Delicious dinner rolls that are ready in just barely over an hour!
Can you believe Thanksgiving is almost here?! I am so excited! This year we are spending Thanksgiving with my family. I am the youngest of 8 kids and for the first time in a long time, we will have almost the whole entire family together! (Minus one brother that is out of state.) I can’t wait!
Dinner rolls are a must at Thanksgiving! Making homemade rolls can feel intimidating and time-consuming but with this recipe for Quick Dinner Rolls, they are ready from start to finish in barely over an hour! 1 hour 10 minutes to be exact. You can do it!
Rolls are not just for Thanksgiving. It’s perfect for snacks, sandwiches, breakfast, lunch, or dinner! You name it!
The above picture is when I made it again recently. (2020) I decided to make them smaller so I made 24. It is a little more time-consuming this way but my kids loved the small rolls!
I wanted to show you that you can make these rolls in the amount you would like, 12, 16, 20, or 24. The baking time only varies by a little. I baked the 24 for 15 minutes and I usually bake 12 for 15 minutes. I used my kitchen scale to get them the equal sizes but you can just try to make them the same size by looking at it and giving it your best guess.
How to Make Quick Dinner Rolls:
- Warm-up milk, water, and butter. (Tip, use whole milk for more flavor and a better texture.)
- Add sugar, salt, flour, yeast, and mix. (This recipe calls for instant or rapid-rise yeast which is SO easy to work with!)
- Cover tightly for 5 minutes and let sit.
- Shape the dough into rolls.
- Place in oven at 170 F for 20 minutes for it to rise.
- Increase heat to 350 F and bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Enjoy!
It’s so simple and yields delicious rolls!
In just barely over an hour, you will have fresh homemade rolls! These rolls taste fabulous! I served these at a recent dinner and everyone loved them! I also served them with a pretty and delicious Cranberry Citrus Butter. It was delicious!
If you’ve never made rolls before or don’t enjoy spending too much time in the kitchen, this is the recipe for you! These rolls are made so fast. They will be ready in no time!
This picture is the original picture I took for this post in 2013. I’m keeping it so you can see what it looks like to make 12 rolls.
Enjoy!
One Year Ago: Triple Berry Pie
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Silk Pie
Three Years Ago: Ham and Cheese Quiche
Quick Dinner Rolls

Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup water
- 4 tablespoon butter, cut into cubes
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 - 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a microwave-safe container. Add the water and the butter to the milk and microwave for 1 minute. Stir the milk and butter then microwave for 20 seconds and stir again.
- Put the milk/butter mixture in the bowl of a *stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add the sugar and salt. Then add 2 cups of the flour and let it mix for 1 minute. Add the yeast and with the mixer on low, slowly add the remaining 2 cups of flour. You have enough flour when the dough scrapes the side of the bowl clean. If needed add up to ½ cup more flour. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Spray your counter or a cutting board with cooking spray. Lay the dough on top of it. Take a sharp knife, spray it with cooking spray, and cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll into balls and place them in the pan.
- Put the rolls in the oven. Let them rise for 20 minutes. Leave the pan in the oven and turn the heat up to 350 degrees. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. (This includes the time it takes for the oven to increase in temperature.) Brush with a little butter, sprinkle of salt and serve warm.
Notes
*If you don't have a stand mixer, mix ingredients by hand and once all ingredients are combined, knead for 5 minutes.
Instead of making 12 rolls, you can decide if you'd rather make 16,20, or 24 rolls. Any of those amounts will fit in the 9x13 pan.
Since the rolls rise in the pan and then are baked if the bottoms come out slightly moist when the rolls are fully cooked you can turn the rolls over, upside down, and place them back in the oven for around 5 minutes until the bottom is dry.
Slightly adapted from Jaime Cooks it Up
I love bread – like LOVE it!!!! I’m pinning this to add to my collection 🙂
Thanks Yvonne!
Your rolls look like they turned out perfectly! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Jonie! They were so good and fast! 🙂
What about us lame peoples who don’t have Kitchen Aid mixers?
You’re not lame! I am lucky mine was a wedding gift or I would have had to save up for one! I updated the recipe, check out the notes on the bottom of the recipe.
Thank you!
oh yum! These look delicious!
Thanks Jesseca!
My husband is a bread addict, but my current recipes takes HOURS to make! This looks fabulous! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! It’s nice to have a quick alternative to homemade bread. 🙂
I’ve always wanted to find a quick and easy roll recipe. Thank you!
You’re welcome!
They look perfectly soft & fluffy! YUM!
Thanks!
YUM!! Perfect for Thanksgiving, thanks for sharing! Pinned 🙂
Thanks Jenn!
I love how easy these are and that they’re quick because the thing I hate most about making bread and rolls is how long it takes. So thanks for a quick and yummy looking recipe!
You’re welcome! I love recipes that are quick!
Your rolls look amazing!!! They look so soft and fluffy!!! Perfect for Thanksgiving dinner!!!!
Thanks Maria!
That looks almost easy enough for ME to do! (I just can’t seem to bake well).
That pic looks scrumptious too. 🙂
Thanks Debra! You could definitely do this! It’s super easy!
Where are we supposed to add the hot water?
It’s added at the beginning when you add the milk/butter mixture to the stand mixer.
These are so perfect! I can’t even believe they are homemade! Very impressive, Becky 🙂
Thank you so much Andi! You’re so sweet. 😀
I just made these tonight from Pinterest and my family raved about them! I couldn’t believe I made homemade rolls so quickly. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
You are welcome! I’m glad you found the recipe through Pinterest.
This is the Best & Easiest roll recipe! I have made it a few times now and it is always a hit. Do you think it could be used for monkey bread?
So glad you love it! 🙂 I honestly am not sure but I would try it! Let me know.
I see from the pictures that you used a glass pan. Will the rolls burn or cook faster if I am using a dark/nonstick pan?
I’m not exactly sure but I would think with a darker pan it would cook faster. Keep your eye on it a few minutes before the time is up.
I have tried several quick dinner roll recipes and have yet to find one I really love. They are always too dense for me. All recipes I have found call for eggs. I notice you have two separate recipes – one with eggs and one without. Can you make a quick comparison between the two? What do the eggs do for the rolls?
Adding eggs helps make the bread more tender and gives it a little more moisture. If you are referring to the recipe Rapid Rolls I would say those are chewier than these rolls but I think both are great!
I made your rolls last weekend. My brother liked them so much he requested them for tonight. They are delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
What kind of flour is best to use?
I use all-purpose flour but I think bread flour would work great as well!