Soft and fluffy with golden brown tops, these are the best dinner rolls! This recipe makes one dozen homemade rolls making it the perfect holiday side dish.
Homemade bread recipes are a must-make for the holidays! Potato rolls, French rolls and Texas Roadhouse rolls are other favorites.
Table of Contents
Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe
If you’re looking for the best dinner rolls, you’ve found them here. I I adapted it from my famous homemade bread recipe then tested and re-tested this recipe to make sure they came out perfect.
This homemade dinner rolls recipe is made with 7 simple ingredients and is super soft, fluffy and has the best flavor. We love to enjoy them with chicken noodle soup or roasted turkey for a Thanksgiving side dish!
Dinner Rolls Recipe Ingredients
All you need is pantry staples to make the best dinner rolls ever!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Flour: I recommend using bread flour when making this recipe. It has a higher protein count than all-purpose flour, which produces more gluten and a better texture. Learning how to measure flour accurately will also make a big difference in texture.
- Yeast and sugar: An active dry yeast makes short work of giving these rolls their necessary rise. Sugar helps feed the yeast and adds a little sweetness.
- Warm water: Make sure the water reaches 110°F so that it can activate the yeast.
- Butter: I use unsalted because I add salt to the dough. You can use salted butter and adjust added salt.
- Milk: The milk makes this dough incredibly tender and just a little sweet.
How to Make Dinner Rolls
The ultimate homemade dinner rolls take a little bit of time and love but the soft and fluffy results are well worth it. From start to finish you will never want to purchase store-bought rolls again!
- Proof the yeast. Place the yeast and 1/2 Tablespoon sugar in a small bowl. Pour warm water (not too hot) over the mixture and let sit it’s nice and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
- Combine wet ingredients. Stir together the melted butter, 2 Tablespoons sugar, milk and salt into a large mixing bowl. Once the yeast mixture is bubbly, add them together and mix.
- Add flour to mixture. Using a stand mixer with bread hook, pour in 1 1/2 cups of flour. Then add in 1/2 cup of flour at a time and continue to knead, until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides.
- 1st rise. Coat the ball of dough and sides of the bowl with shortening or butter. Then cover the bowl with a warm towel and rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- 2nd rise. Once the dough has doubled, punch down, place on a floured surface and knead. Cut dough into four pieces. Roll each piece into 3 rolls then place into a buttered 9×13″ pan. Let the rolls rise again, until doubled.
- Bake in oven. Bake dinner rolls in the oven at 350°F for 15 minutes. When the center is cooked through, remove from the oven and coat the tops with butter. Sprinkle sea salt on top if desired. Enjoy!
Baking Tips
Follow these guidelines and you will have golden brown, soft and fluffy dinner rolls every time!
- Proofing yeast. After it sits for about 10 minutes, the yeast should be nice and foamy. The higher it bubbles up, the better! If it’s not bubbling at all, then it’s probably expired or the water you used was too hot.
- Use a dough hook. When making the dough, you can use a dough hook with a mixer or a dough whisk to whisk together the dough.
- Let dough rise. Make sure to place the bowl in a warm spot to rise. You can also place on top of a heading pad. Another way to help the dough rise is to turn the oven to 100°F and then turn off. Then place the bowl inside the oven and allow to rise there.
- Use foil if browning too fast. Tent with foil if the dinner rolls are starting to brown too fast.
Serving Suggestions
Homemade dinner rolls are best when they are fresh from the oven! For holiday dinners, you can prepare the rolls and then slow their rise by placing them in the fridge until ready to bake.
They are great on their own or impress guests by serving with cinnamon honey butter on top! They are also delicious with strawberry jam or apple butter.
After Thanksgiving I use the leftovers for turkey and cranberry sliders but they are also perfect for ham and cheese sliders, alongside any soup recipe, pot roast or salad.
Don’t stop with just these dinner rolls! Other favorites include Parker House rolls, Hawaiian rolls or these copycat Olive Garden breadsticks.
More Homemade Bread Recipes
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Best Homemade Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (about 110°F)
- 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar , divided
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, plus more for tops
- 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt , or sea salt
- ¼ cup milk
- 3 cups bread flour , plus more as needed
- Shortening or butter , to coat dough ball
Optional: Maldon sea salt for tops; Butter and jam for serving
Instructions
- Activate yeast. In a small bowl, add 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast and 1/2 Tablespoon sugar. Pour 1 cup warm water (not too hot) over the yeast mixture and let it sit about 10 minutes, or until nice and foamy.
- Combine milk mixture in mixer. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a bread hook (or dough hook), stir together 2 Tablespoons butter, the remaining 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1/4 cup milk, and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt. When your yeast mixture is ready, mix until combined.
- Add flour. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour. Add in 1/2 cup flour at a time and continue to mix on medium speed, until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides. You’ll know it’s ready when your fingers no longer stick to the dough but it's still soft.
