Making bread from scratch is easier than you think! These easy homemade Potato Rolls are made with a cup of mashed potatoes. The end result is a dinner roll that’s soft, doughy, and buttery.
I love a good dinner roll, and these Homemade Potato Rolls top my list as the perfect side dish for any meal!
They’re tender and soft, with a doughy interior and buttery exterior.
The recipe uses one cup of mashed potatoes (either leftovers, instant, or whip up a batch). The potatoes impart a softness to these rolls that’s hard to replicate with anything else.
We’ll use a stand mixer to do all of the work for this recipe (hooray!), so you’ll just need some time at home to allow the dough to rise before baking.
The recipe makes 36 rolls, making them perfect for a large gathering, sharing with others, or freezing a dozen or two for later use.
I love serving these potato rolls with Pot Roast, Meatloaf, or Crockpot Pork Chops!
Short on time? Try my Bisquick Cheddar Biscuits for a quick weeknight side.
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Ingredients
- The star of this recipe is one cup of mashed potatoes. You can use leftovers, instant, or make a batch just for this recipe.
- All-purpose flour works best for these rolls.
- We’ll put some butter in the rolls and brush more on top.
How to make homemade potato rolls
Start by spraying three 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray. You can also use 9-inch pie dishes. They don’t all have to match!
Then, stir the yeast into 1½ cups warm water.
You should see little bubbles form as your stir, which indicates that the yeast is active.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, sugar, salt, and mashed potatoes. Mix on low until smooth.
Add the eggs and water/yeast mixture, and stir to combine.
The mixture may look a little lumpy or like it’s curdled—that’s ok!
Then, add the flour and mix until just combined.
You want the dough to come away from the sides of the bowl and wrap around the paddle attachment—that’s how you know it has enough flour.
Transfer the mixture to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in a warm place and allow the dough to rise for 2 hours.
I like placing mine near the oven, especially if I’m going to be cooking/baking other things, so it’s nice and warm.
Then, take the dough and divide it into thirds. Take one third of the dough, and divide it into 12 pieces. Place the 12 pieces in one of the greased cake pans.
Repeat with the remaining dough, making 36 balls of dough in total.
Cover each cake pan with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm place for one hour.
Bake the rolls at 375°F for 20–22 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top.
Brush the potato rolls with melted butter when they’re still warm from the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Make the mashed potatoes according to package directions and measure one cup of the finished product for this recipe.
Place the dough in a warm location, such as near a stove that’s turned on. You can also heat an oven to 200°F and turn it off. Then, place the bowl of dough inside and let it rise.
Yes! If you would like the potato rolls to be golden all the way around, place the balls of dough 4 inches apart on a sheet pan, instead of in the cake pans.
How to freeze potato rolls
Homemade Potato Rolls can be frozen either before baking or after baking.
To freeze before baking, shape the dough into balls after the initial rise. Place the dough balls in a single layer on a baking sheet that fits in your freezer, and freeze until solid. Remove them from the baking sheet and place in a resealable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.
To bake, place the balls in a greased cake pan (up to 12 per pan), cover with greased plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 3–4 hours. Bake as directed.
To freeze after baking, remove the rolls from the pan and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Transfer to a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Defrost overnight at room temperature and heat in the oven for 5–8 minutes (while still wrapped in foil) until warm.
Serving suggestions
I like serving potato rolls (or any rolls really!) when they are still warm. You can either serve them after baking, or let them cool and re-warm them.
To warm the rolls, wrap them in foil and bake at 350°F for 5 minutes, or until warm.
Serve the rolls with butter, or with something with sauce for dipping (like these Crockpot Pork Chops with Sauce).
Ideas for leftover rolls
Have a few extra potato rolls? You can freeze them, or here are a few ideas for them!
- Make ham & cheese sliders
- Pulse in a food processor, then toast in the oven to make breadcrumbs
- Tear them into pieces, dip in melted butter, and toast in the oven to make croutons
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Potato Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ cups warm water
- 1 package instant yeast
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 cup warm mashed potatoes
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 6½–7 cups all-purpose flour
- For the topping: 4 tablespoons salted butter
Instructions
- Spray three 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray.
- Stir the yeast into the warm water. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, and mashed potatoes until smooth. Add eggs and yeast mixture, and stir to combine.
- Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit until doubled in size, about 1–2 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is.
- Punch dough down and divide into thirds. Take one third and divide the dough into 12 balls. Arrange the 12 balls in one of the 9-inch cake pans. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Cover with plastic wrap (spray the plastic wrap with cooking spray first) and let sit until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake for 20–22 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
- While the rolls are baking, melt the salted butter. When the rolls are done, brush the melted butter over the warm rolls.
Anne Witter says
12/29/2022
I made these rolls for Christmas Dinner this year and everyone loved them. They are soft and yeasty’ just like you want a homemade roll to be They will be my go to rolls from now on as they were easy and came out so beautiful!!!
Kate Shungu says
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed them, Anne! Thanks for taking the time to comment.