There is something about a warm, flaky pastry filled with jammy fruit that makes a kitchen feel like home. These Homemade Blueberry Pop Tarts are our from scratch answer to the boxed toaster pastry so many of us grew up with, and they come straight from the Crowded Kitchen cookbook.
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The crust uses just four ingredients and bakes up tender and buttery. The filling brings sweet blueberries together with bright lemon, and the icing gets its deep magenta color naturally from blueberry puree. Once you pull a tray of these from the oven, the store version will feel like a distant memory.
Homemade Pop Tarts are so much better than store bought
We built this recipe for a series we call Better Than Store Bought, and it started with a slightly sad taste test. Like a lot of people, we loved Pop Tarts as kids, so we bought a box recently expecting a rush of nostalgia.
Instead, the filling tasted thin and the crust was forgettable. That disappointment is exactly why we went back into the kitchen.
This is not our first attempt at recreating the classic toaster pastry. The series already includes homemade strawberry pop tarts and brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts, and both became reader favorites.
Blueberry felt like the natural next step, and the tart lemon in the filling balances the sweet fruit in a way that makes these taste grown up while still feeling like a treat.
The dough is the part people worry about most, and it should not scare you. It behaves much like a pie crust, and it comes together from a simple four ingredient mix. Cold butter does the heavy lifting, and a food processor makes the whole thing quick and nearly foolproof.
Nothing about this process is fussy. If you can make a pie crust, you can absolutely make pop tarts, and even if you have never made either one, the dough is forgiving enough to learn on.
The filling sits somewhere between a jam and a compote. We sweeten ours with honey instead of regular sugar, which keeps the blueberry flavor front and center and adds a soft floral note. It is flexible too. You can swap in strawberries, cherries, or raspberries and follow the same method.
Honestly, these tarts are delicious with no icing at all. We still glaze them because that is what makes them look like the snack we remember. Real blueberry Pop Tarts come with white icing, but ours is magenta because we color it with pureed blueberry filling. We think it looks far prettier on a plate.
The one step that asks for patience is rolling and cutting the dough into neat rectangles. Everything else is straightforward, and the payoff is a flaky, fruit filled pastry that tastes like a weekend project worth repeating.
Key Ingredients Needed for Blueberry Pop Tarts
Everything on this list is easy to find at a regular grocery store. The one thing that needs real attention is temperature, because cold butter and cold water are what give the crust its flaky layers.
Component
Ingredient
Amount
For the dough
All purpose flour
2 ½ cups
For the dough
Unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 cup
For the dough
Granulated sugar
4 teaspoons
For the dough
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons
For the dough
Very cold water
½ cup
For the filling
Blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 lb (450 g)
For the filling
Honey
3 tablespoons
For the filling
Lemon juice
1 tablespoon
For the filling
Lemon zest
1 teaspoon
For the filling
Egg yolk, beaten
1 large
For the glaze
Powdered sugar
1 cup
For the glaze
Lemon juice
½ teaspoon
For the glaze
Sprinkles
Optional
A few notes on the list. The egg yolk is not part of the filling itself. It is brushed around the border to seal each tart so the fruit stays inside. Frozen blueberries work beautifully out of season, and there is no need to thaw them first since they will cook down in the saucepan.
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You will also want parchment paper for the sheet pan and a fine mesh sieve for straining the glaze. A fork does double duty here, first for docking the tops and then for crimping the edges.
How to Bake Homemade Blueberry Pop Tarts
This recipe makes 8 pop tarts. The timing works out to about 30 minutes of prep, 1 hour of chilling, and 50 minutes in the oven, so plan on roughly 2 hours and 20 minutes from start to finish. Here is the whole process, step by step.
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Make the dough. In a food processor, combine the flour, butter, sugar, and salt and pulse a few times until the butter pieces are pea sized. Stream in the cold water, pulsing as you go, until a crumbly dough forms.
