Homemade Pop Tarts
Homemade Pop Tarts are the ultimate way to upgrade your breakfast table—and once you try them, you’ll never want to go back to store-bought.
Imagine biting into a flaky pastry filled with your favorite jam, topped with a sweet glaze, and customized with sprinkles or fun seasonal designs.
That’s exactly what this breakfast recipe is going to help you create: nostalgic, bakery-style treats right in your own kitchen.
Whether you’re looking for a fun weekend baking project, a special snack for the kids, or a creative way to impress guests, these homemade pastries are the perfect solution.
What are the ingredients in a strawberry pop tart?
A few simple ingredients are what makes this recipe taste so good:
- All-Purpose Flour – This is the base of the dough. It gives the pastry just enough structure without making it heavy.
- Cold Butter – The secret to that flaky, melt-in-your-mouth crust. Keeping the butter cold means it bakes up with little layers of goodness.
- Strawberry Jam – Sweet and fruity, it’s what makes the filling taste like the pop tarts you grew up with.
- Fresh Strawberries – A juicy boost that makes the filling taste brighter and a little more homemade.
- Powdered Sugar – Whips up into that classic glaze on top—smooth, sweet, and just the right finishing touch.
Everything else—salt, sugar, egg, milk, vanilla, and a bit more butter—are pantry staples that pull the dough, filling, and icing together.
How to Make Pop Tarts
- Start by mixing flour, salt, and sugar, then cut in the butter until crumbly.
- Add water to bring the dough together, shape it into a ball, and chill for an hour so the crust bakes up extra flaky.
- Roll out the dough, cut it into rectangles, and layer jam with fresh strawberries between two pieces. Don’t overfill the pastry. Too much jam will ooze out while baking. A tablespoon is plenty.
- Seal the edges with a fork, brush with egg wash, and bake at 350°F until golden.
- Once cooled, whip up a simple glaze with powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla, then spread it over the tops and finish with sprinkles.
Customize your pop tarts – Swap in different jams, try Nutella, or top with seasonal sprinkles.
Follow same directions above, but instead of the oven, place in air fryer for 5-8 minutes on 375. These fry really quick so keep an eye on them! Remove from air fryer and smother in icing.
Absolutely. Wrap them tightly and freeze unglazed tarts for up to 2 months. Just reheat in the oven or toaster before frosting.
Yes! You can prepare the dough and filling, assemble, and keep them in the fridge for up to a day before baking.
Yes, you can, but only for a few seconds. Homemade pop tarts are best reheated in the oven or toaster for a crisp crust, while the microwave will warm them quickly but make the pastry softer.
The crust is a simple pastry dough made from flour, cold butter, sugar, salt, and a little water. It’s basically pie dough, which gives the pop tart its flaky, buttery layers.
Fix baking fails fast with this handy troubleshooting guide.
Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet – USA Made Aluminum Commercial Quality Sheet Pan for Baking or Roasting, Encapsulated Galvanized Steel Rim Prevents Warping, 2-PackGoodCook Nonstick Steel Wire Cooling Rack, 16
Zulay Kitchen Dough Blender – Stainless Steel Pastry Cutter, Heavy Duty Dough Cutter With Blades, Pastry Blender And Butter Cutter – Pastry Cutter For Baking (Blue)
If you’re craving even more delicious ideas after making homemade pop tarts, you’ll love these too!
- Snack recipes that are quick, fun, and totally kid-approved are always a hit in my kitchen.
- French toast recipes are the kind of cozy breakfast that make weekends feel extra special.
- Pancake mix recipes prove that a simple box mix can be transformed into so many creative treats.
Homemade Strawberry Pop Tarts
Ingredients
- 2 Pie Crusts refrigerated
- ½ cup of your favorite jam + 1 tbsp for the icing
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- You’ll need 2 ready made pie crusts. Roll them out to smooth them out.
- Using a straight edge, cut a big square out of the dough. Then cut that square into 3 strips.
- In a bowl, add your jam.
- Mix in the cornstarch to your jam.
- Add a little spoonful of the jam filling at the end of each homemade pop tart.
- In a small bowl, crack and whisk the egg.
- Brush the egg wash around the edges of the pop tarts to act like a glue to hold your pop tarts together.
- Fold the pop tarts over and crimp the edges, pressing them together with a fork.
- Bake your homemade pop tarts for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees, until they are puffy and golden brown.
- Let them cool before frosting.
- To make your frosting, mix together powdered sugar, the tbsp of jam and 1 tbsp heavy cream. Stir. Add the extra heavy cream as your stir to get a thin consistency to your frosting.
- Drizzle the frosting over the homemade pop tarts
- Add some sprinkles!
Me, me!! I grew up on poptarts. But I’d much rather eat these than the ones that come out of a box! I love that you use jam in the frosting rather than food coloring. These are so pretty! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome!!!!