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My favorite 1-Hour Soft and Buttery Dinner Rolls recipe is easy to make by hand or with a stand mixer and absolutely heavenly served warm out of the oven.
Is there anything better than a freshly-baked pan of homemade dinner rolls?
Actually, yes — this easy dinner rolls recipe that can be ready to go in just one hour!
This recipe has been my go-to for years and always yields the most perfectly soft, fluffy, buttery rolls. But I especially love it because the ingredient list is simple, the rise times are minimal, and the dough can be easily made either by hand or with the help of a stand mixer. And everything can come together quickly in just an hour or so, which makes this recipe more do-able on busy weeknights when you’re craving some homemade bread, and also super-helpful on holidays when you’re trying to multi-task all the things.
Many of you have also asked about make-ahead options with this recipe over the years, so I have updated the post with instructions for how to make the bread dough in advance. And I have also included some fun variations if you would like to make your rolls more garlicky, herb-y, cheesy, or whatever other add-ins sound fun.
Bottom line, this dinner rolls recipe is a keeper and never lets me down. So if you are looking for a good one to add to your repertoire, bookmark this one and give it a try!
1-Hour Dinner Rolls Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Homemade Dinner Rolls Ingredients:
Before we get to the full recipe below, here are a few notes about the ingredients that you will need to make this homemade dinner rolls recipe:
Water and milk: These will serve as our base liquids for the bread dough. I used dairy milk, but you are welcome to sub in a plain plant-based milk (such as oat milk or almond milk) instead.
Melted butter: Which we will both bake into the rolls and brush on top.
Honey: To add just a hint of sweetness.
Active dry yeast: This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of yeast. So if you are purchasing your yeast in 0.25-ounce packets, you will need slightly more than one packet.
Flour: I have only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour. But if you try out different flours, please let us know how it goes in the comment section below!
Salt: Which we will mix into the rolls to bring out all of those delicious buttery flavors. Feel free to sprinkle a bit of flaky salt on top of the warm rolls just before serving too!
Tips For How To Make Dinner Rolls:
The full recipe is included below for how to make these dinner rolls, but here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind too:
Be sure that your yeast has not expired. This is one of the most common reasons for why a batch of bread dough does not rise. Double-check the expiration date on any yeast that may be hanging out in your pantry. And if the yeast does not begin to puff and bubble up after 5 minutes once it has been added to the wet ingredients, toss out the batch and start over with new yeast.
Double-check the temperature of the liquid ingredients. When heating the liquid ingredients (water, melted butter, milk and honey), it’s essential that they be within the temperature range of 100-110°F. If the mixture is too hot, it can kill the yeast. If it is too cool, the yeast may not activate. The mixture should feel warm and not hot to the touch, but I always recommend testing the mixture with a cooking thermometer just to be sure.
Don’t skip the rise times. They are essential to helping the dough rise and create that soft and fluffy texture we’re going for.
No worries about perfection. When portioning the dough into 12 rolls, don’t worry about them all being perfectly equal in size. They will all bake up together in the pan, and if some are slightly larger or smaller, hakuna matata. :)
Possible Recipe Variations:
Here are a few other possible variations that you could make to this dinner rolls recipe:
Make-ahead option: For make-ahead dinner rolls, follow the recipe through the step that you shape the individual rolls and place them in the baking dish. Then tightly cover the baking dish and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Transfer the dish to the counter and let it warm up to room temperature for 2 hours before baking, and then bake as directed.
Make it vegan: Use plant-based milk and butter and your preferred sweetener in place of honey.
Add garlic: Add in 1 teaspoon of garlic powder to the bread dough to make the rolls more garlicky, and/or you could also simmer some minced garlic with butter to brush on top of the rolls after baking.
Add herbs: Add in 1 to 2 tablespoons of finely-chopped fresh herbs (such as rosemary or parsley) to the bread dough to add flavor to the rolls, and/or you could also mix some fresh herbs in with the melted butter to brush on top of the rolls after baking.
Add cheese: You can also mix in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of freshly-grated cheddar cheese to make cheesy rolls. (Or I also love mixing in some freshly-grated Parmesan, and then sprinkling some on top of the rolls during the final 5 minutes of baking.)
More Favorite Bread Recipes:
Looking for more easy bread recipes to add to your repertoire? Here are a few of my faves…
My favorite 1-Hour Soft and Buttery Dinner Rolls recipe is easy to make by hand or with a stand mixer and absolutely heavenly served warm out of the oven.
Prep your oven and baking dish. Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.
Heat the liquids. In a microwave-safe bowl (or saucepan, see below), stir together the water and melted butter, then add in the milk and honey and stir until combined. Microwave the mixture for 1 minute and give it a stir. Continue microwaving the mixture in 15 second intervals, until it reaches 110°F. It will be warm but not hot to the touch. (*Alternately, you can heat the mixture over medium-low heat in a saucepan until it reaches 110°F.)
Add yeast. Pour the liquid mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast evenly on top, give it a quick stir with a fork to combine, and let the yeast activate for 5 minutes until it is foamy.
Add dry ingredients. Add in 3 1/2 cups of flour (not all of the flour) and the salt.
Mix. (See alternate instructions in the notes below for how to knead the dough by hand.) Use the dough-hook to mix in the dry ingredients on medium-low speed until combined. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add in 1/4 cup more flour at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is only slightly sticky to the touch. (Only use up to 4 cups of flour total.) Continue mixing on low speed for 4-5 minutes until the dough is smooth. Then form the dough into a ball with your hands and transfer it to a greased bowl.
Let the dough rise. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or paper towel, and let it rise briefly for 15 minutes.
Form the rolls. Gently punch the dough down and divide into 15 equal-sized pieces. Form each piece into a ball and place the dough balls in the greased baking dish. Cover the dish again with a damp towel or paper towel and let the dough balls rise for an additional 15-20 minutes.
Bake. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes, or until the rolls are lightly golden brown on top and cooked through.
Brush with more butter. Transfer the baking dish to a wire cooling rack and brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter.
Yeast: I typically purchase my yeast in bulk. But if you are using the 0.25-ounce packets, they each contain 2.25 teaspoons of yeast. So you will need slightly more than one packet to yield 1 tablespoon.
How to knead the dough by hand: If you do not have a stand mixer, no prob! For step 5 (mixing the dough), simply stir the dry ingredients into the dough as much as possible. Then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth, adding up to 1/4 cup of extra flour if the dough is too sticky.
These reminded me of my great aunts rolls that take 2 days to make…and these only took an hour! My family loved them! I do like a little bit of a sweeter roll though I’m going to try a little more honey next time and maybe do honey butter. All in all, best and easiest rolls I’ve ever made!
Soft dinner rolls, what a treat! And they can be filled with anything during the shaping into balls phase. I baked mine in a muffin tin. They came out beautiful. Thanks.
Just made these today and they were delicious! Was nervous because my last attempt at rolls was a major fail. But not these! So good! My family asked me to make another batch for Easter! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Love this recipe. It’s so quick & easy, I’ve made a batch before leaving for work in the morning. To change it up I like to add garlic powder &/or some shredded cheese to the dough, and it’s so good. I do have to use 4.5 cups of flour though, otherwise the dough is way, way too sticky, but I wonder if it’s due to the high elevation of where I live. Either way, these buns are the best! Thank you for sharing!!
Oh my goodness, I have been making yeast rolls for 50 years. I’ve always done the routine of getting up at 6 o’clock in the morning to have them ready for Thanksgiving and I have always spoiled my family having homemade yeast rolls. I didn’t really believe you could get the results in one hour, but they are absolutely perfect. If you like your own variation of the ingredients, I’m sure that would be fine because it is this amazing process of mixing the ingredients together that expedites the process personally, I like a little more salt, but I will never make rolls the same again .
Oh my gosh, after 50 years of making yeast rolls this will always be my new go to. Personally, I like a little more salt but no more starting my dough 4 to 6 hours before serving. I did not believe this would work, but I decided to try it and it worked perfectly, I can’t wait to tell my baking friends .
I’m on the second rise now, they were very sticky and hard to form into balls. I ended up greasing my hands with oil in order to form into balls. Hoping they turn out and this dough is forgiving. I trust Ali so I’m hopeful!
Erica —
Same here! On the second rise now, and so incredibly sticky I just plopped them in my baking dish. They wont be pretty, but hopefully they’ll taste good. Hope they came out okay for you too!
THE BEST! Anyone can make this recipe. It’s simple and quick. This was at least the 3rd or 4th yeast roll recipe I’ve tried, and this was by far the easiest and the only recipe out of four that yielded the soft, pillowy rolls I was searching for. My husband and kids are absolutely loving this recipe, and I can’t wait to make it for family gatherings. I made 12 the first time I tried this recipe and they were quite large. Tonight I did 25 rolls in an 8×8 pan tonight and they were perfect! (They were the size of the sister schuberts in the round pan…but arguably superior to the store bought ones!!)
I don’t know what I did wrong. Please help. Thanks
They look flat and thick not fluffy and like buns more like a biscuit. I don’t know what I did wrong
Jane —
Could be that your yeast had died…try with fresh yeast. I keep my yeast in the freezer and bring it room temperature before using. It really extends the life.
I have been looking for a quick recipe. Most of my breads and rolls rise overnight. This recipe is exquisite. These rolls are soft, buttery, fluffy and just plain delicious. I made a couple tweaks. But not with the science. They are fabulous.
This is the best recipe I have ever tried! It is super soft, very easy to prepare, and I did half-plain, half-Parmesan! I can’t wait to make the other suggested variations! From a bread lover like my family! Hats off to you! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
My favorite roll recipe! Super easy and come out perfect every time! I’ve accidentally added too much of this or that and they still come out perfect!!
Incredible! I wanted fresh rolls but didn’t want to spend hours making them, I read so many recipes before deciding on this one. These were absolutely perfect, soft, tender and the dough was so easy to work with. This is my new go to!
I need to go grocery shopping and haven’t done so plus took a nap and woke up way later than I’d planned on so Sloppy Joes for dinner it is! But there’s no bread, no eggs! So I went online and found this awesome recipe! This was so easy to make it’s going to be my go to bread recipe! I added an extra tablespoon of honey and it was DELICIOUS!!!! And perfectly heavenly the next day!!!!
I’m wondering if you have any high altitude directions for this recipe as I live over a mile high.
Maura —
I live in Denver and made these as written and they were perfect! With yeast at altitude, I would just suggest keeping an eye on the rise because things tend to rise faster. But I didn’t have to change anything about the ingredients.
I made these delicious rolls for dinner last night. I followed the recipe without any changes. The recipe is very easy to follow and the comments are very helpful. We enjoyed the rolls very much and they will become my new roll recipe.
Just made these for the first time. Only difference is I used almond milk instead of regular dairy milk (it’s all I had).
They turned out great. Nice flavor and really fluffy. I was happy with how easy they are to make. I only needed to add about 2 TBS of flour after the initial 3.5 cups. I’m at high elevation (5000 ft) and didn’t have to adjust temperature or cook time.
I followed your recipe today, and the rolls turned out exceptionally good. And, like you said, only took about an hour. I took half, warm, to my neighbor, about supper time…thanks for sharing
Great rolls, and really fast to make. They even cooled off fast! I measured my flour using grams, and needed to add extra so I could actually knead it. Otherwise, it would have been very wet indeed.
These are the kind of recipe that make people think you’re an amazing cook, when in fact you put in very little effort. I managed to do this while also making stew from scratch, and with two toddlers underfoot.
Oh my gosh!! First time and so easy. Didn’t use a stand mixer either. I added an additional 4 minutes at 375 as they weren’t completely done yet. SO good. Thank you!!
This was easy and even my 2 junior bakers helping didn’t cause any problems lol. I usually use dry yeast and have varying degrees of success, and this time when my yeast wasn’t bubbling. I put the whole thing back on the stove and heated it w a thermometer to 110… and had much greater success in the final product than usual… I’m realizing I must’ve always had my liquids too cool. My bread usually doesn’t rise well… so I greatly appreciate the advice to watch the yeast and start over if it isn’t bubbling. I found my rise times DID need an extra 5 mins or so, though.
