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Lighter Austrian Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel) with Yogurt-Vanilla Sauce
Recipe

Lighter Austrian Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel) with Yogurt-Vanilla Sauce

Dessert • Austria

A practical weeknight-friendly take on Austrian Apfelstrudel using ready strudel (or filo) pastry, a cinnamon-apple filling, and a creamy yogurt-vanilla sauce instead of heavy cream.

Why smarter

Uses a modest amount of oil instead of butter, relies on fruit for sweetness with just a little added sugar, and swaps heavy cream sauce for a high-protein yogurt-based vanilla sauce while keeping the familiar strudel taste and texture.

Chef tip

Squeeze the apples briefly after mixing with lemon to avoid a soggy strudel; a spoon of breadcrumbs helps catch any extra juices and keeps the pastry crisp.

Soft line

All the cosy Viennese café vibes, made weeknight-realistic.

Ingredients

# Ingredient Text Amount Unit Ingredient Name Notes
1 Strudel pastry (Strudelteig) or filo sheets 250.000 g strudel pastry or filo sheets If using filo, you may need about 6–8 sheets
2 Canola oil 20.000 ml canola oil For brushing the pastry
3 Apples (tart-sweet, e.g., Boskoop), peeled, cored, thinly sliced 700.000 g apples About 4–5 medium
4 Lemon juice 15.000 ml lemon juice About 1 tbsp
5 Raisins 40.000 g raisins Optional but traditional
6 Granulated sugar 30.000 g sugar Adjust to apple sweetness
7 Ground cinnamon 2.000 tsp ground cinnamon
8 Chopped walnuts or hazelnuts 30.000 g walnuts or hazelnuts Optional, for texture
9 Plain breadcrumbs 25.000 g breadcrumbs Helps absorb juices
10 Plain yogurt (or Greek-style yogurt) 300.000 g plain yogurt For the sauce
11 Vanilla (extract or vanilla sugar) vanilla Use 1 tsp extract or 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
12 Honey or sugar (for the sauce) 10.000 g honey or sugar To taste
13 Icing sugar (optional, for serving) 5.000 g icing sugar A light dusting

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  2. In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with lemon juice, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if using). Let stand 5 minutes, then lift the apples out of any pooled liquid (or gently squeeze once with clean hands).
  3. Lay the pastry on a clean tea towel (to help rolling). If using filo, overlap sheets to form a rectangle, brushing lightly with canola oil between every 2 sheets and on top.
  4. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs in a strip along the long edge of the pastry, leaving a 3–4 cm border. Pile the apple mixture on top of the breadcrumbs in an even log.
  5. Fold in the short ends, then roll up tightly using the towel to help. Place seam-side down on the tray and brush the top lightly with a little more canola oil.
  6. Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden and crisp. Rest 10 minutes before slicing.
  7. Meanwhile, make the sauce: whisk yogurt with vanilla and honey/sugar until smooth. Chill until serving.
  8. Slice the strudel into 4 portions. Serve warm with a generous spoon of yogurt-vanilla sauce and a light dusting of icing sugar, if desired.