Kringle and Danish pastry share the same family roots, but they are not exactly the same thing. Both are made with rich, layered dough and can feature sweet fillings and icing. The biggest differences are their shape, size, preparation and the tradition behind them.
What Is Danish Pastry?
“Danish pastry” is a broad category that includes many individual pastries. A Danish may be round, square, braided, folded or shaped into a pinwheel. It is typically portioned for one person and filled with ingredients such as fruit, cream cheese, custard or nuts.
When most Americans picture a Danish, they probably imagine an individual pastry from a bakery case—something enjoyed with a cup of coffee for breakfast or as a sweet treat.
What Is Kringle?
Kringle is a specific type of pastry with Danish roots. It is larger than a typical Danish pastry and is intended to be sliced and shared.
Traditional Kringle is known for its distinctive shape. At Uncle Mike’s, we form our Kringle into a pretzel shape as a nod to its Danish heritage. We use what we call a “cheater pretzel,” carefully shaping the Kringle so the dough does not overlap. This helps prevent thick, dense sections and gives each slice a more consistent balance of pastry and filling.
Rather than being a single-serving pastry, one whole Uncle Mike’s Kringle serves approximately 16 people when cut into slices of about three inches.
How Are Kringle and Danish Pastry Similar?
Kringle and Danish pastry have several things in common:
- Both are made with rich, layered pastry dough.
- Both can be filled with fruit, nuts, cream cheese or other sweet fillings.
- Both are commonly finished with icing or another topping.
- Both pair especially well with coffee.
- Both are often enjoyed for breakfast, brunch or dessert.
The difference is that Danish pastry describes an entire category, while Kringle refers to a particular pastry with its own shape, history and sharing tradition.
How Is Kringle Different?
The easiest way to understand the difference is this:
A Danish is usually an individual pastry. Kringle is a larger pastry made to slice and share.
Kringle also gives the filling a much larger role. Every flavor creates a different experience—from rich and nutty Sea Salt Caramel Pecan to bright and fruity Door County Cherry.
At Uncle Mike’s, Sea Salt Caramel Pecan is our most popular Kringle, followed by Door County Cherry. However, we make many different flavors throughout the year, including seasonal and limited-edition varieties.
Is Kringle a Breakfast Pastry or a Dessert?
Kringle can be either, but it is most often enjoyed as a breakfast pastry—especially here in Wisconsin. It is commonly served with coffee at family gatherings, holidays, office meetings and weekend breakfasts.
Of course, there are no firm rules. Some people warm it slightly and serve it for dessert, and we have even had customers use Kringle in place of a traditional wedding cake.
A Wisconsin Tradition with Danish Roots
Danish immigrants brought the tradition of Kringle to Wisconsin, where it became especially associated with the southeastern part of the state. Over time, Wisconsin bakers created their own flavors, techniques and family traditions surrounding the pastry.
Uncle Mike’s began making Kringle in 2014, and we have shaped it like a pretzel from the very beginning. We chose that shape to honor Kringle’s Danish roots while using our “cheater pretzel” technique to avoid overlapping dough and create a more consistent texture in every slice.
So, what is the difference between Kringle and Danish pastry? They may be related, but Kringle stands on its own: a distinctive, shareable pastry rooted in Danish tradition and embraced as a Wisconsin favorite.
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Thanks for reading!
Whether you're a lifelong Kringle fan or discovering it for the first time, we hope you'll stop by one of our bakeries—or let us ship a little taste of Wisconsin to your doorstep.
— Nathan Vande Walle
Co-Owner, Uncle Mike’s Bake Shoppe