Pumpkin Pop Tarts

These pumpkin pop tarts have a crispy golden brown crust, sweet pumpkin filling, and a delicious caramel topping. It’s the perfect festive fall treat to serve for brunch that kids and adults alike will love. And trust me, once you try these, you’ll be hooked!

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love These Easy Homemade Pop Tarts
• Pumpkin Pop Tart Ingredients
• Substitutions and Variations
• Tips for Making the Perfect Caramel Sauce
• Tips for Pumpkin Pop Tart Perfection
• Save This Recipe To Your Inbox
• Let’s Make Homemade Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts!
• Storing Pop Tarts
• Freezing Pumpkin Pop Tarts
• Looking for More Cozy Sweet Treats?
• 📖 Recipe

Pumpkin Pop Tart Ingredients

For the Pop Tarts

• Pie Crust Recipe: My go-to homemade pie crust recipe is perfect for these pumpkin pie pop tarts and is what is pictured in this post. You can also use store bought pie dough or puff pastry. Just make sure you get enough for 2 crusts.
• Pumpkin Puree: You can make your own, but I used canned pumpkin puree in this recipe. Just make sure it’s pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. 
• Brown sugar: Adds deeper, more complex sweetness than white sugar would. 
• Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall depth and aroma of the filling. 
• Warming spices: You know the ones – cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves. It’s worth noting I was never a huge nutmeg fan until I started freshly grated nutmeg. It’s a game changer. 
• Fresh ginger: This is optional, but I love the zing and the spice I get in baked goods from a little fresh ginger root.

For the Caramel Glaze

You’ll find all the typical culprits here for a nice luxurious caramel sauce. The light corn syrup is the exception, but it helps stabilize the sugars. That just means if you’re like me and you get easily distracted, it’s more foolproof.

• Granulated sugar
• Water
• Light corn syrup
• Butter
• Heavy whipping cream

Substitutions and Variations

• Sparkling sugar for caramel sauce: The caramel Sauce will not harden the way a traditional pop tart glaze would. If you want or need to transport these during the week, you can package the caramel a part and let kids dip or drizzle when they’re at their snacking destination, or you can omit the caramel and brush the uncooked, assembled pastry with egg wass, then sprinkle with sugar. I use King Arthur Sparkling Sugar for times like these.
• You can omit any of the spices, although at a minimum, I recommend keeping the cinnamon, ground ginger, and nutmeg. You can also swap the spices for a teaspoon of pumpkin spice.
• Premade pie crust or puff pastry dough instead of a homemade pie crust. Want to make things easy? This is your hack!

Tips for Making the Perfect Caramel Sauce

• Rely on the color of the caramel before adding in the cream. While you can use a candy thermometer to make caramel, thermometers can be off by several degrees and really it takes seconds for sugar to go from perfection to burnt. Personally, I look for the sugar to turn a deep amber color before adding in the heavy cream. 
• On that note, I  recommend using a light-colored sauce pan. As I mentioned above, caramel burns easily, so it’s so helpful to be able to see the sugar as it goes from translucent to golden brown to amber. And that’s easier if you are using an iron-clad or enameled pan. 
• Pre-measure your ingredients to avoid chaos in the kitchen. Once your sugars start caramelizing, things move fast. Having everything at the ready makes it easier to add at the right time.

Tips for Pumpkin Pop Tart Perfection

• Do NOT accidentally use canned pumpkin pie filling. You need pumpkin pie puree for this recipe. The former is sweetened and ready for a pie crust, the latter is pure pumpkin goodness and just waiting for you to work your magic!
• Do not overstuff the pop tarts, and make sure you give the pastry a small perimeter so you can successfully seal it to avoid having pumpkin filling ooze out the pastry in the oven. 
• Use a cookie cutter to make themed pop tarts for holidays like Halloween or Thanksgiving! (Ghosts, ghouls, and fall leaves, anyone?)

Let’s Make Homemade Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts!

Caramel Sauce Glaze

1. Let the 1 cup sugar and ½ cup water, and 1 tablespoon of light corn syrup boil over medium heat, without stirring, until the mixture turns light golden (like honey.) If you want to, you can gently swirl the pan, and use a wet heatproof pastry brush to wash down the sides of the pot to prevent the sugar crystals from burning on the sides. For me, this step takes 6-8 minutes depending on how hot my burner is. Keep an eye on the caramel at all times. 
2. When the mixture is lightly golden, turn down the heat to a minimum and add 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cubed butter. Now you can stir, so grab a silicone spatula or whisk and combine.
3. Add 1 cup of whipping cream a little at a time and stir between additions. When you have added all the cream, allow the caramel to boil for approximately 1 minute.
4. Next, take the pot off the heat and stir in ½ to ¾ teaspoon of salt, to taste. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool at room temperature.

