Cheeseburger Hot Pockets
These cheeseburger hot pockets are made with all the usual stuff from your burger. That includes the seasoned ground beef, melted cheese, ketchup and mustard, all wrapped up in puff pastry and baked till golden and flaky. It’s two puff pastry pockets per pastry package, ready in about 30 minutes.
Author’s Notes
Make Them However You Want
These cheeseburger puff pastry hot pockets come together really easily, and are ready in about 30 minutes. Which makes them great for a quick lunch or dinner! Plus you can really customize them however you want!
Want to add jalapeños, bacon, extra cheese, or some garlic to your ground beef? Do it! You can even make them completely different, chicken hot pockets, bacon cheeseburger hot pockets, whatever you want to make!
Just cook your filling, layer it onto the puff pastry, seal it up and bake! Puff pastry puffs up nice and golden brown and crispy while your filling heats up inside. Cut one open and serve with your favorite dipping sauce and whatever sides you want. Full disclosure, these are addicting. Everyone will love them.
Miguel
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| Puff pastry | One package (two sheets). One is the bottom, one is the lid. |
| Ground beef | 1/2 lb 85/15. It won’t dry out inside the pastry. |
| Sweet onion | 1/4 onion, diced small. Cooks right with the beef. |
| Ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire | 1 tablespoon each. This is what makes it taste like a cheeseburger filling and not seasoned ground beef. |
| Burger seasoning | Your favorite! Or just salt, pepper and garlic powder. |
| Cheddar cheese | Four slices, two for each pocket. |
| Egg | Beaten. For egg wash. This is the glue and the shine. |
| Sesame seeds | Burger bun magic on top. |
See recipe card below for exact amounts.
How to Make Cheeseburger Hot Pockets
- Cook the beef and diced onion together in a skillet till beef is browned and onion is translucent. Drain grease. Stir in ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, and burger seasoning. Stir to combine and cook another minute or two. Pull off the heat and let cool while you prep everything else.
- Lay one puff pastry sheet onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Split the beef mixture onto both sides of the puff pastry sheet, leaving a strip in the center open. Each pile is its own hot pocket essentially.
- Top each pile of beef with two slices of cheddar.
- Brush egg wash around each pile of beef. Lay second sheet of pastry over entire thing.
- Press around all edges to seal both pockets. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to trim the excess pastry off around the edges, and separate the two pockets.
- Brush top with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and make three little slits in each pocket with a knife. These let steam escape while baking.
- Bake in a preheated oven (or on a grill) till pastry is golden brown and puffed up. Let rest a few minutes before cutting into.
Why You Need The Slits
The steam needs to escape. Puff pastry rises because water turns to steam and separates all the layers of butter. The filling is also creating steam as it bakes. If that steam doesn’t have anywhere to go it’s going to push apart your seal, or turn the inside of your puff pastry gummy. The three little knife slits give the steam somewhere to escape to. It’s the smallest step in this recipe. But it’s also the step that makes sure everything else turns out perfect.
Make-Ahead and Storage
You can make the filling a day ahead and store it in the fridge. You’ll actually find working with cold filling much easier when you build these. Already assembled unbaked pockets will keep in the fridge for a couple hours if need be, just egg wash right before baking. Leftover cheeseburger hot pockets keep airtight in the fridge for days, and either oven or air fryer will return that pastry nice and crisp. The microwave will make it soggy. Which defeats the point of puff pastry.
Miguel’s Tips
- Letting the filling cool slightly before adding it to the pastry is really important. If it’s too hot it will melt the butter in your dough and you won’t get that flake.
- Really leave space between the two piles, that’s where they seal.
- Make sure you seal all the way around before trimming the excess. Any gaps you don’t seal are cheese leaks just waiting to happen when you cut into them.
- Don’t skip the slits.
Cheeseburger Hot Pockets FAQ
Can I use crescent dough or biscuit dough instead of puff pastry?
Sure can! Most recipes out there for homemade hot pockets do. They both work for wrapping and sealing just fine. Puff pastry is just a giant upgrade though. It crisps up better in the oven than either of those options. And that’s really the only reason these are better than the hot pockets you can buy!
Can I freeze cheeseburger hot pockets?
Absolutely! Assemble the pockets without egg wash and freeze right on the baking sheet. Then transfer to baggies or air tight containers. Bake from frozen, just add egg wash and sesame seeds right before you stick them in the oven. They may need a few extra minutes, but just cook till they reach that golden brown color.
How do I stop the pastry getting soggy on the bottom?
Drain your beef well. Cool your filling before you build the pockets. That’s where most of the soggies come from, grease and steam from hot filling soaking into the pastry before it ever hits the oven. A parchment lined baking sheet and a fully preheated oven will do the rest for you.
Related Recipes
More handheld comfort from my kitchen: the Cheeseburger Bombs run this same burger filling in biscuit form, the Smoked Pizza Rolls take the stuffed-and-baked idea to pizza night, the Grilled Double Cheeseburgers are the full-size original these came from, and the Jalapeño Grilled Hamburger Sliders feed a crowd the same easy way.
Cheeseburger Hot Pockets
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add the ground beef and diced sweet onion to a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the beef is browned and the onions are softened, then drain any excess grease.
- Add the ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and burger seasoning. Mix everything together and cook another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly.
- Place a sheet of puff pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Divide the beef mixture between two spots on opposite sides of the pastry, leaving space open between them and around the edges.
- Place 2 slices of cheddar cheese over each portion of beef.
- Brush egg wash on the pastry around each beef and cheese portion, then lay the second sheet of puff pastry over the entire top.
- Press firmly around each pocket to seal the edges. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to trim away the excess pastry and separate the two hot pockets.
- Brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut 3 small slits in the top of each hot pocket so steam can escape.
- Bake in a 400°F oven, or on a grill running at 400°F, until the pastry is puffed, crispy, and golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Go by color over the clock.
- Let the hot pockets rest a few minutes, then slice in and serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
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