Get ready for gluten free pop tarts that are so flaky. You are not going to believe all of the flaky layers! Fill these homemade pop tarts with your favorite jam, Nutella, or anything you like! They are sure to please everyone in the family!
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If I had to think about what I have truly missed since going gluten free, I would have to say pop tarts are at the top of my list. I don't mean the gluten free pop tarts that you can buy in a store...those lack the flaky layers that make pop tarts so memorable!
I mean the gluten free pop tarts that you make from scratch and fill with your favorite fillings. Do you love Nutella? Use that. You can make one batch of my easy gluten free pop tarts and fill them with all sorts of things. Each batch will make 6-8 pop tarts, depending on how large you make them.
I have tons of delicious gluten free dessert recipes on the blog. Let me know which ones you try :-).
Why These Pop Tarts Are Great:
- There are lots of light, flaky layers wrapped around a fruity jam filling. You can drizzle on icing, decorate them with sprinkles, or enjoy them plain!
- My homemade gluten free pop tarts recipe is fun to customize with lots of fun fillings. I share a long list below.
- Not only can you make these pop-tarts gluten free, but also dairy-free, sugar-free, and vegan! There are many healthy variations, so you can eat these healthy pop tarts with no guilt!
- These gluten free pop tarts make a fun treat with all of your favorite flavors.
- Use large cookie cutters to make shapes for the holidays!
- I use all wholesome ingredients that are easy to find at any grocery store. There are no artificial dyes or ingredients.
If you love pop-tarts, you will also love other pastries. Check out my Gluten Free Flaky Pastries!
Ingredient Notes:
- Gluten Free Flour Blend - I tested this recipe using Cup4Cup and King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn't mean others will not work. I just have not tested other flours. I will tell you that the Cup4Cup was superior in this recipe. The King Arthur gf blend was good, but it didn't make as many flaky layers as the Cup4Cup.
- Xanthan Gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add one teaspoon.
- Butter - I recommend unsalted butter. To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- Eggs - Use size large
- Vanilla Extract - I recommend using pure vanilla extract.
- Filling - Jam, Nutella, brown sugar, and cinnamon, something savory. Use what you like
- Sprinkles - Not all sprinkles are gluten free; make sure to use gluten free sprinkles. (This link has a good list for you to use.)
- Icing - A simple combination of powdered sugar and water or milk. If you omit this, you have a delicious healthy pop tart alternative!!
Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix them together with a wire whisk.
Step 2: Dump in the cold butter chunks. (You want your butter cold!) Again, use vegan butter if you are dairy-free.
Step 3: Use a pastry blender or pastry cutter to cut in the butter. (You could use a food processor, but this tends to make the butter pieces too small, and you will not get the same flaky layers.)
Step 4: In a small bowl, whisk your wet ingredients together.
Step 5: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Step 6: Mix the ingredients the best you can. You don't want the dough too wet so it will take a bit of effort.
Step 7: I like to do the final mix by hand. It helps to really get the bits of dough all into one ball.
Step 8: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes. Getting it cold will help you get those flaky layers!
Step 9: Layout a piece of wax paper and place the dough ball on top. Optional: sprinkle a little flour on the wax paper to prevent sticking.
Step 10: Roll the dough with a rolling pin to ¼-inch thickness. Use a pizza wheel or sharp knife to cut the uneven edges off. Cut into evenly sized rectangles.
Step 11: Place jam or filling in the middle of a square. Use the back of a spoon to spread it around but leave a good amount of dough around the edges. This is important so you can seal the edges together.
Step 12: Place a square the same size over the jam.
Step 13: Use a fork to press the edges down all around the square.
Step 14: Gently move each pop tart to a piece of parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Step 15: Brush the top of each pop tart with milk or egg wash.
Step 16: Bake at 350º F for 20 minutes until the outside is golden. Your actual bake time will vary depending on the size of your pop tarts, so start checking at 18 minutes for the golden color.
Remove them to a cooling rack so they can cool. The inside filling will be very hot, so you need them to cool before eating or decorating.
Step 17: Mix the powdered sugar, pure vanilla extract, and milk to make your icing. Drizzle it over the top of each pastry and decorate with sprinkles if you like.
Fun Filling Ideas:
- Fill them with Nutella and seedless raspberry jam.
- Make a homemade jam by heating 3 cups of chopped fruit (I used plums) with 3 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes until it is very soft and the juices flow out of the fruit. Sprinkle the tapioca starch, reduce the heat and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Allow cooling.
- Fill them with brown sugar cinnamon (½ cup dark brown sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon gluten free flour).
- Make them savory by adding some of my chicken pot pie filling!
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
Unfortunately, pop tarts are not gluten free. This is why I developed this gluten free pop tart recipe.
