Easy 30-Minute Dinner Rolls are made with a few basic ingredients, you don’t need a mixer, and they turn out perfectly soft and delicious every time! The best quick dinner roll recipe I have ever tried!
Easy 30-Minute Dinner Rolls are a staple in my house – I make them almost every Sunday and since I discovered this recipe I just can’t bring myself to make any of my other dinner roll recipes because they take so much longer! I had tried a lot of quick dinner roll recipes before this one, but most of didn’t up being quite as fast as they claimed, or they just didn’t taste very good! I had almost given up on finding a roll recipe that I liked that took less than 2-3 hours to make, but then I discovered this one!
Easy 30-Minute Dinner Rolls are soft and delicious and every time I make them, people go crazy for them and nobody can believe that I really can make them in 30 minutes from the minute I start mixing up the dough to the time they come out of the oven. But I promise that they really do take just 30 minutes from start to finish! They take about 5 minutes to prep, 10-15 minutes to rise, then 10 minutes to bake – that’s it!
Another thing I love about this recipe is that it makes just 12 rolls. Some of the other roll recipes that I have make 4-5 dozen rolls which is just way too many for my family of 6. And rolls just aren’t quite as yummy a day or two later. If you need to stretch the recipe a little bit more, you can separate the dough in half and then make 12 crescent rolls from each half, making 24 smaller rolls. Just keep an eye on them if they are smaller because they cook fast!
What type of yeast works best in quick yeast rolls?
I use regular yeast in this quick dinner roll recipe and all of my other bread recipes too. I store my yeast in an airtight container in the freezer and it lasts a long time! I’ve always used Red Star Active Dry Yeast because I can usually find it at Costco in 1 or 2 pound bags and it is so much cheaper than buying the little packets at the grocery store.
To be honest, I have never used quick rising yeast in this recipe but it should work just fine. In most bread recipes, you have to dissolve regular yeast in water before adding it to the recipe, whereas with quick yeast you don’t. In this quick roll recipe, you don’t have to add the yeast to the water first anyways, so the steps would be the same either way.
Ingredients to make quick dinner rolls
- 3 1/2 cups flour, divided
- 2 Tbsp. regular yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup hot water (I never measure the temp of the water, I just use really hot tap water, but if you like more specific directions, I think it’s supposed to be around 110° F)
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup melted butter OR 1/3 cup oil (vegetable, coconut, canola, etc)
How to make quick dinner rolls
- Combine 1 1/2 cups flour with yeast; stir together until well combined.
- Add sugar and salt, mix well.
- Add hot water and stir to combine, then add the melted butter and the egg. Mix completely (until the butter and the egg are no longer visible).
- Add the remaining 2 cups of flour and mix until the flour is incorporated. Dough will be sticky. At this point, I like to add just a little bit more flour and incorporate it into the dough with my hands for about 1 minute. The dough should then be smooth and not sticky.
- You can shape the rolls however you prefer – I usually make crescent rolls because it’s fast. To do this, you just roll the dough into a large circle (1/8-1/4 inch thick). Cut the dough into triangles with a pizza cutter and then starting with the larger end of each triangle, roll the dough up.
- Place on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet, making sure that the tip of the triangle is tucked under the roll. Let the rolls rise for 10-15 minutes and then bake them at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top. (Mine are always done right at 10 minutes.) I like to brush the rolls with a little bit of melted butter right when they come out of the oven – so yummy!
Do you need a mixer to make quick dinner rolls?
This quick dinner roll recipe turns out best when mixed by hand with a spoon! One time I decided to use my Bosch mixer and the rolls just didn’t turn out quite as well. I’ve never had them not work any other time so even if you are tempted to use a mixer, don’t! I think it overworks the dough or something but they just won’t rise as well and you’ll have more dishes to wash too! I do love my Bosch mixer for all other kinds of bread though, and it works wonderfully for cookies too. Just not these rolls!
EASY 30-MINUTE DINNER ROLLS
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups flour divided
- 2 Tbsp. regular yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup hot water I never measure the temp of the water, I just use really hot tap water, but if you like more specific directions, I think it's supposed to be around 110° F
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup melted butter OR 1/3 cup oil vegetable, coconut, canola, etc
Instructions
- Combine 1 1/2 cups flour with yeast; stir together with a spoon until well combined.
- Add sugar and salt, mix well.
- Add hot water and stir to combine, then add the melted butter and the egg. Mix completely (until the butter and the egg are no longer visible).
