This post may contain references to products from one or more of our advertisers. Oh Sweet Basil may receive compensation when you click on links to such products.
These potato rolls don’t require any kneading, and honestly, they’re hands down the best rolls we’ve ever had. Soft, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, they’re our #1 most requested roll recipe.
These rolls are ridiculously easy to make — no fancy equipment, no complicated techniques — and perfect for any meal, holiday dinner, or special occasion. Once you try them, you’ll see why everyone keeps asking for this recipe.
These are seriously the best potato dinner rolls ever. They are so soft and seriously melt in your mouth. They are ridiculously buttery.
Table of Contents
- Suggested Products
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Potato Rolls
- Can You Make Potato Rolls Ahead of Time?
- How Long Do Potato Rolls Last?
- Can You Freeze Potato Rolls?
- How to Form into Knots
- How to Shape Like Crescent Rolls
- Why are Potato Rolls Lighter Than Other Rolls?
- More BREAD SIDES You’ll Love:
- Watch This Video to See How They are Made…
- Potato Rolls Recipe
Suggested Products
These are all affiliate links for amazon but you can go to a store to find a lot too. Amazon is just easiest.
- Potato Gems or Pearls – We use these dehydrated potatoes as they seem to give the best flavor and texture.
- Dough Scraper – Any ol’ scraper will do but we prefer a plastic scraper to scrape the dough and flour off our counter and out of bowls for 10x faster clean up.
- Silpat Baking Mat – We bake everything on a silpat; cookies, rolls and even loaf breads cook evenly and without sticking! No spray needed!
- Nordic Ware Cookie Sheet – The cookie sheet you use absolutely can make or break your recipe. If it’s too dark it will cause your food to look dark and over-bake. You want a cookie sheet that bakes evenly and won’t affect color.
- Stainless Mixing Bowls – I love glass mixing bowls, but the truth is, everyone should have good stainless bowls in all sizes and these are great ones.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sugar: Feeds the yeast to help the dough rise and adds a touch of sweetness that enhances flavor. It also promotes browning, giving your rolls that beautiful golden color.
- Unsalted Butter: Butter adds richness, tenderness, and flavor to the rolls. The fat coats the flour proteins, which limits gluten development — that’s why your potato rolls turn out so soft and melt-in-your-mouth.
- Milk: Milk makes the dough tender and adds subtle sweetness and flavor. The natural sugars in milk also help with browning, while the proteins contribute to a soft, rich crumb.
- Potato Flakes: This is your secret weapon! Potato flakes (or mashed potatoes) make the rolls extra soft and moist by attracting and holding onto moisture.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness, enhances flavor, and strengthens the gluten structure so your rolls rise evenly and hold their shape.
- PRO TIP: Always add salt after the yeast has been mixed in with other ingredients to avoid slowing yeast activity.
- Instant Yeast: The leavening agent that makes your rolls rise. Instant yeast works quickly and doesn’t require proofing in water first — just mix it right in with the dry ingredients.
- Eggs: Eggs add richness, flavor, and beautiful golden color. They also help bind the dough and contribute to a soft, tender texture.
- Flour: The backbone of the recipe! Flour provides structure and gluten formation — the framework that traps air and gives your rolls their shape and lightness.
How to Make Potato Rolls
- Scald the Milk: Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the milk. Cook until the edges begin to foam but don’t let it come to a boil. Remove from heat.
- Add: Stir in the sugar, butter, potato flakes and salt until combined and then let it cool to luke warm.
- Stir: Add the yeast and stir them in followed by the eggs.
- Combine: Place the flour in a large bowl then add the wet ingredients and stir until the dough comes together. The dough will be sticky.
- Rise: Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for an hour.
- Divide: Punch the dough down and divide into 4 equal parts.
- Roll: Roll out each of the portions into a circle that is 1/2″ thick and butter 2 of the 4 circles. Place the unbuttered circles on top of the buttered circles so that the butter is between the two circles and press around the edges to seal.
- Form: Cut each circle either into 1″ wide strips or 16 wedges depending on how you want to form the rolls. Tie the strips into knots or roll the wedges into a crescent shape (see section below).
- Rise: Place formed rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment and cover with a towel. Let them rise for 1.2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Bake: Once they have risen, bake in a preheated oven at 350℉ until golden brown, (14-20 min).
- PRO TIP: Make sure you eat one straight out of the oven. Oh my goodness, it’s like heaven. The best potato rolls literally melt in your mouth.
Can You Make Potato Rolls Ahead of Time?
Yes! You can make potato rolls ahead of time!
- Method 1 is making the dough, covering it in a bowl with plastic wrap and allowing it to sit in the fridge overnight. The next day, set the bowl until no longer chilly and proceed as normal.
- Method 2 is to allow the dough to rise, roll out the dough on a cookie sheet and then cover in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge overnight. Place on the counter to take the chill off for an hour or two and then bake.
How Long Do Potato Rolls Last?
Potato rolls will stay soft for days thanks to the potato starch molecules’ ability to keep wheat starches from getting stale.
Let the rolls cool completely before storing and place in a plastic storage bag, or wrap in foil and store at room temperature.
