this recipe is a beautiful combination of homemade pop tarts and the flavors of carrot cake! these are the ultimate recipe for spring, mother’s day and easter. they got a big stamp of non-vegan approval too, so you will be sure to love these.
Spring is springing and for some reason that just makes me think of carrot cake! Most likely because they are in season during late spring. So, I wanted to do something more fun than just make a vegan carrot cake recipe because there are ton other ideas. Another recipe I have been wanting to make are pop tarts and that is how the vegan carrot cake pop tarts were born!
The Components
There are a few parts to making these vegan carrot cake pop tarts. It is layered with flavor so let’s get into it:
- The crust. We make a homemade pop tart crust, which is really just pie crust dough. This will make a nice flaky base for the pop tart.
- The filling. The filling is made from blend up carrots, walnuts, brown sugar, and spices. It is so yummy you’ll want to eat it with a spoon.
- The glaze. We of course had to make a vegan cream cheese frosting glaze. It is the best amount of sweetness but without being overbearring.
- Walnut brown sugar topper. I wanted to add a little something on top to make it special so the walnut brown sugar topper adds the perfect little touch.
Tips for Making Pop Tarts
These aren’t hard to make but they can be a time consuming. Here are some tips I learned along the way that will help the vegan carrot cake pop tarts making process easier.
- Cold vegan butter, cold water. Okay, this isn’t really new news but just as a reminder when making a pie crust you want your fat and liquid to be as cold as you can get them. I would suggest sticking both in freezer before making.
- Work with one piece of dough at a time. I divide the dough into 4 parts and then just take one piece out of the fridge at a time so the others stay cold.
- Flour your surface liberally. This helps you to roll out the dough better and let it non stick.
- Don’t overfill your pop tarts. It can always be hard to not overfill so make one add a small scoop of filling and see how that looks when you close it up, then you will know if you need more or less.
- Let them cool before glazing. Again something that isn’t new but the reminder is always helpful let it cool for at least 30 minutes if not longer.
More Baking Recipes
Vegan Carrot Cake Pop Tarts FAQ
- Can these be made gluten free? I did not try this recipe with gluten free flour. I would suggest using gluten free all purpose flour if you want to try.
- Can this be made ahead of time and enjoyed later? Yes, definitely! You can freeze them if you like and then heat them up in an air fryer, oven, or microwave until warm.
- How long will these last? Up to 3 days on the counter. Just warm it up before you eat them.
- Can these be made nut free? If you want to substitute sunflower seeds for the walnuts it may work but I didn’t try so I cannot speak to how well it will work.
- Can I make this without a food processor? You can use a blender for the filling and topper and make the dough by hand.
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Vegan Carrot Cake Pop Tarts
Time for spring baking with these homemade vegan carrot cake pop tarts! They are so delicious you will love it.
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 ½ cups (180g) all purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons organic sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (112g) vegan cold butter
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) ice cold water
- 1 tablespoon almond milk, for brushing on prepared pop tart before baking
Filling
- 4 carrots peeled (about 4 ounces/115g)
- ½ cup (60g) walnuts
- ½ cup (100g) organic brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Glaze
- 1 ounce (28g) vegan cream cheese
- ¾ cup (90g) organic powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 teaspoons water enough to make glaze thick enough to your liking
Optional Topper
- 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons walnuts
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: into a food processor add the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse to mix. Add in the cold butter and cold water. Pulse and mix again until big pieces of the dough has formed. Use your hands to bring the dough together and form into a ball. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in the food processor add the ingredients for the carrot filling. Pulse and mix until everything has formed into a paste. You may need to scrape the sides down with a spatula. *If you like your carrot cake to be very spiced feel free to add in more of the spices to bring out a stronger flavor. You can taste the filling and adjust accordingly.
- Prepare the topper by adding the walnuts and brown sugar into the food processor and pulsing until they have turned into a fine crumble. This is optional and you don’t need to do this if you don’t want to.
- After 30 minutes remove the dough from the fridge and divide into 4 sections.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Take one ball and place it on onto a clean well floured work surface. Roll it out to be a rectangle that is about a ¼ inch thick. You want it to be thick enough to support the filling. Use a sharp knife to cut out 4 long rectangles about 2 to 3 inches wide. Add a scoop of filling about 1 ½ tablespoons to center of one half. Fold the other half over top and then use a fork to seal up the pop tart and place on a lined baking sheet. Brush with nondairy milk to help add a golden color to pop tarts. Repeat this process until all pop tarts have been made. If you need to see a visual I would suggest watching the YouTube video. *I did not care about all of them having perfect sharp edges if you do you can use a knife to cut out and define the edges more.
- Once 8 pop tarts have been made (2 dough balls) you can bake the first batch. Bake for 24 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Repeat the process with the other 8 pop tarts.
- Allow them to cool on a wire rack (or in a separate dish) for at least a half hour before making the glaze. To make the glaze mix together all the ingredients into a small bowl. If you want the glaze thinner add more water.
- Add a small spoonful of glaze on top of each pop tart and allow it drip down onto the pop tart, then top with the topping.
- Enjoy immediately or allow them the glaze to harden and store until ready to eat.
Video
Notes
- You can make the dough by hand if you prefer or don’t have a food processor. Just use a knife to cut the butter into the flour and then mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead with hands 1 to 2 minutes until it comes together.
- My Food Processor
- If you want more of a frosting than a glaze you can triple the amount of vegan cream cheese and beat it with a hand mixer along with 1 tablespoon vegan butter, add the powdered sugar and a few teaspoons nondairy milk until a thick frosting has formed.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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