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My life wouldn’t be complete without dinner rolls: these soft Potato Rolls are the fluffiest homemade dinner rolls you’ll ever eat. I promise they’re an easy recipe – homemade rolls are so simple to make! These are the perfect dinner rolls with a soft texture – fluffy potato rolls are something I eat as a side dish or even for dessert!

a potato roll stacked on other potato rolls

I promise these 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 knew I had to try a Potato Rolls recipe. Potato bread is so darn good that I knew homemade would be even better, and I was right!

This potato roll recipe is a simple yeasted dinner roll but they also have instant mashed potatoes inside. There’s something about the potato inside that adds a fluffy texture to any bread or roll. It makes them softer 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 – they’re the best rolls ever!

all the ingredients in potato rolls on marble counter

How to make Potato Rolls

  1. Be sure to read the directions – we start with a bit of flour when we whisk the dry ingredients together – more flour will be added after the liquids.
  2. Because we’re using instant yeast (also called Rapid Rise) we add it dry straight into the bowl with the flour, salt, and bit of sugar.
  3. You want to heat your wet ingredients (milk and water) to the proper temperature (between 120-130°F) – it’s important to use an instant read thermometer so you know your yeast will be activated.
  4. I like using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, but you can do this by hand, you’ll just have to knead by hand longer.
  5. The magic of instant yeast is in the 10 minute “rest” – then you can portion the dough into 12 rolls. At that point it needs to double in size.
  6. 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.

Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions and below the recipe card for process shots.

a potato roll stacked on other potato rolls

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Storing & Make Ahead

  • To make ahead, place the rolls in the pan and cover with plastic wrap, then chill until ready to rise and bake.
  • Once baked, store cooled rolls in an airtight container for just a day or two. Without the preservatives in store bought bread they won’t last longer than 2 days.
  • You can freeze them unbaked or after baked and cooled
a potato roll stacked on other potato rolls

Dorothy’s Expert Tips

  • I recommend using an instant read thermometer for best results when testing your water temp.
  • Instant potatoes – Some recipes use leftover mashed potatoes, but I like using instant potato flakes in my rolls.
  • This recipe has been written for Instant Yeast (NOT active dry yeast) – be sure you know which yeast you’re using. Instant yeast cuts the rise time in half because you only need a 10 minute rest and one longer rise.
  • Use nonfat, 2% or whole milk, or even nondairy milk.
  • 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
  • I like to brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter to make them nice and golden.
potato roll stack

Fluffy Potato Rolls Recipe

4.86 from 88 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

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.
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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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Step-by-Step Photos

6 photos showing how to make potato dinner rolls.
  1. Combine a cup of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also do this by hand with a wooden spoon.
  2. Combine water, milk and butter in a microwave safe measuring cup. Heat to between 120°-130°F. Stir in potato flakes.
  3. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with the dough hook for 1 minute on medium speed. Add egg and more cups 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.
  4. Knead on a lightly floured surface 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.
  5. Divide dough into 12 equal balls of dough. 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.
  6. 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.

Tips for kneading potato dinner rolls

  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.

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.

Other fabulous dinner rolls and bread recipes:

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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4.86 from 88 votes (49 ratings without comment)

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182 Comments

  2. Do you think it’s possible to put it in loaf form and still turn out ok? I loooooove potato bread and this looks like the perfect texture for it!

    Reply

    1. I need to try that! But yes, it should work! I’m not sure what size pan it would need – but do a 9×5 minimum just in case. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply