If you are a fan of pop tarts like me, then you will love these homemade pop tarts. Nice dough covering a mound of delicious strawberry jelly or preserves, topped off with a thick sweet glaze, amazing!

Growing up I was always excited when my mom would buy Pop-Tarts. They did not last long in a house with 5 hungry kids. She didn’t buy them often, but what a treat when she did.

I would eat them for breakfast or just a snack. I enjoyed pretty much every flavor that was made, but my all-time favorite was and still are strawberry pop tarts.

And the cool thing is homemade pop-tarts are easy to make! You can make them super easy by using pre-made pie crust dough, or use homemade pie crust dough. Either way, if I can do it, you can do it. Let’s get baking!

Step 1: Gather the ingredients

Several ingredients in glass bowls on a wooden table.

In order to make homemade pop-tarts you need just a handful of everyday ingredients:

Pie crust – You can use homemade or store-bought. You can get about 4 pop tarts out of one standard size pie crust. Of course, you will need the ingredients for the homemade pie crust if you go that route.
Fruit Preserves – Or you can use jelly or jam. My favorite kind to use is strawberry, but so many other flavors will work.
Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar. This will be used to make the glaze for the top.
Vanilla extract – This is a flavoring for the glaze.
Milk – I normally use whole milk, but any milk will work including almond milk.

Tools

Fork
Pizza roller or knife
Clean ruler
Spoon
Sheet pan
Parchment paper or a silicone baking mat

Step 2: How to make homemade Pop-Tarts

Rectangle cut pieces of pie down on a wooden table.

Homemade pop tarts start with the dough. Begin by making the pie dough from scratch and then chill it for an hour or two. Or if you are using store-bought pie crust, skip that step of course.

Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C. Roll out the pie dough into a rectangle or if you are using store-bought it will be in a circle. Cut the dough into 3-inch by 4-inch rectangles. You should be able to get a total of 8 which will create 4 pop-tarts. Take the leftover trimmings and combine them to make more.

Strawberry preserves added to the middle of sheets of homemade pop tarts

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Then lay the rectangle sheets of dough on that. Spread them out about an inch apart. Then use a fork and poke holes in the layers of top that will be on the top. This will allow steam to be released while baking.

Add a few tablespoons of your favorite preserves, jelly, or jam in the middle. It helps if it is heated up a little bit in the microwave, it will be easier to spread. Make it so the jelly forms a smaller inner rectangle.

Now place the top on and use a fork to crimp the edges together around the homemade pop tarts. An optional step is to create an egg wash with one egg and 1 tablespoon of water. Then brush the edges before crimping the dough together. You can also brush the tops of the pop tarts with the egg wash if you wish.

Step 3: Bake the pop tarts

Hand trimming the jelly away from freshly baked homemade pop tarts

Next, place the tray of unbaked pop tarts in the oven, middle rack, and bake them for 18 to 25 minutes until they are nice and golden brown on the top. You may have some blow outs on the edges with a bit of leakage but that is okay. After they have been baked allow them to cool completely.

Once cooled you can come in and trim away any jam that oozed out the sides. You can also clear it away while they are still warm.

Step 4: Homemade Pop-Tarts glaze

Thick pop-tarts glaze in a glass bowl on a wooden table.

Time to make the glaze that will go on top. Add the powdered sugar to a medium bowl, along with the vanilla extract, and a few tablespoons of milk. Mix with a spoon or fork until you get a nice thick glaze. If it gets too runny, you can add more sugar, if it is too thick, add a tiny bit of extra milk.

Freshly made homemade pop tarts on a sheet pan lined with a silicone mat.

Now just pour the glaze on top of the pop-tarts. Finish them off with your favorite sprinkles. And then wait for the glaze to dry. And it is as simple as that to make copy-cat pop tarts. Enjoy!

How long do homemade pop-tarts last?

You can store them at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. Or in the fridge for about a week. You may also freeze them if you like. Reheat in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes when you want to eat them.

Homemade pop tarts pin for Pinterest — **(Pin it!)**

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