Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls: 17 Soft, Buttery Rolls That Disappear Before the Turkey

Thanksgiving dinner rolls are the first thing to vanish from the table, usually before anyone has even touched the turkey. Google searches for dinner rolls just hit their highest point of the past three months, and quick rolls, Parker House rolls and pumpkin shaped rolls are all climbing fast. So here is your bread basket plan. Every slide has one roll with a short shopping list and simple steps, from a classic soft yeast roll to a 1 hour version for last minute cooks and a no yeast backup. There is also a freeze ahead plan, so your oven is free on the big day. Pick one or two, and warm up the butter..

Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls Start With a Skillet of Pull Apart Garlic Butter Rolls

The rolls go first at every Thanksgiving table, and a skillet of pull apart rolls is the easiest way to impress. Brush them with garlic herb butter while hot, sprinkle on flaky salt and bring the whole pan to the table. Everyone tears off their own piece, and the bottom of the skillet gives each roll a crisp golden base. Would you put this pan in the middle of your table..

You will need: 1 batch soft yeast roll dough, 4 tbsp melted butter, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1 tbsp chopped parsley, 1 tsp chopped rosemary, flaky salt, a 10 inch cast iron skillet

How to make it: 1. Butter the skillet well. 2. Shape the risen dough into 12 to 14 balls and set them snugly in the pan. 3. Rise 30 to 40 minutes, until puffy. 4. Bake at 375 F for 20 to 22 minutes, until deep golden. 5. Brush with butter mixed with garlic and herbs, then sprinkle with flaky salt.

Classic Soft Yeast Rolls, the Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls to Master First

If you only learn one roll, make it this one. A slightly sweet, buttery dough rises twice and bakes into soft, golden rolls that pull apart in fluffy pieces. It is close to the Allrecipes sweet dinner rolls that more than 3,000 home cooks have rated. Once you know it, every other roll on this list is just a new shape or flavor.

You will need: 1 cup warm milk, 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter, 1 egg, 1 tsp salt, 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour, extra butter for brushing

How to make it: 1. Stir the yeast and a pinch of sugar into the warm milk and wait 5 minutes. 2. Mix in sugar, butter, egg, salt and flour and knead 8 minutes. 3. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. 4. Shape 15 balls, set in a greased pan and rise 30 minutes. 5. Bake at 375 F for 15 to 18 minutes and brush with butter.

Parker House Rolls, Folded and Full of Butter

Parker House rolls were made famous by the Boston hotel of the same name in the 1800s. Each round of dough is brushed with butter and folded over, so it bakes into a pocket that opens with one tug. They look fancy on a holiday table but use the same simple dough. Do you eat yours A: plain, B: with butter, or C: as a mini turkey sandwich?

You will need: 1 batch soft yeast roll dough (risen once), 6 tbsp melted butter, flaky salt

How to make it: 1. Roll the risen dough 1/2 inch thick. 2. Cut 3 inch rounds. 3. Brush each with butter and fold in half, slightly off center. 4. Set them in rows in a buttered pan and rise 30 minutes. 5. Bake at 375 F for 15 to 18 minutes, brush with butter and sprinkle with salt.

1 Hour Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls for Last Minute Cooks

Forgot the rolls until Wednesday night? Searches for 1 hour dinner rolls jump every November, and for good reason. Instant yeast, a little extra sugar and a warm spot for rising get you from bowl to bread basket in about an hour. They are slightly less fluffy than the slow version, but nobody at the table will notice.

You will need: 1 cup plus 2 tbsp warm milk (120 F), 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast, 3 tbsp sugar, 1/3 cup oil, 1 egg, 1 tsp salt, 3 1/2 cups flour

How to make it: 1. Mix milk, yeast, sugar and oil and rest 10 minutes. 2. Add egg, salt and flour and knead 5 minutes. 3. Shape 12 balls right away. 4. Rise in a warm oven (off) for 20 minutes. 5. Bake at 400 F for 12 minutes.

No Knead Overnight Refrigerator Rolls

These are the rolls for anyone who hates kneading. You stir a sticky dough together, cover it and let the fridge do the work overnight. The slow, cold rise gives the rolls more flavor, and the cold dough is easy to shape on Thanksgiving morning. It is a big help when the oven and the counter are already crowded.

You will need: 1 1/2 cups warm water, 2 1/4 tsp yeast, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 egg, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 4 cups flour

How to make it: 1. Stir all the ingredients into a shaggy dough. 2. Cover and refrigerate 8 to 24 hours. 3. Shape 16 balls with floured hands. 4. Let rise in a greased pan for 1 hour. 5. Bake at 375 F for 18 to 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Shaped Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls

Pumpkin shaped rolls are a Breakout search on Google this fall, and they are easier than they look. Tie kitchen twine around each ball of dough in an X so it bakes into little pumpkin sections, then push a pecan half into the top for the stem. Add a spoon of canned pumpkin to the dough for an orange color. Would your kids help shape them?

