Healthy Pop Tarts Recipe

Yes! Healthy Pop Tarts exist!

I’ve had a huge number of emails from you all asking me to make Clean Eating Pop Tarts. But I’ve avoided it for a long time because I’ve found that when people are used to eating the junk food version of something, the clean version of it usually doesn’t make the grade. People’s taste buds get used to the sugary, white floury, starchy, chemically tasting products and after that, healthy just doesn’t seem to measure up in the taste department.

3 Clean Eating Pop Tarts lined up on a long, white platter. They have a honey glaze over the top.

One reader emailed me a recipe from Caplan Miller Events and asked if I could “clean it up”.  Truth be told, I didn’t think I would like them very much. I’ve never had a real Pop Tart, and frankly, the idea is rather revolting, especially first thing in the morning. Ick.

But, not being one to turn down a challenge in the kitchen, I figured it was time to at least give it a try. So I started making them, and had them all lined up nicely on my cookie sheet. Some of the filling had oozed out the sides while I was crimping the edges, so they had a bit of a  pinkish hue to them (you’ll see them below).

My then-husband promptly walked into the kitchen and said, “Um…. I’ve never seen pink ravioli before…”.

I just know he was muttering a prayer under his breath for God to rescue him from dinner that night. I should have played along and served them with spinach.

But long story short, I did enjoy these. All by themselves, they were not very sweet. But with the honey as a topping, they were downright delicious.

Great for breakfast or a snack on the go!

Healthy Muffin Recipes

Healthy Pop Tarts Recipe

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Clean Eating Pop Tarts Recipe

Healthy Pop Tarts

If you’re having a hard time giving up store-bought pop tarts, try making your own instead! Delicious and so much better for you without all those chemicals!
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Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12 pop tarts
Calories: 217kcal

Ingredients

DOUGH INGREDIENTS

  • 2 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp. stevia powder (pure stevia, nothing else added)
  • ½ cup oil (light in flavor like grapeseed or safflower oil)
  • ½ cup almond milk (unsweetened, or regular milk) + extra if needed

FILLING INGREDIENTS

  • 3 tbsp. honey
  • 2 tbsp. cornstarch (or tapioca starch)
  • 2 tbsp. water
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 lb. frozen strawberries (defrosted and chopped – has a higher water content than fresh berries)

GLAZE INGREDIENTS

  • cup Greek yogurt
  • honey to taste
  • lemon juice (to taste)
  • water (optional for consistency)
  • OR, omit the above glaze ingredients and just use honey (pictured above)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Combine all dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl and get your hand dirty! Mix and knead until you have a nice, firm yet soft dough. If the dough crumbles, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. Just be sure to knead the dough really well after each tablespoon you add. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a sticky mess.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the filling ingredients using a whisk. Set aside.
  • Working with small pieces of the dough (I used about 1/3 at a time), roll it out until it’s about 1/8 inch thick (The thinner the better). I rolled mine on parchment paper out of habit. Do what works for you.
    Clean Eating Pop Tarts
  • Cut the dough into rectangles that are approximately 2 inches by 4 inches. I eyeballed this, I didn’t measure. If you have a rectangular cookie cutter, that would work great here as well. If not, just use a knife like I did. They don’t have to be exact.
    Clean Eating Pop Tarts
  • Peel away the rough edges so you are left with a lovely piece of dough like this. (Beautiful, isn’t it?)
  • Separate your pieces so you have some room to work.
    Clean Eating Pop Tarts
  • Using a small spoon, spoon the filling onto half of the pieces of dough, being sure to leave some room around the edge for crimping.
    Clean Eating Pop Tarts
  • Place the “non-berry” dough pieces on top of the pieces with filling.
    Clean Eating Pop Tarts
  • Using a fork, crimp your edges to seal the pop tarts. If some leaks out of the sides, don’t panic. Just crimp.
    Clean Eating Recipes
  • Place all of your pop tarts on an oiled cookie sheet and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes. They should have a nice, golden brown appearance when finished. Remember, you are not really baking the insides. You just want the dough to be cooked. (I tried baking them on parchment, as you can see in the photo above, and I would not recommend it. The dough did not cook correctly.)
  • While the pop tarts are in the oven, mix your glaze if you want to use it. I only used honey on mine because I don’t eat dairy. But if you do, now would be the time to put whisk all those ingredients together in a bowl.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool. You will need a fine edged spatula to remove these from the cookie sheet. Especially if you had any filling leak out the sides.
  • If using honey as a topping, simply drizzle it on. If you are using the glaze, brush it on with a basting brush or spoon it on with a small spoon and allow about an hour for it to dry. Placing it in the fridge during this time would be a good idea.
  • NOTE: I do NOT recommend putting these in the toaster to warm them up. Especially once the honey or glaze is on. Just microwave them for 10-20 seconds to warm them up.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pop tart | Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 165mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 22.2mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1.2mg

