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Make these quick and easy homemade pop tarts in your own kitchen with just a handful of ingredients! Top them with colorful sprinkles to make them extra fun and extra adorable.
Every once in a while I get into a real nostalgic mood and just wanna remake childhood treats.
These vibes have led to my homemade orange julius and homemade oatmeal cream pies. And now we’re making homemade pop tarts.
For such a simple recipe, I tested this one a whole bunch of times because I wanted to get it just right for you. I wanted to make sure you could get 8 pop tarts, that they wouldn’t leak while baking, and that they had just the right amount of filling.
My youngest was really happy about all of these tests because she was obsessed with these little pastries. I think she would be happy if I made them for her every single week – and honestly, they’re so easy that I totally could!
Think of these as pop tarts but better. The pastry is a little bit flakier, the filling is yummier, and I even think they’re cuter. They’re like the grown-up version of the boxed ones we ate as kids!
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Pin ItHow to make homemade pop tarts
These homemade pop tarts are so quick and easy to make, you can have them assembled and in the oven in about 10 minutes.
Ingredients you’ll need
There are a couple of ways you can make these homemade pop tarts. Some folks like to use puff pastry, while others prefer pie crust.
I’m in the pie crust camp. I tried them with puff pastry, but they were more like turnovers. Totally delicious, but not what I was going for with this recipe!
So with that in mind, here’s what you’ll need to make these pop tarts:
- pie crust for a 9-inch double-crust pie: You can use homemade pie crust, but I actually think that refrigerated pie crust has a more similar texture to what you’d expect from a pop tart.
- ⅓ cup of jam in the flavor of your choice: I recommend using homemade jam (such as strawberry freezer jam or homemade peach jam) or a high-quality store-bought jam. Bonne Maman is our favorite brand.
- 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon of water: This creates an egg wash for sealing the edges together.
- 1 cup powdered sugar: For the glaze.
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons milk: For thinning out the glaze.
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract: For giving the glaze just the right amount of vanilla flavor.
- 1 ½ teaspoons light corn syrup: This helps the glaze to set up after spreading it onto the pop tarts.
- Sprinkles, for decorating: These are optional but make the pastries extra cute! Rainbow jimmies are my favorite for these.
Making this recipe
Start by preparing your pie crust by rolling it out into an 8×24-inch rectangle.
If you are using refrigerated pie crusts, you can create a rectangle by overlapping the two circles slightly, then folding the curved edges in before rolling with a rolling pin. This will allow you to easily turn the two circles into one large rectangle.
Cut the dough into 8 smaller rectangles, 8×3-inches each. I like to do this with a pizza cutter or a dough blade.
Spread about 2 teaspoons of your jam on the bottom half of each rectangle, making sure to leave about a ¼-inch border along the edges. Brush the egg wash along the edges, then fold the pastry rectangles in half so the short edges meet.
You should now have 8 packets that are 4×3-inches each. Use a fork to crimp around the edges to seal them shut and place the tarts on a lined baking sheet.
Use a fork to poke several holes in the top of each of the pop tarts, then brush the tops lightly with the egg wash. Bake at 400°F for 18-20 minutes, or until the pastries are golden brown.
Let the homemade pop tarts cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Once they’re cool, whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth. Spoon the glaze over the pop tarts and top with the sprinkles while the glaze is still wet. Let the frosting set before enjoying.
Storage options
These homemade pop tarts will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
You could also freeze them after assembling and before baking if you want to make them ahead of time.
Assemble the tarts according to the directions up through poking the tops with a fork. Do not brush with the egg wash.
Place the lined sheet pan in the freezer for 2-3 hours, or until the pop tarts are frozen through. Move them to an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag and freeze for 1-2 months.
When you are ready to bake, simply place the frozen pastries on a lined baking sheet and bake as directed (optionally brushing with fresh egg wash). You may need to add 1-2 more minutes to the baking time to account for starting them from frozen.
Cool and frost as directed and enjoy!
Flavor variations
In our family, we are big fans of making these homemade pop tarts with jam. There are so many flavors of jam out there, you could make this recipe almost every week with a different flavor!
But if you don’t want to go the fruity filling route, you still have options:
- For a chocolate filling, try using cooled chocolate ganache or Nutella.
- Craving something fall flavored? Use slow cooker apple butter or pumpkin butter.
- Love citrus? Fill these with microwave lemon curd.
There are so many options, so let your imagination run wild!
Homemade Pop Tarts
Ingredients
- Pie crust for 9-inch double-crust pie
- ⅓ cup quality jam in the flavor of your choice we like Bonne Maman
For the egg wash:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
For the frosting:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons light corn syrup
- Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll pie crusts out into (1) 8×24-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 8 rectangles, 8×3 inches each. Spread about 2 teaspoons of jam on the bottom half of each rectangle, leaving ¼ inch of space around the edges. Brush the egg wash along the edges of the dough around the jam and fold in half so the short ends meet, creating 8 packets 4×3 inches each. Use a fork to crimp the edges to seal.
- Carefully place the homemade pop tarts on the prepared baking sheet. Use a fork to poke several holes in the top of the pop tarts. Brush the tops with the egg wash and bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Once the pop tarts have cooled completely, make the frosting by whisking together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and corn syrup. If the frosting is too thick, add additional milk in very small amounts until a thick but spoonable frosting is achieved.
- Spoon the glaze evenly over the pop tarts; if desired, immediately top with sprinkles. Allow the frosting to fully set before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