- Add the remaining 2 cups of flour and mix until the flour is incorporated. Dough will be sticky. At this point, I like to add just a little bit more flour and incorporate it into the dough with my hands for about 1 minute. The dough should then be smooth and not sticky.
- You can shape the rolls however you prefer – I usually make crescent rolls because it’s fast. To do this, you just roll the dough into a large circle (1/8-1/4 inch thick). Cut the dough into triangles with a pizza cutter and then starting with the larger end of each triangle, roll the dough up.
- Place on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet, making sure that the tip of the triangle is tucked under the roll. Let the rolls rise for 10-15 minutes and then bake them at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown on top. (Mine are always done right at 10 minutes.) I like to brush the rolls with a little bit of melted butter right when they come out of the oven – so yummy!
Notes
Are quick dinner rolls made with oil or butter?
This recipe originally called for vegetable oil, which works just fine, but I like the taste of them better when I use melted butter instead. I’ve actually made them with coconut oil too and they are wonderful that way too, but they do have a very slight coconut flavor to them. You will use 1/3 cup whether you use oil or butter. You can even do a combination of the two if you want to!
How to shape dinner rolls
-I usually shape my dinner rolls into crescent rolls because it is so easy to roll out the circle of dough and cut into 12 triangles. This is the easiest way to make sure all of the rolls are about the same size!
-You can also shape the dough into circles if you prefer. Divide the dough in half, then divide each half in half twice more until you have 12 equal portions. Roll each portion of dough between the palm of your hands to form a ball and then place all 12 balls in a greased 9X13 pan.
Easy 30-Minute Dinner Rolls don’t require a mixer, and they turn out perfectly soft and delicious every time! The best quick dinner roll recipe I have ever tried and they are completely ready to eat less than 30 minutes after you start making them!
Need more biscuit and dinner roll recipes? Here you go!
- Best Homemade Easy Biscuit Recipe
- Easy Parmesan Garlic Dinner Rolls
- Easy 30-Minute Dinner Rolls
- Raspberry Honey Butter spread
- Cheesy Cornbread Muffins
- Best Blueberry Muffins
- Sweet Potato Biscuits
- Strawberry Butter recipe
- Homemade English Muffins
- Nutella Banana Muffins recipe
- Banana Nut Muffins
Chris says
I made the rolls to go with split pea soup for dinner tonight. I used oil and they tasted a bit flat. Next time I will use melted butter. I also used Kosher salt so I will need to adjust that next time too. They turned out very fluffy and beautiful. Mine were perfect after 11 minutes of baking. I brushed the tops with and egg yolk mixed with a tsp. of milk.
Great easy recipe. It’s a keeper! Thank you.
Michal says
These are easy and quick to make. Made them into knots and brushed them with butter before they went into the oven. Puffed up beautifully. I did end up using 4 cups of flour, not 3.5, as the dough was very sticky otherwise. Nice fluffy white bread.
Alison says
I like the idea of making them into knots! Glad they worked for you!
Rachel Phelps says
PERFECTION!!!!! I have a lot to juggle being the full time caregiver to my Mother-In-Law so I’m always on the lookout for recipes that I can count on to turn out every time. I tried several different ones looking for the perfect yeast dinner roll that didn’t take all day but kept coming back to this one time and time again. It is easy, quick, no fuss and I can customize it if need be. Thanks for posting this one, I’ll be sure to check out some of your other offerings.
Alison says
Rachel, I’m so glad to hear this one was a success for you and your family!
Ellin says
I love love this recipe!! I made them 5 times and counting!! It’s easy to follow and it’s quick to make. It’s so soft and delicious!! My family members love them especially when it comes out fresh out of the oven. It goes very well with Kaya and butter or even mushroom soup.
Nellie says
So happy you love this recipe as much as I do!
Sarah says
I was looking for a quick and easy dinner roll recipe and had tried a few that didn’t seem to rise or just tasted off. I followed the recipe exactly and tied them in knots like a previous poster recommended. My husband loved them, and it was so easy! Mixed by hand and it really didn’t take more than 30 minutes. Definitely a keeper. Thank you!
Alison says
Thanks so much Sarah! I’m happy to hear it was a success for you and your husband!