These reminded me of my great aunts rolls that take 2 days to make…and these only took an hour! My family loved them! I do like a little bit of a sweeter roll though I’m going to try a little more honey next time and maybe do honey butter. All in all, best and easiest rolls I’ve ever made!
These are my favorite dinner rolls to make. My family loves them and they really are easy. Love them!!
Rolls are amazing! Will definitely make again.
Soft dinner rolls, what a treat! And they can be filled with anything during the shaping into balls phase. I baked mine in a muffin tin. They came out beautiful. Thanks.
Just made these today and they were delicious! Was nervous because my last attempt at rolls was a major fail. But not these! So good! My family asked me to make another batch for Easter! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Love this recipe. It’s so quick & easy, I’ve made a batch before leaving for work in the morning. To change it up I like to add garlic powder &/or some shredded cheese to the dough, and it’s so good. I do have to use 4.5 cups of flour though, otherwise the dough is way, way too sticky, but I wonder if it’s due to the high elevation of where I live. Either way, these buns are the best! Thank you for sharing!!
Wonderful the best I have had
Do you have a good bread recipe?
Oh my goodness, I have been making yeast rolls for 50 years. I’ve always done the routine of getting up at 6 o’clock in the morning to have them ready for Thanksgiving and I have always spoiled my family having homemade yeast rolls. I didn’t really believe you could get the results in one hour, but they are absolutely perfect. If you like your own variation of the ingredients, I’m sure that would be fine because it is this amazing process of mixing the ingredients together that expedites the process personally, I like a little more salt, but I will never make rolls the same again .
Oh my gosh, after 50 years of making yeast rolls this will always be my new go to. Personally, I like a little more salt but no more starting my dough 4 to 6 hours before serving. I did not believe this would work, but I decided to try it and it worked perfectly, I can’t wait to tell my baking friends .
These rolls are off the chain! Lobe them thank you for this recipe. I will definitely make these over and over.
I’m on the second rise now, they were very sticky and hard to form into balls. I ended up greasing my hands with oil in order to form into balls. Hoping they turn out and this dough is forgiving. I trust Ali so I’m hopeful!
Same here! On the second rise now, and so incredibly sticky I just plopped them in my baking dish. They wont be pretty, but hopefully they’ll taste good. Hope they came out okay for you too!
Thank you for a great and simple recipe! I’ve made this so many times and they are now my family’s favorite rolls :)
THE BEST! Anyone can make this recipe. It’s simple and quick. This was at least the 3rd or 4th yeast roll recipe I’ve tried, and this was by far the easiest and the only recipe out of four that yielded the soft, pillowy rolls I was searching for. My husband and kids are absolutely loving this recipe, and I can’t wait to make it for family gatherings. I made 12 the first time I tried this recipe and they were quite large. Tonight I did 25 rolls in an 8×8 pan tonight and they were perfect! (They were the size of the sister schuberts in the round pan…but arguably superior to the store bought ones!!)
I don’t know what I did wrong. Please help. Thanks
They look flat and thick not fluffy and like buns more like a biscuit. I don’t know what I did wrong
Could be that your yeast had died…try with fresh yeast. I keep my yeast in the freezer and bring it room temperature before using. It really extends the life.
I want to try this recipe but I do not have any honey and I don’t want to drive to town just for honey can I use a pinch of sugar or something else
I have been looking for a quick recipe. Most of my breads and rolls rise overnight. This recipe is exquisite. These rolls are soft, buttery, fluffy and just plain delicious. I made a couple tweaks. But not with the science. They are fabulous.
First time making these rolls super easy and thankfully quick recipe! Smell and taste wonderful
My go to recipe! Hasn’t failed me yet!
I made these tonight and they turned out perfect only thing I did was used regular bread flour.Thank you for a lovely recipe
Superb yeast roll recipe ! Try it out. Didn’t change a thing except bake time but I live in a higher elevation so they baked in 17 minutes.
