Homemade Vegan Strawberry Pop Tarts

These Homemade Vegan Strawberry Pop Tarts are nothing short of flaky, naturally sweet, and everything nice in one little bite. Complete homage to the classic childhood favorite, these pop tarts are packed with strawberry flavor and topped with a delicious maple glaze + fun vegan rainbow sprinkles. The perfect bite for breakfast or a nice in between snack. All vegan ingredients. Gluten-free option.

This post contains sponsored links by Wholesome Sweeteners.

So, of course, I had to remake my childhood favorite sweet treat, but with a healthier twist. While I still enjoy a good box of Kellog's Frosted Strawberry Pop Tarts (I know. I'm still working on getting my life totally together with eating ALL THE WAY healthy!), I wanted to make something healthier that my little guy could enjoy as well.

Now, however, since I’m on a health-conscious journey, many of my old habits have been thrown out the window and although I no longer purchase that little blue box of pop tarts, I’m a huge pop tart maker at home.

Personally, these pop tarts were so good that I'm not even sure that I miss the other versions. Haha. Ok. Maybe just a little. But seriously, these pop tarts are completely dairy-free and can be made Gluten-Free if you'd prefer by simply using a GF flour + Xantham Gum (if the flour used doesn't already have this).

Pop Tart Filling: Real Fruits vs. Jam.

OK, so let’s talk about the filling. Usually when making my homemade pop tarts, I create my filling using real fruit or frozen ones.

However, you can always use your favorite organic preserve or jam.

If choosing to make your own homemade filling, that can be done easily by heating your fruit (whether fresh or frozen) in a saucepan along with a healthy sweetener (Wholesome Sweet’s pure cane sugar, organic brown sugar, Agave, etc.), followed by a touch of lemon juice (for acidity) and a little arrowroot starch or cornstarch as a thickener. That simple.

If you love pop tarts like I do, then I’d suggest trying my Homemade Vegan Apple-Cinnamon Pop Tarts, Homemade Blueberry Vegan Pop Tarts, or these Easy Vegan Apricot Pop Tarts.

With the holidays fast approaching, you obviously can't put together any meal or gathering with pie, right? Whelp, we've got you covered with this Delicious Vegan Pumpkin Pie! Made with an orange infused, buttery, flaky crust and topped with a creamy pumpkin-spiced filling, this recipe is sure to please the crowd during the Holiday season, once slice at a time.

However, on a non-vegan note---this Cheesecake Tart with Orange + Cranberries is an absolute beauty for any holiday decorated table on the big day! Based with a sweet, crunchy Graham cracker crust and topped with a creamy, classic cheesecake filling, this recipe is a french classic made from heaven with a modern NYC-inspired twist.

Making Your Pop Tarts Gluten-Free.

To make these GF, simply substitute All-Purpose Flour with 2 cups Gluten-Free Flour (Bob’s Red Mill has a great one!) and the Pastry Flour with ½ cup coconut flour. If your GF Flour doesn’t have Xanthan Gum included, add 1tsp in recipe. Also, reduce vegan butter to 1 ¾ sticks instead of 2. Simply continue the recipe per usual after that.

OK, so back to my sentiments on pop tarts and the universal love that the world shares with them.

I previously came across an article from Delish, where they mentioned the 15 Things You Need To Know Before You Eat Another Pop Tart, which was a very interesting article I might add.

In this article, they spoke about all of the interesting things about pop tarts that most of us might not have known. I KNOW!

A Few Interesting Pop Tart Facts:

• They inspire bartenders to create shots names after pop tart flavors.
• THREE flavors outsell the rest: Froster Strawberry (whoot, whoot!!), Brown Sugar Cinnamon, and S’Mores.
• There use to be a Pop Tart-themed Restaurant here in NYC.
• Some stores sell exclusive flavors that others don’t.
• People actually debate how to eat pop tarts (Yes, it’s a thing!)
• They can REALLY shoot flames out of your toaster (Yes, it’s real!)
• Pop Tarts had it’s own cereal back in the early 90’s.
• And the list goes on!