Chill the dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently knead it into a ball. Divide it in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap, flattening each one into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
Cook the filling. Add the blueberries, honey, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a saucepan over medium heat. Gently smash the blueberries, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring and mashing occasionally, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
Reserve filling for the glaze. In a small bowl, set aside 2 tablespoons of the filling for the glaze.
Preheat the oven. Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Roll and cut the first half. On a well floured surface, roll one half of the dough into a large rectangle about ⅛ inch thick, then trim it into a straight edged rectangle that is 14 by 10 inches. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 rectangles for 8 total.
Repeat with the second half. Roll and cut the remaining dough the same way. In total, you will have 16 rectangles of the same size.
Dock the tops and fill the bases. Using a fork, dock several holes in the center of 8 of the rectangles, since these will be the tops. Into the centers of the other 8 rectangles, spoon about 1 ½ tablespoons of the filling and spread it into a thin layer, leaving a border around the edges.
Seal the tarts. Around the border of the filling, brush the beaten egg yolk, then place one of the docked rectangles on top, pressing down the edges to secure. Using the tines of a fork, crimp and seal the edges of each tart. Transfer to the sheet pan, then repeat with the remaining pop tarts.
Bake. Bake the tarts for 30 to 35 minutes, until very lightly browned on the top and edges and golden brown on the bottom. Carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze. Add the reserved 2 tablespoons of blueberry filling to a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water and stir to combine, then strain it through a fine mesh sieve into another bowl, extracting as much blueberry juice as possible.
Finish the tarts. Add the powdered sugar and lemon juice to the blueberry juice and whisk until smooth. Spread as much glaze as you would like over the cooled tarts and top with sprinkles.
One thing worth repeating: let the filling cool completely before you fill the tarts. Warm filling will soften the dough and make the edges much harder to seal.
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If the dough feels soft or sticky while you roll it, slide it back into the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Cold dough keeps its shape and crimps far more cleanly.
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These tarts are at their most flaky on the day they are baked, when the crust shatters a little under your fingers and the filling is jammy in the middle. Serve them at room temperature, or warm one briefly if you want that just toasted feeling. They travel well to a brunch table or a lunchbox treat.
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Nutrition (per 1 pop tart with icing)
Amount
Calories
455
Carbohydrates
58.1 g
Protein
4.7 g
Fat
23.6 g
Fiber
2.5 g
Sugar
25.4 g
Sodium
315.1 mg
These values come from the source recipe and are based on one glazed pop tart.
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Top Tips from the CK Test Kitchen!
Storage first. Keep leftovers in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature, or up to a week in the refrigerator.
Keep the butter cold. Use chilled butter cut into even pieces so it does not melt during processing and distributes evenly through the flour.
Cook the filling down. Simmer until it is thick and reduced. A runny filling will leak out of the tarts during baking.
Dock the tops. The holes let steam escape, which keeps the edges from bursting open and the filling from spilling out.
No food processor? Stir the dry ingredients together, then grate in the butter or chop it in with a bench scraper, and work it into the flour with your fingers until the mixture looks crumbly.
If you want to get ahead, the filling can be cooked and chilled while the dough rests, which spreads the work across a relaxed afternoon.
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One last note from the test kitchen. Cold dough, thick filling, and a well docked top are the three things that separate a neat, bakery style tart from a leaky one, so give each of them a little attention.
More Better Than Store Bought Snacks You’ll Love
We hope these blueberry pop tarts become a regular in your kitchen. If you bake a batch, snap a photo and share it with us on Instagram. We love seeing your trays, your glaze swirls, and the little hands reaching for a second tart.
More Better Than Store Bought
If you enjoy this style of baking, the rest of the series is waiting for you. Homemade strawberry pop tarts and brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts follow the same simple dough and the same cheerful weekend rhythm.
FAQs
How do you make the crust for homemade blueberry pop tarts?
The flaky crust uses 2.5 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup chilled cubed unsalted butter, 4 teaspoons granulated sugar, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Pulse these in a food processor until pea-sized, then stream in 0.5 cup very cold water until a crumbly dough forms. Chill the dough for 1 to 2 hours before rolling.
