Homemade Pop Tarts
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Delicious Homemade Pop Tarts are 1000% better than store-bought. A homemade version of the classic breakfast treat for when the kid in you cries out. These strawberry pop tarts are homemade and a must try!
I have to admit I have had more than my fair share of those silvery packaged (ok, I have to admit DRY) crumbly pastry tarts in my day. I always went for the strawberry iced or the brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts.
In my college and barely post college days, I would scarf these down for breakfast, snack, dinner…ok even dinner. Sometimes I even went to great lengths and actually used a toaster oven to heat them up. Most times I didn’t. The toaster took too long. So did making pasta back then. Ha, how times have changed.
Since the days of store-bought pop tarts, I have found great satisfaction in making pop tarts from scratch. Like these Smores pop tarts, or these chocolate fudge pop tarts. It seemed only natural that I would get around to making my own homemade version of the classic breakfast treat.
And let me tell you, once you try the homemade version it will be hard to go back and tear open another silver package with your teeth ever again.
Homemade strawberry pop tarts were my go to pop tart. I couldn’t resist the frosted store-bought kind with the strawberry jam filling.
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
- So much better than store-bought pop tarts! These have so much flavor, and a wonderful flaky pastry.
- Can easily be frozen for later. If you don’t want to eat them all at once you can freeze these, baked or unbaked.
- Made with strawberry jam but you can customize these to whatever you want!
Ingredients Needed
Note: The entire recipe, with ingredient quantities and recipe directions can be found at the bottom of the page. Scroll to the bottom or click “Jump To Recipe” button at the top of the post.
- Flour– Use regular all-purpose flour. Be sure to measure the flour correctly.
- Salt
- Butter – You want to use cold unsalted butter for a flaky pie crust. If using salted butter, omit the added salt. Read more here about unsalted butter vs. salted butter.
- Water – Use ice cold water.
- Strawberry jam – You can use any jam you like here!
- Powdered sugar – If you have run out, try making your own homemade powdered sugar.
- Milk – Any milk will work here.
- Vanilla
How to Make Homemade Pop Tarts
Make the crust.
Process flour and salt together in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula.
You can also make the pie crust by hand using a pastry cutter and work in the butter this way.
The crust if ready should hold together when you pinch some of it. If it’s dry and crumbly, then it needs more water.
Then go ahead and wrap the crust in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up the crust and make it cold!
Assemble the pop tarts
Remove one disk of dough from refrigerator and using a floured rolling pin, roll out on lightly floured work surface to 13 by 9-inch rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Trim dough so that all sides are even and straight. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 8 even small rectangles. Use a ruler if you wish.
Place one tablespoon of jam in the center.
Place another square on top and use a fork to crimp the edges to prevent the filling from leaking out in the oven.
You want to make sure to poke holes in the top of each with the tines of a fork to allow steam to escape as they bake.
After they are all prepared, place in the refrigerator on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet to firm up again for another 30 minutes. Then repeat with the remaining dough disk.
Before baking be sure to brush on the egg wash.
When ready, preheat the oven to 375oF (190oC). Place the prepared cookie sheet in the pre-heated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack before applying glaze.
Make icing.
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. You may find you need to add either more powdered sugar or milk to achieve the desired consistency.
Then simply spread the glaze on your cooled tarts.
Recipe Tips
- Great pie crust is key! Use very cold butter, ice cold water, and don’t overwork the pie dough.
- Leave A Border. You want to make sure to leave about 1/4-inch border from filling to edge of the pie crust. Otherwise it might leak out!
- Don’t Add Too Much Filling. I add about 1 to 2 Tablespoons MAX of filling. Too much and you risk it leaking out.
- Seal the pop tarts really well. This dough is very tender and flaky. If you find your dough is tearing, just pop it back in the fridge for awhile. Seal it with the tines of a fork to get the best closure.
Storage Instructions
Store pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. These are really best eaten fresh. If you can’t finish them within a few days, try freezing the leftover for a quick breakfast or snack in the future!
Once fully cooled, store the pop tarts in an air-tight container or zipper bag and freeze for up to 4 months. Easily reheat them in the toaster straight from frozen.
Recipe FAQ’s
You absolutely can. Or even try using puff pastry!
For store-bought pop tarts, they are already baked so you are just simply warming up the sweet strawberry filling but for these they need to baked first because of the raw pie dough.
Pop tarts are a classic breakfast pastry made from two rectangular pie crusts, and filled with some sort of sweet filling. A glaze is usually drizzled over the top. There are many flavors and varieties now available in the grocery store.
More Recipes To Try
If you are craving more homemade breakfast treats then be sure to try my chocolate pop tarts made with a chocolate pastry and rich chocolate filling and glaze.
