These Cheese Straws are SO easy to make, and you just need 3 ingredients. Crispy and flakey puff pastry, cheese and egg all twisted together for these delicious straws. Perfect for party food or kid's snacks and they are ready in just 20 minutes too. Easy to adapt with different flavours, these are a MUST make during the festive season.
Cheese and pastry - what's not to love about that? You really need to try these cheese straws to see just how easy they are to make. A sheet of ready made puff pastry (always a time saving hack for us), sprinkled with a mixture of cheeses, twisted up and brushed with egg to make them crispy. Seriously, it's that easy!
We always make these at Christmas time as they are perfect for serving up to guests. They look far more fancy than they actually are and they are easy to adapt with different flavours to make them a little more special. More on that below.
If you are looking for other ways to use puff pastry, why not try our Tomato Puff Pastry Tart, Chocolate and Banana Pinwheels, Asparagus Tart, Cranberry and Brie Bites or Easy Sausage Rolls.
Jump to:
Why should you try it?
- Just 3 ingredients - We love anything with minimal ingredients and these cheese straws are just that. You probably already have egg and cheese in your fridge and puff pastry stores really well, so these can be whipped up last minute.
- Easy to make - Just a few minutes prep time goes in to making these cheese straws.
- Adaptable - Use this as the basic recipe and then get creative. Think pesto or marmite - we have give you our favourite add-ins below.
- Perfect party food - These always go down well at a party, so make a double or triple batch of them, because they won't last long.
What you will need
- Puff pastry - Yes, we admit it, we "cheat" and use store bought puff pastry. We have tried making it ourselves and honestly it didn't taste much different for the amount of effort that went in to making it. What we love about this recipe is how quick and easy it is to make, and that is partly because of the ready made pastry.
- Cheese - The star of the recipe. We used a mixture of mature cheddar and Parmesan as we love the flavour combination and the Parmesan helps them to crisp up. You could use any cheese that melts well though.
- Egg - This helps to add a lovely golden colour to the pastry and make them nice and crispy too.
Step by step
One: Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Roll out the pastry leaving it on the paper. Whisk the egg and brush half the pastry with it.
Two: Sprinkle half of both cheeses over the egg washed side.
Three: Fold the pastry over so that the cheese is encased. Press the edges down to seal and brush with more egg.
Four: Sprinkle over the remaining cheeses, gently pressing the cheese into the pastry.
Five: Slice the cheesy pastry once across the centre, then five times in the other direction to make 12 individual strips.
Six: Hold each strip down at one end and then twist the other end through 360° to make a spiral.
Seven: Put on a lined baking sheet, brush with more egg.
Eight: Put in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden.
Variations
What we love about these cheese straws is how easy they are to adapt. There are so many different flavours you can add to them, that you never have to have them the same way twice. Here are our favourite things to add:
- Pesto
- Marmite
- Cranberry sauce
- Sundried tomatoes
- Chutney
- Fresh herbs
- Mustard
- Mango chutney
- Pizza sauce
- Caramelised onions
What to serve with cheese straws
These make a great snack or served up at a party. However we also love dipping these in to soup. Why not try them with our Creamy Vegetable Soup, Cauliflower and Broccoli Soup or Tomato Basil Soup.
Cheese straws are so 80s and I always remember them being served up at dinner parties. So, why not keep with the 80s vibe and serve these with our Epic Prawn Cocktail.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can keep these in an air tight container and they will keep for up to 3 days - if you don't eat them all before that.
Yes, these freeze really well. Individually wrap them and then you can store them all in a freezer bag. You can then just take out as many as you need at a time.
If you buy gluten free puff pastry, and make sure there is no cross contamination, then these can be a delicious gluten free party food.
Extra tips
- For some extra flavour, add some marmite or pesto.
- You can use homemade puff pastry if you like, but we really can't taste the difference and using store bought makes this much quicker.
- These are quite fragile, so try not to load them up too much. If you are adding a chutney, or caramelised onions, then you will only need a few otherwise the cheese straws will struggle to rise and won't hold together as well when held.
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Recipe
Cheese Straws
Ingredients
- 375 g puff pastry
- 70 g Parmesan grated
- 70 g cheddar grated
- 1 egg whisked
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Roll out the pastry leaving it on the paper.375 g puff pastry
- Whisk the egg and brush half the pastry with it. Sprinkle half of both cheeses over the egg washed side.70 g cheddar, 1 egg, 70 g Parmesan
- Fold the pastry over so that the cheese is encased. Press the edges down to seal. Brush the top of the pastry with more egg.
- Sprinkle over the remaining cheeses, gently pressing the cheese into the pastry.
- Slice the cheesy pastry once across the centre, then five times in the other direction to make 12 individual strips.
- Hold each strip down at one end and then twist the other end through 360° to make a spiral.
- Put on a lined baking sheet, brush with more egg. Put in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden.
Notes
- For some extra flavour, add some marmite or pesto.
- You can use homemade puff pastry if you like, but we really can't taste the difference and using store bought makes this much quicker.
- These are quite fragile, so try not to load them up too much. If you are adding a chutney, or caramelised onions, then you will only need a few otherwise the cheese straws will struggle to rise and won't hold together as well when held.
Nathan
It's a little dangerous how simple these cheese straws are to make... So yummy, will definitely be making these again and again!
Teodora Grujic
Perfect for game or movie night! Thanks for sharing
Rika
The perfect after-school snack. I definitely love easy recipes like this.
Kushigalu
Love pastries and this looks so flaky and perfect. Thanks for sharing
Jamie
Easy indeed! I love savory snacks like this especially if they're simple to make!
Toni
This is seriously good! And so quick and easy to make!
Pam
I'm all about easy recipes with just a few ingredients and these were delicious as well!
Beth Sachs
The ultimate party snack and so easy to make!
Gloria
I happen to have some puff pastry in the freezer. What a fun appetizer for a birthday celebration this weekend.
Jenn
This is my kind of recipe! Easy, tasty and impressive - I will be eating a lot of these!