Homemade Strawberry Pop-Tarts – Easy Crispy Pastry

Homemade strawberry Pop-Tarts are a pastry shell wrapped around thick strawberry jam, sealed, baked, and glazed. The dough weighs 340 g and takes twenty minutes to bring together. The payoff is a crisp, buttery rectangle that no foil packet can match.

The work is in the sealing. Press the edges flat, crimp with a fork, and chill before baking. Cold dough holds its layers, and the filling stays inside where it belongs.

Bake at 190 C and watch for pale gold edges. The glaze goes on warm so it sets glossy and thin. Weigh, watch, repeat.

About the Ingredients

340 g (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour

Weigh flour rather than scooping to keep the dough consistent. Bread flour makes a chewier shell if you prefer it.

225 g (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed

Butter must be cold from the fridge, not frozen. European-style butter has less water and gives crisper layers.

60 g (1/4 cup) cold water

Add one tablespoon at a time; you may not need it all. Whole milk works as a substitute for a slightly richer dough.

30 g (2 tbsp) granulated sugar

Sugar tenderizes the dough and helps browning. Caster sugar dissolves faster if you have it.

3 g (1/2 tsp) fine sea salt

Fine salt distributes evenly; skip coarse flakes here. Kosher salt works at the same weight.

1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash

Egg wash seals the edges and gives color. A tablespoon of milk brushed on works for a matte finish.

300 g (1 cup) thick strawberry jam

Use a jam that holds its shape on a spoon, not a runny preserve. Strawberry preserves with seeds are fine.

8 g (1 tbsp) cornstarch

Cornstarch thickens the jam so it does not bleed. Arrowroot starch substitutes one for one.

120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar

Sift it first to avoid lumps in the glaze. Add a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.

15 g (1 tbsp) whole milk, for glaze

Add milk drop by drop until the glaze ribbons off the spoon. Lemon juice gives a sharper glaze.

2 g (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract

Stir vanilla into the glaze for warmth. Almond extract at half the amount is a strong alternative.

Optional: pink food coloring or freeze-dried strawberry powder

Freeze-dried strawberry powder colors and flavors the glaze naturally. Skip both for a plain white finish.

Tips & Tricks

Keep Everything Cold

Warm butter melts into the flour and kills the flaky layers. Chill the bowl if the kitchen is hot.

Do Not Overfill

Two tablespoons of jam per tart is the limit. More filling bursts the seams in the oven.

Seal Before You Crimp

Press out all air and flatten the edges first. Trapped air pushes the top crust open.

Glaze While Warm

The residual heat thins the glaze and helps it set clear. Cold tarts give a streaky finish.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients

Whisk 340 g flour, 30 g sugar, and 3 g salt in a large bowl. [Even distribution prevents salty pockets.] The mixture looks uniform and no sugar clumps remain.

2. Cut in the butter

Add 225 g cold cubed butter and toss to coat. Rub the butter into the flour until pieces are the size of peas. [Visible butter flakes become the flaky layers.] Stop when the mixture looks shaggy with flat butter shards.

3. Add the water

Drizzle 60 g cold water one tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork. [You want just enough to hold, not a wet dough.] The dough holds when squeezed but crumbles when pulled.

4. Chill the dough

Press the dough into two flat discs, wrap, and refrigerate 45 minutes. [Resting hydrates the flour and firms the butter.] The discs feel cold and firm to the touch.

5. Thicken the filling

Stir 300 g jam with 8 g cornstarch in a small pan over medium heat, 3 minutes. [Cornstarch stops the jam bleeding through the pastry.] The jam thickens and coats the spoon. Cool fully.

6. Roll and cut

Roll each disc on floured parchment to 3 mm thick. Cut into 8 cm by 10 cm rectangles, re-rolling scraps once. [Thin, even dough bakes crisp rather than cakey.] You should get 12 rectangles.

7. Fill and seal

Spoon 2 tbsp cooled jam onto 6 rectangles, leaving a 1 cm border. Top with remaining rectangles, press out air, and crimp with a fork. [Air pockets blow the seams open.] Edges are flat and tight.

8. Chill and egg wash

Freeze the sealed tarts 15 minutes, then brush with beaten egg. Prick each top twice with a fork. [Cold pastry holds shape and the egg wash browns the crust.] The surface looks glossy and dry to the touch.

9. Bake the tarts

Bake at 190 C (375 F) for 22 to 25 minutes. [High heat sets the layers fast before the butter escapes.] Edges are golden brown and the filling bubbles at the vents.

