How Long To Cook Pepperoni Hot Pocket

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, please read my disclaimer here.

Jump to Recipe

I don't know about you, but I've had several hundred pizza pockets in my life. They were tasty, but never over-the-top delicious, that is until I tried air fryer hot pockets.

It was truly the answer to how do you make a perfect Hot Pocket. A crispy crust on the outside while hot and cheesy on the inside.

Air Fryer Hot Pocket in hand with cheese oozing out

Frozen Hot Pockets always had that feeling of… well frozen. You knew they weren't fresh and while it came with a pizza crisper, it didn't cover the whole thing, and frankly, didn't do much to the rest of it.

I have tried frozen onion rings and frozen pizza rolls in the air fryer and they were both amazing, so I figured I just had to try these out!

I remember the first time I tried a Hot Pocket in the air fryer. It came out crispy like I just toasted some fresh bread. I will never go back to the microwave.

It doesn't hurt that heating them in the air fryer is insanely easy. Just follow these Hot Pocket air fryer instructions and you're on your way to changing how you eat Hot Pockets forever.

I've even included a second way to heat them a little faster if you're rushed on time.

Title and Shown: Air Fryer Crispy Hot Pockets (with bite taken out)

How to Make Air Fryer Hot Pockets

Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Preheating is essential for food to cook evenly, especially frozen foods.

Carefully place the Hot Pocket sandwiches in the air fryer without the crisper on. Trust me, you won't need it.

I recommend keeping the crisper sleeves on hand to hold the pizzas once cooked.

Air fry the pizza pockets for 11-13 minutes. There is no need to flip them over halfway through.

Remove them from the air fryer and let them cool for at least 5 minutes. They will be very hot on the inside, just like when cooking them in the microwave.

Place them inside the crisper sleeves and enjoy!

Air Fryer Hot Pocket Sandwiches in front of box

What Flavor hot pockets do these directions work for?

These air fryer directions work for every flavor, even the pretzel crust varieties.

This includes five cheese pizza, pepperoni and sausage, bacon cheddar cheese, ham and cheese, and more.

Air Fryer Hot Pockets with cheese oozing

How Can I Lower the Cook Time for a Pizza Pocket in the Air Fryer?

13 minutes can be a lot when it comes to a quick lunch, so I put together a hybrid method that will give you a crispy Hot Pocket in less time.

While it will not be as crispy as just air frying, this will still give a crispier crust than the conventional microwave method.

Microwave the Hot Pocket inside the crisper sleeve for 1 minute while preheating your air fryer to 400 degrees.

Carefully remove it from the microwave, removing it from the crisper sleeve, and place it into the air fryer.

Cook inside the air fryer for 3 to 4 minutes.

This allows you to get the extra crispy crust in less time as long as you have a microwave and air fryer on hand.

Let the Hot Pocket cool for at least 5 minutes. Place it back inside the crisper sleeve and enjoy! The Hot Pocket may still be hot, so be careful on that first bite!

Other Air Fryer Recipes You'll Love:

Air Fryer Pizza Rolls from Frozen
The Best Way to Heat Up Frozen Mozzarella Sticks in Your Air Fryer
Air Fried Oreos
Air Fryer BBQ Drumsticks

Cook Time 11 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 16 minutes

Ingredients

2 frozen Hot Pockets (any variety)

Instructions

Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees.
Place Hot Pockets inside the air fryer without the crisper sleeve and cook for 11-13 minutes, until heated thoroughly.
Carefully remove them from the air fryer and place the Hot Pocket crispers back on and let cool.
Enjoy! Be careful as the first bite may still be hot.

Notes

How to Heat Up a Hot Pocket Faster

1. Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees.

2. Microwave the Hot Pocket for 60 seconds in the crisper sleeve.

3.Carefully remove the Hot Pocket from the microwave and remove from the crisper sleeve.

4. Heat the Hot Pocket in the air fryer for 3-4 minutes until warmed thoroughly. Then let cool for at least 5 minutes. The Hot Pocket may still be hot upon the first bite.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 306 Total Fat: 12g Saturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 6g Cholesterol: 29mg Sodium: 640mg Carbohydrates: 39g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 10g Protein: 12g

This nutrition information is based on the exact products I used in this recipe. Brands and sizes of products could alter exact nutrition and should always be calculated independently.