Homemade pop tarts are quick and easy using the air fryer. So much better than store-bought pop tarts, these delicious breakfast treats are made with refrigerated pastry, and strawberry jam, and are decorated with icing and sprinkles.
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Pop tarts always bring back memories of childhood. Those delicous, flaky breakfast pastries, filled with jam and topped with sweet icing and sprinkles.
While store-bought pop tarts are good, homemade pop tarts are even better and they are so easy to make.
These tasty treats can be made with just a few simple ingredients and are easy enough that the kids can do most of the work themselves.
They are easy to customize to whatever flavour you like and you can even make several different flavours in the same batch, so there is something for everyone.
Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients to make your own homemade pop tarts.
- Refrigerated pie crust pastry – This can be found in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores, often near the eggs and butter. You can also make your own homemade pastry if you prefer.
- Jam – You can use any kind of jam or jelly that you like. My favourite is strawberry, but any berry flavour, grape, or cherry are delicious. You can use store-bought jam or homemade. Instant pot strawberry jam is delicious in these pop tarts.
- Egg – This is optional, but gives the pop tarts a nice golden brown colour and slight shine.
- Powdered sugar – This is the base of the icing.
- Cream or milk – This thins the icing so it can be drizzled. You can use lemon juice if you want it tangier.
- Sprinkles – These are totally optional, but make them fun and colourful.
For a complete list of ingredients, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Serving Suggestions
Begin by unrolling the pastry. I like to use a pastry mat, but parchment paper works well too.
Trim off the rounded edges of the pastry and cut it into 4 rectangles. Size doesn’t really matter, you can make them as big or small as you like.
Spread 1-2 tablespoons of jam down the center of 2 of the pastry rectangles being sure to leave half-inch of space around the edges. This forms the bottom of the pop tart.
Pro-Tip – A pizza cutter works well for cutting the pie pastry into rectangles.
Place the remaining rectangles of pastry on each jam-filled piece. Gently press the edges being careful not to squish the jam, then press the tines of a fork around the edges to seal the two halves together. Then poke a few holes in the top of each pop tart.
Whisk the egg in a small bowl and brush over the top of each pastry.
Place the pop tarts in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
Set the air fryer to 350°F and cook the pop tarts for 8-9 minutes until golden brown and they feel crisp when you tap them.
Move the pop tarts to a cooling rack and allow them to cool.
Then mix the powdered sugar and cream in a bowl until smooth and drizzle over each pastry. Sprinkle with colourful sprinkles if desired.
Variations & Substitutions
The great thing about making your own pop tarts is there are endless varieties to choose from and so many ways to customize them.
While I love a traditional strawberry pop tart, you can make them in any flavour you like. Blackberry pop tarts, blueberry or raspberry are all delicious.
Some other fruit flavours to try are;
- Cherry
- Grape
- Apricot
- Peach
- Apple
And if you don’t like fruit pop tarts, here are some other options to try;
- Nutella
- Peanut butter
- Brown sugar and cinnamon
You don’t have to use jam either. If you have some extra pie filling you need to use up then these pop tarts are a great way to use it. They are also delicious with lemon curd.
As far as shape goes, rectangle is the tradtional shape used in these breakfast pastries, but don’t let that stop you from being creative. You can use cookie cutters to make any shape you like. Hearts are super cute for valentines day!
How to Store Homemade Pop Tarts
Homemade pop tarts can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You can also store them in the refrigerator where they should keep for about a week.
Homemade pop tarts can be frozen. Place them in an air-tight container or zip lock bag. They should keep well for several months.
How to Reheat Homemade Pop Tarts
We usually have a batch of these devoured so quickly that we almost never have a chance to reheat them. And when we do have leftovers, we generally just eat them cold, like a hand-pie.
However, it is possible to reheat these pastries in the air fryer.
Just place them in the air fryer basket, set the air fryer to 350°F and heat for 2-4 minutes, or until warm.
The icing will sofen and melt slightly when heated as it doesn’t have any hardening agents in it like you find in store-bought pop tarts. If you don’t want this to happen, and you plan on reheating them I suggest leaving the icing off of the pop tarts and keeping a small batch of icing in the refirgerator. Then you can ice them one-by-one as you eat them.
How to Air Fry Store Bought Pop Tarts
The air fryer is also a great way to heat store-bought pop tarts.
Simply place the pop tarts in a single layer in the air fryer basket or tray.
Set the air fryer to 350°F and heat the pop tarts for 3-4 minutes, or until they are your preferred crispiness.
FAQS
I don’t recommend putting homemade pop tarts in the toaster as the icing on them will melt when heated and could cause a problem in your appliance. If you want to be able to reheat them in the toaster I suggest leaving the icing off and keeping a small batch of icing in the refrigerator. Then you can toast the pop tarts and ice them when they come out of the toaster.
Yes, you can! It will make the pop tarts extra puffy and flaky. Made with puff pastry they will resemble a toaster strudel instead of the traditional pop tart. You will need to add extra time to allow them to cook through. Start with 10 minutes and check to see if they are puffed and golden. If not, add an extra 2 minutes at a time until they are done.
More Air Fryer Pastries
Printable Recipe
Air Fryer Homemade Pop Tarts
Ingredients
- 2 deep dish refrigerated pie crusts
- ½ Cup jam any flavour you like
- 1 large egg
- 1 Cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon milk or cream
- 2 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Place a pastry mat or piece of parchment or wax paper on the counter and unroll the pie crusts.
- Trim the rounded edges off of each crust then cut each pastry into 4 rectangles.
- Spread 1-2 tablespoons of jam in the middle of 4 of the pastry rectangles being sure to leave ½ inch of space around the edges. These will become the bottom of the pop tarts.
- Place the remaining pastry rectangles on top of the bottoms and gently press around the edges being careful not to squish the jam out.
- Using the tines of a fork, press around the edges of each pop tart to seal the top and bottom together. Poke a few holes in the top of each pop tart with the fork.
- Whisk the egg in a small bowl and brush over the tops of the pop tarts.
- Place the pop tarts in a single layer in your air fryer basket or tray and set the air fryer to 350°F. Cook the pop tarts for 8-9 minutes, or until they are golden brown and feel crisp when you tap them. Work in batches if needed depending on the size of your air fryer basket.
- Remove the pop tarts from the basket and move them to a cooling rack.
- Allow the pop tarts to cool, then mix the powdered sugar and milk or cream in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the pop tarts, then add the rainbow sprinkles.
- Allow the icing to harden for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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