How to Cook Hot Pockets in an Air Fryer?

Who’s up for some irresistible, cheesy, hot pockets? I bet you’re already salivating at the mere thought of that freshly baked pastry’s scent. Hot pockets make an ideal choice for either breakfast or lunch. Whether it’s kids or adults, everyone is thrilled to have a lunchbox filled with hot pockets and their beloved sauce. However, you might wonder about the feasibility of preparing hot pockets for breakfast or lunch when time is of the essence, with everyone trying to make it on time to school or work. No need to fret, we’ve got your back. We’ll introduce you to an amazing air fry hot pockets recipe that not only saves time but also spares you from dealing with unnecessary oil and clutter.

What are Hot Pockets?

These are the pockets that contain everything except money. By everything, I meant meat of various kinds, veggies, ham, and above all, everyone’s favorite cheese. Since these pockets are made from wholesome ingredients like cheese, we can say that it’s a complete trans fats-free meal. Moreover, they are readily available in the market in frozen form. Frozen hot pockets in the air fryer are time-saving and are also healthy to eat.

Homemade Hot Pockets

Yes! You heard it right. We are going to share the same secret recipe of homemade hot pockets. Interestingly, hot packets can be prepared from the same dough we use to make pizza rolls or garlic knots. So let’s get started to prepare the dough first.

Ingredients

Following are the ingredients you need to make the fundamental ingredients of the pockets, i.e., dough

• Yeast 2 ¼ teaspoon
• Water ⅓ cup, warm at 100-110 F
• Unbleached all-purpose flour
• Extra virgin olive oil as per need
• Salt as per taste
• Sugar 1 tablespoon

Directions

1. Prepare the dough by making a thick homogeneous mixture of all the ingredients mentioned above.
2. Now divide the dough with the help of the cutter into two halves
3. Divide each half into four quarters.
4. This will result in eight halves of the dough, which means we can prepare eight pockets.
5. Next comes the shaping of each piece of dough. First, shape them into a rectangle.
6. Now comes the filling part. Fill the pockets with your favorite filling on one side, fold the dough over it and enclose it fully.
7. Seal the edges as perfectly as you can.  For crimping, use a fork.
8. Now give each pocket egg wash. This will give a beautiful brown and golden touch to the fried hot pockets.
9. Make 2-3 slits on top of the pockets, air fry, and enjoy

Filling

The filling can be of any choice. You can place cheese or ham inside it or have a meat and cheese filling, veggies and cheese filling, or a mix of meat veggies and cheese filling. It again depends on what you want your pocket to be filled with. Here I have two filling ideas for you. I hope you enjoy them.

Broccoli, Cheese, and Chicken Filling

Ingredients that are required to make the delicious filling

• Cooked broccoli 2 cups
• Cooked chicken 2 cups
• Shredded cheese 1 cup
• Sour cream two tablespoon
• Black pepper one teaspoon
• Salt as per taste

Mix all the ingredients well, and then use this filling to fill the pockets as instructed above.

Pepperoni Filling

Ingredients required to make perfect pizza pepperoni filling

• Mini pepperoni ¾ cup
• Mozzarella cheese shredded 1 ½ cup
• Pizza sauce one tablespoon

Spread the pizza sauce on one side of the pocket. Now sprinkle pepperonis and cheese and seal the pockets. Finally, place some cheese on the top of the pocket to give them a pizza pocket texture.

Air Frying the Hot Pockets:

Now that you have filled your pocket with your favorite filling, it’s time to hop onto the next step, air frying the prepared pockets. So follow these instructions and tips to get perfect hawtty pockets.

• Transfer the filled hot pockets into the air fryer tray.
• Set the temperature at 370F/189C.
• Pockets require 11-13 minutes to get fully cooked.
• Now place the pockets in the air fryer. Do consider your air fryer size, and don’t make a pile or overstuff the fryer.
• Would you mind turning on the fryer and letting it do its job?
• Turn the pockets halfway when one side is done.
• Once the bell rings, take the actual hot pocket out of the fryer and be ready to devour them with your favorite sauce.

Little Tip

Do not bite them right away from the fryer, as they are pretty hot and could burn your mouth severely. So be patient and let them get to a bearable temperature.

Words of Wisdom

Making an air fryer recipe is quite time-saving. Remember we told you that these could be your lunch or breakfast partners. Now you can see that you can quickly cook them in 12-13 minutes. Here are some notes for you to avoid any trouble during mating.

• Avoid sticking the hot pockets to the air fryer as the filling might come out and create a mess.
• The timing mentioned above is for a non-preheated air fryer. Suppose you are going to preheat the air fryer. Cooking timing will be reduced.
• Always remember your air fryer size before stuffing it with the food. Also, do not stack the pockets as they would come out undone, and this is going to spoil you for a week, trust me.

Bottom line

Everybody loves hot pockets, and they are pretty dear to our hearts. That is why many companies are making frozen hot pockets to save you more time. You could air fry them right away if you bought them from the store. Enjoy guilt-free and oil-free. Your best lunch or breakfast companion. They are suitable for party starters. You can enjoy them on movie night or cousin sleepovers. We know they taste so good that we can eat them 24/7, but still, you can’t eat them the whole day or consecutively. Pickets are suitable for one-time meals but do not choose them as your daily food partner.