Raspberry Gluten Free Pop Tarts are here to blow your mind. They are flaky, sweet, and oozing with raspberry chia jam. They are vegan and a gluten free pastry that I can totally get behind. This recipe is a little different than the original. Maybe a little healthier and maybe a little more labour will have to go into it (you can’t buy these ones at the store). But man oh man it is so worth it. This is one of my favourite recipes to date.
Who didn’t grow up with pop tarts? If you are a 90’s baby like me, you definitely had your fair share growing up. The Gilmore Girls lived off pop tarts and so did I. It was just the way it was. Even my father in law ate pop tarts as his main meal when he first moved to Kelowna ahead of my mother in law. Pop tarts were just the cool thing to eat. Maybe they still are. Not too sure. But whether or not they still are, I can bet that if you showed up to someone’s house with these gluten free pop tarts, you will definitely be the COOLEST person there. I mean who makes homemade pop tarts? Only cool people.
the breakdown of these raspberry pop tarts
While we are on the subject of cool, I think it’s pretty unique and amazing to make your own jam. You may have noticed that I’m kind of obsessed with chia jam. I love having it on my toast in the morning. But when I was brainstorming for this recipe I thought why not throw chia jam in as the filling!? The chia jam is next level.
The first batch of raspberry pop tarts that I made, Adam said the filling needed to be sweeter. I first tested it with just 2 tbsps of maple syrup and then tested it with 4. He obviously liked the recipe best with 4 tbsps, cause he has such a sweet tooth. A very picky sweet tooth. But you can adjust the sweetness yourself. I would suggest starting with less, and then you can always add another tablespoon or two during the blending process when you add the chia seeds. Remember there is a sweetened glaze on top of these gluten free pop tarts so that will increase the sweetness factor.
The gluten free pastry that is used is crispy, yet flaky and soft on the inside. It’s actually quite easy to roll out and it is quite forgiving. The filling on the inside is made of three simple ingredients and complements that flaky pastry perfectly. And that hibiscus glaze on top is Adam’s favourite part. It’s basically the last part of the recipe that completes these vegan pop tarts.
Is gluten free pastry a little fincky? Yes. But DON’T be intimidated. If you follow the steps in the directions you will be ok! Promise. This vegan pop tart recipe is SO WORTH IT.
are pop tarts vegan?
The traditional pop tarts you buy at the store are mostly non-vegan. The unfrosted ones are actually vegan (apparently) as they don’t contain milk products or gelatin. They are for sure not gluten free though. But this recipe has got you covered. These raspberry pop tarts are gluten free AND vegan so you can dive right in with no concerns. This vegan pop tart recipe check all those boxes for gluten and dairy allergies.
Make these gluten free pop tarts any shape by using cookie-cutter, like the heart-shaped ones I used for Valentine’s Day. I suggest keeping the thickness of the pastry the same no matter what. If your cookie cutter is on the smaller size you may have to adjust the baking time. So I would suggest starting at 15 minutes and then taking a peek and make sure the tops aren’t browning too quickly.
Did you know that icing sugar isn’t vegan?
Honestly, I was pretty horrified to find out that some sugar isn’t vegan. Geez. How is sugar not vegan? Apparently, in the processing of sugar, a lot of companies use bone char as a decolorizing filter. Bone char is cattle bones. Gross. Although I am not highly educated on this topic I do know that there are some companies that do sell completely vegan sugars. I was happy to see that my go-to brand Wholesome has all vegan sugars. Their powdered sugar is vegan so you can have your gluten free pop tarts frosted without worrying about what the heck bone char is.
here are a few reasons why this vegan pop tart recipe is the bees knees
- I have not had a pop tart for a LONG time. And the fact that these raspberry pop tarts are gluten free and vegan is just so wonderful. Growing up, I used to live off pop tarts. I can’t get behind store-bought pop tarts anymore, but I can definitely get behind these raspberry pop tarts. I don’t think I would go as far as calling this vegan pop tart recipe healthy, but they are definitely healthier than the classic pop tarts. This recipe uses all-normal ingredients. They are a treat and a treat that is well worth the time to make them. I absolutely love that they are a walk down memory lane.
- These vegan pop tarts are a gluten free pastry that doesn’t have a gross texture. These raspberry pop tarts are filled with an easy homemade chia jam, and the pastry is flaky and full of flavour. They are beautifully sweetened with a light glaze on top which is Adam’s favourite part of the whole pop tart… They are picky husband approved, and if I may be confident enough to say: I think he would choose these gluten free pop tarts over regular pop tarts.
