Homemade Pop Tarts (3 Flavors)
Posted Aug 12, 2026
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This homemade pop tarts recipe features a from-scratch pastry dough with three different filling and icing flavors – brown sugar cinnamon, strawberry, and blackberry. They’re so much more delicious than store bought and a truly special breakfast treat!
Sometimes I’m amazed at the things we ate for breakfast as kids. But some breakfast treats are just so nostalgic that I feel like I have to create recipes for them so my kids can experience the joy of eating them – like these homemade pop tarts.
No, they don’t taste exactly like store bought – but they are so much better. A from-scratch buttery pastry is filled with either a brown sugar cinnamon or fruity filling, then topped with homemade icing.
Homemade pop tarts aren’t hard to make, but they do take a little bit of time. However, I promise it’s so worth it when you take the first bite and experience instant elevated nostalgia. You’ll never want to buy those silver packages again once you make these.
Homemade Pop Tarts: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Salted Butter. Make sure the butter is ice cold – I often chop it and then put it in the freezer for a bit before using. Unsalted butter works well too.
- Heavy cream. Whole milk or half and half works well in the egg wash.
- Brown sugar cinnamon filling: You can use tapioca or arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch.
- Fruit jam/preserves. Use your favorite fruit jam for both the filling and the icing. Just make sure you use seedless jam or preserves.
How to Make Pop Tarts
Making this recipe requires a little bit of planning, because the dough needs to be chilled twice. Once right after mixing it together, and once after cutting out the rectangles. Be sure to watch the video for additional guidance.
Prepare the Dough
Start by making the pop tart dough. Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in the container of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade one or two times until combined. Or, you can mix by hand in a large bowl.
Store-bought dough
You can cut out the step of making your own dough and use frozen dough or store-bought pie crust in a tube/can – not already formed into a pie.
Then, add the cold butter and water and process until clumps begin to form and the dough can be squeezed together when pinched (15-30 seconds). If mixing by hand, you can cut the butter into the dough with a pastry cutter or fork, then add the water and stir until combined.
You can do a test and pinch some of the dough between your fingers. If it sticks together, it’s done processing. Then, dump it out onto a lightly floured surface.
Form it into a disc, then cut the disc in half.
Form each half into a rectangle, then cover it with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, and up to overnight.
After the dough has chilled, place one half on a floured silicone baking mat or piece of parchment paper.
Then roll out the dough into a 12” by 9” rectangle with a little extra so you can cut the edges off and make them straight.
Next, score the 9” side every 3” (so make two lines) and score the 12” side every 4” (two lines again).
Then use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 9 rectangles that are 3×4.” Put these pieces on a parchment or silicone baking mat lined baking sheet and put them in the freezer.
Repeat with the second half of the dough and store the second set of 9 rectangles on another baking sheet in the freezer.
Make the Pop Tart Filling
While the dough is chilling, make the cinnamon sugar filling, and/or prepare your jam.
Combine the cinnamon sugar filling ingredients in a small bowl.
Make the Egg Wash
Make the egg wash by whisking the egg and cream in a small bowl. Set aside.
Assemble the Pop Tarts
Then, to make brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts, brush the inside of the pop tarts with melted butter and put a heaping tablespoon of cinnamon sugar in the middle of the bottom buttered rectangle and gently spread it, leaving a border around the edge.
Or, do the same thing with a heaping Tablespoon of your jam of choice.
Then put the top rectangle over the filling and press it down all around gently with a fork so you both get the decorative edges and seal the pop tarts.
Next, poke a few holes in the top of each pop tart with a toothpick and brush the top and edges of each homemade pop tart lightly with the egg wash.
Bake & Cool
Once they’re all brushed and ready, bake the homemade pop tarts in the preheated oven set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) for 25 to 28 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the bottoms are beginning to brown.
Let the pop tarts cool on the baking pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make the Icing & Frost
While the pop tarts are cooling, make the icing. It’s pretty simple: for the cinnamon icing, whisk together powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk until smooth. It should be slightly thick. You can add more milk if it’s too thick – or more powdered sugar if it’s too thin – to get the perfect consistency.
Then spread the icing over the top of the pop tarts.
For a fruit icing, use your favorite seedless jam of choice and whisk it with powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. This one pictured is blackberry jam.
Again, evenly spread it over the completely cooled pop tarts.
For any of these flavors, if you’d prefer a more vibrant color than what the jam imparts naturally, you can add a drop or two of gel food coloring. For example, this strawberry icing is very light pink, so you could add a drop of pink food coloring to it for a brighter color.
Let the icing harden at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.
You can speed up the setting process by putting the homemade pop tarts in the fridge or freezer, but they are best served room temperature, so I prefer to just be patient and let the icing harden at room temp!
Serve
Serve these homemade pop-tarts room temperature with a cup of coffee or a latte for a nostalgic delicious breakfast. Or you can serve it as part of a full breakfast with some cottage cheese scrambled eggs, baked bacon, and fruit salad.
