These homemade vegan pop tarts are soft, flaky, and so much better than store bought!
The best vegan pop tarts
As a kid growing up, I went through the biggest Pop-Tarts phase.
My favorite flavors were frosted chocolate fudge and brown sugar cinnamon, and I sometimes ate them for both breakfast and after school snack in the same day.
Initially, I thought going vegan meant giving up Pop-Tarts, but thankfully it is surprisingly easy to make your own homemade frosted vegan pop tarts.
These dairy free and egg free toaster pastries are fully plant based, with no high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors or colors.
You get a healthy breakfast pastry that includes fiber, iron, and over five grams of protein. Plus, each jam filled pop tart contains just eight grams of sugar.
Vegans and non vegans will love the recipe, for breakfast, snack, or dessert!
Also try these Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Are Pop-Tarts vegan?
Packaged frosted Pop-Tarts contain gelatin in the icing and are therefore unsuitable for those on a vegan diet.
While all unfrosted varieties and their snickerdoodle flavor appear to be free of butter and other animal products, the Kellanova company (formerly Kellogg) does not confirm whether any of their products are vegan.
All the more reason to make DIY pop tarts at home.
The crust is flakier, the filling is thicker, and the flavor options are endless. You can enjoy them frosted or unfrosted, with as many toppings as you wish.
Vegan pop tart flavors
Try all 15 flavors here, or create a new flavor of your own!
Then top your pastry tarts with mini chocolate chips or homemade Vegan Toffee, rainbow sprinkles, shredded coconut, raw cacao nibs, cereal or granola.
Frosted Strawberry: Follow the recipe below, using strawberry jam. Stir one ripe mashed strawberry or a spoonful of freeze dried strawberry powder into the frosting. If you want that classic pink flavor, add a few drops of natural food coloring.
Peanut Butter and Jelly: Substitute peanut butter for 1/4 cup of the jam, and reduce the cornstarch to just 1 tablespoon.
Pumpkin Pie: Replace the strawberry jam with canned pumpkin pie mix, or pure pumpkin puree and a little cinnamon and sugar. (Do still add the cornstarch.)
Apple Cinnamon: Very finely dice a large apple, mix it with the cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Spread on top of half the unbaked rectangles of pastry dough.
Lemon Blueberry: Go with blueberry jam, and stir the zest of one lemon into the filling. If frosting, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and sprinkle additional zest on top.
Cinnamon Roll: Use the brown sugar filling below, and top the finished tarts with your favorite vegan alternative to Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.
Cheesecake: Stir 1/3 cup of softened vegan cream cheese with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and a teaspoon of cornstarch. Tip: Replace just half the jam with cream cheese filling, and it tastes like a vegan cream cheese Danish.
Savory Pop Tarts: No one says you must stick to sweet and sugary fillings. For a savory hand pie, add sautéed vegetables and vegan cheese. Or fill your pop tarts with crumbled tofu, nutritional yeast, and spinach.
Chocolate pop tarts
Nutella: Swap the jam filling for a 1/2 cup of Homemade Nutella or any store bought plant based chocolate hazelnut spread. Top with more chocolate spread after baking.
Dark Chocolate: Skip the jelly and add about 2 teaspoons of chilled chocolate fudge sauce or chocolate spread per pop tart instead. Top with chocolate frosting.
S’mores: See the dark chocolate flavor above, and sprinkle on a handful of mini vegan marshmallows along with the chocolate filling.
Chocolate Banana Bread: Use mashed banana in place of the jam in the recipe below. Ice with chocolate frosting or melted chocolate chips.
Cookies and Creme: Fill each pocket tart with vanilla frosting and crushed OREO cookies. Then add more frosting and OREOs to the top before serving.
Chocolate Covered Raspberry: Go with raspberry jam instead of strawberry. Sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips into the filling, then add chocolate frosting at the end.
Vegan brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts
Brown sugar pop tarts are so good, they deserve their own category.
For the brown sugar filling, combine 1/3 cup brown sugar (packed) with 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
Whisk in a small bowl, then add hot water 1 teaspoon at a time to create a thick paste.
Use this filling instead of jam, and frost your homemade vegan brown sugar pop tarts with the brown sugar cinnamon icing recipe written out below.
And while you have the brown sugar out, whip up a Vegan Coffee Cake.
Easy vegan pop tarts recipe video
Above – watch the step by step recipe video.
Ingredients
The basic vegan hand pies call for just four ingredients plus water.
And unlike many other vegan pop tart recipes, you will find no phyllo dough or puff pastry here. This one uses real pie crust, because it makes a huge difference in both taste and texture.
