7 Hot Pocket Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

Too busy during breakfast and lunch hours to make a meal from scratch (or employ a helpful breakfast hack)? It happens to all of us. Of course, you can always go grab something quick at your favorite fast casual joint, but that spending can soon catch up with you if you're doing it on a daily basis. That's why I sometimes like to keep some easy frozen meals stocked in my freezer. Hot Pockets just happen to be one of the simplest grab-and-go meals out there. You can heat them up in the microwave or the air fryer in a matter of minutes and then be on your way to wherever you need to be.

But with so many different Hot Pockets flavors out there, how do you know which are best? I've tasted seven different flavors to give you the scoop on which you should try ... and which might be better left in your grocery store's freezer section. Hopefully, this will prompt you to try a new flavor (or just double down on your existing favorite). I evaluated these Hot Pockets based on overall flavor and creativity, with the most delicious and unique rising to the top of the ranks. These are Hot Pockets flavors, ranked worst to best.

Hot Pockets' four-cheese pizza does get points for being the only meat-free option in this lineup, but it still ranks in last place thanks to its lack of flavor and substance. Take a bite of this Hot Pocket, and it almost feels like you're biting into air — that's how sparse the filling is. It doesn't really seem like you get more cheese than you do with any of the other flavors. Rather, something more substantial just seems to be missing entirely. There's cheese there, of course, but it doesn't taste particularly complex — I wouldn't guess that there were four different types of cheese there. You'll also get plenty of red pizza sauce to fill in the gaps, but that just leaves a soft, gooey center that provides very little texture.

If you're a particularly picky eater and you want a dish that tastes as simple as possible, then four-cheese pizza hot pockets might be up your alley. But for those who are actually looking for a decent amount of flavor in their meal, there are much better flavors to choose from.

Looking for something a bit meatier? Then, you may be attracted to the brand's Italian-style meatballs and mozzarella flavor. This one does offer a lot more substance and texture than the four-cheese pizza, which is why it's earned a higher spot on this list. But flavor-wise, it's still not particularly interesting. The tiny meatballs inside the sandwich have very little flavor to them, and the flavor they do have just tastes like bland, processed meat. The reduced-fat mozzarella and red sauce mix together, creating a murky backdrop for those little pieces of meat.

Admittedly, this is one of the more filling Hot Pockets flavors I tried, which is a plus when you're really hungry and just need something to fill the void. After all, Hot Pockets aren't exactly what most of us think of as a gourmet meal, and you're likely eating one just to get something in your stomach before you move on with your day. But considering that so many other Hot Pockets flavors pack a more interesting flavor than this one, I definitely wouldn't recommend it as my first choice in flavor.

For all the cheddar lovers out there, hickory ham and cheddar Hot Pockets are a solid option. This product is super cheesy with its reduced-fat cheddar cheese (that's still quite creamy despite its lower fat content), and it packs a little bit of ham as well. There's not a ton of ham in the mix, but that's probably a good thing, considering the fact that the flavor of ham can be kind of overwhelming after a while if other flavors aren't there to temper it. Unfortunately, though, you don't get much chewiness or texture from that ham, which keeps this product from ranking higher on this list.

If you really like creamy, rich dishes, then this Hot Pocket flavor is certainly one you should try out. However, I happen to think that it would benefit from more of a balanced flavor. To counteract all that cheese, I'd like to see some sort of acidic element come into play, but it's conspicuously missing. Yes, you can (and probably should) add some hot sauce to the sandwich, but that can be difficult if you're on the go, and we wish that were just a part of the actual recipe in the first place. This sandwich isn't bad, but it's far from the best Hot Pocket offers, too.

One of the more unique offerings from Hot Pocket, the brand's Philly steak and cheese may not be the most delicious of the bunch, but it's arguably one of the more interesting options in this lineup. It tastes surprisingly similar to an actual Philly cheesesteak, so if you're already a fan of the iconic sandwich, there's a good chance you're really going to love these. Like many of the other products on this list, the Philly steak and cheese features reduced-fat mozzarella, but it has a funkier (in a good way) flavor profile in this sandwich. You'll also find peppers, onions, and thin slices of steak in the mix.