10. Glaze and cool

Whisk 120 g powdered sugar, 15 g milk, and 2 g vanilla, then spread on warm tarts. [Warm tarts set the glaze smooth.] The glaze looks thin and glossy; it firms as it cools.

Delicious Variations

Brown Sugar Cinnamon

Swap the jam for 200 g brown sugar mixed with 10 g cinnamon and 15 g flour.

Raspberry Chocolate

Use seedless raspberry jam and drizzle 60 g melted dark chocolate over the cooled glaze.

Blueberry Lemon

Fold 5 g lemon zest into 300 g blueberry jam for a sharper filling.

How to Store Homemade Strawberry Pop-Tarts

Frequently Asked Questions

Weigh the flour, keep the butter cold, and seal every edge flat. Bake one batch this weekend and tell me how the glaze sets. Weigh, watch, repeat.

Homemade Strawberry Pop-Tarts

Homemade strawberry Pop-Tarts with flaky butter pastry and bright jam filling, baked crisp and glazed. A weekend project worth every minute.

★★★★½ 4.8 (214 ratings)

40 minPrep time25 minCook time6Servings412 kcalCalories

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🧂 Ingredients

• 340 g (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 225 g (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 60 g (1/4 cup) cold water
• 30 g (2 tbsp) granulated sugar
• 3 g (1/2 tsp) fine sea salt
• 1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash
• 300 g (1 cup) thick strawberry jam
• 8 g (1 tbsp) cornstarch
• 120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
• 15 g (1 tbsp) whole milk, for glaze
• 2 g (1/2 tsp) vanilla extract
• Optional: pink food coloring or freeze-dried strawberry powder

📋 Instructions

1. 1Mix the dry ingredients — Whisk 340 g flour, 30 g sugar, and 3 g salt in a large bowl. [Even distribution prevents salty pockets.] The mixture looks uniform and no sugar clumps remain.
2. 2Cut in the butter — Add 225 g cold cubed butter and toss to coat. Rub the butter into the flour until pieces are the size of peas. [Visible butter flakes become the flaky layers.] Stop when the mixture looks shaggy with flat butter shards.
3. 3Add the water — Drizzle 60 g cold water one tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork. [You want just enough to hold, not a wet dough.] The dough holds when squeezed but crumbles when pulled.
4. 4Chill the dough — Press the dough into two flat discs, wrap, and refrigerate 45 minutes. [Resting hydrates the flour and firms the butter.] The discs feel cold and firm to the touch.
5. 5Thicken the filling — Stir 300 g jam with 8 g cornstarch in a small pan over medium heat, 3 minutes. [Cornstarch stops the jam bleeding through the pastry.] The jam thickens and coats the spoon. Cool fully.
6. 6Roll and cut — Roll each disc on floured parchment to 3 mm thick. Cut into 8 cm by 10 cm rectangles, re-rolling scraps once. [Thin, even dough bakes crisp rather than cakey.] You should get 12 rectangles.
7. 7Fill and seal — Spoon 2 tbsp cooled jam onto 6 rectangles, leaving a 1 cm border. Top with remaining rectangles, press out air, and crimp with a fork. [Air pockets blow the seams open.] Edges are flat and tight.
8. 8Chill and egg wash — Freeze the sealed tarts 15 minutes, then brush with beaten egg. Prick each top twice with a fork. [Cold pastry holds shape and the egg wash browns the crust.] The surface looks glossy and dry to the touch.
9. 9Bake the tarts — Bake at 190 C (375 F) for 22 to 25 minutes. [High heat sets the layers fast before the butter escapes.] Edges are golden brown and the filling bubbles at the vents.
10. 10Glaze and cool — Whisk 120 g powdered sugar, 15 g milk, and 2 g vanilla, then spread on warm tarts. [Warm tarts set the glaze smooth.] The glaze looks thin and glossy; it firms as it cools.

👨‍🍳 Chef's Note: A fork crimp is not decoration; it is the seal that keeps 300 g of jam inside the pastry. Press firmly and chill before baking.

Servings: 6

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

Nutrition (per serving): 412 kcal · 5g protein · 58g carbs · 18g fat

Written by Tomasz Wiśniewski

Tomasz writes precise, method-first recipes for breads, ferments, and slow braises, drawing on Polish and Central European home cooking. He cares about weights, temperatures, and timing, and explains the reason behind each step so cooks can repeat results. His angle is turning fussy techniques into clear, checkable instructions.