Of course you can’t go wrong with my apple turnovers, cherry turnovers or blueberry turnovers!
Homemade Pop Tarts
Ingredients
For the Pie Crust
- 3 cups (360 g) unbleached all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks, 227 g) cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 8-10 tablespoons ice water
Filling
- ¾ cup strawberry jam
Egg Wash
- 1 egg mixed with 1 Tablespoon water
Glaze
- ½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon milk (or you can use water, or cream)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- sprinkles for topping
Instructions
To Make The Pie Crust
- In a food processor or by hand, stir together the flour and salt. Sprinkle very cold butter over the top and pulse for a few seconds or cut the butter with the pastry cutter/fingertips until it is about the size of split peas. 3 cups (360 g) unbleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 16 tablespoons (2 sticks, 227 g) cold unsalted butter 8-10 tablespoons ice water
- Sprinkle half of the ice water over the flour mixture and mix gently to dampen flour. Add the remaining water in two stages and continue to pulse or stir until a dough forms. When enough water has been added to allow dough to hold together, gather it into a ball and transfer to lightly floured surface.Press dough into a flat disk, then place in large zipper bag. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour or overnight.
To Shape The Pop Tarts
- Cut dough in half. Keep the second half wrapped in plastic wrap and in the fridge. Roll out one half of the dough onto a lightly floured surface to a 13 by 11 inch rectangle (about 1/4 inch thick). Trim dough so sides are even and straight, to a 12 by 10 inch rectangle.
- Cut the dough into eight 5 by 3 inch rectangles.
- Arrange 4 rectangles onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Add Filling. For each rectangles, place one tablespoon (to 2 tablespoons max) of filling in the center. Spread out but leave a 1/2 inch border. Place another rectangle on top and use a fork to crimp the edges to prevent the filling from leaking out in the oven. Poke the top of each poptart with a few holes with the tines of a fork to allow steam to escape as they bake. ¾ cup strawberry jam
- Refrigerate. After they are all prepared, refrigerate to firm up again for another 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough disk.
- Egg Wash and Bake. When ready, preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃). Make egg wash and brush each poptart with a little egg wash. Place the prepared cookie sheet in the pre-heated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack before applying glaze. 1 egg mixed with 1 Tablespoon water
Make Glaze
- Combine all three ingredients and stir to combine. You may find you need to add either more powdered sugar or milk to achieve the desired consistency. Sprinkle on sprinkles. ½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar 1 Tablespoon milk ½ teaspoon vanilla extract sprinkles
Video
Notes
- Recipe Updated: If you’re looking original recipe that was pop tarts 3 ways, you can find the brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts here, or the Smores pop tarts recipe here.
- Storage: Store pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. These are really best eaten fresh. If you can’t finish them within a few days, try freezing the leftover for a quick breakfast or snack in the future! Once fully cooled, store the pop tarts in an air-tight container or zipper bag and freeze for up to 4 months. Easily reheat them in the toaster straight from frozen.
- Great pie crust is key! Use very cold butter, ice cold water, and don’t overwork the dough.
- Leave A Border. You want to make sure to leave about 1/4-inch border from filling to edge of the pie crust. Otherwise it might leak out!
- Don’t Add Too Much Filling. I add about 1 to 2 Tablespoons MAX of filling. Too much and you risk it leaking out.
- Seal the pop tarts really well. This dough is very tender and flaky. If you find your dough is tearing, just pop it back in the fridge for awhile. Seal it with the tines of a fork to get the best closure.
These homemade pop tarts are an absolute dream! The flaky, buttery crust is out of this world, and the filling is bursting with flavor. It’s so much better than store-bought, and I can’t wait to make them again with different fillings!
Thank you! I’m so glad you loved the pop tarts. Enjoy experimenting with different fillings!
The strawberry pop tarts turn out great when I made them. There used to be a s’mores and brown sugar pop tart recipe as well. Do you still have that uploaded somewhere?
Hi, Krista! I am currently in the middle of some recipe updates. Here is the information for making the S’mores version.
For The Brown Sugar Cinnamon
1/2 cup (107 g) light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
For The S’mores
3/4 cup marshmallow fluff
8 mini Hershey bars (or 2 regular chocolate bars or milk chocolate chips)
For Cinnamon Glaze
1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon water milk, or cream
For The Milk Chocolate Ganache
3 ounces (1/4 cup) heavy cream
1 cup (6 ounces) milk chocolate chips
graham crackers crumbs for garnish
This was really fun to make! I didn’t think my pie crust would come together but it did. I added sugar sprinkles cause that was what I had and the kids loved it.
Thank you! I’m glad you had fun making them and that the kids loved the sugar sprinkles! 😊🍓
The kids absolutely loved these and they were gone in the blink of an eye!
