This post will walk you through how to make Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets in your very own home.
What’s better than warm melty cheese, smoked savory ham and fluffy scrambled egg surrounded by a fresh pizza dough crust? Answer – a homemade Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket! These homemade Hot Pockets are your answer—golden pizza crusts stuffed with eggs, ham and gooey cheddar, ready in about 15 minutes!
Whether you’re feeding a hungry family or stocking the freezer for busy days, this simple and easy to make recipe delivers that satisfying, handheld goodness everyone craves.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe:
- Easy to make nostalgic comfort food using simple ingredients.
- Perfect for meal prep, as a snack, school lunch or quick dinner.
- This recipe is easily adaptable, making it a great option for a variety of tastes and dietary needs.
- Avoids unnecessary and potentially harmful food additives found in store bought varieties.
What are the Ingredients in a Hot Pocket Ham and Cheese?
- Ham: I used a smoked ham steak and cut it into cubes.
- Dough: use fresh bread or pizza dough. Defrosted frozen dough can also be used. I used this recipe for Slow Rise Pizza Dough which was ideal. Other possibilities are canned pizza dough or crescent rolls, and puff pastry.
- Cheese: your choice of hard or semi hard cheese. I used Cheddar, but Havarti, Mozzarella or Colby Jack can also be used.
- Oil: such as olive oil or other high temperature oil like avocado.
- Eggs.
How to Make Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets at Home
Let’s dive into how to make these irresistible pockets that’ll have everyone asking for seconds! This post shows two being made, whereas the recipe card yield is 4.
Crack eggs into a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Beat the eggs well.
Microwave the eggs (30 – 60 seconds depending on your microwave wattage and how cold the eggs are before microwaving them.) I cooked these eggs for 25 seconds, then stirred them and then cooked them further for another 25 seconds in my microwave.
Roll out (or stretch) the dough into rectangles.
On one side of the dough, place equal amounts of ham cubes and scrambled eggs.
Grate equal amounts of cheese evenly over both dough rectangles.
Fold over the pizza dough and crimp the 3 edges with a fork. Brush the surface with olive oil.
How to Air Fry Hot Pockets
Place Hot Pockets in a 375 degrees F. / 190 degrees C. air fryer for 8-12 minutes or oven bake in a preheated 350 degrees F. / 180 degrees C. oven for 15-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Customizing Your Hot Pockets
Alternative Filling Ideas:
- Pizza pocket: Pepperoni, mozzarella, marinara.
- Veggie boost: Add broccoli, cauliflower, or spinach.
- Southern twist: Ham with pimento cheese.
- BBQ: Add BBQ sauce as part of the filling, along with beef and cheddar or use BBQ sauce for dipping.
- Mexican: with seasoned ground beef and Mexican blend cheese. Use salsa, hot sauce or sour cream for dipping.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free puff pastry or dough.
- Vegan: Delete the egg and swap for plant-based ham and cheese.
- Low-carb: Try fathead dough or almond flour crust.
How to Freeze Hot Pockets
- Flash-freeze before or after baking.
- Wrap in parchment and store in freezer bags.
- Shelf life is up to 2 months.
Troubleshooting Common Hot Pocket Problems
Why Is My Dough Soggy?
- Ensure proper sealing of edges and cut slits into dough to create steam vents.
- Preheat air fryer or oven fully.
How to Prevent Leaks
- Don’t overfill (stick to 2–3 tbsp filling).
- Crimp edges firmly with a fork.
Fixing Uneven Cooking
- Rotate baking sheet halfway if oven baking.
- Adjust air fryer basket placement.
What to Serve with Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets
- Classic sides: Potato chips (crisps), coleslaw, soup or green salad.
- Dips: Honey mustard, ranch, BBQ sauce or marinara.
- Kid-friendly pairings: Apple slices or carrot sticks.
Got Questions?
I’ve got answers -hopefully!
Microwave for 1–2 minutes depending on the microwave wattage. Alternatively reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10–15 minutes or air fry at 350°F for 3-4 minutes or until heated through.
In this post, Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets are cooked in the air fryer and oven, but yes, these Hot Pockets can be deep fried. Bring the oil or fat of choice to temperature (350 degrees F. / 180 degrees C.) and carefully lower the Pockets in. Deep fry for 2-5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the hot fat using a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
Yes, this recipe provides info on how to air fry them. Air fry Hot Pockets in a 375 degrees F. / 190 degrees C. air fryer for 8-12 minutes.
Up to 3 days; reheat in the air fryer for best texture.
Ready to Make Your Own Hot Pockets?
Avoid having this laundry list – list of ingredients used to make commercially produced Hot Pockets®. Make your own at home with far fewer ingredients.
Compare the ingredients used to make commercially prepared Hot Pockets® with the ingredients above!
Here’s the printable recipe card how to make Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets at home:
How to make Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets at Home
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 6 oz ham smoked is preferable.
- 16 oz pizza dough I used homemade pizza dough.
- 2 oz cheese of choice, I used Cheddar
- 2 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Crack eggs into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs well.4 eggs
- Microwave the eggs. (I cooked my eggs for 45 seconds, then stirred them and then cooked them for another 25 seconds in my microwave.)
- Split the pizza dough into 4. Roll out (or stretch) the dough into 4 rectangles.16 oz pizza dough
- On one side of the dough, evenly distribute the ham cubes and scrambled eggs.6 oz ham
- Grate equal amounts of cheese evenly over all dough rectangles.2 oz cheese
- Fold over the pizza dough and crimp the 3 edges with a fork. Brush the surface with olive oil.2 tsp olive oil
- Place Hot Pockets in a 375 degrees F. / 190 degrees C. air fryer for 8-12 minutes or oven bake in a preheated 350 degrees F. / 180 degrees C. oven for 15-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- Microwave eggs between 30 – 60 seconds. The exact amount of time depends on your microwave wattage, how cold the eggs are before microwaving them and your preference for how moist or dry you prefer your scramble eggs. Alternatively, eggs can be pan scrambled.
- I used homemade Pizza Dough. Alternatively, use defrosted frozen pizza dough, bread dough or even puff pastry.
- Hot pockets can be air fried, oven baked or even deep fried – bring the oil or fat of choice to temperature (350 degrees F. / 180 degrees C.) Carefully lower the Pockets into the fat and deep fry for 2-5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the hot fat using a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
- This recipe makes 4 Hot Pockets.
Comments