Ensure That Your Pop Tarts Are Perfect EVERY TIME.

TIP #1: MAKE YOUR FILLING FIRST!

Yes, I know. You’re probably wondering why I said this, however, when making your filling from scratch, it definitely helps to make your filling ahead of time so that it cools completely.

Also, this gives you enough time to ensure that it comes out as perfect and thick as you’d like before having to use it in your recipe.

TIP #2: MORE PASTRY FLOUR = MORE FLAKINESS!

OK, so this one is a HUGE MUST, especially if you want to have an extremely flaky crust! Much like other pastries (i.e. Hand Pies, Pie Crusts, etc.), using pastry flour more heavily than All-Purpose Flour helps to create a nice outer-layer.

Granted, cold cubed butter does help with this as well, however, I’ve discovered that adding pastry flour to the mix creates a better situation!

TIP #3: DIMENSIONS MATTER!

I must admit that in my previous attempt to make Pop Tarts, I randomly cut the squares, which obviously came out super uneven.

However, with this recipe, I did a bit of research and found that cutting them 3” x 4” worked magic and made them so even and perfect!

Also, keep in mind that when rolling out your dough, making sure that it’s at least ¼” thick is super important. This ensures that your filling stays inside and everything doesn’t fall a part.

TIP #4: LET THEM COOL, COOL, COOL!

Now, if you’re anything like me then you’re probably just as impatient to try these goodies before they fully cool, so that means that you might also prematurely add the glaze and watch it melt off like a snowman in heat. Haha.

BUT you must let your Pop Tarts FULLY cool (place them in a cool room or open window to speed things up!) before glazing them. No exceptions!

Now, let's take a bite into this recipe, shall we?

For the Crust:

In a measuring cup, add the cold water and apple cider vinegar along with an ice cube and set aside.

In a large bowl, add the all-purpose flour, pastry flour, sea salt, cinnamon, and organic pure cane sugar, whisking them all together.

Add the cubed vegan butter sticks (or regular vegan butter) and using a pastry blender, blend butter into dry ingredients until the mixture becomes “peas-like” and crumbly.

Pour the cold apple cider vinegar-water mixture (slowly + without the ice) and stir (working it together with one hand) until the dry ingredients are moistened. **NOTE: If the ingredients feels a little too dry, add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time, until it’s moistened BUT not too wet!**

Now, shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap and flatten it slightly and chill for at least 1 hour.

In the meantime, make the Strawberry Jam Filling (See Notes in Recipe for Homemade).

For the Filling:

In a small bowl, add 1 cup of strawberry preserves and lightly squeeze 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in it and stir together until incorporated.

Set aside.

Assembly:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Once chilled, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface, rolling it out into a large rectangle (about 3 mm thick). Cut into small-medium circles using a biscuit cutter, until all dough it used.

On all circle cuts, lightly brush vegan butter to ensure that they close together best! On one cut dough, add 1 tablespoon of the strawberry filling and carefully cover it with another circular piece, gently pressing the edges down. Using a fork, carefully “crimp” around the edges and place on the baking sheet.

Repeat until all pop tarts are made.

Once all are laid flat on the baking sheet, gently prick a set of holes on the tops using a fork.

Lightly brush all pop tart tops with melted vegan butter and bake in the oven 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and the filling begins to become bubbly and begins to slightly seep out.

Once done, remove from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes (10 minutes or so).

For Simple Maple Glaze/Frosting:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, warmed maple syrup, vanilla, and almond milk until smooth. For more thickness, add additional powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. If too thick, add almond milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Once pop tarts have cooled completely, spoon 1-2 Tbsps of Maple Frosting atop each and sprinkle with vegan sprinkles. Let pop tarts sit for another 1-2 minutes so that frosting hardens. Enjoy.

Bon Appetite!

Homemade Vegan Strawberry Pop Tarts.

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