Air Fryer Vegan Hot Pockets : Pepper Poppers with White Beans

Do you love the concept of hot pockets?…They are tasty, easy treats that you can pop in the air fryer, hold in your hand and chow down on at any time. Whether you need a snack or a fast, on-the-go meal…hot pockets are great! BUT…and there’s a big BUT…they are filled with oils, unhealthy fats, and processed ingredients…so although the concept of hot pockets are wonderful…the store bought version is not my favorite. This air fryer vegan hot pockets recipe is the solution to this problem!!

These air fryer vegan hot pockets are made with store-bought pizza dough (to make life super easy), and are stuffed with white beans, jalapeños, poblano peppers, pepperoncini peppers, vegan feta, vegan cream cheese, garlic, shallots, fresh basil, and a blend of spices to really make these babies a total flavor bomb!

These homemade vegan hot pockets are so incredibly easy to make, thanks to the air fryer, and OH SO DELICIOUS! If a jalapeño popper and a hot pocket had a HEALTHY VEGAN baby…this would be it! These pepper popper vegan hot pockets are loaded with nutrients AND loaded with flavor!

This recipe is the perfect grab-and-go meal that can be prepped in advance. These vegan hot pockets also make a perfect, crowd-pleasing, appetizer or snack for any party.

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WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS AIR FRYER VEGAN HOT POCKETS RECIPE

This pepper popper vegan hot pocket recipe immediately became one of my favorite easy air fryer recipes…and I’m thinking it might quickly become one of yours. Why? This recipe is…

• EASY TO MAKE – This recipe is incredibly easy to make…with the help of the air fryer and pre-made pizza dough. Even a beginner in the kitchen can handle this air fryer vegan hot pocket recipe.
• HEALTHY HOT POCKETS – Many love the flavor of hot pockets…but at the reality is, they are loaded with oils, unhealthy fats, and processed ingredients. There’s a time and place to indulge of course, but why not make a healthy version of air fryer vegan hot pockets?! This air fryer vegan hot pocket is full of nutrients! With white beans, nutritional yeast, and roasted peppers making up the majority of this recipe…these air fryer hot pockets are a hand-held treat you can truly feel good about!
• LOADED WITH FLAVOR – I am a HUGE fan of jalapeño poppers, but not a huge have of the all the dairy and grease that usually comes along with them. Using a much healthier, more nutrient dense ingredient list, these air fryer vegan hot pockets are full of that pepper popper flavor!
• PERFECT FOR MEAL PREP – You will not only fall in love with the flavor of this air fryer vegan hot pockets recipe…you will also fall in love with convenience of it! You can prep these pepper popper pockets in advance, store them in an air tight container in your fridge for up to a week (or freezer for up to 3 months), and enjoy them at your convenience. You can reheat these vegan hot pockets OR just eat them at room temperature!
• EVEN NON VEGANS WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE – Thanks to the super delicious vegan alternatives for cheese and cream cheese that are now available…even meat and dairy eaters will love these vegan hot pockets!
• CROWD PLEASING FINGER FOOD FOR PARTIES – Need to feed and impress a crowd…this air fryer hot pockets recipe is perfect for just that! Lay these babies out on the snack table at your next party and watch them disappear.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE AIR FRYER VEGAN HOT POCKETS RECIPE

This recipe is a HEALTHY VEGAN cross between jalapeño poppers and hot pockets. And let me tell you, they are LOADED with flavor! Here’s what you need for this pepper popper vegan hot pockets recipe…

• PRE-MADE PIZZA DOUGH – I went with the brand Jus-Rol. More info below
• JALAPEÑOS – remove the seeds to make them less spicy
• POBLANO PEPPERS
• PEPPERONCINI PEPPERS – I used jarred
• WHITE BEANS – I used white cannellini beans, but feel free to substitute any white bean
• VEGAN FETA– I used Follow Your Heart vegan feta crumbles. More info below
• VEGAN CREAM CHEESE– I used Miyoko’s Everything vegan cream cheese. More info below
• FRESH BASIL
• GARLIC
• SHALLOT – You can substitute sweet onion or any onion if desired.
• ITALIAN SEASONING
• ONION POWDER

A LITTLE MORE INFO FOR A COUPLE OF INGREDIENTS…

PRE-MADE PIZZA DOUGH – Part of what makes this air fryer vegan hot pocket recipe so easy to make is the use of pre-made, store bought dough. Of course you can make your own pizza dough from scratch if you want to be a hero about it. But for this recipe, I went with the easy route. For the pre-made pizza dough I went with the brand Jus-Rol. If you have the option to grab this brand, go for it! This pre-made pizza dough is vegan, GMO free, and delicious! The texture it great too!

