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These soft and tender Pull-Apart Potato Rolls are my all-time favorite rolls recipe for serving during fall dinners and holidays.
When I’m hosting big holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, I like to plan my menu and test recipes well in advance (check out my Thanksgiving Planner, it’s an excellent tool for staying organized in the kitchen).
I find this helps the day go smoothly, and let’s face it, more enjoyable. Also, I don’t have to worry about whether a recipe will turn out well or not.
For me, a holiday dinner isn’t complete without dinner rolls! These Pull-Apart Potato Rolls are in one word: AH-MAZING!
You can tell just by looking at them that they’re soft, moist, and, most of all, tender. This is all because of the mashed potatoes that are in there!
Test out this Potato Roll Recipe for Thanksgiving and then plan on using it year-round. You will love it!
Pull-Apart Potato Rolls Recipe Questions Answered:
What are potato rolls made of?
Potato rolls are made with potato flakes. The flakes replace some of the flour, which helps make these rolls super soft and fluffy.
Are potato rolls healthy?
The potatoes added into potato rolls positively impact the nutritional value of the bread. The increase in nutritional values is comparable to whole-wheat bread in terms of fiber and nutrients like zinc and iron.
The number of calories and protein is about the same, but potato rolls do have more potassium. Overall, potato rolls are a healthier choice in comparison to other bread.
Why are Potato Rolls so tender?
It’s because of the potatoes, of course! The starch found in the mashed potatoes helps to weaken the structure of gluten-forming proteins found in the flour. As a result, this makes for a softer, more tender crumb. 
How to Make Potato Rolls:
- First, make the mashed potatoes by mixing the Idaho Spuds and boiling water. Mix until mashed potatoes are combined and thick.
- Next, make the dough by adding all ingredients to a stand mixer. Turn the mixer to low and mix until combined. Then increase speed to medium and mix the dough until smooth and soft.
- Then place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled.
- Next, make the rolls by punching down the dough. Then divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and gently roll and smooth dough into rolls. Place rolls on a cookie sheet and loosely cover with two layers of lightly greased plastic wrap. Let rise again for about 80 minutes, until doubled.
- Finally, bake rolls at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes and brush with melted butter after pulling them out of the oven.
Cook’s Note – Pull-Apart Potato Rolls:
- This dough is SUPER sticky! When working with it, make sure your hands are floured and try not to add extra flour to it when kneading by hand.
- These potato rolls are rather large. I plan for 1 per dinner guest, and it works out perfectly. Though, if you like to send guests home with leftovers, I suggest making 2 per person because Thanksgiving leftovers just aren’t the same without rolls!
- These potato rolls are perfect for making little Thanksgiving leftover sliders. Just slice them in half and load them up with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and a little gravy.
- Leftover rolls (I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard of such a thing 😉 ) can be stored in a zip-top storage bag at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links.
Cook’s Tools:
- mixing bowls
- stand mixer
- baking sheet
- wire rack
- pastry brush
MORE THANKSGIVING SIDE DISH RECIPES:
- Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
- Succotash
- Simple Cranberry Sauce
- Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
- Cranberry Pecan Curry Rice
- Turkey Gravy
- Bacon and Apple Stuffing
- Baked Mac and Cheese
- Thanksgiving Salad
- Cornbread Casserole
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Mashed Cauliflower
- Make-Ahead Green Bean Casserole
- Fried Apples
Pull Apart Potato Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 3.74 oz package Mashed Potatoes
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon instant or dry active yeast
- 1 cup warm water about 90-95 degrees F
- 6 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
MAKE MASHED POTATOES:
- In a medium bowl mix together Idaho Spuds and boiling water. Mix until mashed potatoes are combined and thick (you should have about 2 cups of mashed potatoes).
MAKE DOUGH:
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, add all ingredients. Turn mixer to low and mix until combined. Increase speed to medium and mix dough until smooth and soft, about 5-6 minutes. ALTERNATIVE: If mixing by hand, mix in large bowl until dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, flour your hands, and knead until smooth and soft, about 8-10 minutes.
- Place dough in extra-large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 60-80 minutes.
MAKE ROLLS:
- Lightly grease standard-sized cookie sheet. Punch down dough to deflate. Lightly flour your hands, and divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Gently roll and smooth dough into rolls. Arrange rolls on the prepared cookie sheet (6 rows by 4 rows). Loosely cover rolls with 2 sheets of lightly greased plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until close to double in size, about 80-90 minutes.
BAKE ROLLS:
- About 60 minutes into rolls rising time, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake until rolls are golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. As soon as rolls come out of oven brush with melted butter. Let rolls cool about 10 minutes before pulling apart. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Video
Nutrition
These soft and tender Pull-Apart Potato Rolls are my all-time favorite rolls recipe for serving during fall dinners and holidays.
