Strudel: pastry with fruit inside, numbers from two recipes

The only meta-analysis of randomized trials on this page tested an added fiber, and pastry was one of its test foods. Across trials in healthy adults, 6 g of resistant maltodextrin cut the blood sugar response to starchy foods by about 10% when baked into the food and about 20% in a drink. Pastry was not analyzed on its own, the fiber is something a strudel does not contain, and industry authors ran part of the trials. The plain numbers matter more. USDA lists apple strudel at 41.1 g carbohydrate and 11.2 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), from one record with no sample spread behind it. A UK frozen fruit strudel from the shop measured 241 calories, 13.5 g fat including 0.75 g trans fat, 29.1 g carbohydrate and 10.6 g sugars per 3.5 oz (100 g). The two differ in filling and water, so the gap is recipe spread. The US survey counts one piece as 125 g, which by the USDA record comes to about 51 g carbohydrate and 14 g fat.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• A UK retail frozen fruit strudel measures 241 calories, 13.5 g fat and 29.1 g carbohydrate per 3.5 oz (100 g), with 0.75 g trans fat and 10.6 g total sugars. — CoFID 2021 record Strudel, fruit filled, retail, frozen (code 11-919) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: energy 241 calories, fat 13.5 g (saturated 5.02 g, trans 0.75 g), carbohydrate 29.1 g (starch 18.4 g, total sugars 10.6 g), AOAC fiber 5.4 g, protein 2.7 g, water 47.6 g; carbohydrate 29% below the USDA record

What a real portion looks like

• The US dietary survey counts one piece of apple strudel as 125 g, which by the USDA record carries about 51 g carbohydrate and 14 g fat. — FNDDS food Strudel, apple (code 53440000, fdc 2708039, WWEIA category Cakes and pies) Evidence E source
  1 piece = 125 g; quantity not specified = 125 g; 1 cubic inch = 8 g; per piece carbohydrate about 51.4 g and fat about 14.0 g, recalculated from 100 g

What cooking and storage change

• Baking fresh fruit keeps 80% of its vitamin C and 60% of its folate by the USDA table for the fruit group, which is the best available guide to the apple filling of a strudel. — USDA retention factors for the group Fruits and Fruit Juices, method FRUITS,FRESH(NOT CITRUS),BAKED Evidence E source
  Retained after baking: vitamin C 80%, folate 60%, thiamin 80%, potassium 90%, copper 90%; iron, magnesium, zinc 100%

What it does to your health

• A meta-analysis of 37 randomized trials found that 6 g of resistant maltodextrin lowered the blood glucose response to starchy foods, pastry among them, by about 10% in food and 20% in drinks. — healthy adults in 37 randomized placebo-controlled trials to April 2007, test foods rice, noodles, pastry, bread and refined carbohydrates with 30-173 g available carbohydrate (n = 37 trials) Evidence A source
  Glycemic response attenuated by about 20% with 6 g in drinks and about 10% when placed in foods, P < 0.001, dose-dependent
• In a randomized crossover trial, test meals made with three pastry fats (palm oil, lard or puff-pastry margarine) gave no difference in after-meal blood fats or hormones in normal-weight or obese young women. — normal-weight and obese young women, three test meals in randomized crossover order Evidence B source
  No significant difference in postprandial lipid and hormone responses between the three fats; obese women had higher fasting and postprandial triacylglycerol and insulin than normal-weight women
• Observational data from 17 prospective cohorts do not link refined grain intake, pastries included, with cardiovascular disease (HR 1.08). — 17 prospective cohort studies, more than 875,000 participants, refined grains as a distinct category (n = >875,000) Evidence C source
  CVD HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.99-1.18 (9 cohorts); stroke HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.92-1.23; heart failure HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.77-1.16
• In a Spanish national survey, eating more sweet pastries was associated with slightly higher odds of digestive problems (OR 1.058). — Spanish adults in the 2023 Spanish National Health Survey, 13,518 who reported on digestive problems (n = 13,518) Evidence C source
  Sweet pastries OR 1.058, 95% CI 1.039-1.077 for digestive problems; fiber OR 0.968

What is still unknown

• USDA lists apple strudel at 41.1 g carbohydrate, 11.2 g fat and 6.1 mcg selenium per 3.5 oz (100 g), from a single reference record with no sample spread behind it. — USDA SR Legacy record Strudel, apple (FDC 175032, Baked Products) Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: carbohydrate 41.1 g (15% DV), fat 11.2 g (14% DV), selenium 6.1 mcg (11% DV); Foundation samples 0

