Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: The sweet potato and honey give these rolls just a hint of sweetness.
Texture: The best part! These rolls are golden brown and slightly chewy on the outside, with an amazingly soft and fluffy inside.
Ease: Totally doable!! Promise.
Pros: Amazing dinner roll recipe everyone will adore.
Cons: Requires some patience.
Would I make this again? 100000% yes.
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Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls belong on your Thanksgiving table this year.
These rolls turned out WAY better than I ever imagined. A friend actually said they were possibly the best dinner rolls he’s ever eaten. I’d say that’s a pretty incredible review!
These rolls are perfectly light and fluffy, with a golden brown, slightly crisp crust, a hint of chewiness throughout, and a subtle sweet potato flavor.
No need to be intimidated by yeast baking, I promise. This recipe is super simple!
These Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls pair beautifully with both sweet and savory, so they’re absolutely perfect for Thanksgiving! I hope you’ll give them a try!
Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls Recipe Tips
Do I Have to Use Bread Flour?
Bread flour contains a higher percentage of protein, which helps the dough to develop stronger strands of gluten, meaning it helps to form rolls with a nice tall structure and slightly chewy texture. If you don’t have bread flour, you can use the same amount of all-purpose – but your rolls may just be slightly shorter and less chewy, and may take longer to knead and rise.
The Sweet Potato
For this Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls recipe, I simply used one medium-large sweet potato and microwaved it until tender. The trick to ultra-light and fluffy rolls is to mash the potato until it’s completely lump-free. I think this is best done using a potato ricer (which also makes the BEST mashed potatoes) or even with a blender or food processor. Just don’t over-process. If you have to mash by hand, just keep going until no lumps remain.
The Yeast
I always use instant yeast (also called rapid-rise or quick-rise) because it’s so incredibly easy as it doesn’t require any proofing (aka the step where you combine the yeast with warm liquid for 5 minutes). You can just throw it in with the rest of the ingredients! If you don’t have instant yeast, you can always use regular active dry yeast. You’ll need to combine the active dry yeast with the warm water for 5 minutes, or until frothy, before you can add proceed with the recipe.
The Honey
There are two tablespoons of honey in this recipe to enhance the sweet potato flavor without making the rolls super sweet. However, if you like sweeter rolls, feel free to double that amount (1/4 cup honey) and add in about another 2 tablespoons flour to compensate for the extra moisture.
The Buttermilk
This not only acts as a tenderizer, but also gives a very slight tang to the rolls to balance out the flavor profile beautifully. If you can’t find buttermilk, simply use full-fat whole milk instead. Learn more about buttermilk and why I don’t recommend substitutions here.
Eggs & Butter
The eggs and the melted butter called for in this Potato Dinner Rolls recipe help to add flavor, richness, and a soft and tender texture. An egg wash is also brushed onto the unbaked rolls to encourage browning and a beautiful shiny crust. I also love to sprinkle the unbaked rolls with flaky sea salt to further enhance the flavor.
Can I Add More Flour if my Sweet Potato Dinner Roll Dough is Sticky?
I develop my recipes in Phoenix, Arizona, where it’s extremely dry. If you live in a humid climate, you’ll likely need to add more flour to the dough. Start by adding just a tablespoon at a time until the dough isn’t unbearably sticky – but be cautious not to add too much. It’s better to have a slightly sticky dough because adding too much extra flour can cause the rolls to become dense instead of light and fluffy.
Also, be sure to measure your flour correctly. I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale for accuracy, but if you don’t have one, use the spoon and level method to ensure you’re not accidentally compacting too much flour in your measuring cups.
How to Make Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls Ahead of Time
For these sweet potato dinner rolls, here’s my recommended make-ahead method:
- Make the dough all the way through to rising once and shaping into rolls.
- Once the rolls are shaped, cover the pan well with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake, bring to room temperature as the oven preheats before baking as the recipe directs.
- If the rolls haven’t doubled in size yet, allow to sit at room temperature until they do. The time this takes will depend on your kitchen temperature, humidity level, and how much the rolls have already risen, so be patient.
- The rolls are best served the day they’re baked, but you can reheat the rolls briefly in the oven or toaster oven at 300°F until warmed through to refresh before serving.
How to Store Make Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
Store rolls inside an airtight container or inside a ziptop freezer bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost to room temperature then reheat in a 300°F oven until warmed through before serving.
More Dinner Roll Recipes:
If baking bread from scratch intimidates you, be sure to Download my FREE Bread Baking Guide here!
Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 (250 grams) medium-large sweet potato
- 1 cup (240 ml) room temperature buttermilk or whole milk
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 whole eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) instant yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
- 4 3/4 cups (600 grams) bread flour
For baking:
- 1 large egg
- Coarse salt
Instructions
- Prick the sweet potato all over with a fork. Place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave at least 4 minutes, turning halfway through, until a knife glides easily through the tender center. Cut in half and let cool before scooping out the flesh and discarding the skin.
- Press the flesh through a potato ricer for the best texture. You can also puree in a blender or food processor. Or, mash very well until no lumps are remaining. You should have about 230 grams of sweet potato after removing the skin.
- Combine the buttermilk, butter, eggs, honey, yeast, and sweet potato in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the salt and 2 cups of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a rough, shaggy mass.