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67 Comments

  1. Amy Layne says:

    I think these sound like the perfect treat! I may just have to make them for my treat next week! Thanks for the continuing to provide awesome recipes!!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Amy – Great! Let me know how they turn out for you!

  2. I made these today with my girls (ages 6 & 10). We used wild blueberries for filling (required more thickener) lg sq & circle cookie cutters for shapes and made a vegan cream cheese glaze topping. They turned out AMAZING! All 6 family members love them. We took pictures of the process to post for friends. AWESOME recipe -so yummy! It was not hard – the girls did almost all of it themselves with my supervision and oven assistance. Will be a definite regular family favorite in this house! THANK YOU for the awesome recipe 🙂

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Susan – Thanks for posting your results! They are definitely not as complicated as they look. They’re actually fun to make in my humble opinion. So happy everyone enjoyed them!

  3. Can’t wait to try them!! thanks!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Becky – Let me know how you like them!

  4. Gale Compton says:

    Yum, Yum…can’t wait to try! These remind me of my mom’s fried pies…true comfort food, only clean eating style.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Gale – Wonderful! I’ve never had fried pies, but I’m happy I could give you an alternative!

  5. Oh my godness my children love “pop tarts” but I never buy them. I will definitely have to try these. Thanks!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Lori – Fantastic! I hope the kids will enjoy them!

  6. The kids enjoyed them. I will try to roll it out a bit thinner next time. They didn’t even have honey on them. They loved eating it with their hands (all boys…lol)

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Lori – Wow! I’m impressed! That’s great!

  7. Sweet! Must try one of these weekends when I am home – The man was eyeing Pop Tarts in the market the other day & I knew you were due to post this anytime so, I silently prayed he would walk away – he did!

    Thx – I will surprise the boys!

    thanks for your ‘gracious’ spirit!

    ~d

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Ghalya – Awwwe, thank you! I hope the boys enjoy them!

  8. I was wondering if I could use honey in place of the
    Stevia. I can not handle sugar subsitutes at all. Thanks, and looks great.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Janet – I would just leave it out completely. The added honey might make the dough a bit too wet. The stevia doesn’t add much sweetness anyway. All the sweetness comes from the filling and topping. Enjoy!

      1. That’s a relief to know; I detest the taste of stevia, and don’t want to add any sugar, so it’s good to know that I wouldn’t have to sweeten the filling. I’m thinking I would probably drizzle a small amount of pure maple syrup on them as I ate them individually. I don’t like honey at all, but having grown up in maple sugaring country, I do love THAT taste!

        1. The Gracious Pantry says:

          Joyce – That would be a wonderful option! Enjoy! 😀

  9. trude wofford says:

    I think I will try these with my homemade huckelberry jam for the filling and agave for the glaze! thanks for the recipe tiffany

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Trude – Ooooooh!! THAT would be gooooood!!!

  10. Sounds yummy! Instead of the safflower oil – would canola work just as well? I don’t have any safflower and have a ton of canola. Can’t wait to try this out!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Lora – Yes, canola will work just as well. Enjoy!

  11. I’m so happy I could cry. I thought clean-eating would mean I couldn’t have sweet treats anymore. Now I just have to remind myself not to eat them all at once. Maybe I’ll try freezing some.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Holly – LOL! Oh please don’t cry! That might make your Pop Tarts soggy! 😉

  12. I made these today for my husband. He loves pop tarts and I am always trying to find ways to keep him interested in Clean foods. I asked, “Do you like poptarts?” He immediately hopped out of his chair to try one and gobbled it right up. He said there were better than “real” pop tarts.

