7 Ways to Make the Most of Extra Puff Pastry

I recently found myself with leftover puff pastry after making the most delicious French Onion Baked Brie. The next day, I opened the fridge and found the extra puff pastry staring right at me. Unsure how to use it, I shut the fridge and took one of my “thinking walks” around my tiny apartment – you know, where you hope that moving around will make your brain be more productive. Lo and behold, I spotted a chocolate bar on my mini-journey and suddenly realized how to use up that last bit of pastry dough.  

What if I just combined the two? I took the puff pastry out of the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to take the chill off it while I preheated my oven to 425°F. Then I placed the chocolate bar on the square of dough, wrapped it in the pastry, brushed it with an egg wash and sent it right into the oven. After 30 minutes, what emerged was an unbelievably delicious treat. It was so easy and got me thinking about all of the wonderful ways you can use leftover puff pastry, from savory snacks, pies, and tarts, to sweet pastries and desserts. 

Turn puff pastry into a turnover

Create a sweet or savory turnover with your favorite filling. Whether you use something pre-made like jam or Nutella, or make a filling like this Strawberry-Vanilla-Rhubarb Jam, the options are endless. Try these recipes for Sour Cherry Turnovers, Buffalo Turkey Hand Pies, or Eli’s Golden Apple Turnovers and make a delicious and flaky turnover in no time.

Make a quiche or tart

Make a classic quiche or vegetable tart using puff pastry as the crust. This is a great way to use up any other leftover ingredients you have in the fridge by simply mixing them with the eggs. 

Use puff pastry as a pie crust

Create a delicious and flaky pastry crust with puff pastry for any type of pie. Whether you’re making a savory pot pie like this Mushroom Pot Pie or ​​French Onion Chicken Pot Pie, or something sweet like this Puff Pastry Apple Pie, puff pastry is an easy stand-in as a crust. 

Bake a pizza

Make the flakiest pizza you’ll ever have with puff pastry as the crust. To do so, simply place the puff pastry sheet onto a surface that is lightly dusted with flour before rolling it out into circle or rectangle (the choice is up to you). Place the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and add marinara, cheese, and other favorite ingredients. Bake it at 425°F until the crust is golden and crispy, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Wrap up an appetizer or main course

There are unlimited options for wrapping your puff pastry around meat or cheese for a standout appetizer or main course. Wrap it around a round of Brie like this Baked Brie with Spiced Pears and Cherries. If you really want to go all out, try making a Beef Wellington. 

Make puff pastry snacks

As I did with that chocolate bar, you can use puff pastry as the base for a buttery, flaky snack. Cut the dough into sections and use them to wrap up sliced hot dogs to make flaky Pigs in a Blanket with Black Pepper Pastry. Or for a sweet option, make these Guava Quesitos, which have a filling of cream cheese and sweet guava paste and bake in less than half an hour. 

Fry up doughnuts

Making doughnuts with puff pastry is surprisingly easy — the butter in the puff pastry dough allows it to expand into delicious fluffy doughnut goodness. To make doughnuts, just roll the puff pastry on a work surface and stamp out rings of dough. Then fry them in a large pot of oil and when they start getting golden and puffed, transfer to a wired rack and let cool. After that, sprinkle the doughnuts with powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, chocolate glaze, or any other favorite topping.