Vegan Cinnamon Pop Tarts

These vegan cinnamon pop tarts are gluten-free and so easy to make. They have a flaky gluten-free crust, brown sugar cinnamon filling, and delicious cinnamon frosting. "Are pop tarts vegan?" is a common question, but with this recipe, you don't have to guess. These are completely gluten-free and vegan pop tarts made from scratch with wholesome ingredients and no artificial flavors. Better than the real deal!

Brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts were one of my favorite flavors as a kid. Having pop tarts for breakfast is a childhood memory I think many people have! And who says you can't have pop tarts as an adult? I bet you will love these gluten-free vegan pop tarts more than the "real ones" from the store.

If you're looking for another delicious cinnamon breakfast option, add these cinnamon roll donuts to your list! You won't regret making either recipe.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Ingredient Notes
• Gluten Free Pastry Dough
• Step By Step Instructions
• Filling The Pop Tarts
• Frosting The Pop Tarts
• Expert Baking Tips
• Flavor Variations
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Storing and Freezing
• More Vegan Recipes
• Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Gluten Free Pop Tart Crust - These vegan pop tarts have a 5-ingredient, flaky gluten-free crust that melts in your mouth.
• Brown Sugar Cinnamon Filling - The brown sugar cinnamon filling is just coconut sugar, cinnamon, plant milk, and a bit of gluten-free flour. Easy to make and super delicious.
• Simple Cinnamon Frosting - Frosted cinnamon pop tarts are better than unfrosted ones, agreed? Making the cinnamon frosting takes only 2 minutes.
• Healthy Pop Tarts - These are gluten-free and vegan pop tarts made with plant-based ingredients, much healthier than the store-bought versions.
• Easy to Make - This pop tart recipe is surprisingly easy to make, I promise!

Ingredient Notes

The ingredients for these vegan pop tarts are so simple. Store-bought brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts have over 25 ingredients, including corn syrup and artificial caramel color. These homemade vegan pop tarts only have 8 ingredients, and none of them contain dairy, gluten, or artificial anything.

Here are some important notes on a few of the ingredients, including tips for making substitutions if you need them:

• Gluten-Free Flour - Use a gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour with xanthan gum in the ingredients list. I like King Arthur gluten-free flour. Do not attempt to use coconut flour or almond flour in this recipe.
• Coconut Oil - The gluten-free pop tart crust is made with coconut oil instead of butter to make this recipe dairy-free. Make sure to work with cold, solid coconut oil.
• Plant Milk - Any unsweetened plant milk works well in this recipe. I prefer using almond milk, but oat milk, soy milk, or other plant milk is just fine.
• Coconut Sugar - Coconut sugar is an unrefined sugar that tastes like brown sugar in these pop tarts. You can replace it with brown sugar if you prefer.
• Cinnamon - The cinnamon filling and cinnamon frosting are what makes these vegan pop tarts so tasty! Try adding nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice for even more flavor.
• Powdered Sugar - Make sure to use organic vegan powdered sugar to make the cinnamon frosting for the vegan pop tarts.

Gluten Free Pastry Dough

Since these pop tarts are gluten-free, it's important to know how to make a good gluten-free pastry dough for the crust. Gluten-free pastry dough behaves differently than traditional pastry dough because gluten-free flour absorbs more moisture than wheat flour. This means more liquid is necessary for making the dough, and it's important to use cold ingredients.

Make sure to properly measure your flour. I recommend weighing your flour on a kitchen scale to ensure you are not overmeasuring your flour. When you scoop flour out of the bag with a measuring cup, you will measure too much flour because it packs down in the cup. Not measuring flour properly can create pastry dough that is too dry and crumbly to roll. Be careful of this!

If you don't have a kitchen scale, you can use the spoon-and-level method for measuring your gluten-free flour. Use a spoon to "sprinkle" the flour into the measuring cup. Once full, use a knife to level the cup and brush off excess flour. This should result in a fairly accurate measurement of flour because you are not packing the flour into the measuring cup.

Make sure you let the dough rest. Gluten-free flour needs time to absorb the liquid properly, so remember to let your dough chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This allows it to properly absorb the moisture and makes it easier to work with.

Step By Step Instructions

Here are step by step instructions and helpful tips for making the pop tart dough:

STEP 1: Stir dry ingredients. In a large bowl, stir together the gluten-free flour, coconut sugar, and salt until combined.

STEP 2: Mix in coconut oil. Use a pastry cutter to mix in the solid coconut oil. Keep mixing until you get a clumpy, sandy mixture, like big breadcrumbs. You should still have some pea-sized coconut oil chunks, this is good.

STEP 3: Add plant milk. Make sure to use cold plant milk straight from the fridge. Use a pastry cutter to mix until a thick dough begins to form. Be careful not to overmix or it will become tough. The dough should be thick and maybe a bit sticky.

STEP 4: Chill the dough. Divide the dough into two balls and flatten them into disc shapes. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge to chill for 15-30 minutes. Chilling is important for allowing the flour to absorb moisture properly.

STEP 5: Roll out the dough one disc at a time. The easiest way to roll the dough is between two pieces of parchment paper to prevent sticking. If you don't have parchment paper, roll it on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the pop tart dough into a large rectangular shape.