This is the best recipe I have ever tried! It is super soft, very easy to prepare, and I did half-plain, half-Parmesan! I can’t wait to make the other suggested variations! From a bread lover like my family! Hats off to you! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
❤️❤️❤️ Hats off!
My favorite roll recipe! Super easy and come out perfect every time! I’ve accidentally added too much of this or that and they still come out perfect!!
Ok. I just made these buns. I have to say it’s the best recipe ever. They are so light and airy. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Incredible! I wanted fresh rolls but didn’t want to spend hours making them, I read so many recipes before deciding on this one. These were absolutely perfect, soft, tender and the dough was so easy to work with. This is my new go to!
My rolls are rock solid
I need to go grocery shopping and haven’t done so plus took a nap and woke up way later than I’d planned on so Sloppy Joes for dinner it is! But there’s no bread, no eggs! So I went online and found this awesome recipe! This was so easy to make it’s going to be my go to bread recipe! I added an extra tablespoon of honey and it was DELICIOUS!!!! And perfectly heavenly the next day!!!!
I’m wondering if you have any high altitude directions for this recipe as I live over a mile high.
I live in Denver and made these as written and they were perfect! With yeast at altitude, I would just suggest keeping an eye on the rise because things tend to rise faster. But I didn’t have to change anything about the ingredients.
Love this recipe. It’s so tasty 😋 can you use this recipe to make cinnamon buns?
I made these delicious rolls for dinner last night. I followed the recipe without any changes. The recipe is very easy to follow and the comments are very helpful. We enjoyed the rolls very much and they will become my new roll recipe.
Just made these for the first time. Only difference is I used almond milk instead of regular dairy milk (it’s all I had).
They turned out great. Nice flavor and really fluffy. I was happy with how easy they are to make. I only needed to add about 2 TBS of flour after the initial 3.5 cups. I’m at high elevation (5000 ft) and didn’t have to adjust temperature or cook time.
I followed your recipe today, and the rolls turned out exceptionally good. And, like you said, only took about an hour. I took half, warm, to my neighbor, about supper time…thanks for sharing
Can these be frozen?
Can I use all milk instead of the water?
These rolls were amazing and easy to make. Will be making again really soon!
Very good. Used light corn syrup in place of honey. Will add a little more salt to dough next time. Needed it. Will definitely make again
If I double these, can I use a sheet pan to bake them in?
Great rolls, and really fast to make. They even cooled off fast! I measured my flour using grams, and needed to add extra so I could actually knead it. Otherwise, it would have been very wet indeed.
These are the kind of recipe that make people think you’re an amazing cook, when in fact you put in very little effort. I managed to do this while also making stew from scratch, and with two toddlers underfoot.
I made 16 rolls instead of 15 because that’s how things divide. Came out fine.
Could the dough be made in the breadmachine?
Yes you can. That’s how I make them. Turn out perfect every time.
Can I par bake these and then finish them at the destination? Recommendations please.
Would using Rapid yeast be bad? Was thinking about making these for Thanksgiving and I only have Rapid yeast.
I’ve made these rolls several times! Awesome recipe
We love them !!! Came out beautiful.
Can you use half n half ?
I doubled the recipe for the 1 hour soft and buttery rolls and instructions did not double. the instructions are for 1X.
Oh my gosh!! First time and so easy. Didn’t use a stand mixer either. I added an additional 4 minutes at 375 as they weren’t completely done yet. SO good. Thank you!!
Fantastic recipe. I’m making them a second time this Thanksgiving morning! Thanks so much for sharing.
This was easy and even my 2 junior bakers helping didn’t cause any problems lol. I usually use dry yeast and have varying degrees of success, and this time when my yeast wasn’t bubbling. I put the whole thing back on the stove and heated it w a thermometer to 110… and had much greater success in the final product than usual… I’m realizing I must’ve always had my liquids too cool. My bread usually doesn’t rise well… so I greatly appreciate the advice to watch the yeast and start over if it isn’t bubbling. I found my rise times DID need an extra 5 mins or so, though.