Pizza Pocket Recipe is so delicious and better than any of those store bought pizza snacks. Enjoy these anytime you want and make a batch for the freezer.
Once you try this delicious homemade hot pockets you will see how easy and delicious it is. They are the perfect snack, dinner idea or lunch on the go.
The entire family loves this easy pizza recipe and the filling is so amazing. You may also love this Tortilla Pizza Recipe, Pita Bread Pizza, Pepperoni Roll Recipe or Calzone. These homemade pizza pockets are so easy to make and a family favorite. My kids love pizza and these hot pockets make the perfect after school snack.
Table of Contents
Why We Love Pizza Pockets
These Pizza Pockets are so easy to make and you can easily add other pizza toppings with the pizza sauce. We love green peppers, pepperoni slices and more.
You might also want to make extra sauce for dipping. Yum! Skip the store-bought hot pockets and make homemade.
Ingredients
- Minced Garlic – Learn How to Mince Garlic Cloves
- Milk – We used Whole Milk
- Egg – Binds the ingredients together
- All-Purpose Flour – You can also use Whole Wheat Flour
- Seasoning – We used dried Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme and Basil. Italian Seasoning is a great substitute.
- Butter – We used unsalted butter
- Ricotta Cheese – Substitute with cottage cheese if you prefer
- Marinara Sauce – Use store bought marinara sauce or make Easy Marinara Sauce
- Mozzarella – We recommend using hand shredded cheese
Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card.
How to Make Pizza Pockets
- Step 1 – Heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Step 2 – In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together bouillon base, garlic, milk, and egg. Set aside for a future step.
- Step 3 – In a separate bowl, combine flour, parmesan, baking powder, salt, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and basil. Stir to thoroughly combine.
- Step 4 – Cut the cold butter into 4 or 5 chunks. Use a fork to blend the butter into the flour until the mixture looks crumbly and the butter is evenly distributed in small lumps throughout the flour mixture.
Step 5 – Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Mix until dough comes together into a loose ball. It might will be dry enough to handle and not so wet as to appear shiny.
Step 6 – Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a few times turning it over onto itself and turning 90 degrees. Keep it lightly floured so it doesn’t stick. Use rolling pin or a straight sided glass (not your hands) to roll out to a rectangle about ½ inch thick
Step 7 – Use a 2-½ inch round cookie/biscuit cutter or a sharp knife. Make sure to flour the cookie cutter cutting edge to make sure it doesn’t stick to the dough.
Step 8 – After you cut out all the dough into circles, you’ll thin the centers of each circle to about ¼ inch. I do this by pressing down with my fingers. This will enlarge the circle a little and leave the outside edge a little thicker. Place the crust circles on a cookie sheet.
Step 9 – Combine ricotta and marinara ingredients in a small bowl. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon of filling onto the center of each crust and sprinkle with some mozzarella.
Step 10 – Fold the crust in half and sealed the pocket edges. You can use a fork or your fingers. Your goal is to seal the edges so the filling stays in.
- Step 11 – Bake at 450 degrees for 13 – 15 minutes until crust is lightly golden brown. Prepare lined baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Step 12 – After the pouches come out, brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with parsley. We like to use a pastry brush to top the pizza pocket. You can also use olive oil or a egg wash.
Recipe Tips
- Dough Texture – If the dough is a little wet and sticky you can add about a tablespoon of flour and knead a little. If the mixture is too dry and leaves too much flour in the bowl, you can add a teaspoon of milk and stir gently.
- Combining the Butter – This step will take about 3- 5 minutes until there are no large clumps remaining. The easiest way is to press the fork into the side of the bowl and “shred” it between the fork tines.
- Yeast – This made from scratch pizza pocket is made with flour instead of yeast and warm water.
What to Serve with Pizza Pockets?
These pepperoni pizza pockets make the perfect lunch or dinner idea. You can easily serve them by themselves, but we always like to an easy side dish recipes to make a complete meal. These are some easy ideas.
Favorite Pizza Toppings
We made these pizza pockets with just cheese, but feel free to stuff it with your favorite pizza toppings.
- Slice of Pepperoni
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Ham
- Bacon
- Sausage
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Pineapple
- Black Olives
Frequently Asked Questions
Calzone and pizza pocket are very similar but their shape and filling can be different. Pizza pocket is made with a pocket and folded over the fillings. Calzone is traditionally with an outer layer.
Pizza pocket can be filled with many different options. Traditionally it is made with pepperoni, marinara sauce and cheese.
We love to load our pizza pockets with tons of cheese. We love to shred our own mozzarella and add in ricotta. But you can use any type of cheese you prefer.
Yes, if you prefer not make homemade pizza dough, you can easily substitute with using refrigerated pizza crust for an easy substitutions.
Storage and Freezer Tips
- Storing – If you have leftovers, store them in an air tight container. I like to cover with plastic wrap and place in the container for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer – You can make a double or triple batch and freeze the left overs. Then you can easily pop one, two, or six in the oven at a moments notice. I would freeze them before you bake them. Freeze completely on a cookie sheet. Then place in a freezer bag once it is frozen. I would allow to thaw in the fridge for just add a few minutes to the cooking time if you are cooking from frozen.
- Reheating – Reheat the leftovers in the microwave or in a preheated oven until the pizza pocket is fully heated.
More Easy Pizza Recipes
We love to hear from you. If you make Pizza Pocket Recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review.
Pizza Pocket Recipe
Ingredients
Dough ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
- ½ teaspoon garlic (fresh, minced)
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 1 egg
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon rosemary (dried)
- ½ teaspoon oregano (dried)
- ½ teaspoon thyme (dried)
- ¼ teaspoon basil (dried)
- ½ cup butter (cold)
Filling Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup marinara sauce
- ¾ cup mozzarella (shredded)
- Crust Seasonings Ingredients:
- ½ cup butter (melted)
- parsley (dried)
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450 degrees.
- In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together bouillon base, garlic, milk, and egg. Set aside for a future step.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, parmesan, baking powder, salt, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and basil. Stir to thoroughly combine.
- Cut the cold butter into 4 or 5 chunks. Use a fork to blend the butter into the flour until the mixture looks crumbly and the butter is evenly distributed in small lumps throughout the flour mixture. This step will take about 3- 5 minutes until there are no large clumps remaining. The easiest way is to press the fork into the side of the bowl and “shred” it between the fork tines.
- Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Mix until dough comes together into a loose ball. It might will be dry enough to handle and not so wet as to appear shiny.
- Dump the dough onto a lightly floured countertop. Knead the dough a few times turning it over onto itself and turning 90 degrees. Keep it lightly floured so it doesn’t stick. You should fold and turn about 10 times moving quickly so as not to heat up the butter.
- Use rolling pin or a straight sided glass (not your hands) to roll out to a rectangle about ½ inch thick
- Use a 2-½ inch round cookie/biscuit cutter. Make sure to flour the cookie cutter cutting edge to make sure it doesn’t stick to the dough.
- After you cut out all the dough into circles, you’ll thin the centers of each circle to about ¼ inch. I do this by pressing down with my fingers. This will enlarge the circle a little and leave the outside edge a little thicker.
- Combine ricotta and marinara ingredients in a small bowl.
- Place the crust circles on a cookie sheet. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon of filling onto the center of each crust and sprinkle with some mozzarella.
- Fold the crust in half and press together the edges. You can use a fork or your fingers. Your goal is to seal the edges so the filling stays in.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 13 – 15 minutes until crust is lightly browned.
- After the pouches come out, brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with parsley.
This is now my go to recipe for pizza pockets. The dough is so flavorful. I put homemade pizza sause, fresh mozzarella, and pepperoni in mine. I make a double batch and make them bigger. This way one will be a meal. My kids love them!
Neither me nor my husband like Riccotta is there another cheese I could use?
This is a great one but both times I’ve tried it I messed up the dough. I am usually in such a rush that I make simple mistakes. Next time I’m going to take my time and HOPEFULLY have better results!
That indeed sounds quite easy to make. Yummy too.