most recipes, vanilla extract adds flavor and in this recipe there is vanilla in the dough and the filling.
• Eggs: I use standard large eggs from the store. There are eggs in both the dough and the filling.
• Milk: There is milk in the dough but non-dairy milk, such as almond, soy, oat, light coconut milk will work as well.
• All Purpose Flour: Any all purpose flour should work for this! I have not yet tried any other flours with this recipe.
• Yeast: Either instant or active dry yeast will work for this recipe.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder helps give a little extra rise to the dough because the filling can make it quite heavy and make it difficult for the roll to grow.
• Sugar: This recipe uses white granulated sugar but not very much – meaning that it is not too sweet; but don’t worry the powdered sugar on top adds a little extra sweetness.
• Butter: Butter is used in both the dough and the assembly of this nut roll.
• Nuts: This recipe uses almonds and pecans but almost any nuts will work, just be sure to use the same weight of nuts as is called for in the recipe.
• Heavy Cream: Heavy cream is used in the filling to make it a little bit more spreadable and adds moisture and richness.
• Salt: There is a little salt added to the nut filling to balance out the sweetness.
• Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is used to create a thick dusting on top of the Nut Roll right when it comes out of the oven.

How to make German Nut Strudel at home:

Nut filling

• In a blender, add in all the nuts. Blend until the texture of course sand.
• Pour the nuts, egg, sugar, salt, vanilla, and cream in a bowl and stir to combine.
• Cover the bowl and set aside.

Dough

• Stir together the eggs, sour cream, milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and yeast. Then add in the softened butter and the egg mixture.
• Use a dough hook to knead the dough until it comes together in a ball. This dough can take a while so be sure to keep kneading until it is smooth and can be stretched without breaking immediately.
• Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, lightly grease the bowl, and place the dough back in. Cover the bowl and place somewhere warm for 45 min.
• Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.

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Assembling

• Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 11″ x 18″.
• Spread the nut mixture over the dough, leaving a 1/2″ border on two long sides and on one short side. Leave 1 1/2″ border on the remaining short side.
• Start rolling the dough up from the short end that only has a half inch border. After you have started the roll, fold in the long sides to encase the filling; then continue rolling until you get to the end, being careful not to push the filling out.
• Wrap the roll with a large sheet of parchment paper, leaving a 2″ gap to allow the roll to grow and leave the ends open.

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Bake & Final steps

• Bake the strudel in the middle of the oven for 30 min. Then remove the parchment and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
• Right after removing the strudel from the oven, brush the top and sides with the remaining melted butter. Dust with powdered sugar until it stops disappearing – you may need to add another layer of powdered sugar after 10 minutes.
• Let it cool fully before slicing. Best is overnight.

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