VEGAN FETA CHEESE – For this air fryer vegan hot pocket recipe I went with vegan Follow Your Heart brand of feta. The taste and texture of this vegan feta cheese is to die for! It tastes so much like traditional feta!

VEGAN CREAM CHEESE – My vegan cream cheese brand of choice is typically Miyoko’s. This company has absolutely nailed pretty much everything they make! For this particular recipe I went with their Everything vegan cream cheese to add even more flavor to these air fryer vegan hot pockets.

NUTRITIONAL YEAST – Nutritional yeast has a unique, cheese-like flavor that can be described as savory and slightly nutty. This delicious, flavor boosting ingredient is very popular in vegan and dairy free cheese recipes and is often the key ingredient to create a dairy free, cheese-like flavor. You can find this ingredient in the spice isle of your grocery store and online.

WAYS TO ADJUST THIS RECIPE

This recipe is delicious as is, but there are many ways to adjust this recipe if desired!

• USE LESS INGREDIENTS – The ingredient list of this air fryer vegan hot pockets recipe is pretty modest. But if you are looking to shorten the list you can! Just pick one pepper instead of three! And MAYBE drop the everything bagel seasoning. I would personally leave the rest of the ingredients, but do what works best for you!
• ADJUST THE SPICE LEVEL– This Air fryer vegan hot pockets recipe is SLIGHTLY spicy because of the vegan peppers. Don’t like spice? Swap out the peppers for sweet peppers or other veggies. Want it more spicy? Include the seeds of the peppers in the mix or add crushed red pepper flakes, sriracha or your favorite hot sauce!

HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN AIR FRYER VEGAN HOT POCKETS

As mentioned many times already…this air fryer vegan hot pockets recipe is full of flavor and very easy to make! Here’s how…

Begin by preheating the oven to 400ºF. If your air fryer does not have a preheat button, simply turn your empty air fryer on and let it heat up for 5 minutes before use.

PREPARE THE VEGAN HOT POCKET FILLING

As your air fryer preheats, it’s time to prepare the vegan hot pocket filling. To do this, chop up 1 jalapeño, 1 poblano pepper, 1 clove of garlic, and one shallot into small pieces. If you want the vegan hot pockets to be more spicy, include the seeds of the peppers. If you want them to be less spicy, remove the pepper seeds.

Drain and rinse the can of white beans.

Place chopped ingredients in an even layer on the air fryer tray.

Place in preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes at 400ºF. Mix at the half way mark to allow ingredients to cook more evenly.

Once the ingredients have cooked for 10 minutes in the air fryer, remove from oven and transfer them to a bowl. Combine with 2 tbsp vegan cream cheese, 2 tbsp vegan feta crumbles, 2 tbsp chopped pepperoncini peppers, 2 tbsp of fresh basil, 1 tsp everything bagel seasoning, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1/8 tsp onion powder, and 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning. Mix until evenly combined.

ASSEMBLE YOUR VEGAN HOT POCKETS

Now it’s time to assemble the pepper popper vegan hot pockets!

Lay out the pizza dough on a flat surface. I cut my pizza dough into two batches of 8 pieces (16 pieces total). Feel free to change the size if desired, you may just have to adjust the cooking time.

Then scoop 1/16th of the pepper popper filling onto one edge of the cut pizza dough. About 1 1/2 tbsp of filling per piece. (Size of scoop will vary slightly depending on the size of your peppers and shallot).

Next, fold over the piece of dough so the corners meet. Then, using a fork, press down around the edges to seal the though.

Repeat process until all of the vegan hot pockets have been assembled.

AIR FRY THE PEPPER POPPER VEGAN HOT POCKETS

Once your vegan hot pockets have been assembled, it’s time to cook them. Place them in a single layer on the air fryer tray.

