Homemade Strawberry Pop-Tarts | An Easy Copycat Recipe (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure.

Our frosted strawberry pop tarts are a breakfast staple. These homemade toaster pastries have a strawberry jam filling and a flaky buttery crust. Like lemon pop tarts, apple pop tarts, pumpkin pop tarts, chocolate pop tarts, and blueberry pop tarts, they’re very easy to make.

📌 Pin Frosted Strawberry Pop Tarts

🍓UPDATED POST: This frosted strawberry pop tarts recipe was published in 2016. In 2021, keeping the original recipe intact, a helpful option was added for making the recipe faster. Updates include fresh photography, step-by-step images and a user-friendly format.

✨ Why This Recipe Works

• Better than store-bought: Shelf-stable pop tarts have artificial flavors and colors. They can often taste like cardboard. Homemade frosted strawberry pop tarts are filled with real jam and have a flaky, buttery crust.
• Pop tarts are a portable breakfast: These toaster pastries are a portable meal for busy families. Pair them with fresh fruit, or a glass of juice or milk.
• Perfect for snacking: Pack them in lunch boxes, backpacks and totes. Take them to the ball park, on road trips, or picnics.
• Enjoy them for dessert: Frosted strawberry pop tarts are ideal hand held desserts perfect for potlucks, picnics, and tailgating. Serve them instead of a slice of pie.
• A baking tradition: This is the perfect recipe to make with the family. Baking together creates treasured memories.

🛒 Ingredients

There are 2 ways to make strawberry pop tarts. The first is super quick and easy using a box of store-bought refrigerated pie crusts. The second is with homemade pastry dough. Try them one way or both. The choice is yours!

For Quick Pop Tarts

• Refrigerated pie crusts (package of 2 crusts)
• Strawberry jam or strawberry preserves
• Large egg + splash of water

For (optional) Homemade Pastry Dough Crusts

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Sea salt
• Unsalted butter
• Ice-cold water

For Vanilla Icing

• Powdered sugar
• Whole Milk
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• Sea salt
• Optional: Pink gel food coloring
• Wilton white nonpareils (crunchy candy sprinkles)

🧑🏼‍🍳 Expert Tip: To keep the frosting a brilliant white, use “clear” vanilla extract instead of “amber” colored vanilla.

🥣 Easy Ingredient Substitutions

If you’re missing an ingredient for making these strawberry pop tarts or the yummy frosting, don’t put on your shoes and head to the market. Instead, head to your fridge or pantry. Check for these easy ingredient swaps.

• Strawberry Jam: Use any type of jam or preserves like blackberry, blueberry, passion fruit, or mixed fruit.
• Powdered Sugar: Make your own powdered sugar from granulated sugar. Process sugar in a blender or food processor until fine and fluffy. One cup granulated sugar yields about 2 cups powdered sugar.
• Whole Milk: Use half or heavy cream.
• Vanilla Extract:If you don’t have this on hand, you can leave it out.
• Wilton White Nonpareils: Use jimmies (sprinkles) instead. Don’t limit yourself to white sprinkles on strawberry toaster pastries! Try pink or multi-colored sprinkles.

📖 Recipe Steps

Pop Tarts With Refrigerated Pie Crusts

RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a reusable silicone baking mat.

• STEP 1: Lightly flour your work surface. Unroll both pie crusts. With a rolling pin, roll each to 1/4 inch thick. With a sharp knife, square the edges of each circle. Cut each crust into 4 rectangles. Gather the scraps of dough together. Roll them out to form 8 additional rectangles.
• STEP 2: Spoon strawberry jam in the center of 8 rectangles. Form pop tarts by placing remaining rectangles on top. Seal the pastries by crimping the edges with a fork. In a ramekin, beat the egg with a splash of water. Brush top of toaster pastries with egg wash.
• STEP 3: Arrange strawberry pop tarts on the prepared baking sheet, with room between each. Create vent holes: lightly pierce the top of each pastry a few times with the tines of fork. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until edges are golden blonde. Cool pastries on a wire rack.
• STEP 4: Assemble the icing. Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. If needed, add a tiny pinch of salt and whisk again. With a spoon, frost the top of each pop tart with icing. After glazing, decorate with crunchy sprinkles.

(Optional) Homemade Pastry Dough

RECIPE NOTE: This is how to make pastry dough from scratch. It’s the way generations of grandmas would make homemade toaster pastries. After the dough is made, follow the instructions above for assembling the strawberry pop tarts.

• STEP 1: Fill a glass 3/4 of the way up with ice, then add water. Put it aside. Chop the butter into tiny pieces.
• STEP 2: In the bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, add flour, granulated sugar, salt and butter. Mix until combined. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. With the mixer on medium-low, gradually add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts to hold together.
• STEP 3: Gather the dough into a ball. Divide it into 2 pieces. Flatten each piece into a disk. Wrap the dough in parchment paper, or slip it into a zip-top bag with the air pressed out. Chill in fridge 1 hour. This is important. Chilled dough helps make pastries flaky.

🧑🏼‍🍳 Recipe FAQ

These are the most commonly asked questions when making frosted strawberry pop tarts, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.

☀️ More Grab-and-Go Breakfast Ideas

If you enjoy quick portable meals, you’ll love these simple travel-ready recipes. Assemble them in advance so they’re ready to go.

• Bacon Egg Cups
• Mummy Halloween Pop Tarts
• Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Lemon Blueberry Muffins
• Pumpkin Energy Balls
• Baked Cinnamon Donuts
• Pumpkin Bagels
• Bran Muffins

Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Flavor testers rated these the BEST homemade strawberry pop tarts. They loved the flaky, buttery crust, the delicious jam filling, and the yummy vanilla icing. The appreciated being able to use either store-bought refrigerator pie crusts, or homemade pastry to make the treats.

If you agree this recipe’s a keeper, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with friends. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.

Print

Frosted Strawberry Pop Tarts

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

5 from 19 reviews

• Author: Denay DeGuzman
• Total Time: 25 Minutes
• Yield: 8 Pop Tarts 1x

Print Recipe

Save Recipe

Description

Frosted strawberry pop tarts are a tasty portable breakfast perfect for busy families. They’re quick and easy to make. Double the recipe, and freeze half for later. For a satisfying snack, pair with fresh fruit. For a hand-held dessert, serve after dinner.

Ingredients

UnitsScale

3-INGREDIENT POP TARTS

• 1 (14-ounce) box refrigerated pie crusts (2 count)
• 1 cup strawberry jam or strawberry preserves
• 1 large egg + splash of water

HOMEMADE PASTRY DOUGH (OPTIONAL)

No refrigerated pie crusts? Make your own pastry dough!

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 4 to 5 tablespoons ice-cold water

ICING

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 teaspoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract (not amber-colored vanilla)
• 1 tiny pinch sea salt, if needed
• OPTIONAL: Wilton white nonpareils (candy sprinkles)

See Also

The Authentic French Crêpe RecipeHomemade Sausage Gravy RecipeMcDonald's Breakfast Sauce RecipeThe BEST Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Recipe | Montana Happy

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

POP TART RECIPE

There are 2 ways to make homemade pop tarts. The first is super quick using a box of store-bought refrigerated pie crusts. The second is with homemade pastry dough. The choice is yours!

STRAWBERRY POP TARTS

RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

1. Lightly flour your work surface. Unroll both pie crusts. Roll each to 1/4 inch thick. With a sharp knife, square the edges of each circle. Cut each crust into 4 rectangles. Gather the scraps of dough together. Roll them out to form 8 additional rectangles.
2. Spoon strawberry jam in the center of 8 rectangles. Form pop tarts by placing remaining rectangles on top. Seal the pastries by crimping the edges with a fork. In a ramekin, beat the egg with a splash of water. Brush top of toaster pastries with egg wash.
3. Arrange pop tarts on the prepared baking sheet, with room between each. Create vent holes: lightly pierce the top of each pastry a few times with the tines of fork. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until edges are golden blonde. Cool pastries on a wire rack.
4. Assemble the icing. Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. If needed, add a tiny pinch of salt and whisk again. With a spoon, frost the top of each pop tart with icing. If desired, decorate with white candy sprinkles.

HOMEMADE PASTRY DOUGH (optional)

1. Fill a glass 3/4 of the way up with ice, then add water. Put it aside. Chop the butter into tiny pieces.
2. In the bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, add flour, granulated sugar, salt and butter. Mix until combined. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. With the mixer on medium-low, gradually add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts to hold together.
3. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide it into 2 pieces. Flatten each piece into a disk. Wrap the dough in parchment paper, or slip it into a zip-top bag with air pressed out. Chill in fridge 1 hour. This is important. Chilled dough helps make pastries flaky.

Follow above instructions for making strawberry pop tarts.

Equipment

Baking Tray with Metal Rack

Buy Now →

Boos Blocks

Buy Now →

Silicone Baking Mat

Buy Now →

Notes

For bright-white icing: Use clear vanilla extract, not amber-colored vanilla. But if you don’t have any vanilla extract on hand, feel free to just leave it out.

How to reheat these toaster pastries: Use a toaster oven. Reheat refrigerated or frozen pop tarts on a baking tray at 350°F for 3 to 5 minutes, or until warmed through. Never reheat homemade pop tarts in an upright position or in a slotted toaster. The filling may leak out.

• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook Time: 15 Minutes
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Frosted Strawberry Pop Tarts 👉🏻 Join the Convo

Did you grow up with boxes of Kellogg’s pop tarts in the cupboard? Do you love how easy it is to make homemade toaster pastries? Share your thoughts on frosted strawberry pop tarts in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.