Best Dinner Rolls Recipe

Name: Best Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 160 min
Ingredients: ½ cup warm water ((about 105℉, 41℃)); ¼ cup granulated sugar; 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast; 6 Tablespoons salted butter ((melted and cooled)); 1 cup whole milk ((room temperature)); 1 egg ((room temperature, lightly beaten)); ½ Tablespoon fine sea salt; 3-4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 Tablespoons salted butter ((melted)); Coarse Sea Salt ((for sprinkling))

By Laura Sandford

Updated Oct 26, 2026

5 from 141 votes

265 Comments

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The best Homemade Dinner Rolls recipe – ever! They’re soft & fluffy, slightly sweet and salty, irresistibly buttery & so moist! This dinner rolls recipe is easy to make from scratch with simple ingredients and turns out perfectly every single time.

6 homemade dinner rolls in a basket lined with parchment paper. They have golden brown tops with flaky sea salt, and three have the side view visible so you can see the fluffy texture

No holiday is complete in my house without these homemade dinner rolls – I make them for every special occasion – Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc.

I spent years testing and perfecting this dinner rolls recipe to get them just perfect. The dough is a dream to work with, and the rolls bake up soft and fluffy. Every bite is the perfect combination of sweet, buttery & salty, and they are moist but still hearty.

If you’ve never made dinner rolls from scratch, don’t worry! I’ll walk you through every step so you can make perfect homemade rolls every time.

Perfection. As others have mentioned, I tried many recipes before this one. But my search for the best dinner roll has ended. These are it!
– Kim

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homemade dinner rolls in a metal baking dish with golden brown tops. One is propped up on it's side so you can see the irresistible flaky texture.

Why You’ll Love These Homemade Dinner Rolls

The best texture! They’re soft and fluffy, but still substantial and so moist.
Delicious flavor. Made with whole milk, butter and eggs, they’re the perfect sweet/salty combination.
Easy to make. This dinner rolls recipe uses simple ingredients and includes step-by-step photos and a video so you can make them perfectly every time.
Easy to Make ahead. You can prepare the dough in advance and refrigerate or freeze the rolls before baking.
Perfect for any occasion. These buttery dinner rolls are a must-make for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter or any family dinner!

12 homemade dinner rolls in a baking dish with golden brown tops and flaky sea salt sprinkled on the top of each roll

Dinner Rolls Recipe Ingredients & Substitutions

An important note is that all the ingredients (especially the butter, milk and egg) need to be room temperature.

overhead photo of the labeled ingredients in this homemade dinner rolls recipe which are flour, water, yeast, sugar, eggs, butter, milk and salt

Whole Milk. I suggest whole, 2% or half and half for the best rolls.
All-purpose flour. I don’t recommend substitutions. Try these whole wheat dinner rolls if you’d like to use whole wheat flour.
Granulated sugar. White or organic cane sugar are the best choices. You could replace the sugar with honey, if desired.
Salted Butter. Unsalted butter is a great choice.

Homemade Dinner Roll cut in half with a square of butter and drizzle of honey on it on a wood surface. there are two more dinner rolls in the background.

How to Make Dinner Rolls

Let’s walk through this dinner rolls recipe step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Make the Dinner Roll Dough

A common question when it comes to making dinner rolls is, “how do you make dinner roll dough?” Well, we will walk through the process together. And trust me, this recipe yields the softest, smoothest dough that’s very easy to work with!

Begin by proofing the yeast. Mix water, sugar and yeast together and then let it sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - water and sugar in a glass mixing bowl and the yeast is being poured into the bowl from a small white bowl

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - proofed yeast mixture in a glass mixing bowl

Then, add the room temperature milk, melted butter and beaten eggs to the wet ingredient mixture. Stir to combine, either with the dough hook attachment or with a wooden spoon.

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - melted butter being poured into the proofed yeast mixture in a glass mixing bowl

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - milk being poured into the wet ingredient mixture in a glass mixing bowl

Important note

Make sure to completely cool the butter/milk mixture so you do not kill the yeast. If the ingredients are too warm (over 105 degrees F), the yeast won’t proof and then the rolls won’t rise.

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - beaten eggs being poured into the wet ingredient mixture in a glass mixing bowl

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - wet ingredient mixture being stirred with a wooden spoon in a glass mixing bowl

Next, add 3 cups of flour and the salt, and mix until the dough forms a loose ball. It’s important to start with just 3 cups of flour to avoid adding too much, which can make the rolls dense.

You can gradually add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time until a slightly tacky ball forms. It should easily form into a ball but should not feel too dry.

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - flour and salt added to the wet ingredients in a glass mixing bowl before mixing

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - dough being mixed with a dough hook in a yellow kitchen aid standing mixer

Then, form the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly greased bowl and cover it with a damp tea towel.

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - hands putting the dough ball into a lightly greased glass bowl

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - a white and gray striped towel over the bowl with the dough in it so it can rise

Dinner Rolls – First Rise

This recipe has two rises. One with the dough in a large ball, and another after the dough has been divided into rolls. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover the bowl with a damp tea towel. Let it rise until it has doubled in size.

How to Make the Dough Rise Faster

To help the dinner roll dough rise faster, boil some water and put it in a bowl next to the bread that’s rising. Cover the bread and the bowl containing the boiling water with a damp towel and let the magic happen. This creates a warm, moist environment that yeast loves.

I also recommend putting the dough/boiling water/damp cloth apparatus in your oven with the lights turned on. This creates a warm moist environment that the yeast loves, which speeds up the rising process.

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - dough after it has risen in a glass bowl

Shape The Dough Into Balls

Once the dough has doubled in size, flour your hands and punch the dough down to remove the gas.