You will need: 1 batch soft yeast roll dough made with 1/2 cup canned pumpkin and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, kitchen twine, 12 pecan halves, 1 egg for brushing

How to make it: 1. Shape 12 balls and flatten slightly. 2. Tie twine around each one in an X, then add 2 more strands to make 8 sections. 3. Rise 30 minutes and brush with beaten egg. 4. Bake at 375 F for 18 minutes. 5. Cool, snip off the twine and press in a pecan stem.

Honey Butter Rolls With a Shiny Glaze

The moment these come out of the oven, brush them with warm honey butter and let it soak in. The tops turn shiny and sticky, and the inside stays soft and sweet. They are a great match for salty ham and turkey. Make a little extra honey butter for the table, because it always disappears. These are the Thanksgiving dinner rolls kids ask for by name.

You will need: 1 batch soft yeast roll dough, 4 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp honey, a pinch of salt

How to make it: 1. Shape and bake the rolls as usual. 2. While they bake, melt the butter with the honey and salt. 3. Brush the hot rolls with half of it. 4. Wait 5 minutes and brush again. 5. Serve warm with the extra honey butter on the side.

Sweet Potato Rolls for a Southern Table

Mashed sweet potato makes these rolls extra moist and gives them a pretty golden color. They taste lightly sweet, with a hint of cinnamon, and stay soft for days. This is a smart way to use one leftover baked sweet potato, and they make colorful Thanksgiving dinner rolls. Sweet potato rolls or classic white rolls: which would you pick?

You will need: 1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato, 1/2 cup warm milk, 2 1/4 tsp yeast, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 4 tbsp melted butter, 1 egg, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 3 1/2 cups flour

How to make it: 1. Mix milk and yeast and rest 5 minutes. 2. Beat in sweet potato, sugar, butter, egg, salt and cinnamon. 3. Add flour and knead until smooth. 4. Rise 1 hour, shape 16 rolls and rise 40 minutes. 5. Bake at 375 F for 18 to 20 minutes.

Japanese Milk Bread Rolls, the Softest Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls

Milk bread rolls use a simple trick called tangzhong: you cook a little flour and milk into a paste first, then add it to the dough. It holds more moisture, so the rolls come out cloud soft and stay that way. One milk bread roll video on YouTube has passed 14 million views. Have you tried this method yet?

You will need: Paste: 3 tbsp flour, 1/2 cup milk. Dough: 2 1/2 cups bread flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tsp instant yeast, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 4 tbsp soft butter

How to make it: 1. Cook the paste ingredients, stirring, until thick, then cool. 2. Mix with all the dough ingredients except butter and knead 5 minutes. 3. Knead in the butter until glossy. 4. Rise 1 hour, shape 9 balls in a square pan and rise 45 minutes. 5. Brush with milk and bake at 350 F for 25 minutes.

Cornmeal Yeast Rolls With a Little Crunch

Cornmeal adds a gentle crunch and a sunny color to soft yeast rolls. They taste a bit like cornbread but hold together like bread, so they are great for mopping up gravy. Sprinkle a little cornmeal on the pan so the bottoms get crisp. They are lovely Thanksgiving dinner rolls for anyone who grew up on cornbread. Are you a cornbread family or a roll family?

You will need: 1 cup warm milk, 2 1/4 tsp yeast, 1/4 cup honey, 4 tbsp melted butter, 1 egg, 1 tsp salt, 3/4 cup cornmeal plus extra for the pan, 2 1/2 cups flour

How to make it: 1. Mix milk, yeast and honey and rest 5 minutes. 2. Stir in butter, egg, salt and cornmeal. 3. Add flour and knead 6 minutes. 4. Rise 1 hour, shape 12 rolls and set them on a cornmeal dusted pan. 5. Rise 30 minutes and bake at 375 F for 16 to 18 minutes.

Old Fashioned Cloverleaf Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls

Grandma made these in a muffin tin: three small balls of dough tucked into each cup, so the roll bakes up with three pull apart sections. They look pretty in a bread basket and everyone can tear off just one piece. It is the same soft dough as the classic roll, just shaped the vintage way. Did someone in your family make these?

You will need: 1 batch soft yeast roll dough, 3 tbsp melted butter, a 12 cup muffin tin

How to make it: 1. Grease the muffin tin. 2. Divide the risen dough into 36 small balls. 3. Dip each in melted butter and set 3 in each cup. 4. Rise 30 minutes, until puffy. 5. Bake at 375 F for 15 minutes and brush with more butter.

