Make a healthier version of a Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket at home with this easy recipe that uses the bread machine and a few simple ingredients.
One of my favorite combinations for a sandwich is simply ham and cheese. Because of this, when we were making homemade hot pockets, my choice was the Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket. It’s such a classic combination and can work well for almost any meal.
We rarely have ham for dinner, but I like it on a sandwich. I’ve also added some to my scrambled eggs to have a bit of meat with breakfast.
Cheddar cheese has always been my favorite cheese. The sharper the better. And usually, if we buy a block, it has to be the Cracker Barrel brand. I know it costs more, but it’s worth it to me.
The same combination of deli ham and sharp cheddar cheese is used for Christmas Sandwiches. They are a family tradition, and having something similar reminds me of family.
Serving Suggestions & Tips
- When you prepare the dough, you can add seasonings to enhance the flavor of your hot pocket such as garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, or basil.
- For an even healthier version, replace the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour or soy flour.
- You can use low-fat cheddar cheese if you prefer that over regular cheddar cheese. Just make sure you use real cheese for the best flavor.
- Eat your homemade hot pocket for lunch, snack, or for dinner.
- Use any flavor of ham your family prefers. We tend to get one with natural smoke flavor added to mimic the Hot Pockets hickory ham and cheese meal.
Hot Pockets Brand Ingredients
If you look at the product details for a hot pocket, you’ll see all kinds of unknown ingredients in them. We are trying to avoid so many of these to eat a more healthy diet at our house. I can’t even pronounce half of these!
WATER, ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), FULLY COOKED HAM AND WATER PRODUCT, 25% OF WEIGHT IS ADDED INGREDIENTS, GROUND AND FORMED, NATURAL SMOKE FLAVOR ADDED (CURED WITH WATER, SUGAR, SALT, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, DEHYDRATED PORK BROTH, POTASSIUM SALT, CARRAGEENAN, NATURAL SMOKE FLAVOR, SODIUM ERYTHORBATE, SODIUM NITRITE), REDUCED FAT CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED PART SKIM MILK, SKIM MILK, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH*, CULTURES, SALT, FLAVORS*, POTASSIUM SALT*, ANNATTO, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, ENZYMES, *INGREDIENTS NOT IN REGULAR CHEDDAR CHEESE), MARGARINE (PALM OIL, WATER, SOYBEAN OIL, SUGAR, MONO & DIGLYCERIDES, SOYBEAN LECITHIN, POTASSIUM SORBATE AND CITRIC ACID [PRESERVATIVES], ANNATTO AND TURMERIC COLOR, VITAMIN A PALMITATE ADDED), 2% OR LESS OF FRACTIONATED PALM OIL, SUGAR, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN OIL AND/OR CANOLA OIL), MALTODEXTRIN, SALT, WHEY, DOUGH CONDITIONER BLEND (CALCIUM SULFATE, SALT, L-CYSTEINE HYDROCHLORIDE, GARLIC POWDER, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, ENZYMES [WHEAT]), BUTTERMILK POWDER, YEAST, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, BLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), CHEDDAR CHEESE (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), ENZYME MODIFIED CHEDDAR CHEESE, SODIUM CASEINATE, ANNATTO AND TURMERIC COLOR, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, DRIED GARLIC, LACTIC ACID BLEND (LACTIC ACID, CALCIUM LACTATE), ENZYME MODIFIED MILK FAT, NATURAL FLAVOR, ACETIC ACID, CALCIUM HYDROXIDE, CALCIUM LACTATE, CITRIC ACID, DEXTRIN, DISODIUM PHOSPHATE, DRIED ONION, LACTIC ACID, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, METHYLCELLULOSE, SOY FLOUR, DRIED EGG WHITES.
Contains a Bioengineered Food Ingredient
Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket Step by Step
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 3/8 cup water
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
Hot Pocket
- 1/4 lb ham (sliced)
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup water
- all-purpose flour (for dusting work surface)
Preparation
Add all of the ingredients for the dough into the bread machine. Set it to the dough setting and let it run. My machine takes 90 minutes to make a dough, but that can vary by machine. Make sure to look at the manual for yours so you know how to use it.
When the dough is almost done cooking, prepare your ingredients. For a ham and cheese hot pocket, this means tearing the ham into pieces and shredding the cheese.
Once the dough is finished cooking, roll the dough out on a floured surface. Cut the dough into quarters. Preheat the oven to 350F.
For each hot pocket, place about 1/4 of the salami and cheese down the center of the dough.
Use a pizza cutter to slice diagonal cuts into the dough at regular intervals. I find about 1/2″ works best. Cut the top and bottom off. Fold those over, then make the braid. Start by grabbing the end of the top piece and folding it over until it meets with the second on the other side. Repeat with the top piece on the opposite side.
Continue this pattern until you reach the bottom. Tuck the bottom two pieces around the bottom. Carefully move the hot pockets to a baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine the egg and water. Use a pastry brush to coat the dough. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the dough is golden brown.
Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket Leftovers
Storage: Let the hot pockets cool to room temperature, then place them in an airtight container. Refrigerate for 2-3 days.