The main ingredients are gluten free flour, butter, water, and the filling
The two tips I have found to help keep your pastry flaky are using very cold butter and Cup4Cup gluten free flour. Again most gluten free blends should work, but of the ones I tested, Cup4Cup was the flakiest.
You can eat these gluten free pop tarts any way you like.
Reheat these pop tarts in the toaster oven on a tray. Heat at 250ºF for 5-8 minutes. You can use a microwave but note the filling will get very hot, and the pastry will soften and lose some flakiness.
These pop tarts will keep fresh for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
You can easily freeze these in a freezer bag. To thaw, use the directions to reheat, but if frozen, you will need to bake them longer to heat them up.
Yes, you can make these sugar-free by omitting the sugar in the dough, using a sugar-free jam, and skipping the icing!
You can easily make vegan pop tarts by using an egg replacer.
Store-Bought Gluten Free Pop Tart Options:
If you prefer to buy gluten free pop tarts, I recommend Glutino or Bobo's brands.
Check out my fun gluten free pop tart web story too! This post was updated from an older July 2021 post with more detailed directions.
More Gluten Free Pastry Recipes:
📖 Recipe
The Best Gluten Free Pop Tarts
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, large
- 8 tablespoons butter cold!
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ⅓ cup water cold
For Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons water depending on how runny you want your icing.
Instructions
- Add your dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to blend them all together.
- Dump in the cold butter chunks. (You want your butter cold!) Again, use vegan butter if you are dairy-free.
- Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter. (You could use a food processor, but this tends to make the butter pieces too small and you will not get the same flaky layers.) Your flour mixture will look crumbly.
- In a small bowl, whisk your wet ingredients together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Mix the ingredients the best you can. You don't want the dough too wet so it will take a bit of effort.
- I like to do the final mix by hand. It helps to really get the bits of dough all into one ball.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes. Getting it cold will help you get those flaky layers!
- Preheat the oven to 350º F
- Layout a piece of wax paper and place the dough ball on top. Optional: sprinkle a little flour on the wax paper to prevent sticking.
- Roll the dough to ¼-inch thickness. Use a pizza cutter to cut the uneven edges off. Cut into evenly sized squares or rectangles.
- Place jam or filling in the middle of a square. Spread it around but leave a good amount of dough around the edges. This is important so you can seal the edges together.
- Place a square the same size over the jam. Use a fork to press the edges down all around the square.
- Gently move each pop tart to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Optional: Brush each pop tart with egg wash or milk to allow it to get golden.
- Bake at 350º F for 20 minutes until the outside is golden. Your actual bake time will vary depending on the size of your pop tarts so start checking at 18 minutes for the golden color.
- Mix the powdered sugar, pure vanilla extract, and milk to make your icing. Drizzle it over the top and decorate with sprinkles if you like.
Video
Notes
- Gluten free flour blend - I tested this recipe using Cup4Cup and King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours. I will tell you that the Cup4Cup was superior in this recipe. The King Arthur gf blend was good, but it didn't make as many flaky layers as the Cup4Cup.
- Xanthan gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- The pop tarts will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Lauren
I have a lemon allergy. Can the lemon juice be omitted or is there a good substitute for this ingredient?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi, You can omit the lemon juice :-).
GrammaL
We just gave this our first try, and it is a success. Probably could have done with a bit more water for rolling out, but they came out flaky and delicious. We are already sharing ideas for future fillings….
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you loved these. I just posted a version with leftover cranberry sauce that are also amazing.
Lisalia
I used Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free flour and it worked awesome! What a great recipe with such good flavor and texture. Thanks for another winner!
Sandi Gaertner
You are so welcome Lisa. I am glad the Bob's worked well for you :-).
Gina
I used the KA flour and these turned out amazing - dare I say better than the original!
Sandi Gaertner
I love the KA gluten free flour too!
Shelly W
I can't wait to try this recipe! Having been diagnosed with a sever wheat allergy over 20 years ago, I've missed having breakfast treats like this.
As a note on GF flours, I had better luck using King Arthur GF BAKING MIX for a flour substitute than I did with their actual GF flour blend. That being said, I generally use Bob's 1 for 1 since it's less expensive, more easily found, and works great!
Sandi Gaertner
I have just started to experiment with the baking mix (and adding xanthan gum to it.) I am glad it is working well for you. I like to use Bob's 1 to 1 as well, though lately I am experimenting with Cup4Cup and Better Batter more for baked recipes that need rise time. Have a great weekend!
Sarah
Do these freeze well by chance? I have a 10 yr old who also has a dye allergy so he's never had the opportunity to have a pop tart I would love to be able to make a large batch and freeze.
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Sarah, They freeze really well! This is what we do then we reheat them in the toaster oven.