These potato rolls are made with instant potatoes and yeast for the best soft and fluffy homemade dinner rolls that are easy to make from scratch!
Other bread recipes I love to serve at meals include these homemade dinner rolls, French bread rolls and Parker house rolls.
Table of Contents
Easy Potato Rolls
These delicious potato rolls are similar to Lion House rolls however they are more dense, yet fluffy at the same time! They don’t taste like potatoes, but the potato flakes make them soft and tender.
This potato roll recipe is a great addition to your Thanksgiving menu or classic baked ham dinner. They taste amazing served with your favorite comfort meal. You can even enjoy them as a snack with some cinnamon butter or garlic herb butter spread on top.
Potato Dinner Rolls Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Warm water: The heat helps wake up the yeast and adds to the texture of the dough.
- Dry yeast: Without this ingredient, the rolls would be flat and hard. Be sure to use fresh yeast or you will notice it won’t foam properly.
- Sugar: This is necessary to activate the yeast and help the dough rise.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is added gradually over time to ensure the dough reaches the perfect consistency.
- Potato flakes: The ingredient that gives these rolls their name and iconic texture. The potato flakes make them dense yet airy without altering the flavor.
- Powdered milk: This adds to the rolls soft and tender texture.
- Eggs: The binder that brings everything together and gives the dough a nice elasticity.
- Oil: The other liquid that helps give the dough structure and lift.
- Salt: Just a little goes a long way to bring the dough together.
- Butter: I like to use salted butter to add a little extra flavor.
How to Make Potato Rolls
- Proof the yeast. Combine the yeast, warm water and sugar in a small bowl and let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until nice and bubbly. Mix and knead the dough until it’s soft, but not too sticky.
- Let rise. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and allow the dough to double in size.
- Roll. Then divide into 4 balls and roll out into 4 circles about 1/8-inch thick.
- Stack. Next spread melted butter onto the circle and then stack onto the other circle.
- Cut and roll. Then you’ll cut the rolls like a pizza and roll up from the longest edge inward.
- Let rise and bake. After that you’ll place the rolls onto the pan and let rise another hour before baking until golden brown.
Recipe Tips
- Half batch: Sometimes I’ll use half the batch to make cinnamon rolls. All you need to do is spread melted butter on top and then sprinkle cinnamon sugar on them.
- Pull-apart rolls: If you would like to make round pull-apart dinner rolls instead of shaping them into a crescent shape, roll into dough balls and space the balls closer together on a parchment paper line baking sheet or two 9×13 pans.
- Type of yeast: I used active dry yeast, but you can use instant yeast and skip the proofing step. Your rolls will rise faster so keep an eye on them!
- Quicker proofing time: To help your dough rise quickly you can place a bowl of warm water in an oven set to 100°F. Turn the oven off and place the dough inside. You can also set the bowl on a heating pad or near a warm fireplace.
Love dinner roll recipes? Try this Texas Roadhouse rolls recipe, ciabatta bread rolls or Hawaiian rolls, too!
More Dinner Roll Recipes
Browse all
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the newest recipes!
Potato Rolls
Video
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups warm water
- 2 Tablespoons dry yeast
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs , beaten
- ⅓ cup oil
- 2 teaspoons salt , or 1 TB coarse salt
- ⅔ cup powdered milk
- ⅔ cup potato flakes
- 6-7 cups all-purpose flour , divided, more or less depending on dough
- ¼ cup salted butter , melted
Instructions
- Activate yeast. In a small bowl, stir together 2 1/2 cups warm water, 2 Tablespoons yeast, and 1/2 cup sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 5 minutes, or until foamy.
- Make dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir 2 eggs, 1/3 cup oil, salt, 2/3 cup powdered milk, 2/3 cup potato flakes, and 1 cup flour. Add yeast mixture and stir until combined. Gradually mix in the remaining 6 cups flour, 1 cup at a time. You want the dough to be soft and not too sticky. Knead for about 5 minutes.
- 1st rise. Cover dough with remaining 1/2 Tablespoon oil. Place a cloth over the bowl and let rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size. To help it rise you can place a bowl of warm water in an oven set to 100°F. Turn the oven off and place the dough inside.