More Nostalgic Recipes
One bite of these recipes and you’ll be transported back to a simpler time!
- Puppy Chow – AKA: muddy buddies.
- Oatmeal cream pies so much better than Little Debbie’s.
- Worms and Dirt Cups or try my dirt cake.
- Homemade spaghetti O’s one of my faves, never buy the can again!
- Peanut butter rice crispy treats better than the cafeteria.
Store/Freeze
Store leftover pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. I don’t recommend toasting or reheating this recipe because the icing could melt. But if you do want to toast them, do it on low heat for just a few seconds.
Homemade Pop Tarts Recipe FAQS
Yes, you can cut out the step of making your own dough and use frozen dough or store-bought pie crust in a tube/can – not already formed into a pie.
You can use the brown sugar cinnamon filling we talk about in this post, your favorite jam, or even something like Nutella, peanut butter, etc. Make sure your fillings are thick and not watery or they will leak out during baking.
Don’t overfill the pop tarts, leave a border around the edges, and press/seal well with a fork. Chilling the assembled pop tarts before baking also helps.
Yes, poking holes in the top allows stem to be released during baking so the filling thickens and doesn’t leak out.
Yes, there are a few ways you can do this. Simply bake them a day in advance and serve the next day. Or assemble the pastries and put them in the freezer, then bake the next day.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Homemade Pop Tarts Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
Pastry Dough
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup salted butter (cold or frozen, cut into 1” cubes)
- ½ cup ice cold water
Egg wash
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
Flavors
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter (melted, for brushing the inside of the pop tarts)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Cinnamon Sugar Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon whole milk
Strawberry Filling (or any fruit flavor, raspberry, blueberry, cherry, etc).
- ¾ cup strawberry jam (seedless)
Strawberry Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon strawberry jam (seedless)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon whole milk
Instructions
Make the Pastry Dough
- Put flour, sugar and salt in the container of a food processor fitted with the “S” blade and pulse 3-4 times to combine. Or, you can mix by hand in a large bowl.
- Put the cold butter and ice water into the food processor and process until clumps begin to form and the dough can be squeezed together when pinched (15-30 seconds). If mixing by hand, you can cut the butter into the dough with a pastry cutter or fork, then add the water and stir until combined. (alternatively, cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork, then stir in the water).
- Turn the dough out onto a surface and form it into a large disc.
- Cut the disc into two even pieces and form each one into a flat rectangle.
- Wrap each rectangle in plastic wrap and put them in an airtight container.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
- After the dough has chilled, roll the first rectangle into a 12” by 9” (30 x 23 cm) rectangle with a little extra so you can cut the edges off and make them straight.
- Then score the 9” (23 cm) side every 3” (7.5 cm) (so make two lines) and score the 12” (30 cm) side every 4” (10 cm) (two lines again).
- Then use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 9 rectangles that are 3×4”(7.5 x 10 cm).
- Put these pieces on a parchment or silicone baking mat lined baking sheet and put them in the freezer.
- Repeat with the second half of the dough and store the second set of 9 rectangles on another baking sheet in the freezer.
Make the Filling (cinnamon sugar)
- While the dough is chilling, make the filling by combining the cinnamon sugar filling together in a small bowl. Or, take your jam out of the fridge so it comes to room temperature.
Make the Egg Wash
- Whisk the egg and cream in a small bowl, set aside.
Assemble the Pop Tarts
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius).
- Match up the second set of rectangles with those from the first set that are similar size.
- If making cinnamon sugar, brush the inside of both rectangles with melted butter
- Put a heaping tablespoon of filling (either cinnamon sugar or fruit jam), in the middle of the bottom rectangle and gently spread it, leaving a border around the edge.
- Then put the top rectangle over the filling and press it down all around gently with a fork so you create decorative edges and seal the pop tarts.
- Then, poke a few holes in the top of each pop tart with a toothpick.
- Lightly brush the top and edges of each pop tart with the egg wash.
- NOTE: if the pop tarts get too warm at this point, put them in the freezer for 5 minutes before baking or chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour before baking. If the dough still feels slightly cool or at least room temperature you don’t have to chill.
Bake & Cool
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 28 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the bottoms are beginning to brown.
- Let the pop tarts cool on the baking pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Make the Icing, Frost, Set and Serve
- Whisk the icing ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Spread it over the cooled pop tarts.
- Let sit at room temp until hardened.
Notes
- Salted Butter. Make sure the butter is ice cold – I often chop it and then put it in the freezer for a bit before using. Unsalted butter works well too.
- Heavy cream. whole milk or half and half works well in the egg wash.
- Brown sugar cinnamon filling: you can use tapioca or arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch.
- Fruit jam/preserves. Use your favorite fruit jam for both the filling and the icing. Just make sure you use seedless jam or preserves.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
