Nostalgic recipes are everywhere right now, and as much as I love recreating some of my favorite childhood treats, I also love trying new treats inspired by them. So when I thought about using a nostalgic recipe, I looked at combining two fun treats, Poptarts and Bagel Bites, into a delicious Pizza Pop Tarts. As a 90s kid, and for any other fellow children of the 1990s, I am sure neither of these treats needs an introduction.
These are so easy to make and can be ready in less than 30 minutes, so what makes pizza pop tarts such an easy recipe to make?
Pizza pop tarts only require a few simple ingredients. Pie crust is super versatile so the savory pizza toppings balance perfectly with the light and flaky pie crust. And instead of topping the pop tart with icing, you can easily top it with a little bit of savings and more cheese or anything else savory you desire.
In this fun guide, we are going to take a closer look at pizza pop tarts. We will even discover a bit about how these were actually once a Pop tarts brand! Additionally, we will discuss how to make your own. Read on to find out more.
How To Make Pizza Pop Tarts
Pie Crust – I use roll-out pie crusts for this, but you can make your own if you prefer. You’ll want to follow a recipe for a double crust.
Pizza Sauce – You could probably do a white pizza here if that’s what you prefer, but I’m channeling Bagel Bites so there is sauce both in the pop tart and on top.
Cheese – If cheeseless pizza exists, I don’t want to know about it! Cheese goes inside the pop tart, and more is melted on top.
Let’s take a look at how all of these ingredients come together.
Pizza Pop Tarts: The Crust
step 1
Roll out two pie crusts to just a bit thinner than they come out of the package.
step 2
Slice each pie crust into three long rectangles.
step 3
Brush each rectangle with olive oil, leaving the edges uncovered, and sprinkle a pinch of salt and a couple of pinches of Italian seasoning on top of the olive oil.
Pizza Pop Tarts: The Filling
step 4
Using the back of a spoon spread half of the rectangle with 1-2 teaspoons of pizza sauce, leaving the edges uncovered.
step 5
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce and add any toppings.
step 6
Brush the edges of the rectangle with the egg.
step 7
Fold the empty half of the rectangle over the top of the half with sauce and cheese, and seal the edges together, first with your fingers, then press with a fork.
step 8
Brush the tops of the pop tarts with more egg, then bake for 12-15 minutes.
Pizza Pop Tarts: The Topping
step 9
Top with another teaspoon of sauce and a tablespoon of cheese, and bake for another 2-4 minutes, till cheese is melted.
Recipe FAQs
What are good toppings for homemade pizza?
I tested this recipe with pepperoni, but you can use any meats, veggies, or yes, even pineapple! Whatever excites you! If you’re using meat, it should be pre-cooked before adding it to the Poptart. Don’t put raw meat in there – it won’t cook fully and will likely contaminate all the other ingredients.
What cheese is best for homemade pizza?
I used shredded mozzarella here, but any type of cheese you enjoy will work. Shredded cheese is definitely best, and I like the rustic cut because it’s a bit thicker, but if you use a finer shredded cheese, just keep an eye on it because it will melt much faster.
What do vegans use instead of cheese?
If you want to skip the cheese, I personally really enjoy Daiya, which is vegan cheese. It does not melt the same as cheese with dairy in it, and in fact, it never really looks like it melts at all, but it does get a deliciously creamy texture that I’ve enjoyed on a homemade pizza.
Tips and Tricks
- When sealing the edges of the pop tart, it’s important to make sure they’re sealed really well or the sauce will leak out. I like to press the edges between my pointer finger and thumb until you can no longer see the seam.
- Though baking is usually quite precise, there is a lot of flexibility with this recipe. The oil, salt, seasoning, sauce, and cheese, can really be measured with your heart. Find the amounts that taste good to you and use that!
- Be cautious to not over-stuff your pop tart! If your pop tart is over-filled, the dough will get holes and the fillings will leak out!
How To Make Puff Pastry Mini Pizza Pop Tarts
Ingredients for about 20 mini pizzas:
1 package puff pastry (preferably made with butter)
A bit of olive oil (for brushing)
500 grams/ 1 pound tomato sauce
300 grams/10.5 oz. grated cheese (mix of mozzarella, cheddar, or any other hard yellow cheese)
Preparation:
- Place the Fast and Crust in the tray in the middle of the oven and set the oven temperature to 200C/400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry dough to about a ½ cm. thick. Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 10 cm./4 in. squares and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush the edges of each square with olive oil.
- Place a tablespoon of tomato sauce onto the center of each square and use the back of a spoon to spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the sauce.
- Slide the baking paper onto the Fast and Crust and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm.
Additional Tips and Trivia
Mushrooms, olives, artichoke hearts, and anchovies would make for great toppings. You can also add some fresh, torn basil leaves right after the pizza comes out of the oven.
Not all of us have the luxury of an “oven,” or even a “toaster oven” and we want hot crispy food too, without ordering in, and ready-made toaster pastry lets us have that. A microwave can’t do the job because microwaves work by heating water so they never heat anything enough to toast it. Unless something goes drastically wrong because, say, you stuck a foil Pop-Tart wrapper in there.
We need an even greater variety of Pop-Tarts, fulfilling our need for both sweet and salty items, the two basic food groups. In the ’70s, Kellogg’s produced pizza Pop-Tarts — though in a baffling bit of market segregation, they refused to call them “Pop-Tarts.” They called the product “Presto Pizza.”
This was 1971, the same year Hamburger Helper and Cup Noodles debuted — truly, it was a golden age for stuff that claimed to be food. It was also the year of the first Starbucks and the first McDonald’s first Quarter Pounder.
Tragically, though other toaster pizzas have come out over the years, Presto Pizza did not last. Why? Was it because it wasn’t very good? That’s no excuse — they should have worked harder and improved it till it earned the official Pop-Tart label. A weary world would embrace pizza Pop-Tarts today.
Even more so than we welcomed Kellogg’s selling pizza at a Times Square Pop-Tart cafe, whose location (i.e. not your kitchen) defeated the whole point of eating Pop-Tarts.