These potato rolls with instant potatoes and yeast are easy to make from scratch and are the best soft and fluffy homemade dinner rolls for Thanksgiving or to serve with any meal year-round!

Soft and fluffy potato rolls made with instant potatoes and yeast baked on metal baking sheet.

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Potato Rolls Recipe with Instant Potatoes

These soft and fluffy potato rolls are everything you want from a homemade dinner roll. They’re similar to Lion House rolls but slightly more tender thanks to instant potato flakes in the dough, which add moisture without giving them a potato flavor.

Each roll bakes up golden and pillowy and is just as good added to your holiday Thanksgiving menu as served alongside a Sunday pot roast. They always disappear fast especially when topped with cinnamon butter or garlic herb butter!

Ingredient Notes

Potato roll ingredients including flour, sugar, potato flakes, yeast, powdered milk, eggs, butter and olive oil.

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 instant 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

Showing how to make potato rolls in a 6 step collage.
  1. 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.
  2. Let rise. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and allow the dough to double in size.
  3. Roll. Then divide into 4 balls and roll out into 4 circles about 1/8-inch thick.
  4. Stack. Next spread melted butter onto the circle and then stack onto the other circle.
  5. Cut and roll. Then you’ll cut the rolls like a pizza and roll up from the longest edge inward.
  6. 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.
A stack of potato rolls with a bite removed from the top one to show soft, fluffy texture.

Other bread recipes I love to serve at meals include these ciabatta rolls, French bread rolls or Hawaiian rolls, too!

More Dinner Roll Recipes

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Soft and tender potato rolls with instant potato flakes baked on metal baking sheet.

Potato Rolls Recipe

5 from 23 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Rise: 2 hours 35 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Servings: 24
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!
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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.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Quantity: To get more rolls out of the dough, skip the step of layering the circles and simply roll and cut the 4 balls of dough.
Storage: They will typically last for about 5 days to a week. Store them at room temperature in an airtight container or plastic bag. 

Nutrition

Calories: 225kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 24mg, Sodium: 329mg, Potassium: 114mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 115IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

Recipe FAQs

Do potato rolls taste like potato?

Funny enough, not at all. Potato rolls taste nothing like potatoes. The potatoes give the rolls their soft and tender texture.

Can I use leftover mashed potatoes in this potato roll recipe?

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.

How can I make these ahead of time?

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.

How long do these rolls last?

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!

Can I freeze potato rolls?

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.