- Another thing I love about these raspberry pop tarts is the natural food colouring used to make the glaze. Guys, I used hibiscus tea to dye the icing into a pinky colour. So simple and so fun to play around with the shade of colouring you want. All you have to do is steep 3 hibiscus tea bags in a little hot water and then add 1 – 2 tablespoons to your vegan icing sugar. You can play around with thickness too. I liked a thin glaze but if you prefer a thicker icing you can go nuts! I highly suggest using hibiscus tea for food colouring.
Looking for more gluten free desserts for Valentine’s Day, check these out
These raspberry pop tarts may be a little labour of love, but the end result is absolutely mouthwatering. You’ll wish you could buy these pop tarts in a store. I’m hoping Kellogg’s reaches out with a deal for me. Fingers crossed.
gluten free pop tarts
Ingredients
Raspberry Chia Jam
- 1 cup Frozen Raspberries
- 3-4 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
Pastry
- 3/4 cup oat flour
- 1/3 cup arrowroot powder
- 1/3 cup sorghum flour
- 1/2 cup sweet white rice flour
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2/3 cup vegan butter (I used/tested with Miyoko’s Kitchen)
- 2-4 tbsp ice water
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- extra rice flour for dusting the pastry
- 2 tbsp almond milk (add on top of pop tarts before they go in the oven)
Icing
- 1 1/2 tbsp hibiscus tea (Optional for colour/ Steeped 2 bags of hibiscus tea in 1/2 cup of water)
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
To Begin
- Add ice to a glass of water and place it in the fridge for later on.
- Boil water for the hibiscus tea (if using). Add 1/2 cup of boiled water to a cup and then add 3 hibiscus tea bags to it. Let it cool, then place in the fridge until the icing needs to be prepared.
Chia Jam
- Prepare the chia jam. Add the frozen raspberries to a small pot on medium-low heat. Add the maple syrup and let simmer until the raspberries are soft. Add to a food processor and blend until smooth. Stream in the chia seeds while the food processor is running. Pour into a jar and set in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
Pastry
- Make your own oat flour by adding 3/4 cup of gluten-free oats to a food processor and process until a flour consistency has formed. Add all the flours to a bowl, add the sugar and salt. Add the room temperature vegan butter to the flours. Use a pastry blender tool to combine the butter with the flours. Once a crumbly texture has formed, use your hands to further knead the batter. Add 2-4 tbsp of the ice water, thoroughly combine. Start with 2 tbsp and test the consistency of the dough you don't want it to be crumble but you don't want it to be overly wet. The dough should easily form a smooth ball. The dough batter should make roughly 500g. Divide the dough in half (250g) each or just eye ball it, as this isn't overly important.
- ROLLING HACK: Get two pieces of parchment paper, Place one of the dough balls on one piece. Dust the dough with a little sweet rice flour, and then lay the other piece of parchment paper on top. Now use your rolling pin on top of the second piece of parchment paper to roll out the dough, this way nothing sticks to the rolling pin (use the same method when rolling out the second dough ball). Roll each ball of dough into 7.5 inches by 8 inches. About 1/3 inch thick. Cut into 4 equal pieces. From each ball of dough, there will be excess dough to roll into one more pop tart. So each ball of dough will form 5 pieces of pastry. You will have 10 total. Option to use a cookie-cutter (like a heart-shaped one for Valentine's Day). Just keep the thicken the same as above.
- Using a fork, poke holes into the pastries. Transfer 5 pieces onto a lined baking sheet. Add 1 tbsp of the chia jam in the middle of the bottom pastry. Then place the other 5 pastry pieces on top of the jam. Pinch the corners together with your fingers and then with a fork press down on the edges. Set in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. After 15 minutes, brush almond milk over the top surface of each pop tart. Transfer to the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until toasted on top.
- Prepare the icing. Add 1/2-3/4 cup of icing sugar to 1 1/2 tbsp of the cooled hibiscus tea. Add 1 tsp of vanilla and mix until smooth. Set aside.
- Let the pop tarts cool completely before adding the icing on top.
- Add the icing. I added the icing and then placed the pop tarts in the freezer for 10 minutes to let the icing set (totally optional).
- Best enjoyed fresh. Last 2-3 days if stored in an airtight container.
Notes
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All right. This is just quite something. I can’t wait to make these and sit down and devour a few. Hibiscus for the pink frosting. Brilliant. And btw thanks for tipping me off Re bone char. 😳
it’s hard to stop at just one!