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - a hand punching down the risen dough in a glass bowl. Air bubbles are visible showing the texture of the dough

In order to ensure that all your rolls are exactly the same size, so they bake evenly, I highly recommend weighing the dough.

Start by weighing the entire batch of dough, then divide its weight by 12. Remember that answer (write it down) and make sure it is the weight of each dough ball. If you don’t have a food scale (I recommend getting one) you will have to use your best judgement to make the rolls as close to equal in size as possible.

photo showing how to make homemade dinner rolls - the dough ball being weighed on a food scale

Once you have all your math done (phew), weigh out the dough and make each portion into a smooth ball. It’s helpful to do this step on a well floured surface with floured hands.

photo showing how to make homemade dinner rolls - 9 dough balls, one on a food scale and the other 8 around it showing how to portion the dough evenly

As you form the rolls, place them in a 9×13″ baking pan, spaced evenly apart. I suggest using parchment paper to line the baking dish to ensure that the rolls are easy to remove from the pan to serve.

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - a hand holding a dinner roll dough ball, with two other dough balls in the background

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - a hand putting the last of 12 dinner roll dough balls in a glass baking dish lined with white parchment paper

Dinner Rolls – Second Rise

Once the homemade dinner rolls are formed and placed in the baking dish, let them rise again until they are doubled in size (30-60 minutes).

Be sure not to let the damp towel touch the tops of the rolls, otherwise the dough might stick to the towel, resulting in quite a mess.

The unbaked dinner rolls will touch. As you see in the photo below (and the video), the rolls will touch each other after they have risen. That is good and results in extraordinarily moist dinner rolls.

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - 12 dinner rolls dough balls after they have risen a second time in a baking dish lined with white parchment paper

Bake the Dinner Rolls

While the dough is rising a second time, preheat your oven to 375℉ (190℃). After the dough is risen fully, bake in the preheated oven until the tops are golden brown and the rolls sound hollow when you gently hit them with a wooden spoon. Or, until the internal temperature is 185-190℉ (85-88℃) on an instant read thermometer.

Note on Baking Time

Please note, every oven bakes a little differently. Please watch your dinner rolls carefully and check them at the beginning of the recommended baking window to avoid over-baked rolls.

Add the Finishing Touches

As soon as you remove the dinner rolls from the oven, brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. This is the perfect finishing touch that makes the homemade dinner rolls extra special.

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - butter being brushed on top of the baked rolls with a pastry brush

making homemade dinner rolls recipe - a hand sprinkling flaky sea salt over the top of the butter-brushed baked rolls

How to Serve Homemade Dinner Rolls

I recommend serving these homemade dinner rolls fresh from the oven. In order to do this, I will often prepare the rolls in advance and “slow” the rise by storing them in the fridge until I’m ready to bake.

They stand alone perfectly because they are just that good. Or you can make a batch of cinnamon honey butter to spread on top – we almost always do this.

They also make amazing leftover turkey & cranberry sandwiches after Thanksgiving or ham and cheese sliders using leftover ham!

overhead view of a pan of 12 Best Homemade Dinner Rolls recipe after being baked

How to Store Dinner Rolls

Store leftover homemade dinner rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, you can freeze baked rolls in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 2 months.

front view of a hand removing one Best Homemade Dinner Rolls from the pan

How to Make Dinner Rolls Ahead of Time

These homemade dinner rolls are easy to make ahead. I always make them the day before!

Overnight Dinner Rolls

To prepare the dinner rolls the night before, make the dough, let it rise once. Then form it into balls and put them in a prepared 9×13″ baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick spray and refrigerate overnight, before the second rise.

When you’re ready to bake, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let them rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Then bake according to the recipe instructions.

How to Freeze Dinner Rolls

You can also freeze these homemade dinner rolls before baking! Prepare the dough, shape the rolls and place them in a baking dish. Cover tightly and freeze for up to one month.

When you’re ready to bake, thaw the rolls and let them rise completely before baking according to the recipe instructions.

a hand holding a fluffy homemade dinner roll with melted butter and flaky sea salt

Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe FAQs

Can you freeze these homemade dinner rolls?

You can make these homemade dinner rolls ahead and freeze them for up to one month. Simply cover them tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil or a lid after you have placed the divided rolls onto a prepared baking dish (before they have risen the second time).
To bake: Remove the dinner rolls from the freezer, cover and let them come to room temperature and rise fully before baking.

Can you bake dinner rolls from frozen?

If you don’t have time to let them come to room temperature and rise, you can bake these dinner rolls from frozen by baking at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes, then increasing the baking temperature to 375℉ (190℃). and baking for 10 minutes more.

How do you make soft dinner rolls?

Fat in the dough. Both the fat from the whole milk and butter preserve the freshness of these soft dinner rolls and keeps them soft for days. The fat keeps the rolls from drying out!
Butter brushed tops. The butter on the top of the dinner rolls also helps seal the rolls and keep them nice and soft.
Baking close together. This lowers the amount of browned “crust” on the rolls, which yields an overall softer texture!

How do you make yeast rolls light and fluffy?

These light and fluffy dinner rolls are that way because they rise twice. They rise a tad more in the oven after the second rise, but you don’t want to risk them being too dense by being hasty and not letting them rise.

How do you reheat dinner rolls?

If you need to reheat these dinner rolls to serve to company, just cover the baking pan with tin foil and place them in your oven turned on to warm (about 200 degrees F).

Can I make homemade dinner rolls the night before?

Yes! Prepare the dough, shape the rolls and place them in a greased or parchment-lined baking dish. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight before the second rise. The next day, let the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled in size, then bake according to the recipe instructions.

If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!