My sweet potato dinner rolls are jumbo yeast rolls infused with roasted sweet potato and finished with salted honey butter for the perfectly fluffy and flavorful bite to complement your meals! Let me show you how easily they come together.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my sweet potato cornbread, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple to Make - You only need a handful of everyday ingredients for this old fashioned sweet potato dinner rolls recipe. You can make them with or without a stand mixer, and my pro tips below will help you get it right the first time!
Perfect Flavor and Texture - You know those sweet, yeasty rolls that melt in your mouth and steal the show from the main dinner dish? Yeah, these are them: soft and buttery with notes of golden honey and, of course, sweet potato.
In the iconic words of Oprah, I love bread! Check out my smoked cornbread with hot honey butter, Nigerian agege bread, milk bread dinner rolls, or buttermilk biscuits next.
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Buttermilk makes the rolls impossibly soft and tender. It's how I make perfectly pillowy cinnamon rolls, too.
Instant Yeast (also called quick rise) to make them rise without having to bloom it like you would with active dry yeast. My secret to extra fluffy rolls is getting the balance of ingredients just right and using two standard yeast packets!
Sweet Potato Puree adds vibrant orange color and earthy, slightly sweet flavor to the rolls. You can use canned puree or follow my easy sweet potato puree recipe for the best depth of flavor.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Vegan - Use plant-based butter and egg alternatives and a dairy-free milk to make the rolls vegan. And you can substitute maple syrup for the honey.
Using Canned Sweet Potatoes - For a quick swap, drain candied yams from the can and run them through a blender to make your puree. These will be significantly sweeter, so I recommend reducing the amount of honey in the rolls to just one or two tablespoons.
Hand Kneading - I developed this recipe using a stand mixer with a dough hook, but you can also knead the dough by hand. Peep the detailed recipe card instructions!
How to Make Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls from Scratch
- Step One: Mix the flour, yeast, and salt. (Photo 1)
- Step Two: Warm the butter, sweet potato puree, and honey to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. (Photo 2)
- Step Three: Knead the mixtures together for about six minutes then cover and let rise until doubled in size. (Photos 3 and 4)
Pro Tip #1
I like to let my dough rise in a cold oven (meaning turned off) with the oven light turned on or near a sunny window.
- Step Four: Punch to risen dough to remove extra air, then divide it into 15 pieces, shape them into rolls, and let them rise again until doubled in size. (Photos 5 and 6)
- Step Five: Brush the tops of the rolls with beaten egg then place the dish into the preheated oven to bake until golden brown.
Pro Tip #2
I like to preheat my oven while the rolls rise to save time, and I place the baking dish on the stovetop so they have a warm environment. Win-win!
- Step Six: Melt the remaining butter while the rolls bake and stir in honey and salt. Brush the mixture on the rolls and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the rolls at room temperature in an airtight container or plastic wrap for up to three days. I don't recommend refrigerating them because this dries them out.
To freeze, don't finish the rolls with honey butter. Cool them to room temperature, then wrap snugly in aluminum foil then place into an airtight freezer-safe container. You can wrap the whole tray of rolls or separate them and do so individually. They will keep for up to three months.
To thaw, set the rolls out at room temperature overnight, then warm in an oven (at about 300 degrees F for 20 minutes), microwave (for about 10 seconds), or air fryer. Add the honey butter before serving.
How to Serve
Sweet potato yeast rolls are best served fresh and warm but stay soft at room temperature too. Enjoy them with southern baked chicken, green beans and potatoes, and baked Food mac and cheese for a classic Soul Food Sunday dinner.
And they'll make for a tasty addition to your Thanksgiving dinner menu with buttermilk brined turkey, cornbread dressing, homemade cranberry sauce, and all the other traditional fixins!
More Favorite Sweet Potato Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy these sweet potato bread rolls soon and very soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Extra Fluffy Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls with Honey Butter
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer optional
- 1 pastry brush optional
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cup all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 ½ tablespoon instant yeast about two 7-gram packets
- 1 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt plus one or two pinches
- 1 ⅓ cup sweet potato puree
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 6 tablespoons honey divided
- ½ cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 3 eggs divided and beaten, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoon oil
Instructions
- Make the Dough: Use a stand mixer, fitted with the hook attachment, to combine the flour, yeast, and 1 ½ teaspoon salt.*If you don't have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl.4 ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 ½ tablespoon instant yeast, 1 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Meanwhile, add 4 tablespoons of butter to a small saucepan over low heat and allow to melt. Add in sweet potato puree and four tablespoons of honey and stir until combined. Continue heating the mixture until it reaches 110 degrees Fahrenheit, then remove from heat. (If the mixture reaches a higher temperature, just remove from heat and wait until it falls between 100 and 120 degrees.)1 ⅓ cup sweet potato puree, 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, 6 tablespoons honey
- Add the warmed sweet potato mixture to the flour mixture, followed by buttermilk and two of the beaten eggs, and set the mixer to medium speed to knead the ingredients together into a smooth, sticky dough (about six minutes).*If not using a stand mixer, knead the dough by hand, on a floured surface, for about 12 minutes. It will be elastic and sticky when ready.½ cup buttermilk, 3 eggs
- Proof the Dough: Use floured hands to remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball. Swirl the oil inside the bowl to coat it, then place the dough back inside. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and sit it in a warm spot to rise until it has doubled in size (about 40 minutes to one hour depending on the overall temperature in your kitchen).2 teaspoon oil
- Prep and Rise the Rolls: Grease and flour your baking dish. Punch/press the risen dough to remove extra air then turn it out onto a floured surface and divide it into 16 equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into a smooth ball, and place them into prepared baking dish. Cover and let rise again until doubled in size (about 20-40 minutes depending on the temperature of your kitchen). Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit while the dough rises.
- Bake and Finish the Rolls: Brush the top of each ball of dough with the remaining beaten egg, then place the pan in the oven to bake for about 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown and fluffy.
- While the rolls bake, melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the honey and a pinch or two of salt until uniform. Remove from heat, and brush the mixture over the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven. Serve warm.
Cindy says
Omg amazing!! Thanks so much for publishing this recipe. It’s exactly what I was looking for. I halved the recipe and made a delicious honey cinnamon butter. I will be making this again.
Jazzmine Woodard says
You're so welcome, Cindy! Thank you for your feedback--that honey cinnamon butter sounds amazing.
Kim says
Looks so delicious. I am going to try this recipe. Thank you for sharing.😁
Jazzmine Woodard says
You're so welcome, Kim! Please let me know how you like them.