Vegan Pop Tarts

These Homemade Vegan Pop Tarts are so much fun to make, and they taste better than the real deal! 

Pop Tarts were one of my FAVORITE breakfasts (and lunches, and snacks, and dinners… oof) growing up. I was devastated to realize that they were not in fact vegan due to the use of gelatin in the icing. 

My solution is always to create my own easy recipe. Here it is!

Made with simple ingredients, these vegan pop tarts will be your new favorite sweet treat. They blow the store-bought version out of the water if I do say so myself.

The pastry is made from my Easy Vegan Pie Crust, and the filling is simply raspberry preserves from my fridge. You can get as creative as you’d like with the filling, but I went for easy this time. 

For more easy vegan breakfast recipes, try this Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal or Maple Cinnamon Overnight Oats.

For more fruity vegan desserts and pastries, try these Vegan Lemon Bars or Vegan Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• Simple ingredients – This recipe is made with ingredients that you likely already have in your fridge and pantry. No separate shopping trip for unique ingredients required!
• Easy recipe – This recipe is very straightforward and easy. Make the dough, chill the dough, roll the dough, fill the dough. Boom. 
• Customizable – You can use any of your favorite flavors of jelly or jam for this recipe! Get creative!

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• All purpose flour – I prefer King Arthur all-purpose flour for most of my baking. You can swap for a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour replacement to make these pop tarts gluten-free. 
• Granulated sugar* – I use cane sugar, but you could use a vegan white sugar. *A note about granulated sugar: Not all granulated sugar is vegan, make sure to choose a USDA Organic variety to ensure it is not processed with bone char, an animal ingredient.
• Powdered sugar – This is optional if you want to make a glaze topping. You could also use a thin coat of vegan frosting to make it easier, or omit the topping all together. These pop tarts are delicious all on their own. 
• Rainbow sprinkles – Again, these are optional for the decorative topping. Feel free to get creative and use themed sprinkles to make these for cute holiday breakfasts!
• Salt – Just a pinch to make the pastry dough.

Wet Ingredients

• Crisco – I have used all vegetable shortening in this recipe. If you are looking for a more buttery pastry, you can swap 1/4 of the vegetable shortening for vegan stick butter. For either option, make sure to chill before use. 
• Jelly or Jam filling – My personal favorite flavor for this recipe is raspberry preserves, but you can use strawberry jam, apricot preserves – whatever you love!
• Cold water – The water needs to be quite cold for this recipe. I usually use a cup of ice water and pour from there while mixing the pastry. 
• Pure vanilla extract – For the glaze topping.
• Non-dairy milk – This is optional if you want to make a glaze topping. I have used oat milk, but any milk works (soy milk, almond milk), just be sure to select a non-dairy milk that meets your dietary restrictions. 

Helpful Equipment

In addition to measuring cups and spoons, the following equipment is helpful for this recipe:

• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper (optional) – You can also use a silicone baking mat.
• Rolling pin
• Mixing Bowls –  Including at least one large bowl (for the dough) and one small bowl (for the glaze)
• Plastic wrap
• Pizza cutter or sharp knife
• Pastry dough blender – You can use two forks instead of a dough blender, but this tool does make the process much cleaner and faster. 
• Airtight container – For storage

How to Make

This is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to make this recipe including photographs. For the quicker version, skip ahead to the recipe card below!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Place the flour, Crisco, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Use the pastry dough blender to mix the dough until the vegetable shortening is evenly incorporated. The mixture will be very crumbly and dry. 

Add the ice water 1-2 tablespoons at a time and mix with your hands until a cohesive pie dough has formed. Form the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. 

Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half and set one half aside. 

Roll the first half of the dough into a rectangle shape. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut the larger rectangle into 6 smaller rectangles. Try to make the sizes of these rectangles as equal as possible. 

I opt for traditionally-sized pop tarts for my rectangles, but you can certainly go smaller or bigger with your rectangles and make more or fewer pop tarts. Totally up to you!

Place the 6 dough rectangles on a piece of parchment paper on your baking sheet. 

Repeat this process for the other half of the dough and set those rectangles aside. 

Once all of your dough rectangles are cut, use a spoon to portion about 2 tablespoons of jam onto each of the 6 dough rectangles on the baking sheet. Spread the jam filling out slightly, leaving about 1/4 – 1/2 inch space from the edge of the pastry.

Next, take a second rectangle of dough and lay it on top of the first one. Use the prongs of a fork to press the two pieces together around the entire perimeter of the pastry. 

Use a toothpick to create 8-10 small holes in the tops of the pop tarts. I find that it works best if you poke the dough and swirl the toothpick around a few times to make the hole a little bit bigger. 

Bake the pastries in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 13-15 minutes or until the edges of the pop tarts are golden brown. 

Remove them from the oven and let them cool to room temperature before applying the glaze. 

Making the Glaze

In a small bowl, mix together the the powdered sugar, non-dairy milk, and vanilla extract until the sugar has dissolved.  Mix in 1-2 drops of food coloring if desired. 

For best results, wait until the pastries have come to room temperature before applying the glaze. 

Apply the rainbow sprinkles immediately after the glaze as the glaze will become less sticky as it dries and the sprinkles will not adhere. 

That’s it!! These vegan pop tarts are ready to enjoy!

Variations

As mentioned before, I used my Easy Vegan Pie Crust for the pastry dough, but you could easily use store-bought pie crust sheets or even puff pastry to skip that step. 

For a less-refined sugar option, consider swapping the cane sugar for coconut sugar. 

How to Store

• Room Temp: Store leftover pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. 
• Reheat: Do not reheat these in your standard toaster. I repeat, DO NOT PUT THESE IN YOUR TOASTER. The glaze will run and create a big ol’ mess in your toasted. Nobody has time for that. Reheat these vegan pop tarts in the air fryer (350 F for 2-3 minutes) or toaster oven where they can lay flat. 

More Tips

• Not Vegan? Use chilled butter instead of vegetable shortening to make the pastry dough. Use dairy milk to make the glaze. 
• Gluten-free? Swap for a 1-1 gluten-free flour replacement. I have not tried swapping for almond flour in this recipe, but if you do, let me know how it works!

FAQ