Pop tarts will forever remind me of my last year of my masters. I was in the painting program, but had fallen in love with animation, and so apparently decided to do the final for animation (not that it got me any credit or anything), as well as my own final. I guess I just love to challenge myself for no apparent reason sometimes. So what was the final for animation? To make a cartoon of course! Traditional style. I mean draw every single little movement on paper over and over and over again. Overall my animation skills aren't great, but I was happy with the little cartoon I made. You can click here to watch it if you like. Warning: This is not for little kids...I brought out the dark side of my humour here. Maybe because I was hallucinating on sugar the whole time...
So why does this cartoon remind me of pop tarts? I was basically living at the school, working away into the dead of night, and the nearest food source was a vending machine, which was pretty much picked clean by all the other animators, except for: duh duh dah! Pop Tarts! So that's what I ate, and I ate lots of them. So healthy, I know.
Ahhh pop tarts... Expectation: a dreamy, strawberry filled pastry. Reality: dry, chalky, and not very good. That is until you make your own! Talk about delicious-flaky-strawberry-filled-awesomeness.
Vegan Strawberry Pop Tarts:
(Makes about 6-8 Pop Tarts)
2 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour and more for sprinkling
¼ teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Cup Cold Coconut Oil or Cold Vegan Butter
½ Cup Cold Water
½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Around 1 Cup Strawberry Jelly or Preserve
Icing:
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1-2 Tablespoon Almond Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 Drop of Pink Food Colour (optional)
In a food processor, add the flour, salt, and sugar. Cut the coconut oil or vegan butter into smaller chunks so it is easier to mix in, and add that to the food processor as well. Pulse until it just comes together. Add the vanilla extract to the ½ cup of cold water and give a little stir. Then continue pulsing as you slowly drizzle the water and vanilla mixture through the spout of the food processor, until JUST combined. Don't over mix it or your dough won't be flakey and delicious.
If you want to do this by hand instead of a food processor, cut the coconut oil or vegan butter into small cubes. Add the flour, salt, sugar, and coconut oil or vegan butter cubes into a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter, or fork to slice the butter into the flour, until you have a crumbly mixture, being careful not to over mix. Add the vanilla extract to the ½ cup of cold water and give a little stir. Slowly drizzle water and vanilla mixture in as you continue mixing until JUST combined. Again don't over mix it or you won't be happy with your results.
Collect the dough and lightly form a ball. Cover in plastic wrap and let cool in the fridge for 20 minutes or more.
Preheat your oven to 400F (200C).
Now that your dough is cool, lightly flour a clean surface. A dirty surface would be gross. Place your dough down, and lightly sprinkle some flour on top. Roll out the dough until it's about ¼ inch thick. If the dough starts getting sticky as you do this, just dust on a bit more flour.
Find your stencil. I just traced a spatula, but you could use any rectangular object, or just a piece of paper, that looks pop tart sized. Use it as your guide to cut rectangles into your dough. Try to fit in as many as possible. If you have more scrap dough, you can try rolling it out again to squeeze out a couple more rectangles. You need an even number so you have a top and bottom for each pop tart.
Lay half of your pop tart rectangles onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a non-stick mat. Make sure there is space around them so you have some room to work. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of strawberry jelly into the center of each rectangle. It will look like a lot, but the jelly seems to shrink during the baking so more is better at this stage. I used a sugar free strawberry preserve but you can use whatever you like. Next dip your finger in cold water and run some water around the edges of the rectangles, this is your glue. Place another rectangle of dough on top of the jelly, and use a fork crimp the edges together around all sides, then poke some vent holes in top.
I probably should have poked bigger vent holes! So you might want to try that. But either way, it doesn't really matter if they explode a bit.
Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until they have a golden glow to them.
Take them out and let cool completely before icing.
Once your pop tarts are cool, whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon almond milk or other non-dairy milk, and 1 drop of pink food colouring, if using. You want your icing to be spreadable but not too drippy. If your icing is too thick, add 1 teaspoon of non-dairy milk at a time, until you are happy with your consistency. Spread on top of pop tarts, and let set. The icing will firm up similar to store bought pop tarts in a couple of hours, if you are that patient!
