How to Make Instant Pot Dinner Rolls
Would you believe me if I said you can go from ingredients to hot, crusty, delicious dinner rolls in 2 hours. That’s it! 2 hours! The process for these Instant Pot Dinner Rolls is sped up by the Instant Pot proofing the dough for you!
Using my Instant Pot to proof dough has become one of my favorite things to do! It cuts the time in half, if not more! You can go from just a few ingredients to perfect rolls in less than two hours.
If you like dinner rolls, make sure you check out these Instant Pot bagels and Instant Pot Olive Bread! Two recipes that are fool proof and will impress your guests!
These dinner rolls are perfect to dip in New England Clam Chowder, Creamy Instant Pot Tortellini Soup, Instant Pot Cauliflower soup, Instant Pot Cheddar and Broccoli Soup, or Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana.
Why You'll Love Instant Pot Dinner Rolls
- These homemade dinner rolls are so easy to make! The stand mixer and the Instant Pot do all the hard work for you!
- They are a great make ahead roll! You can make the rolls and keep them in Ziploc bag until you are ready to use them, or you can make the dough ahead of time and bake them off when you are ready.
- They are versatile! You can make these rolls as large or small as you want. They can even be used in a sandwich if you want to make them a little larger.
Ingredients to Gather
- Flour- All purpose flour or bread flour is best.
- Yeast- Active dry yeast. You can easily find sleaves of active dry yeast in the grocery store. We'll need one packet or 2 ¼ teaspoons.
- Sugar- This will feed the yeast. The sugar is food for the yeast so the yeast can produce bubbles and help the dough rise.
- Salt- This makes it so the yeast does not overexpand the bread.
- Water and Milk- Both lukewarm, or just slightly warmed.
- Butter- Melted. Vegetable oil or coconut oil would work in this recipe too.
See printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
Active Dry Yeast vs. Instant Yeast
In this recipe, we are using Active Dry Yeast. That means it needs to be "bloomed" or woken up. All you have to do is sprinkle the yeast over some lukewarm liquid and allow it to get foamy. When it does, you are ready to use the yeast!
If it doesn't get foamy, throw out the yeast and start again. That means the yeast is old or expired and won't allow the dough to rise properly.
If you only have instant yeast, you can use that too. No need to "bloom the yeast. Just add it to the liquid along with the flour and salt.
How To Make Instant Pot Dinner Rolls
Sprinkle the packet of yeast over the liquid and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Mix the ingredients to combine.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
Place the dinner rolls in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Tips and Tricks
- To avoid dense dinner rolls, make sure the flour is fluffed before measuring. Use a spoon to fluff the dough and then spoon the dough into the measuring cup.
- Make sure to knead the dough long enough. The dough should be kneaded in the stand mixer for at least 5 minutes, or until the dough comes cleanly away from the bowl. This will ensure your rolls are light and fluffy.
- The milk and the water should be lukewarm. If they are too hot, you run the risk of killing the yeast. Too cold and the dough will take a long time to rise.
- If you are using parchment paper instead of a silicone mat on the baking sheet, lightly spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. This will ensure the parchment paper does not stick to the cooked dinner rolls.
How To Store Instant Pot Dinner Rolls
You can make the dough up to 24 hours ahead of time and let the dough hang out in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap. When you are ready to bake, allow the dough to warm up slightly on the counter while the oven preheats. Then bake the dough as you would.
Keep baked rolls in an airtight container or a gallon sized Ziploc bag. They will stay fresh for up to 5 days. Do not refrigerate them as they will go stale quickly in the refrigerator.
These dinner rolls freeze beautifully! To freeze them, allow them to cool completely and then add them to a Ziploc bag. Freeze the dinner rolls for up to 3 months. To defrost, place the bag of frozen dinner rolls on the counter and allow them to come to room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You'll get a good workout in though. You'll need to mix everything in a large bowl and knead the dough with your hands for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Yes! If you don't have whole milk, you can use almond milk, soy milk, or a lower fat milk like 2% or 1% milk.
Yes! You can make these. Simple baked them in the air fryer instead of the oven at the same temperature.
Other Recipes To Try
Did you make this recipe and love it?
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Dinner Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon Butter Melted
- ¾ cup Whole Milk Lukewarm
- ½ cup Water Lukewarm
- 2 ½ teaspoon Dry Active Yeast One Packet
- 3 tablespoon Sugar
- 3 Cups Flour All Purpose
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, sugar, water, and milk.
- Sprinkle the packet of yeast over the liquid and let it sit for 5 minutes until slightly foamy.
- Mix the ingredients to combine.
- Add the flour and salt to the bowl.
- Turn the mixer on low for 5 minutes until the dough forms a ball and comes away from the sides of the bowl.
- Spray the bowl of your Instant Pot with cooking spray or olive oil.
- Add the dough to the Instant Pot.
- Cover the Instant Pot and set the “yogurt” setting to 90 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Cut the dough into 10 equal pieces. You can weigh them to make sure they are the same size, or you can eyeball them to get them as close as possible to the same size.
- Form each piece of dough into a ball and place the balls on a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet.
- Cut a slash in the top of the dinner rolls with a sharp knife.
- Place the dinner rolls in the oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Serve warm!
Notes
- The water and milk should be lukewarm, meaning not too hot and not too cold. If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast and if the liquid is too cold, the dough will take longer to proof.
- If you do not have the "yogurt" setting on your Instant Pot, place the dough in the Instant Pot and set it to "Keep Warm". After 2 minutes, turn the Instant Pot off and let it sit for 90 minutes.
- Slashing the top of the dough balls will give them room to expand.
Now that I have tried this proofing method there is no going back. Genius!
you put them in the oven for 30 minutes, is that right? seems like a long time
Yes. You can keep an eye on them after 25 minutes, but mine always take 30 minutes.
This is it! It's my go-to recipe for homemade rolls. So easy, less hassle, and perfect fresh rolls!
These taste amazing and are so simple! I always thought of baking fresh rolls or bread as so complicated, but proofing in the Instant Pot makes it easy.
I've seen it all - I've never made bread in my IP but this recipe is genius! It worked like a charm and the rolls were gobbled up so fast!
These sound wonderful. If I wanted to cut the recipe in half how much yeast should I use?
Hi! You should use 1 teaspoon or half of a packet of yeast
I never thought of making dinner rolls in my instant pot before and these came out perfect!
I was looking for a quick homemade dinner roll recipe and came across your recipe. My family loved this Instant Pot dinner rolls and asked me to make them again. Thank you for the recipe!