Healthier gluten-free brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts will take you right back to your childhood! Flakey gluten-free and paleo dough is stuffed with a cinnamon sugar filling, baked until perfectly golden, then topped with a cinnamon glaze. These homemade Pop Tarts are gluten free, paleo friendly, dairy free, and can be made nut-free!
Were you team Toaster Strudel or Pop Tarts!? Pop Tarts were the best childhood pleasure. I would take any flavor of those classic toaster pastries – but only if they were toasted! There was truly nothing better than a warm Pop Tart straight from the toaster. This might be a hot take, but the brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts are the best pop tarts, period (closely followed by S’mores or strawberry).
It probably stems back to my obsession with cinnamon toast growing up – a childhood favorite which my mom would always make. It was literally just toast, butter and cinnamon sugar on top!
Now that i’m dairy and gluten-free, I wanted to create a more wholesome option that was even tastier than it’s store-bought counter part. This version has that same flakey crust and cinnamon sugar goodness stuffed inside. They’re topped with the classic cinnamon glaze to really tie it all together. These are INCREDIBLY easy to make, too!
Craving more cinnamon sugar goodness? Try my cinnamon roll overnight oats, no bake cinnamon roll bites, cinnamon roll energy bites, or my mini paleo baked cinnamon rolls!
Brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts recipe video
Why you’ll love these healthier pop tarts
- Wholesome: These homemade pop tarts are adult-friendly with a gluten free dough made with almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut oil, and maple syrup! Simple ingredients are KEY! They are also much lower in sugar than the store-bought option.
- Dietary needs: This recipe is pretty customizable to fit dietary needs. They are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, and refined sugar-free. To make them more Keto, you can swap in golden monk fruit for coconut sugar and to make them nut-free, you can use Tiger nut flour instead of almond flour!
- Minimal effort: Requiring minimal ingredients and minimal time, these toaster pastries are so easy to make and come together pretty quickly! The dough has to chill for 2 hours but that’s the only part of the recipe that takes some waiting time! I feel like pastries can seem very intimidating to make, but these really could not be easier – they are perfect for any baking level!
- Tasty: There is something about warm cinnamon sugar pastries. They not only taste incredible, with all the flavors coming through, but will also make your house smell incredibly nostalgic!
Are pop tarts gluten-free?
You may have clicked on this post, wondering if Pop Tarts are safe to eat for gluten-free diets. Traditional pop tarts are NOT gluten-free, as they are made with wheat flour, and are not safe for those with Celiac disease, a gluten intolerance, or wheat allergies. There are gluten-free store-bought options at some specialty grocery stores, but they can be dry and lackluster. So that is why I set out to make my own version. A perfectly flakey, just as tasty version!
How to make brown sugar cinnamon sugar pop tarts
Full measurements and ingredients are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post!
Equipment
- Food processor – using a food processor makes this recipe even easier and less effort. You can of course mix the dough by hand but the food processor does it in just a minute or two and creates the perfect uniform dough.
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
- Pastry brush: I like to use this to brush over the egg wash but you can use something else!
Ingredients
You just need a handful of gluten-free pantry staples to make these homemade brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts! Some homemade pop tart recipes require pie crust but we are making the shortbread dough at home with just a few ingredients! Made with a mix of almond flour and coconut flour, it’s sweetened naturally with maple syrup.
- Almond flour – almond flour creates a beautiful, light and flakey crust! If you are nut-free, feel free to sub tiger nut flour!
- Tapioca flour – tapioca flour acts as a binder and helps create the perfect dough texture. Arrowroot flour should also work!
- Coconut oil – firm coconut oil, vegan butter, or grass-fed butter is needed to create the pie crust-like dough! If your coconut oil isn’t firm, place it in the fridge for a few minutes until it’s firm.
- Maple syrup – honey or another sticky sweetener will work.
- Egg – I haven’t tested an egg substitute, but think that an egg replacer like Bob’s Red Mill would work.
- Coconut sugar – this is used in the brown sugar cinnamon filling. If you want to create a lower-sugar option, use golden monk fruit sweetener instead!
- Pantry staples: vanilla extract & cinnamon
- Powdered sugar – I use monk fruit powdered sugar to keep this recipe lower in sugar, however you can also use regular powdered sugar!
Steps to make homemade pop tarts
- Step 1 : Make the dough. In a food processor or in the bowl of a stand mixer, pulse together the almond flour and tapioca flour until well mixed. Then add in the coconut oil, processing a minute or so until the dough resembles wet sand. Add in the remaining ingredients, processing another minute or so until a uniform dough forms.
- Step 2 : Chill the dough. Dump the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Form it into a ball. Cover it in saran wrap or fold the parchment paper over on itself and store the dough in a bowl in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Step 3 : Mix the filling. In a small bowl, combined all of the filling ingredients until well mixed.
- Step 5 : Form the pop tarts. Take the chilled dough out of the fridge. Roll it out on parchment paper, into a large, thin rectangle about 1/4″ thick. I like to place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough, use a rolling pin to roll it out, then remove the top piece of paper. Lift the rolled out dough (using the parchment paper) and place it onto a baking sheet. Use a knife to cut the dough into six 3 x 5 inch rectangles and spread them out about 2 inches apart on the piece of parchment paper.
- Step 6 : Fill the pop tarts. Add some cinnamon sugar filling to the center of half of the squares, leaving some space around the edges so that it doesn’t ooze through. Then place an empty square on top. Use a fork to seal the edges shut.
- Step 7 : Egg wash & bake! Brush each tart lightly with egg wash. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes until golden all over. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before icing.
