Got pop-tart lovers in your house? These homemade pop tarts from scratch are 110% better than store-bought, with flaky melt-in-your-mouth crust and delicious fruit filling.
I gotta tell you, I've never been a huge fan of pop-tarts. I've always thought they tasted like cardboard with frosting thrown on top (don't hate me if you're a diehard fan, my kids loved pop tarts whenever they had them), just calling it as I taste it. However, now that I have this homemade version, I've made these two weeks in a row and my husband texted me from work saying, "Those were REALLY good!"
You have to understand, those texts, they're a big deal. If you've read my book Hand Made you know I say in the dedication my husband lets me know, for better or worse, how a recipe really tastes, and I'm not kidding.
I rarely buy pop-tarts or breakfast cereal, talking maybe once a year. But my kids were begging for something special beyond our regular sourdough chocolate bread and I had jars of pie filling and jam that needed to be used up.
Pop tart flavors
The beautiful thing about these homemade pop tarts is you can use any flavor filling you want. A thick jam, fruit butter or pie filling works best, this strawberry jam with low sugar and no pectin recipe is an excellent choice for a strawberry pop tart.
Blueberry is also delicious (ya know I have a recipe for blueberry jam without pectin) or try an apple pie pop tart with this apple pie jam recipe or this apple butter recipe for canning!
Want to know how to really take it up a notch... make a cream cheese strawberry pop tart, simply mix 4 ounces of cream cheese with 2 Tablespoons honey (or sugar, you pick) and add a spoonful with each Tablespoon of jam!
I'll be trying a homemade smores pop tart version next per my husband's request.
Honestly, any filling your heart desires so long as it's thick will work. Some other popular options are to place brown sugar mixed with a little bit of cinnamon and flour in the center, I haven't tested this as I'd rather use up some of our fruit preserves.
Supplies Needed
- rolling pin
- baking sheet
- wide mouth canning ring OR cookie cutter at least 3.5 inches in diameter
- fork to crimp edges
- sharp knife to slit top crusts
- brush for egg wash- I love this silicone baking brush
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Pop tart ingredients
Pie crust- the pie crust recipe is super important so it's flaky and rolls out easily for cutting. This best ever flaky pie crust recipe from my Great-Grandmother has 2 secret ingredients and is the ONLY recipe you should ever use. Bold but true.
Jam, jelly, fruit butter, pie filling, or fruit sauce of choice
Egg and water for egg wash
Sugar to sprinkle on top
How to Make a Pop Tart
Make your pastry dough first, my biggest tips for the best pop tarts is to follow the instructions carefully for flaky pastry crust! Mix together flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in lard, butter, or coconut oil.
Note: In order to achieve a flaky crust, your lard, butter, or coconut oil needs to be cold. It’s the pieces of solid fat distributed throughout the flour which melt upon baking that create the flakiness. You can freeze your butter or lard for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting it in.
Fat is fully cut in when the flour is crumbly pea-size pieces. Add in liquids (your egg is a liquid in this recipe) until the dough just holds together. You don’t want to over mix it. Cover dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Take pie dough (the equivalent of 1 bottom or top pie crust) out of the fridge. Don't let it come to room temperature, you want the dough to be chilled so the fats melt when they hit the oven. This creates the flaky layers were after. Plus, if you used my pie crust recipe, you'll find it rolls like a dream straight from the fridge! Sprinkle flour on the counter, no need for parchment paper with this dough.
Roll dough out to a ⅛ inch thick. Using your cookie or canning ring, cut out your circles. If you want the same rectangle shape of pop tarts (I'm too lazy to measure and cut out the dough with a ruler and pizza cutter for anything except homemade croissants) you can roll dough into a 9 x 12 rectangle and cut into 3 x 4-inch rectangles.
Place cut out dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Put this in the fridge as you roll out the disc of pie crust in the same manner for the tops (depending on how thin you roll, I get 10 circles per disc).