How do you keep the blueberry filling from leaking during baking?
Cook the filling until it thickens, about 20 to 25 minutes, to remove excess moisture. Dock the top crust with a fork to let steam escape, and seal the edges with beaten egg yolk, crimping firmly with a fork. A runny filling is the most common cause of leaks.
How do you store homemade pop tarts and how long do they last?
Store leftover pop tarts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. To restore crispness, reheat them briefly in a toaster or a 300°F oven. You can also freeze the unglazed baked tarts for a make-ahead breakfast option.
Can you use frozen blueberries to make the filling?
Yes, frozen blueberries work perfectly for this recipe. Use 1 pound of frozen blueberries and simmer them with honey, lemon juice, and lemon zest until thickened. Frozen berries may release slightly more liquid, so you might need to cook the filling an extra few minutes to achieve a jammy consistency.
Homemade Blueberry Pop Tarts There is something about a warm, flaky pastry filled with jammy fruit that makes a kitchen feel like home. These Homemade Blueberry Pop Tarts are our from scratch answer to the boxed toaster pastry so many of us grew up with, and they come straight from the Crowded Kitchen cookbook.
Total Time:140 min
Yield:8 pop tarts 1x
Ingredients
Scale
For the dough 2.5 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed 4 teaspoons granulated sugar 2 teaspoons kosher salt 0.5 cup cold water, very cold
For the filling 1 lb blueberries, fresh or frozen 3 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 large egg yolk, beaten
For the glaze 1 cup powdered sugar 0.5 teaspoon lemon juice Sprinkles
Instructions
1-In a food processor, combine the flour,: In a food processor, combine the flour, butter, sugar and salt and pulse a few times until the butter pieces are pea-sized. Stream in the cold water, pulsing as you go, until a crumbly dough forms. 2-Transfer the dough to a lightly floured: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and gently knead it into a ball. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap, flattening each one into a rectangle that’s about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. 3-To make the filling, add the blueberries,: To make the filling, add the blueberries, honey, lemon juice and lemon zest to a saucepan over medium heat. Gently smash the blueberries, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring and mashing occasionally, until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and cool completely. 4-In a small bowl, reserve 2 tablespoon: In a small bowl, reserve 2 tablespoon of the filling for the glaze and set aside. 5-Preheat the oven to 300˚F (150˚C) and: Preheat the oven to 300˚F (150˚C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. 6-On a well-floured surface, roll one half: On a well-floured surface, roll one half of the dough into a large rectangle about ⅛-inch thick, then trim it into a straight-edged rectangle that’s 14×10 inches. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 rectangles for 8 total rectangles. 7-Repeat with the other half of the: Repeat with the other half of the dough. In total, you will have 16 rectangles of the same size. 8-Using a fork, dock several holes in: Using a fork, dock several holes in the center of 8 of the rectangles (these will be the tops). Into the centers of the other 8 rectangles, spoon about 1 ½ tablespoon of the filling and spread into a thin layer, leaving a border around the edges. 9-Around the border of the filling, brush: Around the border of the filling, brush the beaten egg yolk, then place one of the docked rectangles on top, pressing down the edges to secure. Using the tines of a fork, crimp and seal the edges of each tart. Transfer to the sheet pan, then repeat with the remaining pop tarts. 10-Bake the tarts for 30-35 minutes, until: Bake the tarts for 30-35 minutes, until very lightly browned on the top and edges and golden brown on the bottom. Carefully transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. 11-To make the glaze, add the reserved: To make the glaze, add the reserved 2 tablespoon blueberry filling to a small bowl with 1 tablespoon water and stir to combine, then strain it through a fine mesh sieve into another bowl, extracting as much blueberry juice as possible. 12-Add the powdered sugar and lemon juice: Add the powdered sugar and lemon juice to the blueberry juice and whisk until smooth. Spread as much of the glaze as you’d like over the cooled tarts and top with sprinkles.
Last Step:
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