Properly stored, rolls will last for about 5 to 7 days at normal room temperature. But, let’s be honest here-the BEST Potato Rolls are so darn good, you won’t have any left-overs to store!
Can You Freeze Potato Rolls?
Bake the rolls as usual — as if you were going to serve them right away. Let them cool completely, then wrap them tightly in aluminum foil.
Place the foil-wrapped package in a freezer bag or storage container and freeze for up to a month
OR
Freeze the rolled out dough on a cookie sheet then store in freezer bags in the freezer for up to 1 month.
How to Form into Knots
The really long pieces I generally cut in half, but I also love huge rolls (not on my body), so it’s up to you.
Create a knot by crossing the ends of the strip and pull one end through the hole. Just like when you are tying your shoe.
How to Shape Like Crescent Rolls
Cut in pizza slices and roll, starting at the fat end into crescent rolls.
Why are Potato Rolls Lighter Than Other Rolls?
When you boil potatoes, it enlarges the starch molecules. This makes it difficult for the proteins in the flour to form gluten (the enemy of light, airy bread and pastry).
Potatoes contain potassium which causes yeast to rise faster than it would with breads that contain only wheat. Potato starches absorb more water than wheat starches, leading to a moist texture.
And that’s it — the secret to the softest, most buttery potato rolls you’ll ever eat! No kneading, no stress, just fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth rolls that are perfect for any meal or holiday.
If you loved these rolls, don’t forget to try them with our Buttery Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Turkey, or with other Thanksgiving Side Dishes for the ultimate comfort-food feast. Once you make these potato rolls, they’ll become your go-to recipe too!
More BREAD SIDES You’ll Love:
- Herbed Focaccia Bread
- Homemade Baguette
- French Bread
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Homemade Naan
- Easy No Knead Artisan Bread
- One Hour Rolls
- All our BREAD RECIPES here!
Watch This Video to See How They are Made…
Potato Rolls
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Sugar
- ¾ Cups Land O'Lakes Unsalted Butter, 1 ½ sticks, see note
- 3 Cups Milk, scalded, *instructions below
- 1 Cup Potato Flakes
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Instant Yeast, or 2 Tablespoons regular yeast. We use instant.
- 4 Eggs
- 7 Cups Flour
- ⅓ Cup Additional Butter, softened
Instructions
- Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat and add the milk.3 Cups Milk
- Cook until the edges begin to foam and froth, but do not allow it to boil. There will be a little layer of the milk “skin” on top.
- Remove from heat and add the sugar, butter, potato flakes and salt.¾ Cup Sugar, ¾ Cups Land O'Lakes Unsalted Butter, 1 Cup Potato Flakes, 1 Tablespoon Salt
- Stir thoroughly and allow to cool to luke warm.
- Add the yeast, stir and then add the eggs, stirring until they are mixed in.1 Tablespoon Instant Yeast, 4 Eggs
- Place the flour in a large bowl.7 Cups Flour
- Pour the milk mixture in and stir until the dough has come together, but is still soft. Sometimes we only use like 6- 6 ½ cups of flour. This is not like a bread dough. It is a slightly sticky dough.
- Cover the bowl with a towel or saran wrap.
- Let dough rise for one hour.
- Push down and divide dough into 4 parts. Roll out one portion at a time into 1/2" thick circle and butter 2 of the 4 of dough with a few pats of butter. Place the unbuttered dough circles on top of the buttered dough and press to seal.⅓ Cup Additional Butter
- Cut into 1" wide strips or 16 wedges. Pick up one strip at a time and tie into knots. Or if you cut wedges, starting at the fat end, tightly roll into crescent rolls.
- Place on lightly greased cookie sheet and cover with a towel. Let rise for 1-2 hours more or until doubled in size. Bake at 350℉ until golden brown, (14-20 min).
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I use Roasted Garlic Idahoan Instant Potatoes (or other flavors to change up the taste)? Or, do the instant potatoes have to be plain? Thanks in advance.
They can have flavors. That is a great idea! No I’m going to have to try it!
I can not find a link to your video anywhere on this posting, could you please tell me where to look?
Shoot! I will get that added back in. In the meantime, here is a link to it on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OhSweetBasil/videos/1511464135551706/
Hello, I made the rolls. Very, very delicious. My question: very soft and sticky, used the 7 cups of AP flour. Mixed in a mixer. They spreaded during the rising process. What did I do or should do. Thanks.
The dough is very soft and sticky on the first rise. Then you should add enough flour when you shape them to make them easy to handle by hand. It sounds like you made them correctly.
I made these rolls last year for Christmas Eve dinner and they were a hit, I’m making them again today for thanksgiving dinner!!! If you haven’t try them please do, they are amazing.
Thank you so much Vicky! How were they this year??
I’ve made these several times. They are absolutely amazing. Question for you. Can you use this dough to make cinnamon rolls?
Yes, they are amazing!!
HELP, I’m making them for Thanksgiving tomorrow and my dough more than doubled in the first rise IN the refrigerator. IF I wait to roll and shape them tomorrow, will the dough keep rising and be less effective on the second rise? Should I go ahead and shape them and let rise again?