    I also had a little bit left over so made two mini strawberry pies. They were super cute and soo yummy!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jaclyn – That’s fabulous!!! I’m so happy he enjoyed them! Husbands can be some of the toughest health food critics. So I’m super happy he liked them!

  13. So should the oven be set at 400 like the original recipe in the link above? I want to make them but I don’t want to mess them up by guessing! Thanks! 😀

    1. Also, are these really messy when you eat them? I want to make them for my military husband while he’s out in the field and wants to snack, but they won’t work if there’s filling pouring out everywhere when he bites into them! Thanks!!

      1. Anonymous says:

        Felecia – You can try them after they have cooled to be sure, but when I made them, they turned out more like a jam filling. Kinda thick. They didn’t spill out at all. But definitely try one to be sure.

    2. Anonymous says:

      Felicia – Sorry! Just updated the recipe. It should be 350. Thanks for catching that!

  14. You’ve ~never~ had a real poptart?? Ohmygoodness. You’re my hero. Honestly, you’re not missing out. We’ve bought the “organic” kind, which are hardly better than the real ones. Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait to try it. Love the blog. : )

    1. Anonymous says:

      cmurphy – LOL! Nope, never! Let me know what you think!

  15. Anonymous says:

    iholly – Wonderful!!! I’m so happy you enjoyed them! 🙂

  16. Anonymous says:

    LaruenK – Changing flour is what did it. There is a huge difference in how different flours behave in baking/cooking. I don’t know much about gluten free cooking, so I’m not sure how to advise you. Perhaps you can add more flour to balance out the oil?

  17. graciouspantry says:

    Hmmm…. Something definitely went wrong there. It does sound like the dough was too thick. Was everything measured properly?

  18. graciouspantry says:

    Hmmm…. Something definitely went wrong there. It does sound like the dough was too thick. Was everything measured properly?

  19. graciouspantry says:

    Yes, they do.

  20. Autumn Martin says:

    These look amazingly delicious, my kids would love them! However, do you know if I could substitute the whole wheat pastry flour for gluten free all purpose flour? I wonder how it would affect the end result?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Autumn – They would fall apart. They aren’t formulated for being gluten free. Sorry!

  21. Do you have any idea how these would hold up for quantity baking? Could they be frozen to be cooked for school morning breakfast? Could you cook, then freeze, then reheat like a Toaster Strudel? I’d like to be able to make enough to last about month, allowing for a Pop Tart breakfast once a week.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jennifer – I think it’d be fine. That’s pretty much how I did it. You just have to be sure the seams are tightly sealed or you’ll have leakage. Also, be sure you don’t over-bake them if you will be “cooking” them again to warm them. Watch them closely in the oven.

  22. Hi,

    This recipe was my first attempt to ever make dough myself, the only other deserts I ever made were caramelized pears with ice cream and cakes from ready cake mixes.

    It was easy to make but my dough wouldn’t get too thin I kept trying to spread it with a rolling pin but the elasticity was high that it would shrink and thicken once I remove the pin, did I work the dough too much while kneading it? what did I do wrong?

    I tried to not over fill them but because the dough was thick it was still too much filling and the elasticity in the dough made it hard for me to crimp the edges that it would almost tear when I pressed too hard to get it done. I baked them they looked nice but were hard and too thick and felt dry because of their thickness 🙁

    can you tell me what I did wrong?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Nada – Hmmm… It’s possible you could have kneaded it too much, but I don’t think that would be the issue really. Did you make any changes to the recipe at all? Are you sure you measured everything correctly?

  23. I believe I measured everything right except I substituted the whole wheat flour with regular all purpose flour, would that be the reason?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Nada – Aaah yes. That’ll do it!

  24. I do not have whole wheat flour handy. What could I substitute for it? I have bread flour, cake flour, all purpose and self-rising. They look fab!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Kim – If you want them to be clean, none of those will work. If that doesn’t matter to you, then the all-purpose would be the closest thing.

  25. So excited to find this recipe. My husband LOVES pop-tarts!!! I am curious though, when making the filling wouldn’t you want less water in the filling so the crust doesn’t get too wet? Or do you drain the water that is defrosted from the frozen strawberries?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jennifer – If you find it’s too wet, you can certainly strain off some of the liquid. But I didn’t have any problem with it. They baked up just fine. You can also boil the filling down a bit to make it thicker and more “jam-like”.