Vegan Cranberry Lemon Pop-Tarts

As a self-proclaimed foodie, I always try to keep up with the latest food trends.

I’m so obsessed with food trends, in fact, that I recently wrote an article ranking viral TikTok recipes, which you can read more about here.

Lately, however, there’s been one food trend that’s thrown me for a loop—homemade Pop-Tarts.

As a person who never grew up eating Pop-Tarts as a child, I always considered them as something rather bland and artificial-tasting. All that changed, however, when I tasted my first artisanal Pop-Tart and realized what I’ve been missing all these years. Flaky, sweet, and with just the right amount of childhood nostalgia, there’s something about a homemade Pop-Tart, made with natural ingredients, that feels simply irresistible.

After tasting my first homemade Pop-Tart, I figured I’d try to make one myself and fell in love with the results.

Perfectly sweet and sour, these pink cranberry Pop-Tarts put a unique spin on the classic pop tart, adding chia for extra protein and cranberry for a tart twist. Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee, and serve as breakfast or dessert.

three cranberry pop tarts in a container

Vegan Cranberry Lemon Pop-Tarts

Recipe Type: Breakfast Sweets

YIELDS

PREP TIME 02 hour 00 min

COOK TIME 15 min

TOTAL TIME 02 hour 15 min

Cranberry Chia Jam
2 cups frozen or fresh cranberries
2 T chia seeds
1 T lemon juice
1 zested lemon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Vegan Pie Crust
4 cups flour
1 1/3 cup coconut oil
6-12 T ice cold water
1 tsp salt
4 tsp sugar
'Egg' Wash
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/8 cup soy milk
Cranberry Glaze
1.5 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp soy milk
1 zest of lemon
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp cranberry chia jam (set aside)

Directions

Prepare the Dough & Jam

1. Make the chia jam: Pour 2 cups of frozen cranberries, 1 tbsp lemon juice, lemon zest, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 cup water, and ½ cup sugar into a pot. Boil for 6–8 minutes, or until the cranberries start to burst, and then reduce to a low simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Let the jam rest and solidify overnight.

3. Prepare the crust: Add 4 cups of flour, 4 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp salt, stirring until well combined. Add 1 ⅓ cup coconut oil to a bowl, and break into tiny pieces. Slowly mix and add 6–12 T ice cold water, one spoonful at a time, kneading with your hands until the dough forms a ball.

4. Refrigerate the dough for 24–48 hours.

Bake the Pop-Tarts

1. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, and roll out until it’s approximately ⅛ inch thick. Cut into rectangles 3 inches wide by 5 inches high.

2. Set aside 2 tsp of cranberry chia jam for the powdered sugar glaze.

3. Place a dollop of chia jam on half of the rectangles, saving the other half of the pie dough rectangles to go on top.

4. Lightly massage the edges of the chia jam halves with water. Press the second piece of dough on top and pinch the edges together with a fork.

5. Prepare ⅛ cup of soy milk and ⅛ cup of maple syrup as a vegan egg wash substitute. Brush over the top of the Pop-Tarts and pierce the center of the Pop-Tart three times with a fork, to allow heat to escape from the center of the pastry.

6. Place the filled and crimped Pop-Tarts in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.

7. Bake at 350 for 15–20 minutes or until the edges tart to brown slightly.

8. Prepare the glaze: Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl and then stir with soy milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and chia jam.

9. Remove pop tarts from oven and let cool.

10. Once cooled, glaze the Pop-Tarts and enjoy!

Also by Dana: Crispy Onion Carrot Slaw Sub

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Photo: Dana Drosdick