- Attach the dough hook to the mixer, turn to medium-low speed, and gradually add in the remaining flour, kneading until a mass of dough begins to form. Continue kneading on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes or until a soft, smooth ball of dough is formed. The dough should feel elastic and slightly tacky to the touch. If the dough is unbearably sticky, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Lightly spray a large clean bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap. Let rise for about 45 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature or until the dough is puffy and about doubled in size.
Bake the rolls:
- Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Gently deflate the dough. Use a bench scraper, knife, or pizza wheel to divide the dough into 15 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place in the prepared pan. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the rolls all over with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt. Lightly cover the dough with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes, or until about doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake the rolls for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container or ziptop bag for up to 3 days.
This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated with new photos, and additional baking tips. Photos by Patty Kraikittikun-Phuong.
I like to make fresh bread for my kids instead of using the prepackaged stuff that’s full of preservatives, so I’ve made a LOT of dinner rolls. They are portable and portioned and kids love them! This is the best dinner roll recipe I’ve ever made, and I’ve made a lot of them. The buttermilk is awesome. Thanks!!
Wow, so happy to hear that, Abbie! Thanks so much for the comment 🙂
Tessa-
I love this recipe! Over the years I’ve gone thru many phases of baking breads and rolls. There’s just something rewarding about working with dough, the aroma thru the house, and sharing the results with others. This recipe is especially nice to make as it is all done in a stand mixer bowl with dough hook. No flour all over the kitchen, no proofing the yeast. The directions are easy to follow and the rolls are beautiful and delicious! I highly recommend! This recipe is going into my keeper collection. Thanks so much!
Lorie P.
Yay! So thrilled to hear this is such a winner for you, Lorie! Tessa will be SO happy to hear this 🙂
Love these rolls so much! Question – is the weight listed for the sweet potato (250 grams) after cooking and discarding the skin? Or the weight of the potato before cooking?
Thanks!
Oooops! Just re-read the recipe and found where you give this info on the sweet potato weight 🙂
I love this recipe. I’ve made rolls. I’ve made it into hamburger rolls as well as hot dog buns. Yummy no matter how “you cut it!”
I would love to know the Nutritional information (1 of 15 sort of equal size rolls)?
Hi Charli! I’m so happy to hear you loved these rolls! Unfortunately, we don’t keep track of nutritional information, but you should be able to find a nutritional calculator online to help figure out what you need to know 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe Made it twice so far.
So happy you love them!
Can I fry it on oil
We would suggest making the recipe as written for best results, we haven’t tried frying them.
I made these rolls for Thanksgiving and Christmas 2020. I will make them for this Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are delicious!
So happy to hear that! Thanks so much for the comment 🙂
Hello, I am so excited about this recipe! I made it and the result incredibly amazing. I used all purpose flour with 2 sachets of dry yeast (as per recommendation from the producer for 600gr of flour). Thanks so much for the detailed recipe steps. Cheers. Cleide Duplan
So glad you loved this recipe, Cleide!
Made these for dinner (to go with pulled pork and corn) but had to sample as soon as they were cool enough. Excellent taste and texture, maybe next time more honey….maybe not. The discussion then turned to what else to have them with and we are having sausage sliders with maple butter for breakfast tomorrow. Cavenders pork roast or nice crispy fried chicken tenders would work too. I’ll freeze some next time, this batch will be gone by tomorrow night.
I’m salivating, Gary! WOW, your meals sound incredible! So happy you loved this recipe, thanks for the rave review!
These rolls are so yummy and the directions were so easy to follow. Thank you! Random question for you….I’m catering a party and need to make 120 mini country ham rolls with butter/brown sugar. I’d love to use these as the roll. Can you think of a way I could make them almost like focaccia without rolling them into rolls? I’d like to do a 9×13 pan flat, slice it in half horizontally, fill with the brown sugar mixture and country ham and replace the top. Then I’d just roll into 24-36 filled rolls. Does that make sense at all? Any ideas you have, I’d love to hear!
Thanks again!
We haven’t tried that, so you’ll have to experiment with it. As these are already baked in a 9×13 pan, if I’m understanding you correctly, I wonder if using a baking sheet instead would help give you the results you’re looking for so you can easily roll them up? Let us know how it goes! It definitely sounds delicious!
Laura Swayne — I’m wondering if you tried your idea to mass produce 120 mini rolls. Seems like it could work – instead of cutting the dough into 15 pieces to form balls, it could instead be rolled out to 9″ x 13″ and baked per the instructions. Then, when cool, the entire sheet could be cut horizontally to assemble the massive sandwich and cut into 15 – 20 individual sandwiches. It probably wouldn’t look as nice as individual rolls, but it sure would save time and would still be delish. If you see this, I’d love to hear how you decided to handle it.
Bake on!
–Becky
This recipe looks absolutely amazing !
My question is : if using active dry yeast , do I use the same proportion ? Do I need to activate the yeast before adding the flour and other ingredients?
Many thanks
Luci
That would be fine, I actually talk about that in the pink box above the recipe 🙂
Made these with purple sweet potato and regular yeast. I bloomed it in about 1/4 c warm milk and these rolls are like little bread marshmallows. Texture is amazing. I didn’t need as much flour as this called for but I’m also in Phoenix so maybe an ultra dry day. Have you tried to freeze these? Thinking of doing them for holidays and making in advance. Thanks for great recipe. Next time I think I will try adding some caramelized onions and make sweet potato onion rolls. Can’t wait to make them again.
Sounds incredible, I’m so glad you loved them! Yes, you can freeze them for up to 2 months. I have more instructions in the pink box above the recipe 🙂