Bring back out the cookie sheet with the bottom pieces of dough. Place a good-sized Tablespoon of fruit filling in the center. Take your top piece of dough and center it over the filling. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut three slits in the center. Push down on edges of dough to crimp and seal your pop tart. Use the tines of a fork to press them together firmly.
Once all your pop tarts are filled, topped and sealed, place the cookie sheet back in the fridge.
Mix together your egg and water until well blended.
Bring back out the pop tarts and brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar.
Place in preheated oven and bake for 28 to 32 minutes (my oven was 30 minutes) until golden on top.
These are amazing eaten while still warm from the oven, like shut the front door and eat-the-entire-pan good.
I store mine in my glass cake server on the counter for up to 5 days. If your house is hot and humid, store in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Can you freeze pop tarts
Yes, you can. Bake the pop tarts, allow to cool fully, wrap well, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Other Breakfast Favorites:
Easy Homemade Granola Bars (Copycat Nature Valley Granola Bars)
Sourdough Chocolate Bread From Scratch
Grandmother’s Date Bread Recipe
Blueberry Zucchini Muffins – Healthy Zucchini Muffins w/ Applesauce
Buckwheat Pancake Recipe from the 1920s
📖 Recipe
Homemade Pop Tarts From Scratch (Hand Pies)
Ingredients
Pastry Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour spoon & level into cup to measure
- 1 and ¾ cup lard butter, or coconut oil
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar You can use white vinegar, but I prefer apple cider in baking
- 1 egg
- ½ cup cold water
Filling
- ¾ cup jam jelly, pie filling, fruit butter or apple sauce (1 heaping Tablespoon for each pop tart)
Wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon water Sprinkle on top
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Mix flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in lard, butter, or coconut oil. Note: In order to achieve a flaky crust, your lard, butter, or coconut oil needs to be cold. It’s the pieces of solid fat distributed throughout the flour which melt upon baking that create the flakiness. You can freeze your butter or lard before cutting it in. The large side of a cheese grater works great with frozen butter.
- Fat is fully cut in when the flour is crumbly pea-size pieces. Add in liquids (your egg is a liquid in this recipe) until the dough just holds together. You don’t want to over mix it.
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Separate pie dough into four equal balls, place other 3 pieces of dough back in the fridge.
- Sprinkle flour on the counter, no need for parchment paper with this dough. Roll dough out to a ⅛ inch thick. Using your cookie or canning ring, cut out your circles. If you want the same rectangle shape of pop tarts (I'm too lazy to measure and cut out the dough with a ruler and pizza cutter for anything except homemade croissants) you can roll dough into a 9 x 12 rectangle and cut into 3 x 4-inch rectangles.
- Place cut out dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Put this in the fridge as you roll out the disc of pie crust in the same manner for the tops (depending on how thin you roll, I get 10 circles per disc).
- Bring back out the cookie sheet with the bottom pieces of dough. Place a good-sized Tablespoon of fruit filling in the center. Take your top piece of dough and center it over the filling. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut three slits in the center. Push down on edges of dough to crimp and seal your pop tart. Use the tines of a fork to press them together firmly.
- Once all your pop tarts are filled, topped and sealed, place the cookie sheet back in the fridge.
- Mix together your egg and water until well blended.
- Bring back out the pop tarts and brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar. Place in preheated oven and bake for 28 to 32 minutes (my oven was 30 minutes).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Meredith
Can I make this without vinegar? We are on vacation, and I'd like to about another trip to the store if possible!
Meredith
Should say *avoid another trip
Melissa Norris
You can but the pastry won't be as tender
Heather Shell
So easy!
I made some for my grands and used no sugar added preserves, some with sausage, egg and cheese and even some pigs in a blanket. They are amazing and the big people loved them too and requested another batch!
Veronica
Have you made these with fresh milled flour? If so, do you have a different recipe for FMF? I can't wait to try these!