Then comes the fun part of adding fillings and icing of choice.
I successfully tested the recipe with white flour and whole grain spelt flour, as well as Bob’s all purpose gluten free flour to create gluten free pop tarts.
If you experiment with oat flour, almond flour, or whole wheat flour, please let me know how it goes.
Feel free to use regular sugar, unrefined coconut sugar, or xylitol for sugar free pop tarts. I have not tried pure maple syrup or erythritol so cannot vouch for either of these substitutions.
For best results, I recommend a full fat vegan butter spread, such as Melt Organic or Earth Balance. You may use shortening if you prefer.
Substituting coconut oil for butter yields a more crumbly dough that is difficult to roll out and not nearly as flaky once baked. However, it technically does still work.
Apparently strawberry is the most popular Pop-Tart flavor, so I went with strawberry jelly in the filling recipe. You can really use any flavor of jam.
Frosted vegan pop tarts recipe
Vanilla Frosting
Whisk 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water and 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or nondairy milk until thick.
To make different colors, add a few drops of natural food coloring or experiment with freeze dried fruit powders.
Chocolate Frosting
Whisk 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons hot water or nondairy milk, and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract until smooth and thick.
Brown Sugar Frosting
To create your own vegan brown sugar cinnamon frosting, combine 2 tablespoons brown sugar with 1 tablespoon boiling water. Whisk to dissolve the sugar.
Stir in 1/2 cup powdered sugar or powdered sweetener.
Use any leftover glaze to top Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
How to make dairy free pop tarts at home
Measure out your ingredients, and grease a baking tray or line with parchment paper.
To ensure a delicious flaky crust, start with chilled vegan butter cut into small pieces.
In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour, sugar, and salt until well combined.
Using a food processor or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until you get pea sized pieces of dough. Cut in the cold water, then use your hands to smush the dough into one big ball.
Chill the dough in the refrigerator or freezer until cold. Technically you can skip this step if you do not mind the crust being less fluffy.
Meanwhile, stir together the jam and cornstarch, if using.
When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Use a rolling pin to very thinly roll out the dough on a nonstick or floured surface. Form a long rectangle, then cut evenly into smaller rectangles with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
Gather any scraps of dough, and re-roll. Rolling out all the dough should yield ten to twelve rectangles the size of the ones in the photos.
If you want to make giant pop tarts or mini pop tarts instead, go right ahead.
Arrange the sliced dough shapes on your prepared baking sheet.
Add about two teaspoons of filling to half of the pastry dough rectangles. Carefully place remaining rectangles on top.
Use a fork to cinch the sides. Then poke a few holes in the tops of the tarts so the steam can escape while baking.
Place the tray on the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake for fifteen minutes or until the crust is lightly golden and the filling is bubbly.
Baking tips and tricks
These cute and delicious vegan pop tarts are great for birthday parties and always sell really fast at bake sales.
If you like to be precise, measure rectangles with a ruler before cutting. However, to keep things super simple I never bother with exact measurements.
Enjoy the homemade pop tarts hot from the oven, at room temperature, or cold from the refrigerator or freezer.
Reheat leftover pop tarts in the toaster or microwave, or in a nonstick pan on the stove over low heat. Just one or two minutes in an air fryer also works for reheating.
Due to the lack of preservatives and stabilizers in the vegan frosting, I recommend either frosting the tarts after cooking or warming them up in a toaster oven with a sheet of parchment underneath to catch any melted icing.
Let the filled pastries cool fully before transferring leftovers to a covered container. You may store them on the counter for up to two days, or refrigerate for up to a week.
Or freeze the pop tarts for three to four months, and thaw before serving.
This recipe was adapted from these Vegan Sugar Cookies.
Pie Crust Base
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tsp sugar or xylitol
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
Jam Filling
- 1/3 cup strawberry jam or flavor of choice
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- *See 15 different flavor options above
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To make vegan pop tarts, first grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper. Chill the vegan butter, then cut into small pieces. Stir the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Use a food processor or pastry cutter to cut in the butter until the dough forms pie shaped pieces. Then cut in the cold water. Smush into one giant ball, and refrigerate or freeze until cold. Stir together the jam and cornstarch, and preheat the oven to 350 F. Thinly roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface. Cut into an even number of rectangles. Gather any leftover scraps of dough to roll out again. Place the rectangles on the baking sheet, then add about two teaspoons of filling to half of the shapes. Place remaining rectangles on top and use a fork to cinch the sides closed. Poke a few holes in the tops. Bake on the center rack for 15 minutes. Let cool. Vegan frosting recipes are included above.View Nutrition Facts
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