Pumpkin Pop Tarts

1. Preheat oven to 375F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together 8 ounces pumpkin puree, ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves. Stir until well combined.
3. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface and cut 12 equal sized rectangles. If you are using store bought pastry, you’ll need 2 pie crusts and you’ll want to get 6 rectangles out of each one. Pro tip? A pizza cutter is a great way to divvy up the dough!
4. Spoon the filling onto the center of half of the pie rectangles. You want to make sure to leave a ¼” border around the edge of each square.
5. Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl until well combined. Then brush the edges of the pop tarts with the egg wash (alternatively, you can also fill a small bowl with a couple tablespoons of water and dip a finger in it to wet the perimeter) and place another pastry square on top, transferring to the prepared baking sheet.
6. Use a fork to crimp the edge of the dough with a fork.
7. Brush the top of the pop tarts with the remaining egg wash. Bake pop tarts for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Let cool for 15 minutes and drizzle with the caramel before serving. (Psst… if this doubles as dessert, enjoy warm with ice cream.) You can opt to add the caramel as needed, so you can reheat unglazed pop tarts in the toaster throughout the week. (The caramel sauce should be loose enough you can reheat in the microwave for 30 minutes so that you can recreate weekend magic all through the week!)

Storing Pop Tarts

• These pumpkin pop tarts are best eaten fresh for the best crispy and flaky texture.
• I only glaze enough pop tarts for the meal at hand. That way I can reheat them in the toaster for maximum flaky pastry!
• Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• If you are storing the pop tarts glazed, store in a single layer so the bottom of the pop tarts don’t stick to the tops.
• Serve at room temperature or warm unglazed pop tarts in the toaster.

Freezing Pumpkin Pop Tarts

You can freeze the assembled, unbaked pumpkin pie pop tarts so you can bake them off whenever you want a fuss-free breakfast! Place them on a baking sheet and put the entire sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes until they are firm to the touch. Transfer them to a freezer bag or an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. 

Thaw them in a single layer on a baking sheet in the fridge overnight before baking at the instructed temperature and time.

📖 Recipe

Pumpkin Pop Tarts

These pumpkin pop tarts have a crispy golden brown crust, sweet pumpkin filling, and a delicious caramel topping. It's the perfect festive fall treat everyone will love.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course breakfast, brunch

Cuisine American

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Caramel Glaze

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 stick butter 8 tablespoons
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste (you can start with ½ teaspoon if desired)

Pumpkin Pop Tarts

• 1 recipe go-to all-butter pie crust or 1 box puff pastry sheets 2 sheets in a box
• 8 ounces pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves optional

Instructions

 

• Salted Caramel Sauce Glaze
• Let the 1 cup sugar and ½ cup water, and 1 tablespoon of light corn syrup boil over medium heat, without stirring, until the mixture turns light golden (like honey.) If you want to, you can gently swirl the pan, and use a wet heatproof pastry brush to wash down the sides of the pot to prevent the sugar crystals from burning on the sides. For me, this step takes 6-8 minutes depending on how hot my burner is. Keep an eye on the caramel at all times.
• When the mixture is lightly golden, turn down the heat to a minimum and add 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cubed butter. Now you can stir, so grab a silicone spatula or whisk and combine.
• Add 1 cup of whipping cream a little at a time and stir between additions. When you have added all the cream, allow the caramel to boil for approximately 1 minute.
• Next, take the pot off the heat and stir in ½ to ¾ teaspoon of salt, to taste. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool at room temperature.

Pumpkin Pop Tarts

• Preheat oven to 375F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, mix together 8 ounces pumpkin puree, ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves. Stir until well combined.
• Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface and cut 12 equal sized rectangles. If you are using store bought pastry, you’ll need 2 pie crusts and you’ll want to get 6 rectangles out of each one. Pro tip? A pizza cutter is a great way to divvy up the dough!
• Spoon the filling onto the center of half of the pie rectangles. You want to make sure to leave a ¼” border around the edge of each square.
• Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl until well combined. Then brush the edges of the pop tarts with the egg wash (alternatively, you can also fill a small bowl with a couple tablespoons of water and dip a finger in it to wet the perimeter) and place another pastry square on top, transferring to the prepared baking sheet.
• Use a fork to crimp the edge of the dough with a fork.
• Brush the top of the pop tarts with the remaining egg wash. Bake pop tarts for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
• Let cool for 15 minutes and drizzle with the caramel before serving. (Psst… if this doubles as dessert, enjoy warm with ice cream.) You can opt to add the caramel as needed, so you can reheat unglazed pop tarts in the toaster throughout the week. (The caramel sauce should be loose enough you can reheat in the microwave for 30 minutes so that you can recreate weekend magic all through the week!)

Keyword breakfast, brunch, fall desserts, fall recipes, hand pie, kid friendly, pie, pumpkin

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