Make your own homemade Hawaiian Rolls from scratch with this copycat recipe, instead of buying them from the store. They’re fresh, fluffy, and so delicious! These Hawaiian sweet bread rolls are the perfect thing to serve with any dinner.
Homemade Hawaiian Rolls Recipe
Hawaiian rolls are a favorite go-to dinner roll. They’re easy, they work with every meal, and the simple yet sweet flavor can’t be beat.
Now you can make Hawaiian sweet rolls at home, from scratch! Making them fresh means they’re even fluffier and more delicious than usual. They’re great for holidays and weeknight dinners.
So skip the store-bought bread and use this easy copycat recipe to make your own!
Why You’ll Love this King’s Hawaiian Rolls Copycat Recipe:
- Fresh and Fluffy: There’s nothing better than fresh homemade bread. These sweet rolls are so perfectly fluffy!
- Sweet: The thing that makes Hawaiian rolls so addicting is that bit of sweetness.
- Simple Ingredients: My favorite thing about copycat recipes is you get to use real ingredients, so you know exactly what’s in these rolls.
Trademark Note: In the spirit of transparency, I want to note that this is a copycat recipe for an existing product. Kings Hawaiian is a proprietary brand that I want to acknowledge and give credit to.
How to Make Hawaiian Rolls from Scratch
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Combine butter and buttermilk and heat in the microwave. Then use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to combine the buttermilk mixture with the instant yeast, and let it rest.
- Add pineapple juice, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and eggs, and mix to combine.
- Gradually add flour and mix until a dough forms, and then knead the dough into a soft, smooth ball.
- Place the dough in a large mixing bowl that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray, and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rise until it has doubled in size (about 1 hour).
- Divide the dough into 15 balls of dough, and place them in a 9×13 pan that’s been covered with nonstick spray. Cover and let rise until doubled in size (about 30 minutes).
- Preheat oven to 375°F while the dough rises.
- Whisk together egg whites and water to make an egg wash, and brush it onto the tops of the rolls.
- Bake 20-25 minutes.
What’s in Hawaiian sweet rolls?
The secret to Hawaiian bread rolls is that delicious sweetness that makes them so addicting. Here we’re adding brown sugar and pineapple juice straight into the dough to get the perfect flavor.
What do you eat with Hawaiian rolls?
These rolls go with absolutely everything. They pair well with any meal, from chicken to pork or turkey. I love serving them on holidays, but they are just as good for everyday meals.
There are so many fun recipes to take these up a notch, so be sure to try them topped with homemade garlic butter, or make delicious ham and cheese sliders.
How long do these rolls last?
These sweet rolls will go fast around the dinner table, but if you have any leftover, be sure to save them.
Keep them in an airtight container or resealable bag and store at room temperature for 2-4 days. You can also freeze the dough before baking, or freeze fully baked rolls.
Tips!
- I recommend using instant yeast for this recipe, as it’s the easiest method.
- Using a stand up mixer with a dough hook will make this recipe much easier, but you can knead the dough by hand if needed.
- Plan ahead with this recipe, because the dough will need time to rise before baking.
- Rising times may vary, so make sure the dough doubles in size each time.
Make these homemade Hawaiian rolls for your next meal and everyone will be happy. Add a pat of homemade honey butter and you’ll really be in heaven!
More Bread and Roll Recipes we Love
- Make Ahead Yeast Rolls
- Buttermilk Spoon Bread
- Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
- Soft Naan Rolls
- Parmesan Crusted Hawaiian Rolls
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Hawaiian Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup buttermilk 114 grams (see note)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 57 grams, room temperature (½ stick)
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast 7 grams (1 envelope)
- ½ cup pineapple juice 114 grams
- ⅓ cup brown sugar 71 grams
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- 2 large eggs 50 grams
- 1 large egg yolk 14 grams (white reserved)
- 4½-5 cups all-purpose flour 540-600 grams
- 1 teaspoon water 5 grams
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- Spray a large mixing bowl and a 9×13-inch baking pan lightly with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Combine the buttermilk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave in 20-second increments until the mixture is warmed to about 115°F.½ cup buttermilk, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk the buttermilk mixture and yeast together. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- Add the pineapple juice, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and eggs. stirring on low until combined.½ cup pineapple juice, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk
- Gradually add in 2 cups of flour and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Continue adding the rest of the flour on low speed until a soft dough forms. Add more flour if necessary.4½-5 cups all-purpose flour
- Replace the paddle attachment with a dough hook and knead on medium speed for 5-6 minutes until the dough forms a soft, smooth ball. Alternately, you can do this by hand for 8-10 minutes.
- Place the dough into the prepared bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel. Place in a warm spot in your kitchen and allow to rise for 1 hour*, until doubled.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 15 equal pieces. Round the dough into balls and place them in the prepared pan. Cover and rest for 30 minutes*, until doubled.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Whisk together the reserved egg white and 1 teaspoon water. Lightly brush the tops of the rolls with the egg wash. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.1 teaspoon water
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, follow this simple homemade buttermilk recipe.
- *Sweet doughs often take a bit longer to rise due to the higher sugar content. Use your own judgment on rising times – keep an eye on the size of the dough/rolls before proceeding on to the next time, ensuring that it has doubled in size.
- I recommend using instant yeast for this recipe, as it’s the easiest method.
- Using a stand-up mixer with a dough hook will make this recipe much easier, but you can knead the dough by hand if needed.
- Plan ahead with this recipe, because the dough will need time to rise before baking.
- Rising times may vary, so make sure the dough doubles in size each time.
Nutrition Information
The brown sugar gave them a darker color and the pinapple was very prevalent. They were tall and puffy but taste a bit like pineapple upside down cake…in a good way :).
The product came out great and I love how each step includes a reminder of how much of the ingredient I was supposed to have So I don’t have to keep scrolling backup that was a nice touch This is going to be my go to roll recipe from now on the only reason I deducted a point was because it didn’t taste as sweet as I would expect a hawiian roll to taste.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these rolls, Aaron. Feel free to experiment with adding a bit more brown sugar if you like them sweeter!
Love it I could eat it everyday 😋 ❤️❤️🔥❤️🔥
They’re addictive!
These turned out amazing
These rolls mat not be authentic :) but they sure are delicious! They make great slider buns for ham!
The deliciousness is what matters!
I just made my first batch of these. They are good. however it took so long to rise. it now 11:30 and i had them rising since 7:00 almost double the time but it was well worth the wait.
Those look delicious, Jessica!
Nothing like the Hawaiian sweet bread. It uses regular milk whir sugar and never pineapple juice. This is a recipe developed by some non Hawaiian and named this because of the pineapple juice. The original is much better
I am sorry this wasn’t up to your taste!