This peanut butter and jelly pop tart recipe revives a beloved childhood snack and upgrades it for grown-up tastes. They’re great in a lunch box or served warm with a scoop of ice cream.
Start with a straightforward peanut butter and jelly filling tucked into a flaky homemade pie crust, finished with two complementary glazes and sprinkles. Prepare to enjoy a tasty nostalgic treat.
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this recipe
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- Tools you’ll need
- How to make PB&J pop tarts
- Variations
- More baker’s tips
- Storage
- FAQs
- More hand pie recipes
- Homemade PB&J Pop Tarts Recipe
Why you’ll love this recipe
- These homemade PB&J pop tarts taste far better than the store-bought versions.
- The recipe is simple and can be sped up using refrigerated pie dough if you prefer.
- Fillings are easy to customize so you can create a variety of flavors.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The full ingredient list and quantities are in the recipe card below. Key notes and substitutions:
- Pie dough – I use an all-butter pie dough made with flour, sugar, salt, unsalted butter and water. Store-bought pie dough is a convenient substitute.
- Peanut butter – Creamy peanut butter works best for spreading and glazing. Crunchy works for the filling if you prefer texture, but creamy is ideal for the glaze.
- Jelly – Strawberry, grape, guava, or any jam, jelly or preserve you like. Classic strawberry or grape pairs nicely with peanut butter.
- Powdered sugar – Used in both glazes.
- Salt – A pinch of kosher salt in the glazes balances the sweetness.
- Egg – One egg for the egg wash to seal and brown the pastry.
- Milk – Used in the egg wash and glazes; you can use cream for a richer glaze but avoid water in the glazes.
- Turbinado sugar – Optional for extra sparkle and crunch on top.
Tools you’ll need
No special tools are required. Make the dough by hand or use a stand mixer or food processor to speed things up.
How to make PB&J pop tarts
These step-by-step instructions and photos guide the process. If you prefer, skip to the recipe card below.
Begin by preparing the pie dough. You can use an all-butter pie crust or a store-bought refrigerated crust to save time.
Tip: Refrigerated pie dough saves time, but homemade crust delivers the best flavor and texture.
Roll the dough 1/8″–1/4″ thick and cut into 18 rectangles about 2.5″ x 3.5″. Keep the pieces chilled; this makes nine pop tarts.
Tip: You’ll need to reroll scraps at least once. If the dough softens, chill it 15–30 minutes before continuing.
To assemble, brush egg wash around the border of each bottom rectangle. Add 2 teaspoons peanut butter and 1 teaspoon jam to the center, top with another dough rectangle, press the edges and seal with a fork.
Tip: Work in small batches so the dough stays cold. Freeze or refrigerate assembled pop tarts before baking.
When ready, pierce each top with three steam vents. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle turbinado sugar if using, and bake at 400°F for 15–17 minutes until golden.
Prepare the jelly glaze by whisking powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, milk and jelly until smooth.
Make the peanut butter glaze by whisking powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, milk and peanut butter until smooth.
Tip: The peanut butter glaze is thicker than the jelly glaze; add a little more milk if you prefer a thinner consistency.
After the pop tarts have cooled completely, drizzle both glazes in a crisscross or decorate as you like. Finish with sprinkles if desired.
Variations
- Peanut butter only: omit the jam and double the peanut butter glaze.
- Jelly only: omit the peanut butter and use extra jelly and jelly glaze for a fruit-forward tart.
- Seasonal fillings: try apple butter or pumpkin spice spread in fall, paired with a spiced sugar glaze.
- Chocolate option: swap peanut butter for Nutella and use Nutella in the glaze.
More baker’s tips
- Make pie dough ahead: homemade dough keeps in the fridge up to a week or frozen for up to six months.
- Use store-bought refrigerated dough to simplify the process.
- Chill or freeze unbaked pop tarts before baking to keep the crust flaky and prevent the butter from melting too quickly.
Storage
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Refrigerator: Keep up to 2 weeks; bring to room temperature before serving.
- Freezer: Freeze up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature before serving.
FAQs
Commercial creamy peanut butter works well because it has a stable consistency that’s easy to spoon and seal inside the pastry.
That depends on your texture preference: preserves add chunks of fruit, jam gives some texture, and jelly is smooth. Any flavor you enjoy works.
Yes — try other fillings like apple butter, Nutella, or classic cinnamon sugar. The technique is the same for most fillings.
Because these are glazed and may contain sugar that could burn, avoid the toaster. Reheat briefly in the oven if you prefer them warm.
More hand pie recipes
- Pumpkin hand pies
- Apple hand pies
- Peach hand pies
- Strawberry hand pies
- Blueberry lemon hand pies
Hungry for more?
Join the free newsletter for weekly recipes, inspiration and occasional giveaways for subscribers.
Homemade PB&J Pop Tarts
Pin
Comment
Equipment
- Food processor (optional)
- Stand mixer (optional)
Ingredients
Pop tart crust
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (200 g)
- 2 rounded tablespoons granulated sugar (31 g)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 oz cold unsalted butter (about 10 tbsp, 142 g)
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- Extra flour for rolling
Pop tart filling
- 18 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
- 9 teaspoons jelly or jam (flavor of your choice)
Peanut butter glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar (50 g)
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter (15 g)
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon milk
Jelly glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar (50 g)
- 1 tablespoon jam or jelly (use same flavor as filling, 19 g)
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon milk
Egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Turbinado sugar, optional
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
Prepare the crust
- Add flour, sugar and salt to a bowl and whisk to combine. Transfer to a food processor if using.
- Cube cold butter and pulse until pieces are pea- to bean-sized.
- Drizzle cold water while pulsing until the dough just comes together. Scrape the bowl as needed.
- Turn the dough onto plastic wrap, shape into a rectangle, wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- Roll the dough to 1/8″–1/4″ thickness using extra flour as needed.
- Cut into 18 rectangles about 2.5″ x 3.5″. Reroll scraps and chill pieces on a parchment-lined sheet.
Assemble and bake the pop tarts
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon milk to make an egg wash.
- Brush egg wash around the border of bottom rectangles. Place 2 tsp peanut butter and 1 tsp jam in the center. Stretch another rectangle slightly and place on top, sealing edges with a fork.
- Work in small batches to keep dough cold. Freeze assembled tarts for 15 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Before baking, pierce three steam vents in each top, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar if desired.
- Bake 15–17 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
Prepare the glazes
- Peanut butter glaze: whisk powdered sugar, peanut butter, a pinch of salt and milk until smooth.
- Jelly glaze: whisk powdered sugar, jam, a pinch of salt and milk until smooth.
- Transfer glazes to piping bags or resealable bags, snip a corner and drizzle in a crisscross pattern. Add sprinkles if desired.
Notes
- Store-bought refrigerated pie dough is a time-saver.
- Homemade pie dough can be stored in the fridge for up to one week or frozen for up to six months.
- Chilling assembled pop tarts before baking helps keep the crust flaky.
- Experiment with different fillings to personalize your pop tarts.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and should be used as a guideline.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!This post may contain affiliate links. For more details on how affiliates, ads, and sponsored content are used, see the site’s disclosure policy. Thank you for your support.