- 1st rise. Spread shortening or butter across the dough ball and sides of the bowl and cover the bowl with a warm towel. Set by the window and let rise about 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
- Knead. When the dough has risen higher than the bowl, punch it down and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough 2 to 3 minutes.
- Divide into equally sized rolls. Cut into 4 pieces. Roll each section into 3 rolls (they should be about 60 grams each). Place into a buttered 9×13-inch pan.
- 2nd rise and bake. Let the rolls rise again and once they have doubled, place them in the oven at 350°F for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and the center is cooked through. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with butter.
- Serve. Sprinkle sea salt on top, if desired. Enjoy!
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
Not at all! You can make this dough by hand, if you’d prefer. Use a large mixing bowl and a sturdy wooden spoon to form the dough and then knead by hand on a floured surface 3 to 4 minutes, or until the dough feels smooth.
Absolutely! Form the dough into balls and place in the baking dish, Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Let the rolls come to room temperature and let them rise until doubled in size before baking.
Sadly, not for this recipe. It was created using active dry yeast and it wouldn’t work the same. Try my ciabatta roll recipe instead!
Store homemade dinner rolls at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freezing baked rolls: Let easy dinner rolls cool completely, then wrap each roll in foil. Place in a zip-top bag or freezer container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in oven until warm.
Yes! To freeze the dough, place the shaped dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze. Then transfer to a zip-top bag or freezer container. When ready to bake, place on a buttered 9×13-inch baking dish and let rise for about 4 hours. Then bake as directed.
To freeze baked dinner rolls, cool completely, then wrap each roll in foil. Place in a zip-top bag or freezer container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in oven until warm.
Categorized as: American, Biscuits + Rolls, Bread, Christmas, Freezer-Friendly, Kid-Friendly, Thanksgiving, 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.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes! If you hover above the servings in the recipe card you can adjust to the amount you need. Enjoy!
Just made these for Thanksgiving dinner and they were a huge hit! They were the perfect consistency I look for in a dinner roll, and they were so simple to make. :)
So happy to hear that the dinner rolls were a success!
I make yeast rolls every year. This was the first year using this recipe, it was fantastic, everyone loved it. Thanks for sharing so many great recipes :)
I’m so excited to try this recipe! I’m always intimidated to bake rolls but your steps are easy to follow and help me feel like I’ll be able to make them. Thank you!
I love your cookbook, it always sits on my counter.
These turned out great! I did a test run before the big turkey day! Thank you so much for a great recipe
Of course I made the dough and then read the “don’t use instant yeast” FAQ on the recipe. Well, all I had was instant and it worked!! They taste great, I ate 2 fresh out of the oven..now to save the rest for dinner. I will say, I wish I pulled mine out a couple minutes earlier but I don’t mind the harder outside contrast with the chewy inside. They are honestly a very pretty roll too!! If I made them bigger, I could definitely use them for burgers in the future. Thanks for the recipe!!
How long do you think the second rise should take?
Should take bout 30-60 minutes, depending on the temperature in your home.
These are absolutely delicious! I love these rolls!
These are a family favorite! So glad you like them.
We make this almost weekly at my house. It’s so easy to make, my teenager has taken over making it. This is a great roll recipe!
So fun – love to hear that! Glad the recipe is such a hit with your family, Celena :)
We love these rolls. Can they be made in the morning and baked in the afternoon? If so how would you store in the meantime? Thank you!!
Yes, you can cover them and put them in the fridge. Remove them about 45-60 minutes before you’re ready to bake and allow them to finish rising.
These are so good! I’ve made them twice now and will never use another dinner roll recipe again. They really are the best!
This makes me so happy to hear, Kristin! Glad you loved them :)
Can I double or triple the recipe to make more at a time and carry out the instructions as is?
Yes you can easily double this recipe and bake in 2 separate pans :)
Favorite go to Sunday dinner rolls recipe!! Got this cookbook as a gift from my mother in law and I actually use it!! Seriously makes these!! Melt in your mouth good!! 💗💗💗
Aw, love to hear that! Thanks so much for your nice comment and review, Taylor :)
I can’t choose just one favorite recipe from iheartnaptime because they are all so amazing, but these rolls are my go-to dinner rolls. So so yummy 😋
💗💗💗
Aw thanks so much for your nice comment, McKinley. These are a hit at our house too!
When baking them from frozen, do you let fully defrost and then rise for 4 hrs, or just out of the freezer for 4 hrs then bake? Thanks 😊
You’ll let them thaw/rise for 4 hours, or until they have risen. I like to place them in a warm oven to help them rise.
Think I could use this and turn it into garlic knots?
Yes, that would be delicious!
I’m so excited to try these! Would using honey instead of sugar work okay? If so, how much honey should I substitute?
Yes, you could use 2 Tablespoons honey.