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My life wouldn’t be complete without dinner rolls, so I made more for you. These Potato Rolls are the fluffiest homemade dinner rolls you’ll ever eat.

These rolls are made with instant potatoes and yeast but they’re EASY, I promise. You can make these even if you’ve never made dinner rolls from scratch before, I promise!

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a potato roll stacked on other potato rolls


Easy Potato Rolls

They’re so good I dare you to try to eat just one! Ever since I first made homemade dinner rolls (and her sister, small batch dinner rolls), I’ve been dying to make Potato Rolls. One, they just sound cool (potatoes IN BREAD??) and two, potato bread is so darn good that I knew homemade would be even better, and I was right!

Potato rolls are a simple yeasted dinner roll but they also have instant mashed potatoes inside. If you’ve ever had potato bread from the grocery store, you know why these rolls are so good.

Why you’ll love this recipe

There’s something about the potato inside that adds a fluffy texture to any bread or roll. It makes them softer, I think, and adds the teeniest bit of flavor. If you’re on the hunt for a fluffy dinner roll, you’ve found it with this recipe.

all the ingredients in potato rolls on marble counter

What are potato rolls made of?

  • Instant potatoes – Some recipes use leftover mashed potatoes, but I like using instant potatoes in my rolls. Other than using instant potatoes, this recipe is very close to my homemade dinner roll recipe.
  • Instant Yeast – do not use active dry yeast!
  • Flour – All purpose flour is what I used, although you can equally substitute bread flour.
  • Sugar – a bit of granulated sugar helps activate the yeast.
  • Salt – For flavor
  • Milk – Use any fat content
  • Water
  • Butter – for flavoring and to make soft dinner rolls
  • Egg – the fat in the yolk helps keep these nice and fluffy

Which yeast is best for dinner rolls?

I prefer to use instant yeast nowadays. I always used to use active dry yeast but instant yeast is so much faster and easier (and foolproof!)

Instant yeast has different names depending on the brand, but I normally use Rapid Rise Yeast, which is a Fleischmann’s Yeast product.

Using instant yeast cuts down the time it takes to make yeasted recipes for two reasons:

  1. You don’t have to proof the yeast – just whisk it with the dry ingredients and then add in the hot wet ingredients.
  2. It only requires a 10 minute “rest” before the dough is shaped and allowed a final rise.
6 photos showing how to make potato dinner rolls.

How to make Potato Rolls

  • Whisk your dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
  • Heat your wet ingredients to between 120°F-130°F. Add potato flakes to the measuring cup.
  • Add the warm water and liquids and egg to the mixer with the dry ingredients until it forms a soft dough.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
  • Allow to rest for 10 minutes (the magic of instant yeast). Divide into 12 rolls.
  • Place in prepared baking dish. Let double in size in a warm place.
  • Bake these until they’re nice and golden brown. They’ll get golden like this just in the oven without any special topping. I love to brush them with melted butter after they come out of the oven for a nice flavorful glossy look.
a potato roll stacked on other potato rolls

Tips for kneading potato dinner rolls

Yes, whenever you work with yeast you’re probably going to have to knead. I’ve grown to love kneading – it’s cathartic.

A few simple tips will help you knead easier:

  1. Use a stand mixer if you have one. You can do this by hand but if you have a stand mixer it cuts the kneading time in half.
  2. The dough will be slightly sticky when you are done mixing it. Be sure to turn it out onto a well-floured surface and dust it with more flour.
  3. Knead the dough, adding flour as needed if it’s sticky, until the dough forms a ball and bounces back when touched with two fingers.
a potato roll stacked on other potato rolls

How long do fluffy rolls need to rise?

Because we’re using Rapid Rise yeast, they rest for 10 minutes after kneading. Form them into 12 equal sized balls and place them in the pan. Then, the rolls need to double in size before baking.

The rising will take about an hour on the counter. You can speed up the rising process by:

  1. Placing the pan in a warm oven (about 200°F).
  2. Set the pan on the oven while it’s preheating.
  3. Place the pan on a rack set over a large roasting pan full of boiling water.

Those three will shorten your rising time up to about half.

a potato roll stacked on other potato rolls

FAQs

How do you know what your water temperature is?

I recommend using an instant read thermometer for best results! If you don’t have a thermometer, think hot bathwater.

