Homemade Hot Pockets

These homemade hot pockets are a delicious copycat version of the store-bought convenience food. Filled with eggs, cheese, sausage and peppers, you’ll love this quick breakfast option that freezes incredibly well!

I did not grow up in the cool house in terms of food. Things like Pop Tarts, Bagel Bites, Dunakroos, that cool cheese dip with the red spatula thing and most certainly, Hot Pockets were not something my mom ever purchased.

That’s what our friends’ houses were for.

Obviously, I’m grateful for my mom’s discretion now, but back in my school days it was just another thing to add to the list of how uncool my parents were.

Creating this homemade version of hot pockets is my act of adult rebellion. The store-bought version of breakfast hot pockets are filled with ham, cheese and eggs. My version makes them a little bit more fitting for adult palates but also basic enough for kids to still enjoy. 

You can also feel good about eating these hot pockets by avoiding the laundry list of weird ingredients that most processed frozen foods contain. They also freeze well like the original and heat up in just minutes. 

Homemade hot pocket ingredients

Hot pockets can be made two ways — with puff pastry or pizza dough. For this breakfast variation, we’re using puff pastry. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:

• Two sheets of puff pastry
• Butter
• Breakfast sausage — you can use pork or chicken links, we used chicken breakfast sausage for this recipe as it’s a bit leaner and the puff pastry already has plenty of richness in it.
• Red bell pepper
• Red onion
• Eggs
• Cheddar cheese 
• Green onion

The possibilities are endless, however, depending on what you like in your breakfast. Switch up the vegetables to anything you like keeping the amounts similar. Chopped mushrooms, broccoli or baby greens would all cook well into the egg and cheese scramble that fills each hot pocket.

Other delicious additions to customize these would be any spices or herbs of your choosing. Things like garlic powder, basil, rosemary, etc. would be great.

Instead of breakfast sausage, ground chicken, ground turkey or Canadian bacon can also be substituted. Like our mini ham and cheese breakfast pies, copycat breakfast hot pockets are a great use for leftover ham.

How to make homemade breakfast hot pockets

Start by preheating the oven to 425°F and greasing a baking sheet.

Make the hot pocket filling by adding the butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Once hot, add the onions and peppers and chicken sausage and sauté until heated through and the vegetables are just starting to soften.

Beat six of the eggs in a bowl then pour into the skillet. Add the grated cheddar cheese and stir the mixture until the eggs are scrambled using a spatula. Once cooked, remove from heat and let cool.

Unfold one sheet of the thawed puff pastry and cut it lengthwise into three even sections. Then cut across the center of these sections to create six even rectangles of puff pastry. Place these pieces of puff pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate. 

Lightly flour the countertop and unfold the other piece of thawed puff pastry. Use a rolling pin to lightly roll out the pastry until it’s about four inches wider and longer than it’s original size. Cut this puff pastry into six rectangles just as you did the previous sheet.

Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl then brush these pieces lightly with the egg wash.

Spoon the hot pocket filling evenly on top of the puff pastry with the egg wash. Top each one with a bit of chopped green onion.

Lay one of the larger pieces of puff pastry on top of the base rectangle with the filling and crimp the edges together with the tines of a fork to seal the two pieces together. Repeat this process with all remaining puff pastry.

Brush the tops of each prepared hot pocket with the remaining egg wash. Make two or three slashes with a knife on top of each one then transfer to the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Once baked, remove from the oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Can I freeze hot pockets?

Yes! Just like store-bought hot pockets, this homemade recipe can be frozen and then reheated when you want to eat them. 

Make sure to let the hot pockets cool completely once baked. When they’re cool, wrap in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil to tightly seal. 

Once wrapped in freezer paper or an airtight freezer proof bag, these breakfast hot pockets will keep for up to 3 months.

How to reheat homemade hot pockets

A toaster oven is the best method for reheating the hot pockets. Because these are made with puff pastry, the toaster oven keeps them crispier than the microwave. You can use a microwave if you choose but they’ll be a bit soggier once reheated.

The air fryer or regular oven are also great options for reheating and maintaining a crispy texture.

Using this method to make regular hot pockets

If you want to make the original hot pocket recipe you can definitely do that too. For the pizza hot pocket recipe, I like to swap the puff pastry for either homemade pizza dough or store-bought pizza dough. 

Roll out the dough in a similar manner as the puff pastry directions. The filling ingredients you’ll need for the pizza hot pockets are:

• pizza sauce
• grated mozzarella cheese
• pepperoni slices

Since none of the ingredients need to be precooked, you can just spoon the sauce onto the base then top with pepperoni and cheese. Close the hot pocket up the same way as stated for the puff pastry and brush with an egg wash before baking.

Feel free to add in any of your favorite pizza toppings to make it exactly what you want.

These hot pockets can be frozen and reheated just like the breakfast variety.

Why you’ll love this copycat recipe

Hot pockets are the ultimate grab and go food but there’s a lot more than convenience that makes this homemade version great.

• Kids love these! Their handheld size and customizable filling are things kids will jump on whether they’re a toddler or teen.
• You control the ingredients. Whether you’re enjoying them yourself or giving them to a child, knowing the ingredients in this copycat version are far superior to the store-bought kind will give you peace of mind.
• Breakfast or dinner! Because of their versatility, these can be eaten for breakfast or an easy dinner.
• Great for batch cooking. If meal prep is your thing, making a double batch of these is a great way to stock up the freezer for when you need something quick and easy the most. Your future self will thank you.
• They’re better than fast food. If you’re in a rush, there’s a high probability that the fast food drive-thru sounds appealing. With a batch of these in the freezer that you can run out the door with, you save yourself money and ingesting extra calories and horrible ingredients.

More recipes like this to try

If you love doughy bread recipes with a surprise stuffing, these pizza hummus stuffed pretzels are a must-try.

This easy breakfast quesadilla uses many of the same ingredients as this homemade hot pocket recipe without the fuss of puff pastry.

Apple hand pies are another wonderful use of puff pastry and making a complicated pie dessert much easier and more accessible.

Got a Blackstone grill? These breakfast sandwiches are a great way to use for a meal other than dinner.