Gluten-Free Pop Tarts

5 from 16 votes

Homemade gluten-free pop tarts feature a classic flaky pastry filled with sweet strawberry jam and topped with a vanilla glaze. Each bite is buttery, tender, sweet, and nostalgic.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

chilling time45

Total Time1 25

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free dairy-free pop tarts, gluten-free pop tarts, gluten-free toaster pastries

Servings: servings

Author: Audrey Roberts

Ingredients

2 3/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose rice flour blend with xanthan gum. I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup very cold unsalted butter dairy-free use Smart Balance butter
1/2 cup very cold shortening
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
6 tablespoons ice cold water
16 teaspoon gluten-free seedless strawberry jam

Egg Wash

1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water

Instructions

TO MAKE THE PASTRY DOUGH

Chop the butter into small chunks and place in a small bowl. Put the butter, shortening, and water into the freezer for about 5 minutes or until really cold.
Add the gluten-free flour, sugar, salt in a large bowl and stir to combine the ingredients.
Add the butter and shortening to the flour mixture and mix until the butter and shortening are incorporated into the flour. I use my stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment, but you can use a hand mixer or a pastry cutter.
Add in the eggs, water and apple cider vinegar and mix until the dough starts to form and all the ingredients are combined. The dough will be sticky.
Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.

TO ASSEMBLE THE PASTRIES

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Unwrap the dough ball, cut the dough ball in half and place the half onto parchment paper lightly floured with gluten-free flour.
Shape the dough half into a rectangle. Lightly flour the pastry with gluten-free flour, and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thick.
Using a pizza cutter, cut the 9-inch by 8-inch rectangle.
Cut out the dough into 3-inch by 4-inch rectangles. I used a ruler as a guide.
Place the dough rectangles onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Repeat the steps with the other half of the dough ball to make 8 more rectangles. These will be the tops of the pastries. You will have 16 rectangles in total (8 for the bottom and 8 for the tops).
Spread 2 teaspoons of seedless jam of the top of each dough rectangle.
Place the dough rectangles on top of the filling-topped dough rectangles.
Use a fork to crimp the sides of the dough together.
Use a fork to poke the tops of the pop tarts 3 times. This allows the steam to escape.

EGG WASH

In a small bowl whisk together the egg and stir in the water.
Brush egg wash on the tops of the pop tarts. If you skip this step your pastries will not be golden.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastries are golden and browning on the edges.
Let the baked pop tarts cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

GLAZE

In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the glaze until smooth.
Use a spoon or small spatula to glaze each pop tart. The glaze will slightly harden.
Store pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 6 days.

Video

Notes

I have found that the best way to measure gluten-free flour is to use the “spoon & level” method. Use a spoon to scoop the flour out of the bag into a dry measuring cup (not a Pyrex measuring cup used for liquid). After spooning the flour into a measuring cup, use the back of a knife to level the flour off the measuring cup.
Do not substitute butter for the shortening. Shortening is key to maintaining the moisture of the dough.

Nutrition