- Roll out dough. Punch down the dough and divide into 4 equal balls. Roll each into a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Spread the melted butter over the tops of 2 of the circles and then place the other 2 circles on top.
- Shape dough. Cut each circle “sandwich” into 12 triangles (like a pizza). Starting at the long edge, roll each triangle into the center to form a crescent roll.
- 2nd rise. Butter a large baking sheet. Place the rolls onto the sheet. I usually fit 24 rolls per baking sheet. Cover with a cloth and let rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden. Brush with melted butter while still hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
Funny enough, not at all. Potato rolls taste nothing like potatoes. The potatoes give the rolls their soft and tender texture.
You can, but just keep in mind that mashed potatoes have more liquid than the flakes so you will want to accommodate for that in other ways. One way is to cook the mashed potatoes, stirring constantly, to remove any extra moisture. I would use 1 cup mashed potatoes in place of the 2/3 potato flakes.
These rolls can be prepared up to 18 hours in advance if needed. Roll them up as directed, then place on a baking sheet about an inch apart. Let them rise halfway for about 30 minutes to an hour, then cover the pan lightly with foil. Make sure to spray the foil with nonstick spray so that it doesn’t stick to the dough. Then place in the fridge overnight. The next morning, let the rolls rise for about an hour before baking.
They will typically last for about 5 days to a week. Just be sure to store them at room temperature in an airtight container or plastic bag. We don’t usually have a lot of leftovers, but if we do…they are gone within a day or two!
Yes! You can freeze both baked and unbaked dough.
To freeze the unbaked dough, place the dough rolls on a baking sheet (I do 24 per sheet) and then cover with foil sprayed with nonstick spray. Store in freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, let thaw and rise for about 4-5 hours. Then bake according to directions.
To freeze baked rolls, once cooled, wrap each roll individually in aluminum foil. Then place in an airtight container or bag and freeze.
Adapted from the “Boys Can Cook Too” cookbook.
Categorized as: American, Biscuits + Rolls, Bread, Freezer-Friendly, Yeast Bread
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I’ve been making these for a couple of years now and they are fantastic! My go to roll recipe now.
Now I just need to figure out how to make them gluten free.
So glad you have enjoyed them for years! Sorry it has not been tested as gluten free, but looking forward to hearing if it works if you try!
Rolls were light and fluffy. I followed the recipe exactly as printed and my rolls were huge. (which made my granddaughter extremely happy). Family loved them and this will by my go to recipe for rolls now.
Yeah! So happy to hear everyone enjoyed them!
These are thee best. I add just a little more sugar. I like my rolls a little sweet. But the recipe is PERFECT! MY GO TO ROLL RECIPE NOW! For rolls and cinnamon rolls. Thank you! Best ever recipe!
Potato rolls are our favorite and these were perfect! Thanks for the recipe!
The potato definitely adds a nice texture. So glad you enjoyed these, Erin.
Oh yum! I made these to go along with beef stew and they were so good, super easy to make, and we’ll definitely make them again.
I am sure these were great with beef stew! Thanks for sharing, Jessica. Keep cooking :)
These came out beautifully- so light and fluffy!! I am bring them to my sister in laws for Thanksgiving too!
Glad to hear it, Paula! These should win you some points with the in-laws :)
Best rolls ever!
Hi, thank you for the beautiful recipe. I don’t have potato flakes, can I use mashed potatoes with the same amount?
Thank you.
Hi Novi! Unfortunately it won’t work the same!
So wonderfully perfect for my thanksgiving table! I love the “crescent” shape of these wonderful rolls! Delicious and perfectly presentable!
These are absolutely delicious! The instructions are clear and thorough. My family loves them.
Hi
Just wondering if there is an advantage to using powdered milk over evap milk or reg milk?
Evaporated milk or regular milk will put too much liquid in the rolls unfortunately!
Yummy!!!! 🤤
Just was wondering could I roll into ball instead of the crescent rolls?
That should be fine. I would just adjust the cook time!
These were absolutely perfect!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I just made these rolls and they are amazing!!! They are my new favorite…my forever bread. So easy! They came out light and fluffy. I made some round so we could use them as buns for bbq pork sandwiches. They were a hit! I have been looking for a recipe like this. Sooo happy. Can you tell?
I am so happy you loved them! Thanks for leaving a comment and review Michelle! :)