Soft, fluffy and the best homemade dinner rolls you’ll ever make! Easily made with simple ingredients, these golden brown rolls are the perfect addition to any meal.
Homemade bread recipes are a must-make for the holidays! Potato rolls and French rolls are two other favorites.
Table of Contents
Ultimate 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 at least a dozen times to make sure they come out perfect.
These homemade dinner rolls are made with 7 simple ingredients and are super soft, fluffy and with the best flavor. We love to enjoy them with chicken noodle soup or roasted turkey.
And while they make a great Thanksgiving side dish, they’re perfect for ham and cheese sliders, alongside any soup recipe, pot roast or salad. Or to simply enjoy as a snack with butter and strawberry jam, apple butter or honey on top.
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.
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.
Freezer Instructions
Make these beautiful dinner rolls ahead of time and freeze them or the dough to help save you time for special dinners!
Freezing 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.
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.
5 star review
“This recipe is now my go-to for dinner rolls. I’ve made them three times now and each time they don’t disappoint. I threw away all the other recipes I have for dinner rolls. Thank you, thank you , thank you.”
-Marnie Clark
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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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
- In a small bowl, add the yeast and 1/2 Tablespoon sugar. Pour the warm water (not too hot) over the yeast mixture and let it sit about 10 minutes, or until nice and foamy.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a bread hook (or dough hook), stir together butter, the remaining 2 Tablespoons sugar, milk, and salt. When your yeast mixture is ready, mix until combined.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
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 also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
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.