These Easy Air Fryer Pop Tarts Taste Better Than the Original — There, I Said It

I never would have thought that anything could trump my childhood breakfast of choice, but with just a few ingredients and an air fryer, you can make homemade pop tarts that are out of this world. These homemade pop tarts are absolutely adorable, and come together with just refrigerated pie crust, strawberry jam, and a simple glaze. Everyone I shared them with told me that they tasted better than the original, and I couldn't believe how easy they were to make.

You do need a little patience for these, depending on the size of your air fryer and how many you can cook at a time. I'm lucky to have a Ninja two-basket air fryer, so the cooking went pretty quickly for me, but prepping the pie crust and crimping the edges of each pastry does take a bit of time. I promise it's worth it, though.

You'll start by rolling out the pie crust and cutting it into four rectangles. I used a water bottle to measure mine, but the recipe recommends 5"x3". Make sure you save the extra pie crust, as you can re-roll it out for more pop tarts!

Then, use your fingertip to trace the outside edges of each rectangle with water. This helps you seal the pastry. Once the edges are wet, scoop about a tablespoon of your favourite strawberry jam (I used strawberry preserves) onto the inside of two of the rectangles. Spread it out, and use the water line as a marker for where to stop.

Place the empty rectangle on top of the jam-filled one - flipping it so that the wet sides align - then use a fork to press he edges together. If you're in a rush, you can just seal them with your hands, but the fork tines really add an extra degree of cuteness. While you have a fork in hand, poke a few holes in the top of the pop tarts so that steam can escape.

Then, spray your air fryer and bake these at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes, or until they're toasty and golden brown! Let them cool completely - I popped mine in the freezer to speed up the process - and then glaze. (My first two look a little funky because they cooked over the handle of the crisper plate, so I made sure to fix that the second time around.)

The glaze comes together quickly, and is made of butter, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and icing sugar. I added pink food colouring because I just couldn't help myself. The end result is a much more substantial pop tart than the store-bought kind, and the air fryer gives every bite an irresistible crunch and flakiness. Plus, everything is better when you can control the amount of glaze on top!

P.S. Sprinkles are 100 percent mandatory.

Air Fryer Pop Tarts

Show Me the Yummy

Notes

This recipe yields six pop tarts if you re-roll the dough scraps out and re-use them. If you don't, it yields four pop tarts.

Ingredients

1. 1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts (two pie crusts)
   6 tablespoons strawberry jam/preserves
   2 cups powdered sugar
   2-4 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half plus more if necessary
   2 tablespoons melted butter
   1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   Sprinkles

Directions

1. Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees.
2. Use a pizza cutter to cut each pie crust into four equal-sized rectangles. Combine the leftover dough, re-roll it out, and then cut four more rectangles. You'll have 12 total rectangles.
3. Use your finger to moisten the outside of each pie crust round with water.
4. Place one tablespoon of strawberry jam in the center of six of the rectangles.
5. Spread the jam out to the water line.
6. Top the six filled rectangles with the other six empty rectangles, then use a fork to crimp the edges together. Poke a few holes in the top as well.
7. Place one or two rectangles (depending on the size of your air fryer) in the basket, spray with cooking spray, then bake at 350 for 11 minutes.
8. While they cook, whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, butter, and vanilla extract to make the glaze. Add food coloring if you wish - I used three drops of red food coloring to make mine pink.
9. Spread the cooled pop tarts with the glaze, and finish with sprinkles. Let the frosting set before serving.

Information

Category

Breakfast/Brunch

Yield

4-6 pop tarts

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

11 minutes

Total Time

25 minutes, 59 seconds