Would love to hear from you tonight, but may not be realistic! They look amazing and I’m excited to finish them. I DO like to fresh bake my rolls on Thanksgiving not reheat!
Hi Rebecca! I think I emailed you, but I will answer here just in case other people run into the same issue. You can move your dough to a bigger bowl if you’re worried about it overflowing the bowl. If not, then just led it ride, the dough is very forgiving and should be just fine!
Help! I made these rolls recently and they truly are the BEST rolls I’ve ever had! I’ve decided that I need to look no further for a “keeper” roll recipe. This is it. So when I made the rolls the first time everything went smoothly, without a hitch, and they turned out beautifully. I’m trying to make them again just like I did before, but I keep hitting a snag with the first step. I’m using the potato gems that you recommend. I’m using the same can of them that I used a week ago, but when I stir them into the scalded milk along with the butter, etc., the potato gems aren’t breaking down. They’re staying in the same little nugget form that they start out in. I’ve tried this step three different times, and the potatoes just won’t break down (or “dissolve”). I thought maybe I wasn’t letting my milk get quite hot enough, so I’ve tried letting it cook as long as possible without coming to a boil. I thought maybe if I check for the skin with my wooden spoon more frequently that would kind of be enough action to sort of “stir” the milk and let it cook longer. I’ve tried using softened butter instead of cold butter, trying to keep the mixture as warm as possible. I’ve tried stirring the potatoes into the milk for a bit before adding the butter, sugar & salt to see if they’ll break down, but they just won’t do it no matter what I try. Like I said, the first time I made them everything worked out perfectly. Do you have any troubleshooting ideas?
Hi Kim! Sorry for the delayed response. Sometimes the potato gems don’t dissolve completely. It’s no biggie. Proceed with the instructions as written and it will work out just fine!
Hi there, these look AMAZING! I want to make these for Thanksgiving, and I am a bit of a detailed, type cook. 🙂 In your video and in your recipe, you say to make the 4 circles of dough, butter two, and sandwich them so you will have two butter-sealed circles. In the video, you then make each circle into 8 pie slice wedges. This will make a total of 16 and not 32, yet it seems in your comments and in the recipe description is says 32. Is it 16 for the crescent shape, and 32 if you are making the knots? Also, when you roll these into circles for the crescent type shape, should each circle be 1/2″ thick as well? One more question! The recipe says to put the flour in the bowl, and then add the liquid mixture. You say sometimes you only use 6- 6 1/2 cups of flour. Do you put 6 cups in and stir in the liquid mixture, and then keep adding flour until you reach the slightly sticky dough consistency? I realize you will get a bit more in when you roll out the dough on a floured surface. I would like these to turn out right the first time, so I love to get every part of the recipe correct. Thank you for taking time to respond and share the recipe!
Ok, answering my own question in case anyone else is wondering. So these turned out just as wonderfully as described; can’t wait to take these over to Thanksgiving dinner tonight! I found to make the crescent rolls I should roll the 4 dough balls into 14″ circles, butter two of them with softened butter, carefully place another unbuttered circle onto each buttered one, and then cut into 16 wedges each with a rolling pizza cutter. Place these a couple inches apart on 2 large greased light-colored baking pans. (At least 11″ X 16″) Makes 32 large, fluffy and buttery rolls!
Hey Diane! I saw the response you left answering your own question! Thank you so much for coming back to add that great feedback! Yes, if you are doing the crescent roll methods, cut each circle into 16 wedges, so you end up with 32. Yes, each circle should be 1/2 inch thick after you roll them out. Add 6-6 1/2 cups of flour to the liquid mixture and let it rise, then you will use more flour when you roll out the dough. So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi!
Would omitting the sugar affect the dough in any way other than flavor? I’d like to make them without the sugar. TYIA
Leslie
Hi Leslie! The sugar is pretty crucial to this recipe. The sugar feeds the yeast and helps activates it which makes the rolls nice and fluffy. The sugar also helps them get golden and adds to the flavor. You could try reducing the sugar, but I wouldn’t omit it completely.
I made these rolls today and was amazed at how quickly and effortlessly they come together. I am going to make the dough into hamburger buns for my family tonight. The only question I had was how to measure the instant mashed potatoes in comparison to the flakes. The pkg. said 3 Tablespoons equals 2/3 cup prepared, so I put in 1/2 cup of the instant. I could not find anywhere on the internet to help me, so I had to give it my best guess and. I know that using too many potatoes can ruin the out come. I was also happy about the size of the recipe. I have a similar recipe and it calls for 13 cups of flour and not as many eggs. Thank you.
Hi Grace! I’m a little confused by your questions. If you have instant mashed potato pearls/flakes/powder, it will be the same measurement as listed in the recipe – 1 cup. Or were your potatoes already made? Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I have a medical restriction so I can’t use prepared foods, I’d like to use potato flour instead of instant potatoes and if possi9ble, how much should I add, where or when?
Hey Mike! Using potato flour won’t work here, but you could use mashed potatoes. Use 1/3 cup of mashed potatoes.