If you want your dough to be a little more moist and golden brown you can brush the top of each hot pocket with oil. But this step is optional.

If desired, add a sprinkle of extra everything bagel seasoning on top.

Next, place the tray of vegan hot pockets in the preheated air fryer and cook for 10 minutes at 400ºF. Keep an eye on them while cooking, time may vary depending on air fryer. Your air fryer vegan hot pockets will be ready when the outside is golden brown, the dough is cooked, and the inside is hot.

When completely cooked, remove from air fryer. Serve with a side of sauce if desired and enjoy!

TIPS FOR MAKING AIR FRYER VEGAN HOT POCKETS

• Preheat the air fryer – Preheating the air fryer is super important when it comes to successfully making air fryer vegan hot pockets. This allows the oven to heat up so it is actually at the temperature it should be when you place the pepper popper vegan hot pockets in the air fryer. If you do not have a preheat button on your air fryer, simply turn on the empty air fryer for 5 minutes before use. Never preheat your air fryer with parchment paper in it! It could get sucked up into the heating element and cause a fire!
• Use oil – Now if you are trying to save of fat and calories, you can skip the oil and your air fryer vegan hot pockets will still be great. But for the best results, lightly brush the tops of your vegan hot pockets with oil before cooking. Doing this will result in a golden brown, slightly moist, crispy crust.
• Cook the inside contents separately – As you may have noticed, there are two stages to this cooking process in this air fryer vegan hot pocket recipe. First you will air fry some of the filling…then you will construct the vegan hot pockets and air fry again. Why do you do this? It allows the inside contents to become juicier, crispier, and develops a better roasted flavor, resulting in a vegan hot pocket with the best flavor and texture possible! So when it comes to making the perfect air fryer vegan hot pocket, always air fry you veggies and vegan meats separately before stuffing them into pockets.
• Cook in a single layer – I know it can be tempting to over crowd or stack your air fryer vegan hot pockets so you can cook them all at once…but don’t do this! Always lay your vegan hot pockets out in a single layer and give a little space in between each one. This will allow your air fryer vegan hot pockets to cook evenly.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH HOMEMADE AIR FRYER VEGAN HOT POCKETS

For this air fryer vegan hot pockets recipe, you have a multiple great ways to serve them! First of all, serving them with a side of extra marinara sauce is always a delicious idea!

You can serve a few per person as a main meal, like a sandwich! If so, serve with a side salad, steamed veggies, or chips.

You can also serve them as a snack or appetizer at a gathering or party! Serve them along side air fryer cheesy vegan crab bites!

I personally love making a big batch of these air fryer vegan hot pockets in the beginning of the week to snack on and pack for school lunches!

LOOKING FOR MORE AIR FRYER RECIPES TO SERVE ALONG SIDE THESE PEPPER POPPER VEGAN HOT POCKETS? TRY THESE RECIPES…

• AIR FRYER WATERMELON RADISH CUCUMBER SALAD WITH VEGAN FETA
• AIR FRYER VEGAN HOT POCKETS RECIPE : ITALIAN HAND PIES
• AIR FRYER BEYOND MEATBALLS WITH VEGAN GOCHUJANG PEANUT SAUCE
• AIR FRYER VEGAN ANTIPASTO STUFFED AUBERGINE AND FETA
• AIR FRYER CHEESY VEGAN CRAB BITES AND OLD BAY SRIRACHA AIOLI
• AIR FRYER VEGAN CRAB STUFFED MUSHROOMS

PREP AHEAD AIR FRYER ITALIAN VEGAN HOT POCKET RECIPE

Yes! This pepper popper vegan hot pockets recipe is the perfect candidate for meal prep! If you want to prepare these babies ahead of time simply make the recipe. Then store finished recipe in an air tight container in the fridge for up to a week. When you are ready to eat them simply reheat them in the air fryer or serve at room temperature.

If you want them to taste super fresh and crispy when serve them, make the recipe, but air fry the assembled hot pockets for only 5 minutes. Just enough to make them sturdy. Remove from air fryer and store in an air tight container in the fridge or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to serve them, just pop them back in the air fryer for 5-8 minutes, until golden brown on the outside and hot on the inside. If they were frozen, thaw before cooking. Serve and enjoy!

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