So, you know how sometimes you’re just scrolling TikToks at like 11pm and you see something that makes you immediately get up and go to the kitchen? that’s what happened with these cheeseburger pockets.

 

I was supposed to be asleep because I had an early meeting the next day but instead I’m watching this girl make what’s basically a cheeseburger wrapped in pizza dough and my brain just went “we’re making that RIGHT NOW.” my husband woke up to me banging around in the kitchen at midnight making ground beef and he was so confused lol.

 

the first batch I made that night were honestly terrible because I used way too much beef and they exploded in the oven. like fully exploded everywhere. I had to clean beef grease off the oven walls at 1am which was not my finest moment. but I figured it out the next day and now these are in our weekly rotation because my kids are OBSESSED.

 

my 6-year-old calls them “burger balls” which is not the name but it’s cute so whatever. she asks for them at least twice a week and won’t eat regular cheeseburgers anymore which is both annoying and kind of impressive.

Why these are better than actual cheeseburgers

they’re portable so you can eat them in the car without making a mess (mostly)

you can freeze them and just heat them up whenever which saves my life on busy weekdays

kids think they’re fun and special even though they’re literally just cheeseburger ingredients in dough

you can customize each one so everyone gets what they want without making 47 different burgers

honestly they just taste better than they have any right to taste for how easy they are

What you need to make these

UPDATE 1/10/26: someone asked if you can use turkey instead of beef and yeah probably but I haven’t tried it. let me know if you do because I’m curious.

How to actually make them

 

brown your ground beef in a big skillet over medium-high heat. break it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon or whatever. this usually takes like 8-10 minutes until there’s no pink left.

 

drain most of the grease but leave a tiny bit in there for flavor. I pour it into an old can and let it solidify before throwing it away because I’ve clogged my sink before and learned my lesson.

 

add your onions to the beef and cook them for a few more minutes until they’re soft. my kitchen always smells SO GOOD at this point.

 

stir in the ketchup, mustard, worcestershire, garlic powder, salt and pepper. let it cook together for like 2 minutes so everything gets mixed up and the flavors do their thing.

 

if you’re using pickles add them now too. I only do this sometimes because my son hates pickles and will literally pick through his food to find them.

 

take it off the heat and let it cool down while you deal with the dough. if you try to fill them while the beef is still hot the cheese melts immediately and everything becomes a disaster. learned this the hard way obviously.

 

roll out your pizza dough on a floured surface. I just use my counter and throw some flour on it. roll it pretty thin, like maybe ¼ inch thick? I don’t actually measure this I just eyeball it.

 

cut the dough into squares about 4×4 inches. I use a pizza cutter for this because it’s easier than a knife. you should get like 8-10 squares depending on how you cut them.

 

put a spoonful of the beef mixture in the center of each square. not too much or they won’t seal. maybe 2 tablespoons? I use a cookie scoop for this because I’m fancy like that.

add a bunch of shredded cheese on top of the beef. I never measure this I just grab a handful. more cheese is always better.

 

fold the dough over to make a triangle or you can bring all four corners to the middle to make like a little package. I do both depending on my mood.

 

pinch the edges really well to seal them. this is important because if you don’t seal them good they’ll leak everywhere in the oven. press with a fork along the edges to make sure they’re really sealed.

 

mine are NEVER perfect looking and some of them are definitely uglier than others but it doesn’t matter because they taste good.

 

put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. give them some space because they puff up a little.

 

beat an egg with a tiny bit of water and brush it on top of each pocket. this makes them shiny and golden. if you want to be extra sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

 

bake at 400°F for like 18-22 minutes until they’re golden brown. I always check at 18 minutes because every oven is different and mine runs hot.

 

let them cool for at least 5 minutes before eating or you’ll burn the roof of your mouth. I never wait long enough and always regret it. Done.

tips that make these better

• Make a bunch and freeze them before baking. then you can just pop them in the oven whenever. bake from frozen but add like 5 extra minutes.
• Add bacon bits to the filling. my husband insists on this every time and honestly it’s really good.
• Brush them with melted butter mixed with garlic powder right when they come out of the oven. tastes like the crust from pizza hut.
• If you’re meal prepping these for the week, undercook them slightly so they don’t get too dry when you reheat them.

storing these (if they last that long)

these keep in the fridge for maybe 4 days in an airtight container or ziploc bag. I’ve never actually had them last that long because we eat them all but that’s what the internet says.

 

funny story – I made a double batch of these last month and put them in a container in the fridge. wrote “DINNER – DON’T EAT” on a sticky note and put it right on top. came home from work the next day and HALF OF THEM WERE GONE.

 

my teenager ate them after school with his friends and was like “I thought you meant don’t eat ALL of them” and I was like ARE YOU KIDDING ME. we had to order pizza for dinner that night because I didn’t have time to make something else.

now I hide stuff I’m saving in the back of the fridge behind the vegetables because nobody in my house ever looks there.

 

to reheat them just stick them in the oven at 350°F for like 10-12 minutes. microwave makes them soggy and sad. you can also use an air fryer which my sister does and she says they come out perfect.

nutrition info per pocket (approximately)

these aren’t exactly health food but they have protein and you can add a salad or something to make yourself feel better about it.

Questions people always ask

Can I use crescent rolls instead of pizza dough?

yeah I’ve done this when I was out of pizza dough and it works fine. they’re a little flakier and more buttery. you’d use the sheet kind not the triangles. honestly use whatever dough you have, even biscuit dough would probably work.

 

What other fillings can I use?

literally anything. I’ve done pizza pockets with pepperoni and mozzarella. my friend makes them with taco meat and calls them taco pockets. you could do chicken and buffalo sauce. ham and cheese. whatever you want really. the world is your oyster or whatever.

 

Why do mine always leak?

you’re probably overfilling them or not sealing them well enough. I had this problem SO MUCH at first. use less filling than you think you need and really pinch those edges. sometimes I go over them twice just to make sure. also make sure your beef mixture is cooled down before you fill them.

 

Can I make these ahead?

yeah definitely. you can assemble them in the morning and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them. or freeze them like I mentioned. I usually make like 20 at a time on Sunday and freeze half for later. makes weeknight dinners so much easier.

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