Air Fryer Hot Pockets | Homemade – Frozen
Air Fryer Hot Pockets are so very easy. They only take a few minutes; you can fill them with whatever you like. Sweet or savory.
🍽️ Recipe Name: Air Fryer Hot Pockets – Homemade or Frozen
⏰ Ready In: 20 minutes
⏳ Prep Time: 10 minutes
🔥 Cook Time: 10 minutes
👥 Serves: 4
🥕Main Ingredients: Puff pastry dough, pizza sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, egg wash.
🍳 Special Equipment: Air fryer, mixing bowl, pastry brush, tongs, rolling surface.
⭐ Why You’ll Love It: Quick, crispy, and endlessly customizable with sweet or savory fillings, perfect for a fast snack or easy meal anytime.
👇 Full measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.
You can use store-bought frozen hot pockets. We find making our own is more fun and so much more versatile. We’ll walk you through both.
The air fryer will give you that perfectly crispy crust if you make them from scratch or use frozen ones from the freezer section of your grocery store. Skip the microwave and that cardboard sleeve. These are next level.
The hardest thing about making them is deciding what to fill them with. The possibilities are endless. Maybe we can come up with a few ideas?
See suggestions in the variations section below the step-by-step process information.
What You Need
- Dough – use pizza dough, pie dough, puff pastry sheets or even packaged crescent roll dough. We prefer puff pastry dough. They come out flaky and crispy.
- Pick from the suggested fillings listed below – for our purposes, we’ll explain pizza pockets with puff pastry sheets.
- Pepperoni or cooked sausage
- Pizza sauce or tomato sauce mixed with Italian seasonings.
- Mozzarella cheese – grated or chopped into small squares.
- Egg wash – one egg mixed with a tablespoon of water.
How to Make Homemade Hot Pockets
Chop any meat fine.
Chop vegetables small—blanch before adding to hot pocket.
Cut cheeses into small squares. Or grate them on a box grater.
Remove dough from the freezer 40 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
Place it on a lightly floured board and roll it out with a rolling pin.
Cut dough into four equal pieces.
If using tomato sauce, add Italian spices, salt, and pepper to it.
Mix well.
Add about a tablespoon of pizza sauce to the top of one of the squares of dough.
Sprinkle with a tablespoon of meat or chopped pepperoni slices.
Top with cheese.
Brush two of the edges with egg wash to ‘glue’ them together.
Fold the dough over so that the edges overlap. Trim the edge if needed.
Press firmly to seal. Crimp edges with a fork, if desired.
Place two to three hot pockets on your air fryer basket, depending on the size of your air fryer.
You want to give them room all around for a crispier crust.
If you’d like a softer crust, baste them lightly with egg wash before air frying.
Preheat the air fryer for about 5 minutes. Fry hot pockets for 4 minutes on the first side. Carefully flip with tongs and air fry for an additional 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crisped to your liking.
How to Make Them from Frozen
Remove the hot pocket from the package. Remove the plastic wrap and the crisper sleeve.
Place 2-3 hot pockets in your air fryer basket, depending on the size of your air fryer.
Air fry for 6 minutes at 350°F. Carefully remove from the air fryer and flip with tongs. Continue to air fry for 5-6 minutes until golden brown and crisped to your liking.
What Fillings to Use – Variations
- Pizza flavorings and toppings- sausage, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, Italian seasonings like garlic, basil, oregano, and parsley.
- Ham and cheese– Use whatever cheese you have in the house. Cheddar, Swiss, Gouda, Gruyere- they are all good.
- Broccoli and cheese– this vegetarian version is one of my favorites. Blanch the broccoli before constructing the hot pocket. Add whatever cheese and spices you like.
- Taco– make a Mexican version with cooked ground meat or chorizo, Mexican cheeses, tomato sauce or refried beans, cumin, chili powder, and garlic.
- Breakfast – Scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage or ham, and Colby Jack or mild cheddar cheese.
- Dessert – Use apple pie filling, blackberry pie filling, cherry pie filling, peach pie filling, strawberry pie filling. Whatever you have on hand. Use a cheesecake filling or pudding and top with fruit or a fruit filling.
Tips for Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three days. Reheat in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes per side until hot.
You can make extra pockets and wrap them in plastic wrap. Freeze for 2-3 hours until solid; add them to freezer bags or vacuum seal and freeze them for up to six months. Remove them from the freezer and place them in the air fryer basket after unwrapping. Cook at 350°F / 170°C for about six minutes per side until golden and crisped to your liking.
More Air Fryer Recipes
Tools That Make This Recipe Work
If you don’t already have these, this is where most people struggle.
- Cuisinart TOA-60 Air Fryer – This is what gives the hot pockets their crispy outside and warm, melty inside. Without an air fryer, they often turn out soft or unevenly heated.
- Tongs – Helps you safely flip and remove hot pockets without breaking the crust or burning your hands. Using a fork or spatula alone can tear the dough or let the filling spill out.
- Wooden rolling pin – Makes it easier to roll dough evenly so the hot pockets cook at the same rate. Uneven dough can lead to undercooked centers or overdone edges.
- Extra-large bamboo cutting board – Gives you enough space to assemble and seal the hot pockets without making a mess. A small surface makes it harder to work cleanly and increases the chance of tearing dough.
Make some hot pockets for the kids for an after-school snack, lunch, or even for breakfast or dessert. They’re incredibly easy and so very tasty.
Air Fryer Hot Pockets – Homemade or Frozen
Ingredients
- 1 Sheet puff pastry dough see notes below
- ¼ Cup pizza sauce see notes below
- 8 Slices pepperoni
- ½ Cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 eggs, whisked
- 1 Tablespoon water
- non stick spray
Instructions
For homemade hot pockets
- Thaw sheet of puff pastry on counter for about 40 minutes.1 Sheet puff pastry dough
- If you don't have pizza sauce, use tomato sauce and add Italian seasoning and garlic. Season it with salt and pepper.¼ Cup pizza sauce
- Chop up pepperoni or cooked Italian sausage.8 Slices pepperoni
- Grate or cut mozzarella into small chunks.½ Cup mozzarella cheese
- Whisk egg together with 1 tablespoon of water.1 eggs, whisked, 1 Tablespoon water
- Cut puff pastry in four equal pieces.
- Add about a tablespoon of each, pizza sauce, meat and cheese to the top one piece of the dough.
- Brush 2 edges with egg wash. Fold the dough over in half. Press down edges.
- Trim dough, if needed. Crimp the edges, if desired. Optional : Spray non stick spray on the tops to make them crispier.non stick spray
- Preheat air fryer to 350°F /170°C for about 5 minutes.
- Arrange 2 hot pockets on air fryer basket. Allow plenty of room between them so that they crisp up.
- Air fry for about 4 minutes on the first side.
- Carefully remove basket from air fryer and flip with tongs.
- Continue to air fry for another 2-3 minutes golden and crisped to your liking..
For frozen hot pockets
- Preheat air fryer to 350°F 170°C.
- Remove frozen hot pocket plastic wrap and crisper sleeve.
- Arrange 2 on your air fryer basket. Spray with non stick spray, if desired for a crispier crust.
- Air fry for about 5-6 minutes. Carefully remove from air fryer.
- Flip with tongs. Continue to air fry another 5-6 minutes until golden and crisped to your liking.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky's Amazon Store!Notes
Nutrition
Originally published January 29, 2023.