The bottom line

The fruit keeps some of what it had. By the USDA table for baked fresh fruit, about 80% of vitamin C and 60% of folate survive baking, a 1975 factor for the fruit group that says nothing about the dough or the fat. The fat in the pastry has been tested at a single meal. In a randomized crossover trial, test meals made with palm oil, lard or puff pastry margarine gave no significant difference in blood fats or hormones afterward, in normal-weight or obese young women. The abstract gives no sample size, and the meals were not strudel. Across 17 cohorts with more than 875,000 people, refined grain intake, pastries pooled in with other grain foods, was not associated with cardiovascular disease, a hazard ratio of 1.08 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.18). The authors warn of confounding they could not measure. In a Spanish national survey of 13,518 adults, eating more sweet pastries went with slightly higher odds of digestive problems, 1.058, from a single self-reported snapshot. We have no card on strudel for allergy, children, pregnancy or medicines, so this page has no safety section, and that gap clears nothing.

Sources

1. strd-r7-02 · CoFID 2021, dataset
   Strudel, fruit filled, retail, frozen (CoFID 11-919): Energy 241 kcal; Fat 13.5 g; Satd FA 5.02 g; Trans FAs 0.75 g; Carbohydrate 29.1 g; Starch 18.4 g; Total sugars 10.6 g; AOAC fibre 5.4 g; Protein 2.7 g; Water 47.6 g per 100 g
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, OGL v3.0, code 11-919 · checked 2026-09-29
2. strd-r7-03 · FNDDS portions, dataset
   Strudel, apple (FNDDS 53440000, fdc 2708039, Cakes and pies): 1 piece 125 g; Quantity not specified 125 g; 1 cubic inch 8 g
   USDA FNDDS, fdc 2708039, Strudel, apple · checked 2026-09-29
3. strd-r7-04 · USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:151 FRUITS,FRESH(NOT CITRUS),BAKED, group Fruits and Fruit Juices: vitamin_c_mg 80% retained, folate_total_ug 60%, thiamin_mg 80%, potassium_mg 90%, copper_mg 90%, iron_mg 100%, magnesium_mg 100%, zinc_mg 100%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, 2007, Retn_Code 151 · checked 2026-09-29
4. strd-r7-05 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   These trials investigated the attenuation of the glycemic response to rice, noodles, pastry, bread, and refined carbohydrates that included 30-173 g available carbohydrate. ... Attenuation of the glycemic response to starchy foods by 6 g RMD in drinks approached approximately 20%, but when placed directly into foods was approximately 10% -- significant (P < 0.001) by both modes of administration.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2009 · checked 2026-09-29
5. strd-r7-06 · randomized crossover trial
   The study was performed as a randomized, crossover design. ... The obese women had significantly higher fasting concentrations and postprandial responses of plasma total triacylglycerol (TAG), chylomicron-TAG, and insulin compared with the normal-weight women but there was no significant difference in the postprandial responses between the three test meals.
   Br J Nutr, 1999 · checked 2026-09-29
6. strd-r7-07 · meta-analysis of cohort studies
   Meta-analyses of hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) obtained from 17 prospective cohort studies (>875,000 participants) indicated that refined grain intake was not associated with risk of CVD (HR = 1.08, 95% CI, 0.99-1.18, I2 = 70%; 9 cohorts)
   Trends Cardiovasc Med, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
7. strd-r7-08 · cross-sectional study
   Higher odds (OR) of digestive problems were associated with age (OR 1.026, 95% CI 1.023-1.029), female sex (OR 1.168, 1.070-1.276), non-smoking (OR 1.240, 1.005-1.531) and ex-smoking (OR 1.447, 1.272-1.647) compared to current smokers, higher PHQ-8 scores (OR 1.040, 1.029-1.051), greater protein intake (OR 1.016, 1.009-1.023), consumption of sweet pastries (OR 1.058, 1.039-1.077), and dairy products (OR 1.027, 1.002-1.053)
   Nutrients, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
8. strd-r7-01 · USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, dataset
   Strudel, apple (FDC 175032, SR Legacy, Baked Products): carbohydrate 41.1 g per 100 g = 15% DV; fat 11.2 g = 14% DV; selenium 6.1 mcg = 11% DV; Foundation samples 0
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 175032, Strudel, apple · checked 2026-09-29