Thank you! I’m so glad the kids loved them! 😊🍓
Fresh is always better than homemade, and I love knowing exactly what is in these!
Thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed my Homemade Pop Tarts Recipe!
Fabulous recipe! Tried Nutella and my boys loved it! One thing I did change is dividing the dough into 4ths and running them through my pasta machine into 4 long strips. I then dolloped the filling placed the second long strip of dough on top of the first. I cut into equal rectangles at this point and for me it was much easier to keep them uniform 😁 this will be a staple in our house for sure!
Thank you for sharing your creative approach! I’m thrilled to hear that the Nutella Pop Tarts were a hit with your boys and that your method made the process easier. It’s a great tip! Happy to know this recipe will be a staple in your home.
Hi! Can I make these the night before or will they not be good?
Thank you!
Hi Kate, yes you can definitely make these the night before, they can even be frozen! 🙂
Just made these tonight and we loved them! I’m on a mission to making better-than-store-bought recipes and I’ll have to add this one to my favs 😊
Woo-hoo, homemade is always better than store bought! I am so happy that they turned out so well for you, Cassidy! Enjoy your baking journey, and thanks so much for letting me know that you loved them!
I love pop tarts. I made this for my family and they all loved it. The brown sugar cinnamon tart was their favorite.
That’s fantastic news, Saif! I’m thrilled to hear that you and your family enjoyed my Poptarts. Thank you very much for sharing your feedback with me!
What a great idea to make your own pop tarts! 🙂 I just love how you frosted these.
Thanks so much Carrie, the frosting makes them shine!
Oh yeah! So much better than store-bought! My family and I love these! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy to hear that you and your family loved my homemade Poptarts! Nothing beats homemade, right? Thanks for giving them a try and sharing your feedback with me. It means a lot!
Yes! Now I can make these on my own instead of pay expensive prices for store bought pop tarts. And it tastes better too!
Hey, thanks a bunch for the awesome review! I’m thrilled you enjoyed my homemade Poptarts. Totally agree, making them at home is way more satisfying and budget-friendly, right? So glad you liked the taste too! Thanks for giving them a try!
Oooh I can’t wait to try the brown sugar cinnamon ones!
You’re in for a treat with the brown sugar cinnamon Poptarts. I think you’re gonna love ’em! Let me know what you think once you’ve tried them out. Enjoy!
These are amazing! I love poptarts so much but haven’t bought them in ages. This was a great way to enjoy them, and a fun process too!
Thanks a bunch for the awesome review of my homemade Poptarts! I’m so happy you loved them! It’s great to hear you enjoyed the process too. Making them is half the fun, right? So glad I could bring a bit of Poptart joy back into your life.
Poptarts before school brings fond memories but now as an adult I’m glad I can recreate the joy without the mystery ingredients. Thanks!
Hi Ann, thanks a bunch for the awesome review of my homemade Poptarts! I totally get the nostalgia of having Poptarts before school, but it’s even better knowing we can enjoy them as adults without all those mystery ingredients, right? So glad you enjoyed them!
This recipe was a thousand out of a thousand!! So good the best “pop tarts” I’ve ever had. My kids will never have a store bought one again. The crust was amazing and flaky but perfect with the sweet filling and icing. Wow
aw I’m so happy to hear this Kristin! This comment made my day!
I haven’t tried these yet but plan to here soon. Can you freeze the dough just like any other before making the pop tarts?
absolutely you can 🙂
Dude! Yes! Not exactly like a pop tart but I would much rather eat these than a normal pop tart any day!!!
I made them gluten-free exactly how the recipe went except gluten-free, and when I went to crimp the sides, first I put a light layer of cold water on the half inch edging, which made the dough stick together perfectly. I smashed them down and then used a knife to push against the sides to make them perfectly rectangular and then used the fork to put the crimping. Mine turned out, flaky and flippin amazing.
I run a bakery and I will definitely be putting these on the fun list of items.
oh my gosh Virginia! This comment just made my day 🙂 – that’s so wonderful!! And such an honor to hear you would put these on your menu. I’d love to know the bakery if you don’t mind sharing!
This is me overthinking this, but for the vanilla glaze is it milk water, or milk OR water?
Hi Lisa, you can use either milk or water. I prefer milk!
Thank you! Can’t wait to try this!!
Let me know how it turns out!
If you wanted to freeze these, do you freeze them raw, Then bake when you want them? Or bake, freeze then warm them up when you want them?. I want to make them, but will make a large batch when I do in order to freeze a bunch.
You can freeze them both ways – You can freeze them unbaked, then bake them when you want (frozen no need to thaw) they may need a few extra minutes. Or let them cool after baking then freeze. Hope you like them!