The Frozen Dough Muffin Tin Hack

This one is all over social media this fall. Take frozen bread roll dough from the freezer section, put two or three balls in each cup of a muffin tin, brush with butter and let them thaw and rise. They bake into tall, pull apart rolls with almost no work. It is a great backup plan if you are already cooking six other dishes. For more ways to make the big day easier, see our Thanksgiving kitchen hacks.

You will need: 24 to 36 frozen yeast roll dough balls, 4 tbsp melted butter, 1 tsp garlic powder or 2 tbsp sugar, a 12 cup muffin tin

How to make it: 1. Grease the muffin tin. 2. Set 2 or 3 frozen dough balls in each cup. 3. Brush with butter and cover loosely. 4. Let thaw and rise 3 to 5 hours, until doubled. 5. Bake at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes and brush with butter mixed with garlic or sugar.

Homemade Crescent Butter Rolls

Skip the can and roll your own crescents. The rich dough is rolled into a circle, cut into wedges like a pizza and rolled up from the wide end, so each roll has those flaky looking layers. They are a little more work, but as Thanksgiving dinner rolls go, they make the whole table say wow. Do you dip yours in gravy?

You will need: 1 batch soft yeast roll dough made with 1/2 cup butter, 4 tbsp soft butter for spreading, 1 egg for brushing

How to make it: 1. Divide the risen dough in half and roll each into a 12 inch circle. 2. Spread with soft butter and cut 12 wedges. 3. Roll each wedge up from the wide end and curve into a crescent. 4. Rise 45 minutes and brush with egg. 5. Bake at 375 F for 12 to 15 minutes.

Cheddar Chive Drop Biscuits, the No Yeast Backup

No time for yeast at all? These drop biscuits are mixed in one bowl and in the oven in 10 minutes. Sharp cheddar and fresh chives make them savory and tender, and they go just as well with turkey and gravy as any roll. Keep this recipe handy for leftover sandwiches too, and for any year the Thanksgiving dinner rolls do not rise.

You will need: 2 cups flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 cup cold butter in cubes, 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar, 2 tbsp chopped chives, 1 cup cold milk

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 425 F. 2. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. 3. Cut in the butter until crumbly. 4. Stir in cheese, chives and milk just until combined. 5. Drop 12 spoonfuls on a lined pan and bake 12 to 14 minutes.

Potato Rolls Made With Leftover Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes in the dough make these some of the softest, most tender rolls you can bake. Many families save a scoop of mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving dinner to make a batch for leftover turkey sandwiches the next day. They also freeze beautifully, so make a double batch of these Thanksgiving dinner rolls and keep half for December.

You will need: 1 cup mashed potatoes (plain or buttery), 1 cup warm milk, 2 1/4 tsp yeast, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter, 1 egg, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 4 1/2 cups flour

How to make it: 1. Mix milk, yeast and sugar and rest 5 minutes. 2. Beat in potatoes, butter, egg and salt. 3. Knead in the flour for 8 minutes. 4. Rise 1 hour, shape 18 rolls and rise 45 minutes. 5. Bake at 375 F for 18 to 20 minutes.

Make Ahead Thanksgiving Dinner Rolls: Shape, Freeze, Bake

The secret to stress free Thanksgiving dinner rolls is doing them now. Shape the rolls, freeze them on a tray, then bag them for up to a month. On the day, set them in the pan the night before to thaw in the fridge, or the morning of on the counter, then bake. You can also bake them fully, freeze and warm them at 350 F for 10 minutes. Thanksgiving is November 26, so there is still time.

You will need: 1 batch of any yeast roll dough, baking sheet, parchment, freezer bags

How to make it: 1. Shape the rolls after the first rise. 2. Freeze on a lined tray until hard, about 2 hours. 3. Move to freezer bags, up to 1 month. 4. The night before, set them in a greased pan, cover and thaw in the fridge. 5. Let rise 1 to 2 hours on the counter and bake as usual.

Three Butters for the Bread Basket

A plain roll becomes special with the right butter. Mix soft butter with honey for sweet rolls, with cinnamon and brown sugar for the kids, and with garlic and herbs for anyone who loves savory. Set out all three in little bowls and let everyone choose. Which one would you reach for first: A: honey, B: cinnamon, or C: garlic herb?

You will need: 1 1/2 cups soft butter divided in 3. Honey: 2 tbsp honey, pinch of salt. Cinnamon: 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon. Herb: 1 clove garlic grated, 1 tbsp parsley, 1 tsp thyme, pinch of salt

How to make it: 1. Divide the butter into three bowls. 2. Stir honey and salt into the first. 3. Stir brown sugar and cinnamon into the second. 4. Stir garlic and herbs into the third. 5. Serve at room temperature with warm rolls.