This Potato Rolls Recipe with Instant Potatoes yields ultra-soft and moist potato rolls brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with flaky salt. This is a rolls recipe that uses instant potato flakes, but you can also use regular mashed potatoes. These are perfect as Thanksgiving rolls, but are great year-round too.
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When Idahoan approached me to make a Thanksgiving-themed baking recipe, I knew it had to be a potato dinner roll. I discovered during research that there weren’t a ton of potato rolls recipes that gave exact measurements for potato flakes if you are using instant potatoes, so I wanted to make sure I provided that.
If you’re needing a Thanksgiving dessert recipe instead, pumpkin spice crème brûlée is always a hit at my Friendsgivings. It can be made days ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to torch. For another pillowy soft bread recipe check out my pumpkin cheesecake kolaches.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- These rolls bake up pillowy soft and stay soft.
- These can be made without a stand mixer.
- The egg wash and introduction of steam in the oven makes for beautiful, evenly-browned tops.
Ingredients
- Whole milk provides moisture to the rolls.
- Bread flour provides structure and gluten formation.
- Granulated sugar feeds the yeast and gives a gentle sweetness.
- Instant mashed potatoes provide flavor to the rolls.
- Instant yeast give the rolls lift.
- Eggs provide structure.
- Kosher salt balances the overall flavor.
- Unsalted butter provides richness.
- Diastatic malt powder adds sweetness and a polished crust without having to use as much yeast, but is completely optional.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize these rolls to your liking:
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- No bread flour — swap for all-purpose without issue.
- Different milk — swap whole milk for another dairy milk, like 2%, skim or lactose free. This recipe has not been tested with non dairy milks like almond or soy, but if you try it out let me know how it went!
- No instant potatoes — use ½ cup regular mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes and skip the boiling water.
- Smaller rolls — divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and arrange them 4x6 in the baking pan.
- Another pan — use a 9x13 rimmed baking tray or large cast iron skillets.
- No diastatic malt powder — omit without issue.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make potato rolls with instant potatoes
Step 1: In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, sugar, kosher salt and diastatic malt powder (if using). Set aside. Heat the milk to 110-115°F in the microwave or on the stove. Add ⅓ cup of it to the bowl of a stand mixer, or large bowl if mixing by hand, along with the instant yeast. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes to get foamy. Add the boiling water to the instant potato flakes and fluff with a fork until hydrated. Add the rest of the warmed milk to the potatoes along with the melted butter. Whisk to combine. The mixture will be soupy. Add the milk/potato/butter mixture to the yeast/milk mixture, along with the egg and the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed with a dough hook for 6-8 minutes if using a stand mixer, or with a spoon and then by hand, if mixing by hand. When the dough starts looking smooth, conduct the windowpane test. Pinch off a small bit of dough. Slowly pull the dough out from the center with your fingers. If the dough is ready, you will be able to stretch it until it’s thin and translucent like a windowpane. If the dough tears, it’s not ready yet. Beat for 1 more minute, and test again. When the dough passes the test, transfer to a large greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Step 2: After rising, punch the dough down. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces (should be about 72g each). Roll each piece into a ball. Place the balls in the prepared 9x13-inch pan in 3 rows of 5.
Step 3: Cover and let rise for 30-60 minutes (mine took 40 minutes), until the dough balls spring back when poked lightly. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Beat an egg with a splash of water. Gently brush this on the tops of the rolls before baking. You will want to introduce moisture to the oven in some way when you put the rolls in the oven. I like to spritz some water on the top of the buns with a spray bottle when they go in the oven and place a mug or ramekin with a few ice cubes in the oven as well. You can do one or both of these.
Step 4: Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the tops are golden brown or the interior of the rolls read 190°F on an instant read thermometer. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Serve immediately.
Hot tips
- To roll the balls faster, place them on a countertop and place a greased hand lightly on top just barely making contact, moving your hand in a circular motion, maintaining contact with the countertop the entire time. Here’s a video tutorial.
- I like to use a kitchen scale to measure the dough balls for uniformity.
- I proof my dough in the turned off oven with the light on and a mug of hot water to make a slightly warm environment.
Recipe FAQs
Store cooled rolls in an airtight container for 2-3 days at room temperature. Wrap tightly in plastic and store in an airtight container to freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Diastatic malt powder adds sweetness and a polished crust without having to use as much yeast, but it is completely optional and can be omitted without issue.
Yes, use ½ cup of mashed potatoes rather than instant.
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Potato Rolls Recipe with Instant Potatoes recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Potato Rolls Recipe with Instant Potatoes
Ingredients
Potato rolls
- 4 cups bread flour* more as needed (520g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon diastatic malt powder optional
- 1 ¼ cup whole milk divided (300g)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 tablespoon boiling water (50g) skip if using prepared mashed potatoes
- ¼ cup instant potatoes (25g) or ½ cup prepared mashed potatoes
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 egg
Garnish
- 1 egg for optional egg wash
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 teaspoon flaky salt
Instructions
Do ahead
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Clean a work surface to roll the dough on.
Make the dough
- In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, sugar, kosher salt and diastatic malt powder (if using). Set aside.
- Heat the milk to 110-115°F in the microwave or on the stove. Add ⅓ cup of it to the bowl of a stand mixer, or large bowl if mixing by hand, along with the instant yeast. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes to get foamy.
- Add the boiling water to the instant potato flakes and fluff with a fork until hydrated. Add the rest of the warmed milk to the potatoes along with the melted butter. Whisk to combine. The mixture will be soupy.
- Add the milk/potato/butter mixture to the yeast/milk mixture, along with the egg and the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed with a dough hook for 6-8 minutes if using a stand mixer, or with a spoon and then by hand, if mixing by hand.
- When the dough starts looking smooth, conduct the windowpane test. Pinch off a small bit of dough. Slowly pull the dough out from the center with your fingers. If the dough is ready, you will be able to stretch it until it’s thin and translucent like a windowpane. If the dough tears, it’s not ready yet. Beat for 1 more minute, and test again.
- When the dough passes the test, transfer to a large greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Shape the rolls
- After rising, punch the dough down. Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces (should be about 72g each). Roll each piece into a ball. Place the balls in the prepared 9x13-inch pan in 3 rows of 5.
- Cover and let rise for 30-60 minutes (mine took 40 minutes), until the dough balls spring back when poked lightly.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Beat an egg with a splash of water. Gently brush this on the tops of the rolls before baking.
- You will want to introduce moisture to the oven in some way when you put the rolls in the oven. I like to spritz some water on the top of the buns with a spray bottle when they go in the oven and place a mug or ramekin with a few ice cubes in the oven as well. You can do one or both of these.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the tops are golden brown or the interior of the rolls read 190°F on an instant read thermometer. Remove from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Serve immediately.
I made these for Thanksgiving and they were yummy! Soo fluffy!
Thank you, Bianca! I am so glad.
These were INCREDIBLE! They’ll be a staple at thanksgiving and Christmas moving forward 🙂
Yay! I am so glad to hear that. Thanks for trying them!