Vegan Apple Pop Tarts

Are you ready to indulge in an irresistible flaky pastry filled with the mouthwatering flavor of spiced apples? Look no further than these homemade vegan pop tarts!! These delightful, handheld apple pastries are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or anytime you're craving something sweet and fruity.

Now you can make this sweet treat at home with my easy recipe! It's way easier than you would think and I am going to show you exactly how to do it! You won't be disappointed because these homemade treats taste way better than traditional pop tarts or anything you can buy at the store and even better they're vegan!

Love apples? Then you definitely need to try my apple baked oats, apple puff pastry danish, and apple dessert bars!

What You'll Need to Make Homemade Vegan Pop Tarts

Here's a look at the simple ingredients you need to make homemade vegan pop tarts! The full list and quantities are in the recipe card further down the page.

• All-purpose flour: Necessary to give the structure to the crust for your pop tarts.
• Sugar: Use regular granulated sugar to add a bit of sweetness to the dough while brown sugar is best to give the apples more depth of flavor than regular sugar. Powdered sugar works best to make the frosting as it dissolves more easily into the other ingredients for a smooth texture.
• Vegan butter: A main component of the homemade pop tart dough but you will also need some for cooking the apple filling.
• Apples: Fresh apples are the winner here!! Use your favorite baking apple. Granny Smith apples, Honey Crisp, Gala, and Pink Lady are just a few that are known for making pie filling.
• Cinnamon: Apple's favorite spice. You can also use apple pie blend spice if you want a bit more complex spiced flavor.
• Vanilla extract: Adds aroma and hints of warmth to the apple filling and the frosting. Use pure vanilla extract for the best results.
• Cornstarch: A simple thickener is added to the apples to make the mixture a bit more firm.
• Vegan cream cheese: This makes the base for the creamy cinnamon-flavored frosting for your pop tarts.
• Dairy-free milk: Just a touch of non-dairy milk is all it takes to thin out the frosting a bit.

Substitutions and Variations

• Swap the apples for pears! This is an easy swap without the need to change much in the recipe!
• Experiment with other fruits. You can definitely make pop tarts with a strawberry filling or other type of berry. I'd use the same process but skip the cinnamon.
• Skip the homemade filling. Use vegan apple butter or other fruit jam instead! This does tend to make a thinner and sweeter pop tart.
• Gluten-free pop tarts. Swap the flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend. The brand King Arthur has the best 1-to-1 blend in my opinion.
• Dough time-saving tip. If you don't have time or don't want to mess with the homemade you can also use a vegan puff pastry or vegan pie dough instead. These are often available in the grocery store in the refrigerator or freezer section.

How to Make Vegan Pop Tarts

Let's get started with how to make vegan pop tarts! There are a few different components involved and takes a bit of time but it's not too difficult, I promise!

Step 1: Make the Dough for Homemade Pop Tarts

1. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and cubed butter in a large bowl. Use your hands to break up the butter clumps and mix with the dry ingredients.
2. Add the cold water and mix it into the butter and flour mixture until it forms a dough. Refrigerate the dough ball for at least 45 minutes before rolling it out.

PRO TIP: It's essential that you start with cold butter and use cold water. This will help produce a flakier crust for your pop tarts.

Step 2: Make the Filling

1. Cook the diced apples with the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Cook until the apples have softened, stirring occasionally.
2. Use an immersion blender to blend the filling.

3. Add the cornstarch and cook the filling until it thickens.

Step 3: Roll Out and Fill Pop Tarts

1. Roll out the pop tart dough on a clean, lightly floured surface using a rolling pin. Cut the dough into 5 by 7-inch rectangles using a knife, pizza cutter, or pastry cutter. The goal is 16 rectangles so you will be making 8 pop tarts.
2. Place eight of the rectangles of dough on a lined baking sheet and place a dollop of the filling in the center of the square.

3. Place the second rectangle of dough on top and seal the pop tart with a fork around the edges.
4. Poke three small air holes on the top of each pop tart using a fork. Lightly brush maple syrup on the tops of the pop tarts. This will work as a vegan egg wash to help the pop tarts brown a bit on top while cooking. Bake the pop tarts until they're cooked.

Step 4: Make the Frosting

1. Whisk together the frosting ingredients until they're combined.
2. Spread on top of your fully cooled pop tarts and sprinkle with a little extra cinnamon on top.

Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

• Cold Butter and Ingredients. Always start pie dough or in this case, pop tart dough with cold ingredients. It's helpful to place the butter in the freezer for ten minutes before mixing to make sure it's extra cold.
• Fully Cooled Pop Tarts. Make sure your pop tarts are fully cooled before you add the frosting. Otherwise, the frosting will melt right off.
• Chill Your Dough. This gives the dough time to rest but also the butter will warm up while you are working with it so giving it time to chill allows the butter to firm up again. This not only makes it easier to work with, but it also makes sure your dough bakes up flakier.
• Enjoy Immediately. I find these always taste best on the first day but if you have leftovers store them in a single layer in the fridge for up to three days.

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Frequently Asked Questions

More Apple Recipes

Vegan Apple Pop Tarts

These homemade vegan pop tarts are delightful, handheld apple pastries that are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or anytime you're craving something sweet and fruity.

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Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Chill time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Dough Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour 300 g
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegan butter 227 g
• ¼ cup cold water

Filling Ingredients

• 3 medium apples
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Frosting

• ½ cup vegan cream cheese
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon dairy-free milk
• pinch salt

Instructions

 

• Start by cutting the cold butter into cubes.
• Prepare the dough by combining the flour, sugar, salt, and cubed butter and combining with your hands, breaking up the butter clumps. Then add the cold water and mix until it forms a dough.
• Refrigerate the dough for 45 minutes. Otherwise, it will be too soft to roll out.
• While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling. Finely chop the apples and add them to a pan over medium heat. Add the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until the apples have softened.
• Use an immersion blender to blend the filling. Then add the cornstarch and cook the filling for another 2-3 minutes, until the filling thickens.
• Roll out the pop tart dough over a clean, lightly floured surface. Cut out 5 by 7 inch rectangles. You should make 16 rectangles, making 8 pop tarts.
• Place 8 dough rectangles on a lined baking sheet, place a dollop of filling in the center, and enclose with another dough rectangle.
• Seal the pop tart with a fork, then cut off the excess edges (optional). Poke 3 small holes on the top of each pop tart using a fork. Lightly brush maple syrup, on top of the pop tarts, substituting for egg wash.
• Bake the pop tarts for 20 minutes at 350*F/ 175*C.
• While the pop tarts are baking, whisk together the frosting ingredients until combined.
• Once the pop tarts have baked and have fully cooled off, top them with the frosting, sprinkle extra cinnamon on top, and enjoy!

Notes

• Cold Butter and Ingredients. Always start pie dough or in this case, pop tart dough with cold ingredients. It's helpful to place the butter in the freezer for ten minutes before mixing to make sure it's extra cold.
• Fully Cooled Pop Tarts. Make sure your pop tarts are fully cooled before you add the frosting. Otherwise, the frosting will melt right off.
• Chill Your Dough. This gives the dough time to rest but also the butter will warm up while you are working with it so giving it time to chill allows the butter to firm up again. This not only makes it easier to work with, but it also makes sure your dough bakes up flakier.
• Enjoy Immediately. I find these always taste best on the first day but if you have leftovers store them in a single layer in the fridge for up to three days.

Keyword apple pop tarts, vegan pop tart recipe

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