NOTE: The pop tart dough may seem crumbly at first. Remember that gluten-free dough does not behave like traditional dough and may feel dryer or more crumbly than what you are used to. This is okay and normal! Roll the dough as best you can. Using parchment paper between your rolling pin and the dough makes it easier and prevents the dough from sticking to your rolling pin. And remember, you can always patch the dough if it does stick or tear.

STEP 6: Cut the dough into rectangles. Use a knife or a rectangular cookie cutter to cut the dough into 8 evenly-sized rectangles. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then roll out the second disc of dough and cut it into 8 rectangles as well. Set them aside while you make the brown sugar cinnamon filling.

Filling The Pop Tarts

The filling for the cinnamon pop tarts only takes a minute to mix up.

STEP 1: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir the coconut sugar, cinnamon, flour, and coconut oil until well combined. It should have the texture of wet sand.

STEP 2: Add filling to pop tarts. Use a spoon to add the brown sugar cinnamon filling into the middle of the rectangles of dough. Be sure to leave a border of dough around the edges for crimping later. You only need to add filling to the 8 rectangles on the baking pan, not all the rectangles.

STEP 3: Place dough on top. Next, take the rectangles of dough without filling and place them on top of the ones with filling. Use a fork to crimp all the way around the edges, molding the pop tarts together. Use a toothpick to poke a few holes in the tops to allow for airflow while baking and brush some plant milk over top to encourage light browning in the oven.

TIP: If the dough cracks, don't panic. Gluten-free pastry dough is prone to cracking more than wheat flour doughs, but it is easy to fix! You can patch the holes with excess dough, or brush plant milk over the cracked areas and use your fingers to mold any tears back together.

STEP 4: Bake the vegan pop tarts. They should bake for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. They may turn slightly golden brown around the edges and corners. Allow them to cool before frosting them.

Frosting The Pop Tarts

You can make frosting for the vegan cinnamon pop tarts with just 4 simple ingredients. Here are instructions for frosting the pop tarts:

STEP 1: Mix frosting ingredients. In a small or medium bowl, stir together the vegan powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and plant milk until creamy and smooth. It should be thin enough to spread, but not super runny.

TIP: You can adjust the frosting consistency. If the frosting is too thin and runny, add more powdered sugar until it becomes thicker. If it is too thick and is hard to spread over the pop tarts, add more plant milk one teaspoon at a time.

STEP 2: Frost the pop tarts. Use a spoon to drizzle the cinnamon frosting over the pop tarts once they are cooled. You can use the back of the spoon to spread it around the pop tart, creating an even layer of frosting.

Expert Baking Tips

• Properly Measure Flour - I'm saying this again because it's really important not to over measure the gluten-free flour! Use a scale or the spoon-and-level method to measure the correct amount of flour and ensure you don't end up with a dry pop tart dough.
• Don't Overmix The Pastry Dough - Pastry dough gets tough and hard very quickly. Work the dough as little as possible to ensure it stays flaky and soft. This means mixing it and rolling it as few times as possible.
• Use Cold Ingredients - When making the gluten-free pastry dough, make sure the coconut oil is solid (not softened or melted), and the plant milk is very cold. Don't use your hands to mix the dough or the oil can become too warm and melt. You want to have small pea-sized bits of coconut oil throughout the pastry dough when you're mixing.
• Brush The Pop Tarts With Milk - Before baking, brush the tops of the vegan pop tarts with plant milk to encourage them to brown while baking and also seal any tears or cracks that might've happened while assembling them. Don't forget to poke a few holes in the tops to allow air to escape.

Flavor Variations

These cinnamon pop tarts are incredibly delicious, but you can make other pop tart flavors with this recipe with a few simple changes.

• Vegan Strawberry Pop Tarts - Fill the pop tarts with this homemade strawberry jam and omit the cinnamon from the frosting for a delicious strawberry pop tart recipe.
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Pop Tarts - Use your favorite jelly for filling the pop tarts, and then drizzle peanut butter on top the baked pop tarts for a delicious combination.
• Blackberry Pop Tarts - Make this homemade jam with blackberries for filling the pop tarts. Add a little bit of jam to the frosting (instead of using cinnamon) for the best blackberry pop tarts.
• Homemade Blueberry Pop Tarts - Just like the blackberry pop tarts, you can make homemade blueberry pop tarts by filling them with blueberry jam and omitting the cinnamon from the frosting.
• Maple Pop Tarts - Use pure maple syrup instead of coconut oil in the cinnamon filling and use maple extract in the frosting instead of vanilla for super delicious maple pop tarts.

If you love adding fruit to your breakfast (and pop tarts), you might love this almond butter and chia jam toast or these protein overnight oats, too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing and Freezing

Store the pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. Consider heating them in the microwave for a few seconds to enjoy a warm pop tart for breakfast.

To freeze the pop tarts, place them in an airtight container with parchment paper between each layer. They can keep in the freezer for 2-3 months. Be sure to let them thaw for an hour or two before enjoying again.

More Vegan Recipes

If you made these vegan cinnamon pop tarts, I would appreciate it if you would leave a rating and review below. If you post a photo on Instagram and tag me, I will happily share it. For more recipe inspiration, follow me on Pinterest and join my email list to stay updated with new recipes and exclusive content each week.

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