Dairy-free Gluten-free baking
Although this recipe is formulated to be dairy-free and gluten-free, I promise they are just as tasty as if they were made with dairy and gluten containing ingredients!
However, if you aren’t dairy-free, you can definitely use grass-fed butter or ghee instead of coconut oil or you can even use vegan butter instead of coconut oil.
faq’s
- Can I Freeze Pop Tarts? You can freeze the pop tarts for up to 3 months. Once the pop tarts are completely cooled, place the pastries into a freezer bag and store in the freezer. Thaw the pop tarts in the refrigerator overnight and either pop them in the toaster or air fryer to toast them up or reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds-1 minute.
- Can I make the dough ahead of time? Yes! You can prepare the dough, cover the bowl with saran wrap, then store in the fridge overnight. You may need to let the dough sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes before you roll it out.
- Can I just use a 1:1 gluten-free flour instead? The pastry dough was formulated specifically with almond flour and tapioca flour. The mix of the two creates the perfect flakey dough. I wouldn’t recommend trying to sub any other flours – unless you are nut-free, then you can use Tiger Nut flour in place of almond flour!
- Storing leftover pop tarts: They will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the fridge and 3 days out on the counter
Expert tips
- Using a ruler makes it easier to have the same sized dough pieces.
- Don’t over mix the dough. Because this is gluten free dough, it will dry out some and become difficult to roll out if it’s mixed too much.
- Don’t skip the egg wash! This helps seal the pastries and gives them their golden color.
- Be careful not to “overstuff” the pop tarts with too much filling. You want an even layer of filling inside each pop tart so the dough can fit over top.
- Let the pop tarts cool before icing so that the icing doesn’t melt all over!
How to serve gluten-free pop tarts
These gluten-free brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts are best served fresh, once the icing has firmed up. If you plan to toast your pop tarts after icing them, I recommend toasting it in a toaster oven or air fryer oven so that the icing doesn’t melt off into the bottom of a regular toaster!
gluten-free pop tart variations
- Add a cream cheese icing to the top!
- Stir in some pecans to the cinnamon sugar filling.
- Fill pop tarts with blueberry jam and top with blueberry icing for blueberry pop tarts.
- Fill pop tarts with strawberry jam and top with strawberry icing for strawberry pop tarts.
- Cut up some mini marshmallows into small pieces and stir into the filling for brown sugar cinnamon S’mores pop tarts.
More healthy recipes to try
- 2 ingredient Rolo’s
- Healthy Twix Cups
- Almond joys
- Pumpkin struesel bread
- Banana nut scones (paleo, gluten-free)
- Cinnamon swirl banana bread
- Gluten-free pumpkin spice scones
- Cinnamon roll energy bites
II just know you will love these paleo, gluten-free brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tarts! f you make this recipe, it’d mean the world to me if you left a star rating and review below! Also be sure to tag me in your creations on instagram @danishealthyeats!
Homemade Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts (Gluten-free)
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup solid coconut oil or butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 egg room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- sea salt
Filling
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup cashew or almond butter
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil or butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract & pinch of sea salt
Glaze/icing
- 1 cup monk fruit powdered sugar or regular powdered sugar
- 3-4 tbsp milk of choice, as needed
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a food processor or in the bowl of a stand mixer, pulse together the almond flour and tapioca flour until well mixed. Then add in the coconut oil, processing a minute or so until the dough resembles wet sand. Add in the remaining ingredients, processing another minute or so until a uniform dough forms.
- Chill the dough. Dump the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Form it into a ball. Cover it in saran wrap or fold the parchment paper over on itself and store the dough in a bowl in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Mix the filling. In a small bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients until well mixed.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge. Roll it out on parchment paper, into a large, thin rectangle about 1/8" thick (I made mine extra thick in these photos – don't be like me! lol). I like to place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough, use a rolling pin to roll it out, then remove the top piece of paper.
- Lift the rolled out dough (using the parchment paper) and place it onto a baking sheet. Use a knife to cut the dough into 8 rectangles (three cuts from the top down and one through the center sideways) about 4×5". Spread them out about 2 inches apart on the piece of parchment paper.
- Fill the pop tarts. Add some cinnamon sugar filling to the center of half of the squares, leaving some space around the edges so that it doesn't ooze through. Then place an empty square on top. Use a fork to seal the edges shut.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg and 1 tsp water. Brush each tart lightly with the egg wash – don't use too much. Then bake the tarts for 20-24 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before icing.
- Mix together the icing, cinnamon, and milk (starting with the lesser amount) until you reach desired glaze consistency. Ice each tart!
Video
Notes
- Note: For smaller portions: You can make mini pop tarts for smaller portions, creating 8 smaller tarts rather than 4 large ones. The baking time will need to be adjusted, checking in on them around 12-15 minutes.
- Can I Freeze Pop Tarts? You can freeze the pop tarts for up to 3 months. Once the pop tarts are completely cooled, place the pastries into a freezer bag and store in the freezer. Thaw the pop tarts in the refrigerator overnight and either pop them in the toaster or air fryer to toast them up or reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds-1 minute.
- Can I make the dough ahead of time? Yes! You can prepare the dough, cover the bowl with saran wrap, then store in the fridge overnight. You may need to let the dough sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes before you roll it out.
- Can I just use a 1:1 gluten-free flour instead? The pastry dough was formulated specifically with almond flour and tapioca flour. The mix of the two creates the perfect flakey dough. I wouldn’t recommend trying to sub any other flours – unless you are nut-free, then you can use Tiger Nut flour in place of almond flour!
- Storing leftover pop tarts: They will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the fridge and 3 days out on the counter
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