Sourdough Pop Tarts
Sourdough pop tarts are easy to make with your sourdough discard and taste so much better than any store-bought toaster pastry!
The crust is filled with your favorite pop tart flavor, such as strawberry or blueberry, and topped with a sweet glaze.
If you're like me, you love having sourdough discard recipes so that none of your sourdough starter goes to waste!
These homemade pop tarts are made using a sourdough pie crust and the sweet filling of your choice!
It's kind of like a pop-tart and a toaster strudel had a sweet and flaky sourdough baby!
So grab your sourdough starter and let get to baking!
How to make sourdough pop tarts
Homemade pop tarts are simple to make, so let's dive straight into the details!
Prepare the crust
Grate the butter with a cheese grater and then use a bench scraper to cut the butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it forms large crumbles.
Add the sourdough starter discard and vinegar to the bowl. Mix with a fork until it starts to come together.
Press the mixture together with your hands until there are no dry bits. If the dough is too dry, add a teaspoon of ice water at a time to adjust. (Don't add too much water.)
Press the dough into a small rectangular shape and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to press the dough flat and to smooth the edges.
Let dough chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. (Up to 24 hours.)
Roll the dough and fill
Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and place onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangular shape, about ⅛" thick. Trim the edges and cut into 4 long, evenly shaped rectangles.
Lightly beat an egg and brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash.
Spoon 2 tablespoons of your choice of filling onto one side of each piece. Fold the dough over and press the edges with a fork to seal.
Place the unbaked pop tarts onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the top of each pop tart with the egg wash.
For these photos I used my homemade strawberry jam and homemade Nutella.
Bake and glaze
Bake in a preheated 350° F (177° C) for 25-30 minutes oven or until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool.
Mix ½ cup of powdered sugar with 1 teaspoon of water and glaze each pop tart. (Add more water if the glaze is too thick.)
Sprinkle the top with sugar crystals or sprinkles.
(If you put the glaze on while the pop tarts are still hot, it will melt and become thin.)
Pop tart flavor variations
- Frosted Strawberry - Use 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam per pop tart.
- Frosted Blueberry - Use 2 tablespoons of blueberry jam per pop tart.
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon - Mix ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ tablespoon flour in a bowl. Use 1-2 tablespoons for each pop tart.
- Nutella Pop tarts - Use 1-2 tablespoons of homemade Nutella per pop tart.
- Apple Butter - Use 2 tablespoons of homemade apple butter per pop tart. (fall flavored pop tarts)
How to store and freeze
Store the sourdough pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for 6 days. Reheat in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 10 minutes.
To freeze baked, unglazed, sourdough pop tarts, let cool completely. Wrap tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
Easy sourdough recipes to try
- sourdough brownies
- sourdough chocolate chip cookies
- cut out sourdough sugar cookies
- sourdough blueberry muffins
- chocolate chip sourdough scones
Sourdough Pop Tarts Recipe
INGREDIENTS
Crust Ingredients
- 1 cup + 1 teaspoon (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter (cold)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (125 g) sourdough discard
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) white vinegar
Strawberry Filling
- ½ cup strawberry jam (see notes)
- egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten)
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon water
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the crust
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and salt. Grate the cold butter, using a cheese grater, into the flour mixture. Use a bench scraper or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until it forms large crumbles.
- Add the sourdough starter discard and vinegar to the mixture and use a fork to bring the dough together. Use your hands to bring the mixture into a cohesive ball and press into a rectangular shape. (Add a teaspoon of cold water if the mixture is too dry.)
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough and smooth the edges. Let the dough chill in the fridge for at least one hour. (Up to 24 hours)
Assembly
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle, with a ⅛" thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 4 long strips. Brush the edges with the egg wash.
- Add 2 tablespoons of filling to one side of each rectangle and fold the dough over itself. Use a fork to press and seal the edges. Brush the egg wash over the top of each pop tart.
- Place the pop tarts onto the baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer the baked pop tarts to a cooling rack.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and water together until thick and smooth. Pour onto each pop tart and sprinkle with coarse sugar or sprinkles.
NOTES
- Frosted Strawberry - Use 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam per pop tart.
- Frosted Blueberry - Use 2 tablespoons of blueberry jam per pop tart.
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon - Mix ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ tablespoon flour in a bowl. Use 1-2 tablespoons for each pop tart.
- Nutella Pop tarts - Use 1-2 tablespoons of homemade Nutella per pop tart.
- Apple Butter - Use 2 tablespoons of homemade apple butter per pop tart.
Say I wanted to make the dough a chocolate crust with chocolate filling... would I replace some of the flour with cocoa powder? do you have a suggestion? just dreaming!
Hi Alexis, yes you can do that. I would also add more sugar.
I FOLLOWED THE RECIPE USING DISCARD STARTER. THE TASTE WAS GOOD BUT CRUST SEEMED DENSE. IS THIS WHAT USUALLY HAPPENS WHEN DISCARD IS USED?
It means that you may have overworked the gluten in the crust.
Omgosh, if I showed you the ongoing texts with my family about these........ hilarious! They’re all addicted! I can’t make them fast enough. The adult parents aren’t even sharing with my grandchildren! Haha!
I’m going to attempt some savory ones, hope they’re as good! Also, has anyone tested with a butter alternative, like coconut oil? Would the texture fail? The butter is gonna kill off my loved ones if I keep making them so much! 😆
That's awesome! I haven't tested with coconut oil but I'm sure someone will chime in and let you know if it works!
I have been looking for a pop tart recipe to try and am definitely going to try it! Do you have a suggestion for a substitute for the egg wash? We have egg allergies in this household
You could use milk or cream 🙂
These are so good but my pastry dough on top always bursts open when baking and almost looks lumpy. Any idea what I might be doing wrong?
It sounds like there is a little too much filling. I would try less the next time to see if that helps!
These are AMAZING! Even my picky teenager loved them and said to never buy store pop tarts again. The only fall is it doesn't make enough :-). I was able to get 5 using the cut off edges for the extra. I made the brown sugar/cinnamon, so so good. My husband who doesn't like super sweet treats even loved them. These will be a weekend staple in our house.
I love this recipe and the way my first batch turned our but my dough is so sticky! I can't even get it off my parchment paper without it ripping, even after chilling for over 12 hours. Any tips?
It sounds like you didn't add enough flour.
Made these this morning and they are delicious. I used strawberry jam and some Carmel apple jam that I made this fall… i will seal the sides better next time, as there was some jam that escaped. My husband gives a thumbs up!
Carmel apple sounds amazing!! Yum!
Excellent! We have a Dutch Bakery near us and my partner said, "These are as good as Jaarsma's Bakery". Followed the instructions to the letter except before putting pasty into oven I cooled the prepared tart in frig for maybe 15 minutes. Really flakey crust.
Thank you so much! 🙂
I am assuming you can freeze the dough? I love these!! Making a couple of batchs, sweet and savory. While I have xtra discard I was hoping to make more dough and freeze.