This flavor is also missing an acidic element that would make it taste better overall, but because of its relative creativity, it ranks higher than the hickory ham and cheddar. The cheese-to-meat ratio could be better (i.e., there could be more meat and less cheese), but the balance isn't so egregious that I would avoid the product completely. Plus, as one of the few Hot Pocket flavors that includes vegetables, it tastes slightly fresher than the other options on this list.

The hickory ham and cheddar Hot Pockets are okay and certainly worth a try if you like a super cheesy dish, but if that's what you're looking for, then I'd suggest trying out the extra cheesy ham and cheddar first. As the name of the product suggests, it is extra cheesy. It's so cheesy, in fact, that a significant amount of cheese was expelled from the sandwich as I cooked it. No worries, though — there's plenty more of that creamy cheddar packed into the sandwich. It does seem like there may be less ham in this flavor than in the standard hickory ham and cheddar, but that may just be my impression since this flavor is packed with so much more cheese.

What really makes this flavor stand out from the pack, though, is the "cheddar flavor-blasted crust." The crust isn't particularly cheesy, but it is super flavorful, with a salty savoriness that really helps give this sandwich more complexity, as opposed to its plainer, unadorned counterpart. For true cheese-loving Hot Pocket enthusiasts, this flavor is absolutely a must-try.

Hot Pockets' crust is already pretty pizza-like, so it just makes sense to play up that pizza factor, like the brand does with its pepperoni pizza flavor. This flavor is one of the simplest of the bunch, but it just makes sense. The layers upon layers of pepperoni in it give this sandwich a nice structure that most of the other flavors covered here don't possess. That means you're not going to have globs of cheese shooting out of the sandwich at inopportune moments. The pepperoni itself is deeply flavorful and just fatty enough to keep things interesting and provide some moisture to the crispy crust.

The flavor profile of this sandwich isn't particularly complex, but its simplicity is what's working for it. It basically just tastes like a pepperoni pizza (albeit with a bit more pepperoni than you'd actually find on a pie), with subtle spice notes from the meat itself. There's some cheese and sauce there, of course, but they don't dominate the sandwich like they do in some other Hot Pocket flavors. When you're craving a pizza but don't want to spend your hard-earned cash on delivery (or don't want to resort to a sad frozen pizza), this Hot Pocket flavor is absolutely worth a try.

As a certified ranch dressing hater, I didn't think I'd be particularly excited about ranch lovers' pepperoni Hot Pockets. In fact, the combo seemed strange — unnatural, even — plucked from the recesses of some munchies-afflicted mind in the worst possible way. However, upon taking my first bite of a ranch lovers' pepperoni Hot Pocket, I suddenly understood the vision the brand had in making this product. The zesty tang from the ranch introduces a dose of complexity into an otherwise super simple sandwich, giving it a flavor balance with which none of the other varieties can compete. It really does taste like you're drizzling ranch dressing over a pepperoni pizza, and it's a culinary revelation I never knew I needed.

Although this is the best flavor of the bunch by far, this sandwich doesn't come without its faults. Where the pepperoni pizza flavor had an incredible texture from the stacked pepperoni in the sandwich, this variety featured small, cut pieces of pepperoni floating in a cheesy, ranch-y pool of sauce, which gives it a less texturally enjoyable experience. Even considering that unfortunate reality, though, Hot Pockets' ranch lovers' pizza flavor is absolutely my top recommendation for anyone looking to further explore the brand.

I chose these Hot Pockets flavors based on availability at several local grocery stores in my area. I microwaved all of the products according to the package instructions, cutting them in half and cooling them somewhat before taste-testing them while still hot. The criteria for this ranking included flavor, first and foremost, particularly paying attention to flavor balance along with creativity and texture. The ranch lovers' pepperoni, for example, ranked highest because the flavor isn't exactly typical, indicating more creativity, and because the tang from the ranch balanced out the rich, fatty flavors from the pepperoni.