Brooke says
This dough was so easy to make and work with! I followed the recipe exactly, and our rolls turned our perfectly. I weighed my final ball of dough, then divided that number by 12 so I had 12 fairly-equal sized balls (I wanted actual rolls vs. crescents). They cooked for about 15 minutes, and came out warm and delicious! Served with cinnamon butter, they were the perfect accompaniment to our dinner tonight. My husband and 4 kids were so happy! Thank you for this recipe. 🙂
Alison says
So glad this worked for you Brooke! And that cinnamon butter sounds incredible!
Renu says
Love how simple the recipe is. Will be making these often. Too bad I cant attach a picture. They came really well. I used 1.5 tablespoons of yeast as I only had instant yeast and bread flour. It worked! Thank you for all the recipes. The Zucchini bread came out awesome, too.
Jerri says
Made these twice last week and my family loved them! Great tasting rolls and easy to make. Thanks for sharing!
precious juneth says
This was my first time to use yeast and make bread. My daughter love how it taste.. I added another 1/8 cup sugar to make it a little sweet.. Thank you for this wonderful recipe I will definitely make it again soon!
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed them!!
Kyle says
I love baking bread, rolls, biscuits and the odd experiment for my family. That said, my son is highly allergic to egg which present MANY challenges. I have substituted the egg with oil in many recipes and was wondering if that would be at all possible with this recipe? Our country is under lockdown so my wife is subtly hinting at me to spend some time in the kitchen :).
Nellie says
I have never tried to make this recipe without the egg, but I think that oil may be a good substitute for it in this recipe. Please let me know how it turns out if you try it! I’ve been spending a lot of lockdown time in the kitchen as well! 🙂
Kyle says
I’m definitely going to try the oil substitute, just need to decide on what oil to use 🙂
I will let you know what my little monster says about the rolls, but I am sure he will love them!
Kyle says
These rolls turned out amazing! I replaced the egg with olive oil in the first batch and the rolls are soft and very yummy! My 2yr old (very fussy eater) LOVED them so I made a batch of mini rolls just for him!
Gill Knght says
Just a quick question. You say flour do you mean bread flour ?
Thanks
Gill
Alison says
You can use all purpose or bread flour!
Lori Permenter says
Can these be frozen and baked later. There are only 2 of us and this makes way to many for a meal.
Alison says
Absolutely! I like to form the dough into a ball and then store in an air tight container to freeze. Then when I take it out, let it thaw a couple hours on the counter, then put it in your bread pan for the 2nd rise. The whole process takes 3 hours or so- depending on how warm you keep your house.
Karen says
I made these rolls for our Easter dinner yesterday. This recipe was fast and easy; I tried it at 5:00 for dinner at 6:00 after another recipe had failed. They were light and fluffy, turned out absolutely perfect. Will definitely make them again and again – thank you!
Nellie says
So glad these turned out for you. This is one of those recipes that I’ve made soooo many times and they always turn out so good! People can never believe that they literally take less than 30 minutes, start to finish!
Jess says
Not sure what happened, but mine didn’t rise at all. Next time I’ll proof the yeast first. The biscuits taste yummy, but are way too dense for me.
Nellie says
Not sure what happened either. My first two thoughts would be to check and make sure your yeast isn’t old or expired, and also to make sure that your water isn’t too hot when you add it to the dough. The water can be pretty hot, but if it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast and prevent the dough from rising. Also, did you mix by hand? When I’ve used a stand mixer with this recipe, they don’t rise as well so I always just mix this recipe up by hand. Hopefully that helps!
Sara says
So easy and delicious! My new go to quick roll!
Nellie says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Sara!
Jen says
I used coconut oil and had no problem with them rising. They baked up beautifully but they were way too dense. I followed the recipe exactly. Could it be from the oil or maybe kneading it too long? I’ll have to experiment again with butter because they were so fast to make!
Nellie says
I do think that the oil makes them a bit more dense than when I use butter, so definitely give that a try! Also, make sure not to knead the dough very long – if you overmix, these rolls will also be more dense. As I mentioned in the recipe, I have never had success with this recipe when I try using a mixer, but every time I stir by hand, they turn out perfectly!
Lydia Miller says
These were lovely! And so easy!!! They were even faster and easier than expected.
Kaylie says
Thank you, Lydia!
Lori Sanders says
Has anyone tried these with gluten free flour? I’ve made them many times and love how they turn out. But I gave the recipe to a friend who wants to try it with gluten free flour. Anyone had success there?
Lisa says
I like this alot, have a tried honey, but I will. Great recipe!!!! Love this!!! Thanks!!!!
Alison says
Thank you Lisa! I hope you continue to enjoy this one!