When I want dessert, I tend to gravitate toward gluten-free cookies, but I was excited to try out this gluten-free Pop-Tart dupe: Katz gluten-free toaster pastries.
Katz has some delicious products, such as their Gluten-Free Creme Cakes (they are like Twinkies) and their Gluten-Free Apple Fritters, so we had high hopes for these toaster pastries. But did they deliver?
Katz Toaster Pastries Review
We reviewed Katz Toaster Pastries to let you know whether you should grub them or snub them.
First Impressions
The packaging is cute and inviting, and you get 4 pastries per box. The size of the actual pastry is generous, and I believe they are beefier looking than a traditional Pop-Tart, which I remember used to be on the thinner side.
But the actual toaster pastries look nothing like what the box shows. The brown sugar doesn’t even have the same color of frosting shown on the box. The only real way you can tell the strawberry apart from the brown sugar is because the brown sugar has a light dusting of cinnamon on top.
Frosting
The frosting is quite haphazard, almost like it’s been frosted by hand and not machine. I don’t actually think it has, but it’s odd that the frosting is so inconsistent. I’ve seen other reviews on this product, and the frosting is wildly inconsistent across the board, with some of the gluten-free toaster pastries not getting much frosting at all.
The flavor of the frosting is unremarkable, bordering not good. I wish it had a vanilla flavor or an anything flavor for that matter.
The texture of this brittle frosting is where it all goes really wrong. For some reason, the frosting just sits like a sheet on top of the pastry. It’s not “glued” to the pastry. So when you crack open the treat to take a bite, the frosting sometimes shatters and falls off.
Takeaway: The frosting has an odd flavor and shatters easily.
Pastry
The pastry has an almost raw look. It’s also pretty soft and powdery. A regular Pop-Tart is firm and clearly cooked, but whether this toaster pastry was cooked was slightly questionable. I mean, it clearly is. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but the coloring and texture are so odd for a pastry that has already been cooked.
The flavor is not good because it tastes like raw dough!
Again, the texture is where it really goes south. Now, let’s remember that these are toaster pastries, which means they are meant to be toasted. Plus, Katz‘ even says, “For best flavor/texture we recommend warming in toaster oven.” However, if you cook these, they will crumble to literal dust. I did a few tests off-camera, and the pastry will stay mostly together only if you keep it cold.
Takeaway: The pastry tastes uncooked and crumbles to sand when you do cook it.
Related: Gluten-Free Donuts You Have To Try
Filling
The filling is really sweet, but this is decidedly the best part of these gluten-free toaster pastries. The strawberry tastes artificial, even though the box says they use real fruit. But in a blind taste test, you’d at least know you’re eating strawberries. The filling is generous as well, which is always a plus.
However, the filling on the brown sugar is not as generous. It is much tastier than the strawberry, though, with a buttery, brown sugary, cinnamony taste. Overall, the brown sugar gluten-free toaster pastry is not as sickly sweet as the strawberry version.
Takeaway: The brown sugar is the clear winner, while the strawberry is too sweet and artificial.
Ingredients
Katz Gluten-free Brown Sugar Cinnamon Toaster Pastries have the following ingredients:
Gluten-free flour blend (tapioca starch, sorghum flour, white rice flour, corn starch), water, palm oil, sugar, brown rice syrup, light brown sugar, confectioners sugar (sugar, corn starch), tapioca dextrin, corn fiber, xanthan gum, sunflower lecithin, salt, glycerin, molasses, canola oil, baking soda, natural flavor, ground cinnamon, agar, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate.
katzglutenfree.com
Katz Gluten-Free Strawberry Toaster Pastries have the following ingredients:
Gluten-free flour blend (tapioca starch, sorghum flour, white rice flour, corn starch), water, palm oil, sugar, brown rice syrup, light brown sugar, confectioners sugar (sugar, corn starch), tapioca dextrin, glycerin, xanthan gum, corn fiber, natural flavor, vegetable juice (color), strawberry powder, sunflower lecithin, salt, lemon powder, canola oil, baking soda, apple fiber, caramel extract, agar, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, sodium alginate.
katzglutenfree.com
Allergens
- Gluten free
- Soy free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Egg free
Cross-Contact
Katz states that all of their products are made in a dedicated gluten-free facility that is also nut-free and dairy-free. Katz products are certified by the Gluten Intolerance Group.
Price
$5.99/box
Related: Gluten-Free Ice Cream Brands: A Complete List
Reviews
The customer reviews are currently sitting at 4 stars for the Strawberry and 4.5 for the Brown Sugar Cinnamon.
What’s weird is that many people are giving 4 or 5 stars but heavily criticizing the product. Here’s an example of a 5-star review:
Toaster Strawberry
I was disappointed. I didn’t have much filling and the frosting was crumbled up in the package not on the toaster.
Debbie Urban – 04/07/2023
Here’s another 5-star review:
Disappointing / The frosting falls off completely and crumbles / Please fix it
This one was a big miss and i expect better from Katz. The frosting crumbles completely off of the pastry. It makes a mess. The flavor is okay. Kind of like a pop tart. I wish they would have been more careful before releasing it.
KG – 04/06/2023
Takeaway: Don’t let the number of stars blindly sway you. Read the product reviews for yourself before deciding whether you’re interested in trying these GF toaster pastries.
Katz Gluten-Free Toaster Pastries: Grub It or Snub It?
Snub it! We give Katz gluten-free toaster pastries a rating of 4.75 out of 10.
These gluten-free Pop-Tart dupes need to be heavily reworked, and that’s supposedly what Katz is working on. Katz responded to one of the reviews and said:
Rest assured, Mrs Katz and our production team have already resolved the issue.
katzglutenfree.com
It’s unclear when Katz left that comment, but it was sometime between March 1, 2023, and April 1, 2023. (We purchased and reviewed our products during that same timeframe.) So, let’s give Mrs. Katz a second chance, and we’ll taste these GF toaster pastries again in a few months. For now, just stick to Katz gluten-free donuts and donut holes because those are delicious.
If you’ve had Katz gluten-free toaster pastries, let us know in the comments what you thought about them!
