Easy Homemade 'Hot Pockets' Start With A Can Of Biscuit Dough

Few convenience foods are as well known or as divisive as the Hot Pocket. While some people swear by them, knowing that you can air-fry Hot Pockets to gooey, crisp deliciousness, others just can't fathom the idea of a savory, frozen pastry turnover tasting good or being good for you. Despite the fact that most Hot Pocket flavors are surprisingly high in protein, they're a bit lackluster in the nutrition department, and don't exactly deliver in terms of craveable and nuanced flavor.

However, if you're craving convenient, carb-wrapped comfort food, there's another convenience item you can turn to that makes it incredibly easy to create your own Hot Pocket dupe at home — canned biscuit dough. Fluffy, flakey, and pretty flavorful when baked correctly, we already know canned biscuit dough is key for delicious shortcut empanadas, and the method for making copycat Hot Pockets is basically the same. You just pop the dough, separate the layers, add your favorite ingredients, bake, and enjoy.

The trick here is to roll out and flatten each side of the biscuit a bit to give yourself more real estate for fillings. That way, you can easily crimp the two layers of dough together around your fillings without worrying about cheese leaking everywhere or while also getting a hearty helping of pepperoni and mozz or ham and cheese. Additionally, while you can also absolutely bake these in a traditional oven, air-frying them is faster, simpler, and practically guarantees they'll be crisp outside, and hot and delicious inside.

The greatest advantage to making these simple and tasty "Hot Pockets" yourself is that you can put whatever you want inside them. Sure, you can go with classic flavors like pepperoni pizza, ham and cheddar, or chicken bacon ranch — all of which are pretty easy to replicate with fully cooked proteins and shredded cheese. However, out of all the unexpected things you can make from canned biscuit dough, these savory little turnovers are among the most versatile, so it's worth trying to think outside the box.

For instance, if you're hosting a movie night or have little ones, it could be fun to do taco turnovers and allow everyone to assemble two or three taco-style Hot Pockets to their liking. You could also do this with pizza toppings, or recreate your favorite holiday dinner in Hot Pocket form with some chopped turkey, gravy, boxed stuffing, and a drizzle of tangy cranberry sauce. You can even prep them for busy weekday morning breakfast by stuffing them with bacon or sausage, eggs, and cheese, and freezing them to air-fry later on.

If you've got a sweet tooth, you can also turn this clever hack into dessert with jarred fruit pie filling and crushed candied nuts. Think apple walnut, peach pecan, blueberry almond, or even pumpkin pie filling and white chocolate chips. Give a nod to summer cookouts all winter with chocolate chips, crushed graham crackers, and mini marshmallows to make s'mores pockets.