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Potato Rolls are pillowy soft, chewy, and buttery. The mashed potatoes make the rolls melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

Potato Rolls are a new twist on a favorite Dinner Roll. They are simple and delicious and sure to be a big hit at your next dinner!! Try serving these with Slow Cooker Roast Chicken, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, or Crock Pot Pork Roast.

Potato rolls cooked on baking sheet.

Yes – Made with Mashed Potatoes!

If you are anything like our family, you rarely have leftover Mashed Potatoes. But trust me, scooping out ½ a cup to make these Potato Rolls is worth it!

What is a potato roll? Potato Dinner Rolls are simple Yeast Dinner Rolls but they also have mashed potatoes inside. Mashed potatoes give it a soft and sweeter taste and texture than normal white rolls.

Oh my yes are these rolls good! They are dense yet tender, moist but not at all heavy. These are the perfect soft dinner roll for Sunday dinner, holidays, or really any time.

Potato rolls dough rising in a mixing bowl.

Which potatoes to use

Plain Mashed Potatoes. Unfortunately, leftover mashed potatoes often have milk or butter added to them. Instead of using leftovers, remove a cup of mashed potatoes before adding the milk, butter, and other seasonings.

Instant potatoes. Use a package of instant potatoes instead. Some recipes say to just add potato flakes, but if a recipe calls for mashed potatoes, be sure to whip up an equal amount of instant potatoes. 

Potato bread rolls dough rising on a baking sheet.

How to Make Potato Rolls

YEAST. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in warm water.

WET INGREDIENTS. In a small microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, add the milk, mashed potatoes, and 4 tablespoons of butter.

Heat on high for one minute, stir, then heat for an additional 30-60 seconds, until the butter is melted and the milk is warm but not hot.

COMBINE. Add the milk mixture, sugar, salt, and egg to the yeast mixture.

DRY INGREDIENTS. Add two cups of flour, and mix to combine. Mix in additional flour, ¼ cup at a time, to form a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

KNEAD, SHAPE, & RISE. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for about one hour, until doubled.

DIVIDE. After one hour, gently punch the dough down. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Divide the dough into 24 pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Place the balls of dough on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

2nd RISE. Cover and let rise for 30-60 minutes, until the dough springs back when touched lightly.

BAKE. Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Serve warm.

Risen potato roll dough on a baking sheet ready to bake.

Recipe Tips

Spacing. For a pull-apart bread with softer sides, space the dough balls closer together. For rounded, brown all-over, crustier rolls, add more space in between each dough ball. This way they don’t touch when they’re baking. 

A quicker proof time. Create a warmer environment and reduce the amount of time it takes to rise in a few different ways:

  • Preheat your oven to 200°F then turn it OFF. Place the dough in an oven-safe bowl and cover it with a warm damp tea towel. Stick it in the oven until the dough has doubled in size.
  • Heat up a bowl of water. Put the bowl of dough on top of the hot water bowl, making sure that the water doesn’t touch the bowl of dough.
  • Heat up an electric heating pad and cover it with a towel. Place the bowl of dough on top.
  • Place the bowl of dough near a warmer area in your home such as a fireplace or warm slow cooker. 

Room temperature ingredients. Use room-temperature eggs and milk.

Dough. When making individual dough balls, place them seam-side down so that they rise with a smooth top.

Lightly grease the bowl with olive oil or vegetable oil before adding the dough to rise. This will help keep the dough from sticking to the bowl.

Flour. I have not made these rolls using wheat flour, but should you like to try, I suggest replacing half of the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of white wheat flour. 

Potato dinner rolls on a plate with one torn in half.

Storing Info

Make ahead of time. Mix up the dough in steps 1 and 2, but instead of letting it rise for an hour on the counter, cover the bowl and stick it in the fridge to rise overnight. The colder environment will make the yeast rise much more slowly.

  • The next day, shape the dough into balls and let them rise again.
  • Because the dough is chilled, the rise time may take almost twice as long.
  • Bake according to the recipe.

STORE leftover Potato Rolls in a Ziploc bag on the counter for 2-3 days.

FREEZE. Wrap the leftovers in plastic wrap, then again with foil, and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

FREEZE dough balls. Follow the recipe but instead of placing the dough balls on a pan to be baked, place the pan into the freezer. Once the dough balls are solid, transfer them to a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. 

To bake: place frozen dough balls on a baking pan. Cover the pan with a greased piece of plastic wrap (the cooking spray helps keep the plastic from sticking to the dough). Allow them to rise for about 4 hours before baking.  

Leftover Potato Bread Rolls are delicious with jam or Butter, but can also be used to make Sliders, mini sandwiches, Croutons, or served with soups or any salads.

Potato roll recipe baked on a baking sheet.

Recipe FAQ

What’s the difference between potato rolls and regular rolls?

Potato rolls have actual potatoes in them (hence the name!) which makes them extra soft compared to regular rolls.

Do potato rolls taste like potato?

No, not at all! They just taste like any other delicious dinner roll, but with a soft texture from the added potatoes.

Can I use leftover mashed potatoes?

Leftover mashed potatoes often have milk or butter added to them. You want the mashed potatoes to be totally plain when adding them to this recipe.

For more Roll Recipes:

4.98 from 75 votes

Potato Roll Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
Potato Rolls are pillowy soft, chewy, and buttery. The mashed potatoes make the rolls melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
Servings: 24
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Rise Time: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup prepared mashed potatoes
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 egg
  • 4-5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted

Instructions 

  • In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in warm water.
  • In a small microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, add the milk, mashed potatoes, and 4 tablespoons of butter.
    Heat on high for one minute, stir, then heat for an additional 30-60 seconds, until the butter is melted and the milk is warm but not hot.
  • Add the milk mixture, sugar, salt, and egg to the yeast mixture.
  • Add two cups of flour, and mix to combine. Mix in additional flour, ¼ cup at a time, to form a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  • Knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for about one hour, until doubled.
  • After one hour, gently punch the dough down. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Divide the dough into 24 pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Place the balls of dough on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
    Cover and let rise for 30-60 minutes, until the dough springs back when touched lightly.
  • Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Serve warm.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 126kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 162mg, Potassium: 65mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 114IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 18mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Bread, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
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About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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34 Comments

  1. Hi, is there a small typo about mixing just the water and yeast together? Shouldn’t we measure out the full 1/4 cup of sugar and from that, take about 1 Tbsp of said sugar and add it to the yeast and water to help the yeast bubble faster?

    Other than that, I’m so excited to try these! I’ve got the 1st half of a batch just about ready to go in the oven (it’s actually an air fryer so I only have room for 9 rolls at a time) so in the next half hour, they’re going to be ready to eat!

    1. The recipe should turn out as the direction state or by adding a little sugar to the yeast/water. I hope that you enjoy the rolls. You’ll have to let us know how the rolls turn out being baked in the air fryer!