If you craved the originals as a kid, you will love this amazing homemade pop tarts recipe!! The flaky buttery crust is filled with bright fruity flavors. They’re incredibly easy to make and taste way better than storebought!!
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Most mornings, I make scrambled eggs or my trusty green smoothie for breakfast. But sometimes when I’m craving something sweet I find myself indulging in a homemade pop tart. No store bought frozen tarts around these parts!
Once I realized how easy it was to make my own, I started making this homemade pop tarts recipe all of the time. They are so bomb and not as time-consuming as you might think.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy to make! I know I already said this a couple of times but they really are that easy!
- Versatile recipe! No need to make just one flavor if you have a few favorites. So you can mix it up or change up the flavor each time you make them.
- Kid-friendly! Kids love these homemade pop tarts for a quick breakfast.
- A super fun starter for an entertaining brunch!
Pop Tart Ingredients
The ingredients required to make homemade pop tarts are not very extensive. There are ingredients for making the dough, the filling (usually some kind of fruit), and the icing to top it. The icing is optional. You can make these without the icing, but why would you want to do that?
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need:
- All-purpose flour: The base for the pop tart pastry.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is used to make the homemade pastry while powdered sugar sweetens the easy pop tart glaze.
- Unsalted butter: Gives the pop tart dough its flakiness.
- Fruit preserves or jam: You can use any flavor of jam or preserves you enjoy but make sure it’s seedless.
- Milk: The liquid to make the homemade glaze.
- Vanilla: Just a bit added to the glaze to give it that homemade flavor.
Variations
The filling is just fruit preserves any flavor you want. I happen to love all things strawberry and apricot so those are my faves to use.
- Use homemade jams or fig preserves as my Big Mama does. They would be absolutely sensational in these.
- Fill them with chocolate, peanut butter, or a combination of these!
- Make them with brown sugar and cinnamon! Swap the preserves in the glaze for a bit of cinnamon.
- Add some coloring to the glaze to give them a special color for holidays or special occasions.
- Don’t forget to add some sprinkles!
How to Make Homemade Pop Tarts
Simply popping these into your toaster oven and setting it to the doneness you prefer is about as easy as it gets. I love the golden brown finish and the gooey inside of homemade toaster tarts!
Here’s an overview of the main steps in this pop tart recipe!
- Add the flour, sugar, and salt to your food processor and pulse to mix.
- Add the cold butter and pulse until crumbs develop. Slowly add the water until a rough ball of dough forms.
- Remove the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes to rest.
- Roll out the dough. Remove it from the fridge and roll it out until about a quarter inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
- Cut the dough into 10 even-sized rectangles to form your pop tarts.
- Assemble the pop tarts. Add the jam or preserves to the center of half the rectangles. Be sure to leave a quarter-inch of space from the edges.
- Top with an empty rectangle and press the edges together. Use a fork to crimp the edges. Chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before baking. Bake until golden brown and puffed up. Allow them to cool before adding the icing.
- Combine the confectioner’s sugar, jam or preserves, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl. Mix until nice and smooth.
- Spoon the glaze over the cooled pop tarts and top with sprinkles if you want!
- Serve them up and enjoy!
How To Store
There’s nothing like enjoying homemade pop tarts straight out of the oven. But hey, we’re all about that busy life, right? So if you’ve got leftovers or you’re planning your week’s breakfasts, don’t worry be happy. Here’s the way to store them so they taste bomb.
- Store after they’re fully cooled in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. If you want to freeze, skip the icing and store them in the freezer for up to three months.
- Reheat them in a toaster oven or place them on a baking sheet in the oven to heat at 325 degrees F for 3-5 minutes. Then add the icing if needed!
What to Serve with Pop Tarts
If you’re serving these up for breakfast and need something more substantial to enjoy along with them, here are some ideas!
- A hearty breakfast skillet or breakfast casserole is always popular, especially for weekends or special occasions.