What kind of flour do I use to make potato dinner rolls?

When it comes to flour, I love using all-purpose flour in my bread recipes. It’s much handier to use a flour most people already have on hand. The other ingredients in this recipe make the rolls soft and fluffy – you won’t miss the bread flour.

How long do potato rolls last?

Like any homemade bread or rolls, these will only last about 2-3 days before starting to mold. There aren’t any preservatives so they don’t last as long as store-bought rolls like Martin’s Potato Rolls. It’s best to make and serve these the same day.

Can you make potato rolls ahead of time?

If you want to make the dough ahead, you can. Make the recipe up until you place to rolls into the pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to overnight. Let come to room temperature to rise before baking.

What is the difference between potato buns and regular buns?

Potato rolls have instant mashed potatoes in them, making them softer than regular dinner rolls or buns.

Do potato rolls taste like potato?

No they don’t have a potato taste – instead they’re much softer because of the mashed potatoes.

Have you made this recipe?

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potato roll stack

Fluffy Potato Rolls Recipe

4.87 from 79 votes
These are the very best soft and fluffy dinner rolls! Potato Rolls with instant potaotes are easy to make and you can make them even if you're not used to working with yeast.

Recipe Video

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rise Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Yield 12 rolls
Serving Size 1 roll
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Ingredients
 

  • 3 cups (372g) all-purpose flour (up to 3 1/2 cups)
  • 1 packet 1 packet Instant Yeast (RapidRise) (2 1/4 teaspoons)
  • 1 tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup (177ml) milk (regular, low or nonfat)
  • ½ cup (118ml) water
  • 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter
  • ⅓ cup potato flakes
  • 1 large egg
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Instructions

  • Combine 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
  • Combine water, milk and butter in a microwave safe measuring cup. Heat to between 120°-130°F (about 1 minute in my microwave). It’s best if you can use an instant read thermometer, but if you don't have one, heat your water to very hot bathwater temperature. Stir in potato flakes.
  • Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with the dough hook for 1 minute on medium speed. Add egg and 1 cup flour and mix another 1 minute. Add a third cup of flour and mix until your dough comes together to a soft dough. It will be slightly sticky to the touch. If needed, add up to 1/4 cup more flour.
  • Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and dust it with flour. Knead until the dough comes together in a ball and the dough bounces back when pressed with two fingers. This will take about 4-6 minutes (longer if you've done this process by hand). Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
  • Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball and place into a 9×13-inch pan that's been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 20-28 minutes, or until rolls are golden. Be sure to rotate the pan if needed partway through baking to ensure the rolls get evenly golden.
  • Brush hot rolls with melted butter, if desired. Enjoy within 2 days.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 211mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 138IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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These are the very best soft and fluffy dinner rolls! Potato Rolls with instant potaotes are easy to make and you can make them even if you’re not used to working with yeast.



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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4.87 from 79 votes (49 ratings without comment)

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161 Comments

  1. I tried your potato rolls, but I have a weird question. I love making rolls, but have a question, instead of pinching my dough out for the rolls, is there a way after I get all my ingredients together and let it rest for 10 minutes can I make it out to be one big large piece of bread, just knead it and shape it and let it finish rising and cook it until golden brown, and cut it with a knife in the shapes of rolls? The reason I am asking this is because like I said my husband and I love home made rolls, but I have arthritis and it is getting harder to make them, thank you.

    Reply

    1. That’s a great question – you can roll the dough out and roll it up and bake it like a loaf for sure – for imagery check out my white bread post: https://www.crazyforcrust.com/easy-white-bread/
      Otherwise if you want an actual dinner roll, just cut the sections and skip the rolling – you could even put the cuts in a muffin pan or like pull apart bread in a bread pan – I think the forming and rolling them is just really to make them pretty.

      Reply

  2. This has become my go to roll recipe. But tonight, I used this recipe for burger buns. Divided the dough into 8 pieces, formed into balls, and then patted down pretty flat. I left 2 inches between each bun. I let them rise 30-45 minutes before brushing with egg wash and topping with sesame seeds. Perfect. Strong enough to hold a burger but also beautifully soft. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  5. These turned out absolutely delicious! My family DEVOURED them lol. I just wish there was a recipe using potato flake starter for these rolls and loaves because they are SO delicious 😋

    Reply