Reheating: There are a few ways to reheat a hot pocket sandwich. You can place it in the oven, in an air fryer, or in the toaster oven. It can also be microwaved, but the dough gets soft when you do that.
Freezing: If you want to freeze hot pockets, it’s best to do that before baking. Prepare the hot pockets, then wrap them in parchment paper and aluminum foil. Label and freeze for up to one month. For the best results, thaw in the refrigerator the night before cooking or cook from frozen.
Recipe
Originally Published On: August 1, 2019
Last Updated On: December 4, 2024
Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 3/8 cup water
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 lb ham (sliced)
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup water
- all-purpose flour (for dusting work surface)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Add all dough ingredients to bread machine and set to dough
- Chop the ham into small pieces
- Shred the cheese if it isn't already shredded
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Roll dough out on floured work surface to about 1/8-1/4 inch thickness
- Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into quarters
- Add the fillings to the center of the dough
- Cut the dough in diagonals on either side and fold over until the entire hot pocket is braided
- Whisk the egg and water together to form an egg wash and brush the dough
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes until the dough is golden brown
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Hot Pockets Recipes
- Homemade Hot Pockets 4 Ways
- Pizza Hot Pocket
- Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket
- Salami and Cheese Hot Pocket
- Breakfast Hot Pocket
Ham and Cheese
- Easy Hawaiian Sliders Recipe with Ham and Cheese
- Ham Steak and Gnocchi Casserole with Cheese
- Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket
- Ham and Cheese Omelet
- Christmas Sandwiches
- Baked Ham, Egg, and Cheese Quiches
- Baked Skillet Ham and Eggs
Bread Machine Recipes
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- White Bread Recipe
- Homemade Pizza with a Bread Machine
- Cinnamon Rolls with the Bread Machine
- Homemade Bread in One Hour
- Fresh Mozzarella-Topped (Not So) Flatbread
- Mini Soft Pretzels
- Pizza Hot Pocket
- Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket
- Salami and Cheese Hot Pocket
- Breakfast Hot Pocket
- Pita Bread Pockets From Scratch
- Winter Molasses Bread
Ham Recipes
- Ham Steak and Gnocchi Casserole with Cheese
- Country Ham Hash Breakfast
- Easy Hawaiian Sliders Recipe with Ham and Cheese
- Baked Skillet Ham and Eggs
- Christmas Sandwiches
- 15 Bean Ham Bone Soup
- Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Homemade Kolaches: A Texas Tradition
- Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket
- Ham and Cheese Omelet
- Baked Ham, Egg, and Cheese Quiches
Ooh, these sound really good – they’d be lovely for lunch with salad! I’d have to replace the ham with something else though as none of us like ham – maybe chicken or tuna perhaps… but I guess you could put whatever you like in them!
You could easily change the fillings for these to whatever you prefer!
Hey, it looks very testy as your way of presentation, I never tried these food items before though. Hope, I will try in the future. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! It was fun trying to get the braiding method down and was easier than it first looks.
You don’t have idea how much I love all your recipes! Especially this one, ham and cheese hot pocket looks extremely delicious. I would love to try this recipe for lunch
Thank you! We have a lot of fun coming up with recipes together.
Oooh, I love this idea! (And you are reminding me that I haven’t had lunch yet!) This reminds me very much of my favorite quick lunch in a Paris café, croque monsieur (basically, a grilled cheese sandwich with ham and dijon mustard) – I bet these would taste delish with a smear of dijon on the inside, too! 🙂
Oh that sounds delicious! I haven’t had that but I’ll definitely be adding a bit next time.
As always, your food looks so pretty so I’m sure it’s super yummy. This is a quick meal when you are rushing in the morning which I always am. I love cheese and eggs. I wonder if made in advance and frozen how would it hold up.
We didn’t try that last time we made these. They were gone too quickly! I think if you were to do that and reheat in a toaster oven or regular oven it would work well. A microwave may make them a bit soggy.
Rolling the dough is half the fun. My grandma used to let me help her when she’d make pocket treats. They weren’t even popular then. She was ahead of her time!
The boys love helping me roll out dough whenever we make anything with it. Sounds like your grandma was ahead of the times, I’ve only seen these in the last 15 years or so.
My kids and my husband would absolutely love this. I love that you can actually customize it anyway you’d like for each person.
We love making foods that can be customized because we all like different things. It’s a great family recipe for that reason!
Homemade hot pockets open up so many possibilities! I love using fresh ingredients rather than frozen foods.
Me too! It makes everything have so much more flavor and usually a better texture, too.
I love ham and cheese! this is such a great recipe. thanks for sharing!
Ham and cheese just go so well together!
I totally read this at the wrong time because now I’m laying in bed wanting ham and cheese lol. So need to make this!! Yum!
I’ve done that so many times before, too! It’s so hard writing a food blog sometimes 🙂
Oh my gosh my husband would flip! He loves ham and cheese anything! Looks so good!
This would be perfect for him, then! You could make a few and he would have lunch for a few days with this recipe.
I am always a fan of your recipes. They inspired me to do good in my cooking and improve every day.
Thank you so much! I like things like this that are simple to make, but also a great snack.