Brasserie Louis says
Wow! Potato rolls! This sounds so amazing. And the way you have described it, just made it more exciting to have on a holiday dinner. 2 rolls per person would be perfect! Isn’t it amazing to end your day with some rolls at the dinner!
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes says
Potato bread is one of my favorites! I haven’t tried making it before.. looks amazing!
Jillian says
Thank you, Sarah!
J @ Bless Her Heart Y'all says
Oh my goodness do these rolls look doughy and moist! I can almost taste them through the screen! YUMMMMM!
Jillian says
Thank you! And I wish I could share through the screen! 🙂
Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com says
These look so amazing! I am kind of roll-challenged and usually end up with dinner rocks, haha. Can’t wait to try this one. Pinned!
Jillian says
You so should! They’re pretty easy and always come out great. Just be aware that the dough is super sticky so make sure you’re working with floured hands! 🙂
Platter Talk says
I’m a believer. Your potato rolls photos are ethereal! What else could I say except maybe, “Please pass the rolls.”?
Jillian says
Oh my gosh, such a compliment! Thank you, Dan! 🙂
Amanda says
These rolls look “melt-in-your-mouth” amazing! I love potato rolls. (Truthfully, I like any rolls. I just have to make the gluten free adjustments.)
Jillian says
Amanda, I hope you enjoy these!
Anna says
Could I make these rolls ahead of time and freeze?
Jillian says
Yes! You absolutely can! Just make sure you wrap them up in plastic wrap and then in a zipper freezer bag. Thaw them to room temperature, and then warm them in the oven.
As a side note the mashed potatoes in this recipe give these Potato Rolls some staying power. Meaning, as long as they are wrapped in plastic they can stay at room temperature for up to 3 days. Just warm them slightly before serving and then brush them with butter.
Mona says
I made this for a church function, and everyone wanted the recipe. These are the best rolls. I made two batches. Wish I had left some at home.
Jillian says
Hi Mona, I cannot tell you how happy I am that you and the folks at your church loved these rolls! Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
Samantha | My Kitchen Love says
Thanks for including my Rosemary Rocksalt Rolls!
Jillian says
You bet!
Rebecca Hubbell says
Potato rolls are one of my favorite things ever and an absolute must for Thanksgiving!
Jillian says
Exactly!
Jillian says
Exactly! They’re a Thanksgiving dinner staple!
Trang says
These rolls look so fluffy and soft, Jillian! I always plan for left-over rolls after Thanksgiving even just for myself 😉
Jillian says
Me, too! 🙂
Laura says
Those rolls look amazing, so soft and fluffy. I will definitely make them for my boys. This time of the year they sell 10kg of potatoes for € 3, so I have plenty of potatoes to use
Emily says
Those rolls look so light and airy, I’ve never tried adding potato to bread before. Thanks so much for sharing!
Jillian says
You’re welcome!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
Oh wow, they look so soft, fluffy and delicious! Might have to put these on my list of things to try.
Jillian says
They’re SO good!
Heather says
Can i make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate a day ahead?
Jillian says
Yes, you can do the first initial rise in the fridge the day before.
Tina says
I just wanted to let you know how startlingly good this recipe is. Not only is the dough versatile but the result is delicious. I actually used your recipe to make burger buns rather than pull-apart rolls and the result was beautiful. Even when my husband thought they were too big at 140 grams and I had to rework them AFTER the second rise. They are still airy and light. Excellent job.
Jillian says
Tina,
I am thrilled that you and you’re husband loved this recipe, and using it as hamburger buns is a great idea! Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for leaving a comment, it helps a lot!
Best,
Jillian
Barbara says
This recipe sounds great, I am trying to figure out the package of potatoes to make the mashed potatoes. Is there cheese in it? What about using 3.74 ounces of plain potato flakes, although the package in your pic says 4 ounces?
Jillian says
You can use plain potato flakes, they’ll work beautifully.
Barbara says
These were wonderful, like biting into a cloud!! Made three 8″ pans of 8 each. I froze two pans after baking for future dinners. However, when making the dough, I had to add a cup of milk because it was so dry and crumbly! My eggs are also extra large, there was a little extra moisture. No one else has mentioned that there was an issue of the dough being too dry. I weigh my dry ingredients by grams and according to the chart at the company whose flour I use, the weight of 1 cup of flour is 4-1/4 oz or 120 grams. I also used 106 grams of potato flakes which equals the 3.74 oz. package you used. Maybe it was my potato flakes? In spite of the problem, this recipe is on my make again list, with the addition of the milk. Just wanted to let you know that we enjoyed the rolls, in spite of the problem I encountered.
Barbara says
Just realized after looking at your recipe three times and then one more time, it was ME!! For some strange reason when I copied and pasted it into my recipe program the 1 cup water didn’t get there. I am so sorry. The milk did make a tasty addition though!
Jillian says
No worries at all! 🙂
Matt Freund says
These potato rolls are amazing. Great dinner rolls or great as buns for sliders. Good Job.