Sweet Dinner Rolls are delicious, soft, and light rolls. They are the perfect addition to any meal.

These simple dinner rolls are perfect all year but especially for a holiday dinner when you want to add a special homemade touch. They’re soft, sweet, easy to make and so addicting, you may want to make a double batch.

a stack of sweet rolls on a plate.

We have our favorite holiday recipes and these sweet dinner rolls are at the top of everyone’s list. I make them every Thanksgiving and Christmas and, if for some reason I didn’t, there’d be a lot of sad faces around our table.

There’s nothing difficult about these rolls except that they’re hard to resist. Yes, I’m a bread lover (if it wasn’t obvious) and these soft rolls are too die for.

Why We Love Them

I am a huge Rhode’s Rolls fan but after I made these homemade rolls for the first time years ago, no other roll has graced our table. I used to make 16 large rolls, but in the last few years, I’ve made smaller ones. Somehow, the smaller ones are more buttery and soft.

And the kids – they love, love, love them. If I put a whole basket on the table, they gobble them up without even touching the rest of their meal. So, be aware, if you have kids be sure to place the basket out of reach unless you want them to disappear minutes after serving them.

a roll being split in half.

As far as my husband, he’ll hover around the oven to sneak a first bite of a hot buttery roll. If he had his own way, he’d eat the entire pan before they make it to the holiday table. I have to agree, hot out of the oven, they are heavenly bliss.

Beyond the texture and flavor, they are the best dinner rolls for big holiday meals, potlucks, or open houses when things might be sitting out for a while. They don’t easily dry out and they’re just as delicious served cold as when they first come out of the oven.

Ingredients

  • Warm water
  • Warm milk
  • Egg
  • Softened butter
  • White sugar
  • Salt
  • All-purpose flour
  • Active dry yeast

How to Make Them

Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour, and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.

overhead photo of two dough balls.

When the cycle finishes, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half.

one dough round rolled out into a circle.

Roll each half into a 12-inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over the entire round.

Cut each circle into 8 wedges (or 12 if you want smaller rolls).

a dough round brushed with butter and cut into eight wedges.

Roll wedges starting at the wide end – roll them gently but tightly. Place point side down on an ungreased cookie sheet.

the dough being rolled up.

Cover with a clean kitchen towel and put the sheet pan in a warm place. Let the rolls rise for one hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F.

the rolled rolls on a prepared baking sheet.

Bake the sweet rolls for 10 to 15 minutes (or 9 to 12 minutes for small rolls) or until they are golden brown.

overhead shot of the baked rolls.

Recipe Tips

Be sure to check the expiration date on your yeast before you make it. Otherwise, the rolls won’t rise.

If you have leftover rolls (highly unlikely) they will keep for a few days in a container stored at room temperature.

two sweet dinner rolls.

My favorite kitchen tools:

This post may contain affiliate links. See my Full Disclosure for further details.

MEASURING CUPS: Nothing beats a good set of measuring cups that last a long time. I love metal measuring cups because of its durability.

MEASURING SPOONS: I have to have a metal set of measuring spoons on hand. The plastic ones just don’t last long in our house thanks in large part to the garbage disposal.

SHEET PAN: I love using a larger sheet pan while cooking because I am feeding my family of seven. I love these pans so much that I have 9!

close-up shot of the rolls stacked on a plate.

Soft buttery homemade rolls – this sweet dinner roll recipe is a holiday must-have! Try them and they might be your new favorite Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner tradition. Enjoy! XOXO San

More Holiday Recipes You Will Love

Don’t forget to pin this to your favorite Pinterest board to save for later!

photo collage for pinterest.

Dinner Sweet Rolls

Prep: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 16 rolls
Calories: 384 kcal
Dinner Sweet Rolls are always a good thing to have with any meal. The doughy inside and floury outside make it great for an add-on to any dish. You can use this recipe to make 8 large rolls or 24 small rolls. I prefer the small ones and have included how to make them in the recipe notes.
homemade sweet dinner rolls.

Ingredients
 

  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/2 cup warm milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup butter softened
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • .25 ounces active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup butter softened

Instructions
 

  • Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.
  • When the cycle finishes, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over each round.
  • Cut each circle into 8 wedges*. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet.
  • Cover with a clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  • Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden.

Notes

Small Rolls: Cut the dough rounds into 12 wedges to make 24 smaller rolls. Bake them for 9 to 10 minutes at the same oven temperature.
Calories: 384kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 7gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 425mgPotassium: 98mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 470IUCalcium: 33mgIron: 2.8mg
homemade sweet dinner rolls.
Tried this recipe?Let us know what you think!

Similar Posts

16 Comments

  1. This is pretty close to the recipe I use for my rolls. Last Thanksgiving I added a new twist… I had everyone coming to dinner email me a few things they were grateful for. Then I wrote them all out on parchment strips and rolled them up inside. Everyone took turns break theirs open and reading the strip and saying who it was from. I’m going to do it every year now!

  2. 5 stars
    I am loving these sweet rolls! They are SO soft and delicious!! They would not last long at our house!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating