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Grandma’s Homemade Dinner Rolls are famous in our family!! They’re so delicious, so soft and so buttery that they’re the first side gone at every holiday and family gathering. No joke, all the grandkids come running for them, and we have yet to find a more yummy or delicious dinner roll recipe than this one (and we are not exaggerating).
The dough rises until fluffy, gets rolled into crescent shapes, brushed with melted butter, and baked until lightly golden. We love serving these warm for holidays, Sunday dinners, soups, roasts, and family meals. They take a little time to rise, but the steps are simple, and that soft homemade roll texture is always worth it.
Grandma has made these for decades, and we hope you love them as much as we do!
If you love homemade bread, be sure to try Homemade Bread, Texas Roadhouse Rolls, Crescent Rolls, and Garlic Knots for even more family favorites.
Why you’ll love it + Why it works:
- Holiday Must Have: These homemade rolls are a perfect side for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter!
- On Hand Ingredients: This recipe uses pantry staples, which means they can be made any time (and my kids are grateful for that!)
- Freezer Friendly: Make a batch ahead of time so fresh homemade rolls are always within reach.
- Sticky Dough Stays Soft: The soft dough creates light and fluffy rolls after baking.
Dinner Rolls Ingredients
- Rapid rise yeast (1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast): Helps the dough rise quickly while creating soft, fluffy rolls. Instant yeast also works well.
- Sugar (½ cup + ½ teaspoon sugar, divided): Feeds the yeast and adds just a touch of sweetness that makes these rolls so delicious.
- Warm water (¼ cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)): Activates the yeast. Water that is too hot can kill the yeast, so using the right temperature is important.
- Warm milk (1 cup warm milk (110-115 degrees F)): Makes the rolls soft and tender while adding richness. Whole milk gives the best texture, but 2% also works.
- Vegetable oil (½ cup vegetable oil): Keeps the dough moist and helps the rolls stay soft for days. Canola oil is another good option.
- Salt (1 teaspoon salt): Enhances the flavor and strengthens the dough.
- All-purpose flour (4½-5 cups all-purpose flour, divided): Gives the rolls structure while keeping them soft. Add just enough flour so the dough stays soft and slightly sticky.
- Large eggs (2 large eggs): Add richness, color, and structure for tender homemade rolls.
- Unsalted butter (½ cup unsalted butter, melted): Creates buttery layers and extra flavor when brushed onto the dough before rolling.
- Salted butter (salted butter, melted, for brushing): Adds the perfect buttery finish while keeping the tops soft and delicious.
How to Make Dinner Rolls Recipe
YEAST. In a small bowl, stir 1 tablespoon yeast with ¼ cup warm water and ½ teaspoon sugar. Let stand until bubbly.
DOUGH. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup warm milk, ½ cup oil, ½ cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt with a wooden spoon.
Add 1 cup of flour to the mixture and mix well. Add 2 eggs and mix vigorously until smooth. Add yeast mixture and continue to mix until smooth.
Pour in the remaining flour to the yeast mixture 1 cup at a time and continue to mix with a wooden spoon until the dough is combined. The dough should be soft and sticky.
FIRST RISE. Pour the dough into a large bowl (oiling the sides of the bowl can help keep the dough from sticking). Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise for a few hours, until it has doubled in size.
ROLL. Once the dough has doubled in size punch down, and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece out into a 12-inch circle. The dough circles should be about ⅜ inch thick.
SHAPE. Brush dough with melted butter. Cut circles with a pizza cutter into 12 pieces (like a pizza). Roll from the rounded edge to the point, to make a crescent roll. Place into a greased baking pan (we use an 11×16 metal pan and do 3 across and 8 rows down).
SECOND RISE. Cover with a tea towel and let the dough rise, until it doubles about 1-2 hours.
BAKE + ENJOY! Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Bake for 16–20 minutes, until lightly golden brown. (Touch rolls to see if they bounce back—if they do not, bake a little longer). Brush with melted salted butter while warm. Serve warm.
Serve these rolls with Homemade Strawberry Jam, Honey Butter or Cinnamon Butter.
PRO TIP: Touch rolls to see if they bounce back. If they do not, bake a little longer. Brush with melted butter while warm.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Measure the flour carefully and stop adding flour as soon as the dough is soft and slightly sticky to keep the rolls tender.
- Use a thermometer to make sure the water and milk are between 110 and 115 degrees F so the yeast activates properly.
- Let the rolls complete both rises so they bake up light and fluffy.
- Brush generously with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven for the softest tops and extra flavor.
- You can mix this dough in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook; just be careful not to overmix the dough because it will make it tougher and not as soft.
Dinner Rolls Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast
- ½ cup + ½ teaspoon sugar, divided
- ¼ cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
- 1 cup warm milk (110-115 degrees F)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4½-5 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- salted butter, melted, for brushing
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix yeast and ½ teaspoon sugar with warm water. Let stand until bubbly.
- In a large bowl, mix warm milk, oil, ½ sugar, and salt with a wooden spoon.
- Add 1 cup of flour to the mixture and mix well. Add eggs and mix vigorously until smooth. Add yeast mixture and continue to mix until smooth.
- Add remaining flour to the yeast mixture 1 cup at a time and continue to mix with a wooden spoon until the dough is combined. The dough should be soft and sticky.
- Pour the dough into a large bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down and divide it in half. On a floured surface, roll each piece out into a 12-inch circle. The dough circles should be about ⅜ inch thick.
- Brush both dough circles with melted unsalted butter. Cut each circle with a pizza cutter into 12 pieces (like a pizza). Roll each piece from the rounded edge to the point to make a crescent roll.
- Place rolls on a greased baking sheet with the pointed tips down (we use an 11×16-inch metal pan and do 3 rows across and 8 rows down).
- Cover rolls with a tea towel and let rise until they have doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bake for 16-20 minutes, until lightly browned. (Touch rolls to see if they bounce back-if they do not, bake a little longer). Brush with melted salted butter while warm. Serve warm.
Notes
- Measure the flour carefully and stop adding flour as soon as the dough is soft and slightly sticky to keep the rolls tender.
- Use a thermometer to make sure the water and milk are between 110 and 115 degrees F so the yeast activates properly.
- Let the rolls complete both rises so they bake up light and fluffy.
- Brush generously with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven for the softest tops and extra flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
There are a few ways that you can keep dinner rolls warm. My top choices are to place them in a warm crock pot and another is to use a warm bread basket.
Increase the amount of yeast used by 50%. We suggest freezing the rolls right after they are formed. Line them up on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer them to a freezer Ziploc. They are best stored between 4-6 weeks but can last up to 3 months.
To bake: Line the frozen rolls up on a baking sheet, spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray, and place it oil-side down, over the rolls. They will need several hours to thaw and rise to double in size. Remove the plastic before baking.
To maximize the shelf life of dinner rolls, place them in a freezer bag, or wrap them in foil. Store in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for 2-3 days. Baked rolls can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
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This recipe was first shared November, 2013.
Loved it
I’m happy you loved the dinner rolls, thanks so much for trying them!
Would olive oil be ok in this recipe
Yes, you can use olive oil instead of vegetable oil in this dinner rolls recipe. Be sure the olive oil is labeled suitable for baking and keep in mind that olive oil can have a mild flavor, so the rolls might taste a bit different, but they’ll still be soft and delicious!
This is the only recipe I use. I had made these using my Grandmothers’ recipe and lost it . So I was happy to find this as it is almost hers ! Thanks Kristyn for sharing all your recipes.
That is one of the best comments! I love how food/recipes can tie generations of families together.
really good, but I only baked them for 16 min and they definitely burned on the bottom–they were on the center rack. Maybe start with 13 min
I’m sorry to hear the bottom burned. Hopefully they were tasty enough to try making again and checking at the 13 minutes mark.
So I just made these… delish! I have been baking for decades and I have to say, this is the softest dough💖… the texture is incredible! Next time, I am going to make ones with raspberry jam filling, cinnamon & sugar etc…. Mmmmmm….😍
Great easy bread recipe. Perfect for beginners. The eggs make the dough a bit sweeter without adding any extra sugar. I did only use 2 1/4 t vs the 1T of yeast, but still had proficient rising of the dough.