I Asked 7 Chefs for the Best Store-Bought Puff Pastry, and This Is the One They Swear By

"It's the closest thing to handmade."

It’s a beloved shortcut and secret weapon of professional bakers and home cooks alike: store-bought puff pastry. Flaky, buttery, and ready to bake—with a bit of planning—it’s essential for everything from quick savory appetizers to show-stopping desserts. While making homemade puff pastry can be a rewarding process, it’s also notoriously time-consuming. And let’s be real—how many of us have hours to roll and fold pastry on a weeknight? Even most pros will readily admit that they don’t make their own puff pastry from scratch.

That’s why we’re all about the store-bought version. Just as golden and flaky as a homemade batch (but with a fraction of the effort), puff pastry sheets can elevate any dish, whether you’re whipping up a last-minute chicken pot pie or a delicate fruit tart. It’s why we recommend keeping a box on hand, but with several brands to choose from, which one is worth a coveted spot in your already-packed freezer?

To find out, we consulted baking pros and culinary experts for their top picks for store-bought puff pastry. They shared their secrets on what to look for, how they use it, and which brands they keep stocked in their own freezers. Turns out, most have one flaky favorite in common.

Our Panel of Puff Pastry-Judging Chefs

• Julia Turshen, writer and cookbook author of "What Goes With What: 100 Recipes, 20 Charts, Endless Possibilities"

• Eva Badra, baker and owner of Eva's Little Kitchen in Bedford, Massachusetts

• Amanda Nichols, pastry chef of Bardea Restaurant Group in Wilmington, Delaware

• Dana Hasson, baker and founder of Homemadeish

• Jessie-Sierra Ross, cookbook author of "Seasons Around the Table: Effortless Entertaining with Floral Tablescapes & Seasonal Recipes"

• Stacey Mei Yan Fong, baker and cookbook author of "50 Pies, 50 States: An Immigrant's Love Letter to the United States Through Pie"

• Anne White, Culinary Director of Pastry at Indigo Road Hospitality Group

Qualities of a Good Frozen Puff Pastry

No matter which puff pastry you buy, there are a few key characteristics our food pros recommend looking for:

• A limited ingredient list. “When it comes to choosing products, I always go with the notion that the least amount of ingredients the better,” says Hasson. Choose a puff pastry that’s made with a handful of ingredients and no unnecessary additives or sweeteners, which can affect both taste and texture. The best puff pastries rely on just a few high-quality ingredients to deliver that perfectly light and buttery finish.

• Butter should be the main fat. Speaking of ingredients, the one non-negotiable for most of our chefs is butter. “Having butter as the only fat in there is going to be the best option from a flavor perspective,” says Badra.

• It’s readily available. The best thing about store-bought puff pastry is how convenient it is to use, so finding a good option shouldn’t require a scavenger hunt. White’s top pick is LeCoq Cusine’s puff pastry, but the French brand is difficult to find in stores.

The Best Store-Bought Puff Pastry, According to Chefs

With these points in mind, one brand stood out for both its flavor and short ingredient list: Dufour Pastry Kitchens Classic Puff Pastry. The chef-approved dough is made with just five ingredients. Butter is listed at the very top, followed by unbleached flour, water, salt, and lemon juice. “It's the only readily available brand I've found that's made with all butter, which I think has a more delicious flavor,” says Turshen.

Badra echoes that sentiment, noting that Dufour yields baked goods that taste almost homemade. “It's closest to a handmade product and it's also all-butter, which is unique because not all puff pastries on the market are all butter,” she says.

Unlike most frozen puff pastry, which is sold in rolls, Dufour’s version comes folded in half, making it easy to handle, with fewer opportunities to crack. “I find it to be good quality and very easy to use,” says Hasson.

Other Chef-Approved Options

Our polling produced similar results as our team’s store-bought puff pastry taste test. Dufour ultimately came out on top, but Pepperidge Farm was a close runner-up, thanks to its more budget-friendly price tag. “I’m a huge fan of the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry since you can find it just about anywhere and it’s affordable,” says Fong. Ross agrees, noting that “the papery thin sheets of dough bake up high and crispy every time.”

White, on the other hand, prefers Trader Joe’s Puff Pastry because Pepperidge Farm uses vegetable oil giving it less of a prominent butter flavor. “It is also a 100 percent butter product and uses simple, well-recognized ingredients.” However, TJ’s puff pastry is a seasonal item only available during the cooler months, so unless you plan on stocking up, you’ll be out of luck if you want to make appetizers for a summer party.

Pro Tips for Working with Puff Pastry

Once you’ve chosen your puff pastry, here are some expert tips to get the most out of it:

• Thaw properly: Let it defrost in the fridge overnight to avoid cracking or breaking.

• Use a sharp knife: Cut it with a sharp knife. "Otherwise, you risk mashing the layers together,” says Turshen.

• Work quickly: “Make sure you have minimal distractions,” advises Nichols. “It’s a time-sensitive product, so getting pulled away for a long period of time while working with the dough will cause it to dry out and the butter to begin melting.”

How Chefs Love to Use Puff Pastry

Once your puff pastry is thawed, there are truly endless ways to bake with this versatile ingredient. Here are some standout ideas from our chefs:

• Pizza pockets: “I love to make homemade pizza pockets by filling rectangles of puff pastry with a little tomato sauce and grated cheese, then covering with another rectangle and crimping the edges with a fork. Brush with egg and bake.” —Turshen.

• Baked Brie cups: My favorite way to use puff pastry is starting with a wheel of Brie, wrapping it in the puff pastry, and then serving it with our red pepper jelly, fig jam, or any other seasonal jam.” —Badra.

• Nutella pinwheels: “For something sweet, I love anything with Nutella, like rolling it up into hazelnut chocolate pinwheels.” —Hasson

• Savory tart: “These are easy to make beautiful and always a crowd pleaser.” —Nichols

• Easy pie crust: “I love layering it with butter, blind baking it, and using it as a pseudo pie crust! I fill it with a chocolate ganache filling and top it with candied nuts. My fave is candied walnuts. A showstopper holiday dessert that won’t break the bank or the stress meter.” —Fong