Bon Appetegan!
Tiffany B. says
These a perfect and delish. I used a natural strawberry jam and it was the bomb! I did use my Kitchen Aide Mixer using the wire whisky thing and put it on a speed of 10. I did not know I was almost out of King Aurthur flour so I had to use Atta flour (I think it is like a mix of wheat flour and white flour. I got it at my Indian market). It ended up 1 cup of white flour and a cup and a half of that whole wheat flour. These were flaky and wholesome. Another 5 star for you!
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!! So happy you loved them Tiffany 🙂
Jules says
Can I freeze them before I make them?
Jules says
I meant bake them?
Sam Turnbull says
I wouldn't recommend it.
Kaitlyn says
Can I make the dough the night before? Can’t wait to make these!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes that should work fine. Enjoy!
Amanda says
Super excited to come across these! i tried to make them and my dough did not come out right 🙁 i was a little sad , because i was so excited to make them , do you know what i could have done wrong ? my dough came out like a cake batter
Sam Turnbull says
You want to make sure your vegan butter is very cold and solid, and then you can add a little water at a time as needed while you pulse. Hope that helps!
Susan says
Just found your blog. I've been vegan for about 6 months now. I love cinnamon pop tarts! I will try these with a cinnamon sugar filling, mixed with a bit of vegan butter. I'm so glad you have a recipe for vegan tzatziki. That is also on my list of things to try!
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome sounds delish! I hope you enjoy them. Fun fact, unfrosted brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts are vegan. You can read about it here 🙂
Susan says
Well they may be vegan - but I think homemade would be more wholesome 🙂 And I can make a vegan frosting.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, for sure!
Cristal says
I can't wait to try this recipe tomorrow with some apple filling! I'd like to try a savory pop tart too so I could have a less sugary breakfast snack and I think your tofu taco filling may be just the thing for that 😉
Sam Turnbull says
Enjoy!
teresa says
Once you have them completely done, how do you reheat them to serve? wont they be cold (I know may be a dumb question).
thanks
Dora says
has anyone ever tried This without oil? I usually sub applesauce for oil when baking but I’ve never made a pastry dough with applesauce.
Charlotte Andrew says
Applesauce works when its needed for moisture...but the butter/fat is needed to produce the flakiness. without it your pastry would not be flaky at all. I would forego the applesauce in this recipe. just my two cents as a baker 😉
Lisa says
Has anyone tried gluten free flours like Bobs 1 to 1?
How do they turn out!
Im Pretty excited to make these babies!! 🙂 Just bought some non GMO vegan food dye! YAY!
Sam Turnbull says
I've never tried the flours but I heard good things about it! Enjoy!
Genie says
Thank you so much for this recipe. My husband decided a few days ago he was willing to join me in veganism, but it's been hard to find things he likes. He absolutely loved this one and I was surprised how easy they were to make. We used cashew milk for the frosting and he didn't even notice it wasn't cow milk!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! I love that! So happy it was well received 🙂
kl says
Looks amazing! I was wondering, how long do these keep for, and what type of storage should I use? Also, can they be frozen? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, they can be frozen, freeze them on a parchment lined paper baking sheet until solid, then you can transfer them to a freezer bag. Otherwise, they should keep for up to 3 days when stored in an air-tight container.
Sweetluna says
I made these today for my vegan teen. She LOVED them. I would like to try them with coconut oil too.. I felt my crust was a little oily flavored and it could've been my vegan butter brand choice. We used blackberry jam and strawberry jam. I also added a little vanilla to the icing. I sincerely look forward to making them again. Thank you so VERY MUCH for this recipe!