- If hot cereal is more your thing, try this peach oatmeal or a bowl of cheese grits!
- For a family gathering offer them up for a brunch starter along with a breakfast board.
Expert Tips
- Use a store-bought pie crust in place of the homemade pastry if you’re pressed for time.
- Be sure to firmly seal the edges of the pie crust together to avoid any leaky jam.
- Make sure to use seedless jam! It’s much more enjoyable to eat!
- Wait to add the glaze until the pop tarts are cooled.
FAQs
Yes, of course! I find the food processor much easier but if that’s not an option you can cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or fork and then mix in the water slowly.
It’s basically a pie crust. In this homemade version, we are using flour, sugar, salt, butter, and water. The exact ingredients may vary slightly depending on the recipe
They’re at their peak flavor when freshly made but they will keep glazed for up to three days or you can leave off the glaze and store them in the freezer for up to three months.
More Hand Pies
More Hand PiesThese Pop Tarts are such a perfect vehicle for whatever flavor you have inside. These are some of my favorite similar hand pies you would absolutely love!
More Breakfast Recipe Ideas
- Southern Grits Recipe
- Hash Browns Recipe
- Chicken and Waffles
- Johnny Cakes (Hoe cakes)
- Perfect pancakes are my jam! These Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Easy Blueberry Pancakes, and even these Brown Sugar Pancakes are incredible!
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
Homemade Pop Tarts Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter diced
- ½ cup ice cold water
For the Filling:
- 1 jar seedless jam or preserves of your choice
For the Icing:
- ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon jam or preserves
- 1-2 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
For the Pie Dough:
- In your food processor, add flour, sugar and salt and pulse a couple of times until just combined.
- Next add your butter and pulse until crumbs just develop. Slowly add the water in until a rough ball of dough forms. Remove the dough and cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes to rest.
- Remove dough from fridge and add a bit of flour to a clean counter and place dough on it. Using a rolling pin, quickly roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness.
- Cut out rectangle sizes for pop tarts. You should be able to get at least 5 pop tarts from this dough which means you will need 10 rectangles.
For the Pop Tart Assembly:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of seedless jam or preserves to the center of 5-6 rectangles leaving about 1/4 inch of space around the outsides.
- Place plain rectangle on top and press the edges together. Using a fork, crimp the edges to seal them. Place back in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes to firm up before baking.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Cool until room temperature or just warm.
For the Icing:
- Whisk together confectioner’s sugar, jam or preserves, milk and vanilla until nice and smooth. Spoon over cooled pop tarts and serve.
Nutrition
This post was originally published August 2017. It has been updated with new content and images.
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I have been wanting to make some of my own pop tarts! Now I can!
Hooray!
Hi there. Is the flour only supposed to be 1/2 cup or is it 1 1/2 cups. It seems like a lot of wet ingredients for only a 1/2 a cup. Also, you have water listed in the ingredients, but you mention adding 3/4 cup milk. I really want to make these, but I want to make sure I have it right. They look delicious.
Hi Heidi, Thanks for finding that error. The right measurements are there now. There was a mix up in what my assistant posted. Thanks again and I apologize for any inconvenience.
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to give these a try 🙂
ABsolutely!
These are so adorable! I’ve made “pop tarts” before, but hadn’t even thought about using jam as the filling (duh)! I love these!
So easy with the jam for sure!!
This homemade version looks fantastic! These are a must-make!
So fun for breakfast or even dessert!
Ohhhhhh my gosh Jocelyn! Thank you so much for all the love and SPRINKLES today. So lucky to be in this talented and incredibly supportive, kind, and loving community. I’m obsesssssssssed with homemade pop-tarts and love the sprinks on top!
My pleasure doll!!!
My kids would absolutely love these!
They are super kid friendly! Even adults love them too!
Those are some might fine looking pop tarts. They’re the perfect thing to bring to a virtual baby shower!
They are so yummy. My fave part is the pie crust!