These homemade Garlic Butter Rolls are soft, fluffy, and make the entire kitchen smell amazing. They’re baked until golden brown and then covered in garlic herb butter with flaky sea salt straight out of the oven.
Serve for holiday dinners or as a side dish to just about any main course. If you’re looking for more holiday dinner roll recipes, you may also love our Quick Dinner Rolls, Whole Wheat Rolls, or these Classic Parker House Rolls.
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Garlic Butter Rolls
Nothing says cozy like the smell of fresh bread baking in the kitchen. As an added bonus, these soft and pillowy dinner rolls are brushed with garlic herb butter as soon as they come out of the oven. It doesn’t get much better!
The bread dough is a simple yeast dough that doesn’t take all day to make. I love serving these for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they’re easy enough to make for Sunday dinner or any time you are craving fresh bread.
Key Ingredients
- Water - you want your water to be warm (about 110 degrees F) in order to help “wake up” your yeast.
- Active Dry Yeast - If you choose to use instant yeast, the mixing, rising and baking times will need to be adjusted (you can read more on that in the tips below).
- Sugar - use granulated sugar, or substitute honey if you would like.
- Egg - any type of large egg will work. The egg helps enrich the dough, adding flavor but also chewiness.
- Flour - I use all-purpose flour for these rolls. You can substitute bread flour, but you will need to adjust the amount of flour that you will need to add so keep an eye and make sure your dough is looking nice and shiny.
- Butter - this is melted in a small saucepan and then freshly minced garlic and parsley are added. This garlic butter is what is brushed over the freshly baked rolls, giving them an irresistible flavor.
- Garlic - be sure to use freshly grated or finely minced garlic.
- Flaked Salt - this can be sprinkled over the top just after the garlic butter is brushed on. Maldon sea salt is one of my favorites.
- Parsley - this is optional, but I love the little bit of freshness and the color that chopped parsley adds.
How to Make Garlic Butter Rolls
- Proof the yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, yeast and sugar and mix to combine. Let sit for about 10 minutes, or until the yeast mixture starts to get bubbly.
- Mix the dough. Add the oil, egg, and salt to the yeast mixture and mix, then add 2 cups of flour and begin to mix using the dough hook attachment. Continue to add up to ? cup flour to the dough, until the dough starts to pull away from the edges of the bowl as you mix. Once you have added all of the flour, mix on low speed for about 2 minutes to knead.
- Let the dough rise. Turn the mixer off, cover the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until light and puffy, or about 20-30 minutes.
- Divide and shape. Transfer the dough from the bowl onto a flat surface and divide into 15 equal pieces. Roll into balls and place into a lightly greased 9" x 13" baking dish, spacing them out evenly.
- Rise again. Cover loosely again and let the dough sit in a warm place for 15-30 minutes, or until the rolls are about double the original size.
- Bake. Remove the towel and brush the rolls lightly with milk. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown on top and the internal temperature reads 190 degrees F.
- Make the garlic butter. Heat a small saucepan over low heat and melt the butter. Add the grated garlic and chopped parsley. Mix, then brush over the tops of the rolls once they are out of the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yup—you can substitute instant yeast for active dry yeast, but you will only need ¾ tablespoon. You can also eliminate the first step of “waking up” the yeast—there’s a reason it’s called instant yeast! Be sure to keep an eye on the rise time of the dough as well, as it might be different.
Yes! You can actually mix the dough and let it rise in the fridge overnight. Just cover the dough well with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight. The next day, pull it out, divide into 15 balls, and continue with the rest of the recipe as directed.
You have a few options for storing these rolls. First, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or, store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. You could even freeze them for up to 1-2 months if you wanted.
Storing and Make-Ahead Instructions
- Room Temperature: store in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: store in an airtight container or freezer bag in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: transfer completely cooled rolls to freezer bags and store frozen for up to 2 months.
Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Warm Water about 110 degrees F
- 1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Avocado Oil or vegetable/canola oil
- 1 large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2-⅓ to 2-⅔ cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Milk to brush on the rolls before baking
Garlic Butter Topping
- ⅓ cup Butter
- 2 cloves Garlic grated or minced
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley chopped
- ½ teaspoon Flaked Salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, yeast, and sugar and mix to combine. Let sit for about 10 minutes, or until the yeast mixture starts to get bubbly.
- Add the oil, egg, and salt to the yeast mixture and mix, then add 2 cups of flour and begin to mix using the dough hook attachment. At this point, the dough will be very sticky.
- Continue to add up to ⅔ cup flour to the dough, until the dough starts to pull away from the edges of the bowl as you mix. Once you have added all of the flour, mix on low speed for about 2 minutes to knead. Turn the mixer off, cover the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until light and puffy, or about 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9" x 13" baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking oil.
- Transfer the dough from the bowl onto a flat surface and divide into 15 equal pieces. Roll into balls and place into the prepared baking dish, spacing them out evenly.
- Cover loosely again and let the dough sit in a warm place for 15-30 minutes minutes, or until the rolls are about double the original size.
- Remove the towel and brush the rolls lightly with milk.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown on top and the internal temperature reads 190 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, heat a small saucepan over low heat and ⅓ cup butter. Grate the garlic on a microplane or mince very fine and add to the saucepan. Once the butter is melted, add the chopped parsley and remove from the heat.
- Remove the rolls from the oven, then use a pastry brush to brush on the garlic butter. Sprinkle with flaked salt. Let the rolls cool for 1-2 minutes and then remove from the pan and serve warm. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Homemade Bread Recipes
- Homemade French Bread
- Homemade White Bread
- Herb Focaccia Bread
- Cheddar Cheese Bread
- Whole Wheat Bread
- Rosemary Bread
- Jalapeno Cheddar Bread
- Olive Garden Breadsticks
- More Bread Recipes
- More Holiday Recipes
These soft and fluffy quick dinner rolls are covered in our easy garlic butter recipe for the most delicious savory side dish. Serve at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or even during the week.
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