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These homemade Thanksgiving Rolls always make it to my holiday dinner table. They’re soft and fluffy, deliciously buttery, and pretty easy to make. I think they’re the best rolls for Thanksgiving because they really go the extra mile to make the whole meal feel special.
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“They were PERFECTION! Have made them twice now and I will never buy store bought ones again. Thanks so much for the recipe!” -Leslie
Easy Thanksgiving Rolls Recipe
For me, it’s simply not Thanksgiving without these amazing, fluffy, homemade rolls. This recipe has become a constant at my holiday table, and with just 6 ingredients, primarily from pantry staples, they are easy to pull together.
I like to serve these dinner rolls so everyone can soak up all the leftover goodness from their holiday meal, or I’ll use them to make turkey sandwiches the next day.
I usually prepare them as is, but sometimes, I’ll change them up and add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1-2 tablespoons of freshly chopped herbs, or ½ cup of freshly grated cheddar into the bread dough.
Tips for Beginners
- Get chewier rolls. Use bread flour instead of all-purpose for chewier rolls.
- Make sure your yeast is still good. Dissolve 1 tsp of sugar in ½ cup of warm water, about 100–110°F, and sprinkle in the yeast. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes. If it becomes foamy and bubbly, your yeast is good. If it stays flat, it’s inactive and should be replaced.
- Got sticky dough? Add up to an additional ⅓ cup of flour, 1 tbsp at a time.
- Make these rolls by hand. Stir together all of the ingredients until well combined, then knead the dough for about 15 minutes, and continue to follow the recipe as written.
- If rolls are browning too quickly. Tent the rolls with foil.
Thanksgiving Rolls Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Stand Mixer
- 9×13 Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk 227g
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar 25g
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter 57g, divided (½ stick)
- 2¼ tsp instant yeast 7g (1 envelope)
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour 300g, spooned and leveled
Video
Instructions
- Heat the milk, sugar, salt, and 2 tbsp of butter on the stove until the mixture reaches a temperature of 110°F. Do not overheat, or you may kill the yeast. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer.1 cup milk, 2 tbsp granulated sugar, ½ tsp kosher salt, 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- Add in the yeast, and stir. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until foamy.2¼ tsp instant yeast
- Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer.
- Add in the flour, and mix on low for 3-4 minutes until a smooth ball of dough forms.2½ cups all-purpose flour
- Cover the bowl of dough with a kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal balls (about 51g per ball), and place them into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cover the dough with a towel, and let it rise again for another 30 minutes.
- Remove the towel and bake for 12-15 minutes until the rolls are golden brown on top.
- Melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter.
- Brush the tops of the rolls with the melted butter.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Thanksgiving Rolls Step by Step
Make the dough: Heat 1 cup of milk, 2 tbsp of granulated sugar, ½ tsp of kosher salt, and 2 tbsp of unsalted butter in a small pot on the stove until it reaches 110°F. Be careful not to overheat or you may kill the yeast.
Transfer the warm milk mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir in 2¼ tsp of instant yeast, stir, and let the mixture sit until foamy.
Once foamy, stir in 2½ cups of all-purpose flour that’s been spooned and leveled, and mix on low for 3-4 minutes, or until a smooth ball of dough forms.
Let the dough rise: Cover the bowl of dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until it has doubled in size.
Shape the dough: Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized balls (about 51g per ball if you’re weighing them), and place them into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan.
Let the dough rise again: Preheat the oven to 375°F, cover the dough with a towel, and let it rise for another 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
Bake the rolls: Remove the towel and place the baking pan with the rolls in the preheated oven to bake for 12-15 minutes, or until they are golden brown on top.
While the rolls bake, melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Brush and serve: Once the rolls are fully baked, brush the tops of the hot rolls with the melted butter. Serve and enjoy!
How to Store
Store leftover Thanksgiving rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Wrap the rolls in foil and place them on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes to rewarm or enjoy at room temperature.
You can freeze these Thanksgiving dinner rolls shaped, risen, or fully baked.
- Shaped: Shape the dough into rolls and place them on a baking sheet with space between them. Freeze for 8-12 hours, then transfer to a Ziplock bag and store for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 3-5 hours, until risen. Bake as directed.
- Risen: Let the rolls rise completely, then freeze in a Ziplock bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature until soft, about 2 hours. Bake as directed.
- Fully baked: Freeze fully-baked dinner rolls in a Ziplock bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about 2 hours and reheat before serving.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve these delicious Thanksgiving dinner rolls to soak up leftover turkey gravy and cranberry sauce, or I’ll whip up some honey butter to slather on them.
Would bread flour work for this recipe instead of all purpose flour?
Yes Alexis, and it will make chewier rolls.
Can I use a bread machine for the first few steps until ready to shape the rolls? And swap the rapid yeast for active dry yeast?
Hi Lindsay, we have not tried this recipe in a bread machine, but it should work. Active dry yeast may require a longer proof, though.
They were PERFECTION! Have made them twice now and I will never buy store bought ones again. Thanks so much for the recipe!
My rolls did not turn out like shown. Maybe they didn’t rise enough? Also sort of dense.
Hi Shelby, if your rolls turned out dense, we recommend following this advice: Be sure to knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Properly kneaded dough will spring back slowly when pressed with one finger. If it springs back too quickly, it is under-kneaded, and if it does not spring back at all, it is over-kneaded. You can use these same tops to tell if the dough is properly proofed. Too springy means under-proofed and not springy enough means over-proofed.
Thank you SO much for including the ingredient quantities at each step. I can’t tell you how awesome that is. And the rolls were delish!
I really wanted to make these rolls for Thanksgiving. Just a heads up, when selecting “x2” to double the recipe, the amounts shown are not correct. For example, it still says to use 1 envelope of yeast (should be 2), 8tbsp of butter in the milk (should save some for later). They otherwise look great and I’ll save for another day when I have more time and can accept more risk.
Hi Meredith, the program we use to assist in automatically doubling the recipe unfortunately does not affect the notes next to the ingredients (the italicized text), so we recommend following the amounts listed rather than the notes.
Trying this recipe for tomorrow’s thanksgiving and I love that you put the measurements again will the directions. Makes it so easy to follow
Great, SUPER EASY, RECIPE!
Can you use whole wheat flour?
Hi Amanda, we would not recommend swapping more than 25% of the flour for whole wheat, as it will negatively affect the final outcome beyond that point.