I Tried Hot Pockets' New Snack-Sized Lineup
Here’s my honest opinion of all five flavors in the forthcoming ‘bite-sized’ line.
Image Courtesy of Hot Pockets
For '90s kids, there may be no more iconic frozen, microwavable lunch or snack option than the Hot Pocket. The handheld bundles of dough, often filled with melty cheeses or meats, or a combination thereof, go straight from freezer to microwave to burn-your-mouth hot in just a few minutes. It’s no wonder they’ve endured.
This summer, Hot Pockets is introducing a new line of “bite-sized, perfectly poppable and shareable" pastries "meant for all-day, everyday snacking.” Hot Pockets Snack Breaks will arrive in stores nationwide in July. I got a chance to try all five flavors ahead of their launch.
What are Hot Pockets Snack Breaks?
They’re basically Hot Pockets with a perforated line down the middle intended to make them easy to tear into two pieces. The brand calls the resulting halves “squares,” but they’re really just smaller rectangles. The idea is that these smaller portions offer “flexibility and convenience” so you can enjoy them “solo or share with the crew.”
Each of the five flavor options in the Hot Pockets Snack Breaks lineup features a “warm, gooey center” and a “ridiculously crisp, flaky crust,” the brand says. Each of the flavors cooks up in the microwave in about a minute and a half to two minutes, then requires a two minute resting period before you eat them. They can also be made in an air fryer.
What are the five flavors in the Hot Pockets Snack Breaks line?
- Gooey Apple Pie: A cinnamon sugar crust filled with apples, spices and cinnamon sugar sauce, sold in limited-edition packaging celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
- Ultimate Cheddar: A “melty” combo of regular and reduced-fat cheeses and “savory” cheese sauce in a cheddar-cracker crust.
- Spicy Jalapeño Popper: The filling features real jalapeños, cream cheese and reduced-fat cheese blend, all within a “savory” and “crunchy” pretzel crust.
- Melty Nacho Beef: A “corn-chip-style,” cheddar-dusted crust filled with crumbled beef, nacho seasoning and reduced-fat cheese.
- Cheesy Stuffed Pretzel with Bacon: A salty pretzel crust filled with melted reduced-fat cheese and bits of “savory” bacon.
"We know people want more from their snacks, so we reimagined sweet and salty favorites — like gooey apple pie and cheddar crackers — into warm, flavor-packed bites ready in minutes," Amy Goldsmith, brand manager for Hot Pockets, says in a press release, adding that the new line delivers “a knockout punch of flavor and texture, perfect for anytime snacking, morning, noon, or night.”
Image Courtesy of Hot Pockets
My thoughts on the Hot Pockets Snack Breaks lineup:
Honestly, I'm not sure that the perforation adds much to the Hot Pockets experience, especially since I found them too hot to tear with my bare hands fresh out of the microwave, so I cut them with a knife.
Also, as I mentioned, the resulting halves are more rectangular than square, and the ones I tried weren’t all perforated right in the middle. So, if you’re splitting it with someone, one of you is going to get a bigger portion than the other. This might not matter to adult snackers, but if you’re giving it to two kids to share, this could present an issue.
In terms of flavor, the Spicy Jalapeño Popper and the Melty Nacho Beef were my top two. They were both cheesy, flavorful and spicy — albeit in different ways. The Ultimate Cheddar was almost like a giant cheese-filled Cheez-It, salty and comforting. The Cheesy Stuffed Pretzel with Bacon was mostly just cheesy pretzel flavor; the bacon was barely discernible. And the Gooey Apple Pie was just not my thing, although if you like a super sweet cinnamon aroma and flavor (I don’t), you may love it. “Gooey,” which is right there in the name, is definitely a valid descriptor.
Where can you get Hot Pocket Snack Breaks?
The full line will be available in four-count Snack Packs, priced at $4.97, or single-serve packets, for $1.49, nationwide this July.
Hot Pockets Snack Breaks Gooey Apple Pie, in limited-edition red, white and blue one-count boxes to commemorate America's 250th birthday, is available in stores now, priced at $1.79.
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