These Homemade Pizza Pockets are SO easy to make using store-bought pizza dough and your fave pizza toppings. They’re freezer-friendly, too!
We all have such fond memories of eating pizza pockets as kids, but did you know you can make them healthier at home? Give these a shot, I think you’ll love them.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to customize: You can mix and match with different toppings, sauces and cheeses until you find a flavour combo you love. Plus, it’ll give you lots of variety!
- Freezer-friendly: Make a big batch and store them in the freezer for a quick and easy meal at the ready.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Canned pizza crust – like the Pillsbury brand. You can try using store-bought dough, but you’ll need to roll it out before cutting which adds a lot of extra time.
- Pizza sauce – tomato or pasta sauce would also work.
- Mozzarella cheese – freshly grated is best but pre-shredded blend will work. Add other cheeses like parmesan.
- Pepperoni slices – swap out for sausage, bacon or chicken, or leave the meat off.
- Mushrooms, green peppers and red onion – use any toppings like pineapple, olives, roasted red peppers and more.
How to make pizza pockets
Step 1: Roll out the crust.
Roll out the canned pizza crust, then cut it into equal rectangles.
Step 2: Add your toppings.
Add sauce, cheese and toppings in the middle of each rectangle.
Step 3: Fold into pockets.
Fold to create a triangle shaped pouch. Seal the edges and press down with a fork.
Step 4: Bake and serve!
Bake until the dough is crispy and golden. Let cool then serve!
Pizza pocket tips & variations
- Try out different toppings: Add any pizza toppings of your choice like slices of pepperoni, sausage, bacon, chicken, pineapple, roasted red peppers, and olives.
- Don’t overload the pockets: Make sure you don’t add too many toppings to each pocket. If you overfill them, the toppings will spill out.
- Add spices and herbs: Sprinkle in some oregano, garlic powder, basil or any other seasonings of your choice.
- Serve with your favourite dips: Enjoy your pizza pockets on their own or with your favourite dipping sauces like ranch, blue cheese or creamy garlic.
- Make them dairy-free: For a dairy-free pizza, use your favourite vegan or dairy-free cheese.
Frequently asked questions
How do they get crispy?
These homemade hot pockets get crispy by baking at a higher temperature. There’s no deep frying required, so they’re much healthier than the frozen variety from the grocery store!
How do I prevent the filling from leaking out?
Make sure to seal the edges of the dough tightly. You can use a fork to crimp the edges, or brush them with egg wash before sealing. Don’t overfill the pockets, as this can also cause leaks.
Can I make these vegetarian?
Absolutely! Use vegetarian-friendly fillings like mushrooms, spinach, roasted vegetables, and plant-based cheese alternatives if you’re trying to make them vegan.
What to serve with this dish
Homemade pizza pockets are a fun meal, but a few sides can make them even better! Here are some ideas for what to serve with your pizza pockets:
- Warm marinara sauce is perfect for dipping your pizza pockets.
- A warm bowl of soup, like tomato soup, minestrone, or a creamy vegetable soup, can make this even more filling.
How to store and reheat
Store: Keep baked pizza pockets in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat: Microwave for 1-2 minutes or bake at 350°F for 10 minutes until heated through.
Freeze & reheat from frozen: Freeze unbaked pizza pockets on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 375°F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Meal prep tools
- Get glass meal prep bowls here – they are great for storing leftovers!
- And of course I get all my free-range and grass-fed proteins from Butcher Box.
- Freeze leftover pizza pockets in a reusable freezer bag.
Easy Homemade Pizza Pockets
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 (391g) can pizza crust such as the Pillsbury brand
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese grated
- 1/4 cup pepperoni
- 1/4 cup mushrooms sliced
- 1/4 cup green pepper diced
- 1/4 cup red onion diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- Roll out canned pizza crust onto the baking sheet. Cut into 6 equal rectangles. In one small corner, spread a bit of sauce, cheese and toppings, leaving space around the edges for the dough to touch together in a triangle shape. You only want a tiny bit of each topping.
- Fold over diagonally to create a triangle shaped pouch, seal all edges, then press down around edges with a fork.
- Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 12-15 minutes until dough is crisp and golden. Wait 5 minutes before eating – they will be hot!
Video
Comments & Reviews
Colleen says
Any tips on how to avoid leaking ? I made sure to seal all the edges well, and had the sauce and cheese leak out
Taylor Stinson says
I think overfilling can cause this unfortunately. I’ve had some leak before when overfilled despite sealing well.
Emily says
Could you write this recipe again but for breakfast pizza pocket ?
Taylor Stinson says
That’s a great suggestion for a new recipe! I’ll consider creating one and putting it in our content calendar. In the meantime (without doing any recipe testing), I’d suggest cooking however much breakfast sausage or bacon you think you’d need, scrambling some eggs, dicing some bell pepper and red onion and adding all of that plus shredded cheese and pizza sauce to each little square of pizza dough.
Laura says
What dimensions should the rectangles be? Eyeballing this sort of thing is not my strong suit, lol.
Taylor Stinson says
I don’t have exact dimensions but I’m thinking it would be 3×4 inches if I had to guess?
Lori says
How many does this make? Thank you.
Taylor Stinson says
It makes 8, it’s listed in the recipe card.
Liz says
Looks so good I will try in tonight.
Would it be ok to use W/W flour?
Thanks
Liz
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Liz – do you mean whole wheat flour? I think that would be fine!
Melanue says
Do you really mean 1/2 inch thick? That’s a centimetre! Cookies are 1/4″ and pie crust is 1/8″. Is it a typo?
Do you mean 1/2 cm?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Melanie – yes, that was a typo. I have updated to 1/4 inch thick.
Sarah Reid says
What’s the weight of the dough ball? I make my own and was looking for an approximate weight
Taylor Stinson says
Unfortunately I don’t have a weight but will update the recipe the next time I go to the grocery store and take a look at what the average weight is of most store bought pizza dough.
Sarah says
I am so exited to make this this is a easy meal a that a kid can make and I am this will be great
George Pope says
Looks delicious! & just what I was looking for!
How long to microwave the frozen product, please, to get it ready to eat?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey George – I just updated with reheating instructions. Reheat 2-4 minutes in the microwave, just make sure you have cooked them first before freezing!
Katie says
Love this! How long do you put them back in the oven for when reheating from frozen?
Gabrielle says
yes, reheating instructions would be awesome!