Nancy
I tried this recipe with my grandsons on my last visit-
This is the first thing they asked us to do on this current visit. So it’s on the agenda right after nap-time ( 2 & 3 yrs)
A winner with my from-scratch fig&honey jam.
This recipe is a Grancy Keeper sur-nuff!
Tanya
I made these this morning! They turned out great! I had to add 2 additional tablespoons of water to the crust. I did everything else exactly as the instructions said. It took 33 minutes to cook with a pretty browning from the egg wash, in my 16 year old Holiday Rambler (RV) , oven! Thank you Melissa!❤️?
donna
Please, someone tell me about, how to make a chocolate filling for these?
Carla
I haven't yet tried this recipe but will using Bob's Red Mill gluten free pie crust mix with coconut oil as I'm dairy free and egg free as well. Question - Is there a good egg free substitute for the egg wash?
Amanda
Bob's Red Mill actually makes a great egg substitute that you can mix with water
Alex Misiewicz
Melissa, you are THE BEST! Thank you!
Iceni Summersides
I love your great recipes, but as a restaurant worker, I cringe every time I see your loose hair. Do you NEVER get hairs in your food? Sorry to mention this,I guess it's because I work in strict rules.Love you anyway:-)
Melissa Norris
I don't, with it being so long and naturally curly it wraps around itself.
Therese
Amazing! These are perfect. I had a little trouble getting the top and bottom to stick together but I'm sure that will improve with practice. Another winning recipe to use our homegrown fruit. I made a batch of cherry and a batch of spiced plum. Thanks!
Alex Misiewicz
Ok, so added liquid to flour/butter/sugar/salt. Egg, vinegar, water. Do u just mix it with your hand? I did and had one sanbora-time gettingbit off my hand. Or do you use a spoon? New to this......
Tks you!
Tamara Acton
After you freeze, how do you reheat or heat up?
Nancy
When I was young back in the 50's my grandmother always made these from her left over pie dough and then I did it too after I was married and had children. We all loved them but only called them "tarts" but they were the same thing.
Deborah
Did you try the smores in these and did they turn out? very interested in the recipe if you did 😉 Thank you!
Misty
I recently learned a trick about cutting in butter. If you grate a frozen stick it makes perfect pea sized.
Heidi
I'm confused as to why you divide the pastry into 4 discs, but use 2 of them??
Melissa Norris
I freeze my extra pie crust so I have it on hand for pie baking. Here's a post on it, https://melissaknorris.com/baking-hacks-tips-for-busy-nights-how-to-freeze-dough/
patricia martin
what temp is the oven?
Melissa Norris
It's under step 4 in instructions, 375 degrees Fahrenheit
Becky
175 cup butter in the pastry mix? is that supposed to be 1.75 or something else?
Melissa Norris
It's 1 and 3/4 cup but the scale button makes it go wonky for some reason.
Melissa Norris
It's 1 and 3/4 cup (fat choice) I'm not sure why the scale button is changing it (looking into it). Thanks for alerting me.
Melissa Norris
Can't wait for you to try them!
Ann
LOVE LOVE LOVE !!!! Finally, a flaky pie crust recipe that holds together very well. Made blueberry jam for filling, absolutely love these. Thanks for the recipe
Vickie
When it says "1 lard, butter or coconut oil, I assume that is 1 cup?
Missy
it does say 1 and 3/4 cup. So that would be yes 1 cup plus another 3/4 cup.
Deb
Same thought Ann expressed - can we use almond flour, gf, cassava, etc?
Melissa Norris
I would try a blend if possible if going gluten-free, several readers have used the gluten free blend from Bob's Red Mill with success.
Ann
Melissa, thanks for sharing your recipe for homemade pop tarts! Do you think the recipe could be adapted to use buckwheat or some gluten-free grain? If so, how would you suggest? Thanks!
Melissa Norris
I've had several readers do a gluten-free flour blend on the pie crust with success, I haven't personally tried it.