Sweetluna says
🙂 Apologies for the typos. The perfectionist in me is sad there's an extra period after the 3rd sentence. 😛
Sam Turnbull says
Haha no worries at all! So very happy you loved the recipe so much 😀
Kera says
I've made these a couple times experimenting with different flours and they are really good! Last time I stirred about a tablespoon of the jam into the icing in lieu of food coloring and it worked great - added color and flavor:) Thanks!
Sam says
Ooo I love it! So happy you are enjoying them Kera 🙂
Antonio says
Vegan... yes! Still pumped full of sugar... yes! Just because it says vegan does not mean it's good for you. The processed flour should be substituted as well.
Sam says
Haha no of course not, I never claimed these were good for you, in fact I am pretty sure I went on about how they aren't good for you! Haha. Vegans love junk food too every now and then.
Kenzie says
Veganism isn't a health thing, but an ethical lifestyle. Lots of vegans still eat junk. We just don't harm animals in doing so.
April says
Even if this wasn't a Vegan recipe, these are still way healthier than the store bought PoP-Tarts made with an enormous ingredient list and pumped full of preservatives. Homemade is always healthier than packaged food.
Lura says
I love these.....I make mine heart shaped for Valentine's Day!
Samantha Turnbull says
Oh that's such a fantastically cute idea!!! I love that. I am gonna share your idea on social media. I will credit you Lura, thanks for being clever!
Eluned says
I love this recipe so much! I found it (and your amazing site) when I got a craving for pop tarts which I haven't eaten since I became a veggie just over three years ago and decide to search for vegetarian pop tarts in the hope they existed somewhere... then I came across your recipe and decided to make my own! I used blueberry jam instead of straeberry but they were so yummy, it's definately something I will make from now on when I get a craving for sweet pastry :3
Samantha Turnbull says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Eluned! Yes you can put in any filling you like, and have never ending pop tarts. Doesn't that sound amazing? Thank you so much for coming back and leaving your review, and of course for loving It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken! 🙂
Eluned says
Never ending pop tarts does sound amazing :3 I'm tempted to try peanut butter ones at some point. That's okay, thank you for uploading your yummy recipes! <3
Samantha Turnbull says
Oooh peanut butter could be interesting. Peanut butter and jelly!
Meg @ Beard and Bonnet says
Ummm your little video made me laugh so hard!!! LOVE it and these pop tarts.
itdoesnttastelikechicken says
Haha, thanks Meg!! Now you know what my pop tart hallucinations look like! Haha.
Alba Peña says
Ooooh, such a delicious look!! I haven't tasted the pop -tarts (I'm Spanish, and in Spain we haven't got them), but I'm sure I will taste them with your recipe 🙂
itdoesnttastelikechicken says
Hahaha! Hi Alba! This version is way better than real pop tarts (in my humble opinions), so you won't be missing out. They are kind of like a cross between a cookie and a pie. Enjoy 🙂
Connie Trowbridge says
MMMMMMM YUM!!!! I cannot wait to try these! I haven't had poptarts in YEARS since we don't eat packaged foods like these. I can't wait to try these, they were such a childhood staple. Thanks for posting!
itdoesnttastelikechicken says
You're very welcome Connie! I hope you like them 🙂 I love making fun recipes! Let me know if you have any other staples you would love to see veganized!
Miranda DeZeeuw says
Thanks for this, so creative! And original, I've never seen a homemade Poptart recipe before. Any ideas on how to do a chocolate one? Those were my favorite. Could you add cocoa powder to the dough maybe?
itdoesnttastelikechicken says
Thanks Miranda, so glad you like the recipe 🙂
OooooOo I hear more recipe inspiration coming on! haha. In the meantime, I would try mixing 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder into the dough along with the flour. Then stuff them full of chocolate chips, and melt chocolate to drizzle on top. Mmmmm sooo chocolatey!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Oh my gosh! So sweet of you to give a shout-out. The Pop Tarts look amazing! I actually ended up making some the other day as well. I must say, yours are a whole lot prettier =]
itdoesnttastelikechicken says
Of course! I love getting inspiration of what to cook for comments like yours! Thank you! It was really fun to make them. 🙂