Vegan wild berry poptarts are thick, satisfying, and full of bright, sweet berry flavor! A healthy version of a childhood classic, totally fruit sweetened and gluten free.
If you saw the PB&J pancakes I posted earlier this week, you know that August will forever be “back to school” time for me, even though I’m not a student or teacher anymore.
As a kid, my go to breakfast after rolling out of bed at the very last second before school was a poptart. I was never super hungry in the morning, so I only had one, and more often than not, it was brown sugar cinnamon. Cause those were somehow more breakfast appropriate than all the dessert-esque flavors they have. HA.
Let’s be real, all store-bought poptarts are total sugar bombs, and not nutrient-dense in any way whatsoever. BUT, all poptarts are hella fun to eat, and such a nostalgic, fond memory for me. So, we’re making our own!
You guys may know I don’t mess around when it comes to poptarts. I make them large and in charge so that they’ll actually fill you up, without the crazy sugar buzz and lord knows whatever else is in traditional poptarts.
We’ve done pumpkin pie and my all time favorite chocolate fudge (drooooooling), so today it’s time for another classic – the wild berry poptart.
A little disclaimer before we get into details – these don’t mimic the exact texture and flavor of store-bought poptarts. The dough is thicker and more chewy and cookie-like, and the filling is more creamy. The topping is like a spread rather than waxy frosting. Like most of my recipes, it’s not always my goal to create a replica, but more so to create something similar, that still tastes SO good, and helps fulfill the nostalgia and fun of eating a childhood treat like poptarts.
Okay, enough chit chat. Let’s make poptarts the size of our HEADS.
Better yet, let’s make vegan wild berry poptarts with 4 healthy ingredients, gluten free, and totally fruit sweetened. And the size of our heads.
Ingredients for vegan wild berry poptarts
- Rolled oats: you’ll blend the oats to flour consistency, which will hold the poptart dough together and gives great chewy texture.
- Medjool dates: you’ll blend the dates with hot water to make a paste, which sweetens the poptart dough.
- Berries: you’ll thaw frozen berries to flavor the filling and to mix with yogurt for natural pretty color on top.
- Vegan yogurt: I always use the Kite Hill unsweetened vegan yogurt for great texture and a little tang, with simple ingredients. Use any vegan yogurt you like (though others may change the flavor/texture a bit).
Tips for making vegan wild berry poptarts
- Measure the rolled oats before blending into flour. I always list the amount of oats used BEFORE they’re blended for flour. So in this case, you’ll measure out 2 1/2 cups of whole, rolled oats, then put those 2 1/2 cups into your blender to make flour.
- The dough is pretty dry. The dough should be pretty thick and almost dry – you don’t want it too wet, or else it won’t be able to hold up for the filling. If it seems too dry and crumbly, though, just add a bit more date paste. If it seems too wet, add some more oat flour. The measurements I included in the recipe worked perfectly, but sometimes dates may be more/less moist, so just adjust a bit if you need to.
- Be careful when adding the filling. When the bottoms of the poptarts have baked, you’ll set the pan on the counter and carefully spoon the filling onto each poptart bottom. Remember that the pan is really hot, so be careful.
- Do not overfill. It’s tempting to add a lot of filling to the centers of the poptarts, but if you fill them too much, it’ll all ooze out the sides when you seal them up.
- If you aren’t eating them right away, wait to add the topping. Wait to put the yogurt on top until you’re ready to eat. Because it isn’t traditional “frosting,” it won’t set or solidify, so it’s best added right before you eat.
These vegan wild berry poptarts are thick, chewy, rich, and super satisfying. The combination of sweet chewy crust and slightly tart and tangy creamy filling is a dream. Plus, they’re freaking homemade poptarts, and they’re purple and pink, so I mean, why would you NOT want to try them?!
Xo,
Sara
Vegan Wild Berry Poptarts
Ingredients
Poptart Dough
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats, blended into flour
- 1 cup date paste – I use about 15 medjool dates, blended with 1 c water, then measure out 1 c paste
Filling
- 1/2 cup thawed frozen berries – I used raspberries for the filling
- 1/4 cup unsweetened vegan yogurt
Frosting
- 1/2 cup thawed frozen berries – I used blueberries for the topping, but any berry will work. Be aware though that raspberries or blackberries will break up more easily, while the skins from the blueberries will still be mixed into the yogurt topping
- 1/4 cup unsweetened vegan yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- For the dough, mix the oat flour and date paste in a large bowl. The dough should be very thick and not too wet.
- Press out 1/4 cup of the dough into 4 rectangular shapes on a nonstick or lined baking sheet. These are the bottoms of the poptarts.
- Bake just the bottoms for 10 minutes.
- While the bottoms are baking, make the filling by mashing the with a fork berries and mixing with the vegan yogurt. You can add some stevia if you want it a bit sweeter.
- When the bottoms have baked for 10 minutes, set the pan on the counter and carefully (the pan is really hot!) spoon about 2 tbsp of the filling on top of each poptart bottom. DO NOT overfill! If you have extra, set it aside to spread on top of the cooled poptarts later.
- Measure out 1/4 cup of the remaining dough for each poptart top – shape it roughly with your hands, and place it on top of the filled bottoms, carefully sealing the edges with your fingers (remember, the pan is hot, so be careful!). A bit of filling may seep out when you're assembling, which is fine. Do the best you can and have fun with it 🙂
- Use a fork to gently press the edges of the poptart to seal them together.
- Bake the full poptarts for another 10 minutes.
- Once they're done, allow the poptarts to cool on the pan for 20 minutes before removing from the pan.
- While the poptarts are cooling, make the yogurt frosting by mashing more berries with a fork and mixing with yogurt. Feel free to add some stevia if you want it a bit sweeter, then spread it onto the poptarts. Because this isn't a traditional frosting that will set, it is best spread on right before eating. If you're saving the poptarts until later, wait to spread on the yogurt until you're just about to eat.
