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Grown-up ham and cheese hot pockets! The combination of puff pastry, apricot preserves, honey ham, and Swiss cheese makes these flavorful, savory tarts perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or even a light dinner. Pair them with a simple mixed green salad with Dijon vinaigrette, some fresh fruit, or a basket of blackberry muffins. The homemade ham and cheese croissants are ready for the oven with just 15 minutes of prep!
Ham and Cheese Croissant
This homemade ham and cheese croissant recipe, or “ham and cheese hot pockets” for all of those fellow children of the 80s!, is an easy shortcut that takes advantage of frozen puff pastry sheets for the flaky, buttery crust on the sweet and savory tarts. Add some deli meat and cheese, plus a dollop of jam, and you’ve got a homemade pastry that’s worthy of the local bakeshop case! Best of all, the hot pockets are easy to assemble and can be adapted to suit your family’s taste preferences.
While we love the classic combination of ham and Swiss, you can mix up the ingredients and try a variety of meats and cheeses. For example, use deli turkey or roast beef, try brie, cheddar, or Monterey Jack cheeses, or swap out the apricot preserves for peach jam, fig preserves, honey mustard, or a thin layer of zesty Dijon. Garnish the ham and cheese hot pockets with earthy thyme, a sprinkling of fresh parsley, or a drizzle of honey. The recipe is completely customizable so that everyone at the table is happy!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pan of homemade ham and cheese hot pockets. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Puff pastry: I use a box of Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry sheets for the shortcut crust on these flaky homemade croissants. So much easier than a homemade dough or pizza dough!
- Apricot preserves: a sweet contrast to the salty, savory meat and cheese.
- Ham: I like a deli ham with a hint of sweetness, such as maple ham or honey ham. Any variety will work, though.
- Swiss cheese: a classic pairing with ham! You can use just about any cheese that you like, so try cheddar, Brie, gouda, or Gruyere, too.
- Egg wash: a combination of egg and water helps the crust on the hot pockets brown and shine.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: to enhance the other flavors in the pastries.
- Sesame seeds: for a garnish that adds nice texture and a hint of subtle flavor to the pastry crust.
How to Make Ham and Cheese Croissants
Thanks to help from a box of frozen puff pastry, making these homemade ham and cheese croissants (or homemade ham and cheese hot pockets) is quick and easy!
- Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 4 squares.
- Top each square with apricot preserves, ham, and Swiss.
- Fold two opposite corners over the filling to make a pouch; press the edges to seal.
- Transfer the pockets to a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Brush an egg wash on the crust of each pastry, then season with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds on the edges for garnish.
- Bake in a 400°F oven for 12-14 minutes, until the pastries are golden brown.
- Let cool on wire racks for a few minutes, then garnish with fresh herbs or a drizzle of honey.
- Serve the ham and cheese pockets warm or at room temperature.
What to Serve with Homemade Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets
For a fun, more elegant twist on ham and cheese sandwiches, pair the ham and cheese croissants with any of these easy sides:
- Coleslaw, Vinegar Coleslaw, or Apple and Fennel Slaw with Creamy Cider Dressing
- Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Wedge Salad, Classic Caesar Salad, House Salad with Candied Pecans, or a Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Easy Potato Salad
- Fruit Salad with Vanilla Pudding, Honey Lemon Fruit Salad, Ambrosia Fruit Salad, Creamy Fruit Salad with Cool Whip, or “Angel Fluff” Marshmallow Fruit Salad
- Strawberry Muffins, Blueberry Corn Muffins, Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar, Old-Fashioned Cranberry Muffins, Blackberry Muffins, One-Bowl Zucchini Muffins, Blueberry Streusel Muffins, Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Easy Blueberry Muffins, or 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
- Glazed Almond Poppy Seed Bread, Blueberry Bread, Almond Cherry Bread, Zucchini Bread, Pumpkin Bread, Apple Bread, Banana Nut Bread, Persimmon Bread, Lemon Poppy Seed Bread, Strawberry Bread with Vanilla Glaze, or Cranberry Bread
- Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon or Southern-Style Green Beans
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
- Southern Succotash
- Southern Collard Greens
- Fried Okra
- Broccoli and Cheese
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Okra and Tomatoes
- Southern Squash Casserole
- Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onion, Braised Red Cabbage, or Roasted Cabbage
Storage
Store baked ham and cheese croissants in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day.
Does a ham and cheese croissant need to be refrigerated?
No, you don’t need to refrigerate the baked croissants. They will be fine at room temp for about 1 day. After that they will be stale. If you’d like to keep them in the fridge, they will last in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze ham and cheese croissants?
Yes, to freeze the baked croissants, wrap each hot pocket individually in plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat
To reheat the baked ham and cheese croissants, preheat the oven to 300°F. Place the hot pockets on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven just until warm, about 4-5 minutes (increase this time by a few minutes if you’re warming them directly from the freezer). You can also do this in a toaster oven for 2-3 minutes. For a less-flaky croissant, tent the pastry with foil.
Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket Recipe Variations
- Use deli turkey, roast beef, chicken, or other sliced meat in lieu of the ham.
- Swap out the Swiss cheese and use a different good melting cheese, such as brie, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby, mozzarella cheese, Gouda, Gruyere, American cheese, or regular cheddar cheese.
- Instead of apricot preserves, try peach jam, fig preserves (or fig jam), raspberry or blackberry jam. For a more zesty, savory tart, use honey mustard or Dijon mustard.
- Add thin slices of apple or pear to each hot pocket.
Tips for the Best Ham and Cheese Croissant Recipe
- Keep the puff pastry very cold so that it stays flaky and puffy (rather than dense) when baked.
- Leave a border around each croissant — do not spread the jam or mustard all of the way to the edges.
- Place the rack in the lower third of the oven when baking the croissants. This will help the bottoms of the croissants get brown and crisp (rather than soggy), without the top of the hot pockets burning.
- Garnish each hot pocket with fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, basil, or parsley, or a drizzle of honey for a flavorful finishing touch.
More Ham Recipes to Try
- Ham Pasta Salad
- Baked Ham and Cheese Omelet
- Ham and Cheese Casserole
- Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
- Virginia Ham Salad Recipe
- Baked Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Virginia Country Ham Biscuits
Puff Pastry Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets
Ingredients
- 1 (17.3 ounce) package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed according to package directions
- ¼ cup apricot preserves (substitute with a different flavor jam, such as fig jam or peach jam; or use honey mustard or Dijon mustard for a more zesty, savory taste)
- ½ lb. thinly-sliced deli honey ham or maple ham
- ½ lb. thinly-sliced Swiss cheese (or use cheddar cheese, Brie cheese, or another cheese of choice)
- Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- Optional garnish: fresh thyme; drizzle of honey
Instructions
- Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unfold the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Cut each pastry sheet into 4 squares (about 5 inches each).
- Spread about 1 ½ teaspoons of apricot preserves in the center of each square (do not spread it all of the way to the edges – leave a border). Divide the ham and cheese evenly in the center of each square.
- Fold two opposite corners of each square over the filling to make a pouch; press the edges to seal.
- Transfer the pastries to the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush the crust of each pastry with egg wash. Season with salt and pepper; sprinkle sesame seeds on top of each crust.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the pastries are golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with fresh thyme and a drizzle of honey, if desired.
Notes
- Keep the puff pastry very cold so that it stays flaky and puffy (rather than dense) when baked.
- Leave a border around each croissant — do not spread the jam or mustard all of the way to the edges.
- Place the rack in the lower third of the oven when baking the croissants. This will help the bottoms of the croissants get brown and crisp (rather than soggy), without the top of the hot pockets burning.
- Garnish each hot pocket with fresh herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, basil, or parsley, or a drizzle of honey for a flavorful finishing touch.
- Use deli turkey, roast beef, chicken, or other sliced meat in lieu of the ham.
- Swap out the Swiss cheese and use a different good melting cheese, such as brie, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby, mozzarella cheese, Gouda, Gruyere, American cheese, or regular cheddar cheese.
- Instead of apricot preserves, try peach jam, fig preserves (or fig jam), raspberry or blackberry jam. For a more zesty, savory tart, use honey mustard or Dijon mustard.
- Add thin slices of apple or pear to each hot pocket.
Just love this recipe. Quick, frugal, easy to personalise to people’s tastes – though I loved the sweet fruit preserve flavour best. We had these as a accompaniment to soup and they were perfect. Can see myself using them for breakfasts, lunches, potlucks and grazing platters – all sorts of things. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you, Ali! I’m so glad that you like them. The fruit preserves are my favorite addition, too. Can’t beat the sweet-and-salty combo!
These look so delicious and I finally found frozen puff pastry. I’ve never made anything with the pastry so please advise me. I prefer the cold cuts which I can buy at the deli counter. What slice thickness should I request? You know, 1 or2 is the thickest and then works up to about a 10 which is about a quarter to half an inch. I don’t want to over load the pastry. Using jam sounds delicious! I guess that if I’m going to freeze them, I don”t want to use raw fruit, do I?
My mother died almost twenty years but this recipe made me remember that she used to love spreading jam on cheese! Thanks for everything, including the happy memory!
Hi, Marion! I don’t usually specify the thickness at the deli counter. I’d say what I get is relatively thin, but not fall-apart paper thin. It works well, but I’d use whatever you prefer. If freezing the pastries, raw fruit probably wouldn’t be as good of an option as the jam. Hope you love these!
Thank you!
Looks great..want to try these ham & chs pastries immediately..just happen to have all ingredients! Thank you.
We hope you enjoy them, Jean!