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These soft, fluffy Sweet Potato Rolls are brushed with warm honey butter right out of the oven. Easy to make with a few basic ingredients, they are perfect for both Thanksgiving feasts and Sunday family dinner.
These sweet potato rolls are similar to my mashed potato rolls but with a few extra ingredients to ensure they’re light and fluffy. And, of course, they use mashed sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes! They’re a nice alternative to classic homemade dinner rolls and have a lightly sweet taste to them, especially if you add the honey butter glaze.
These have become a Thanksgiving staple in my house, which I don’t mind because I can easily make them the day before. As we learned with my sweet potato bread, sweet potatoes help keep things soft, tender, and moist for days. So you can bake in advance and just pop them in the oven right before it’s time to serve the full holiday spread!
Why I Make These Sweet Potato Rolls Every Year
- Incredibly soft & tender. Did you know that the more starch content in your bread dough, the more tender your bread will be? Sweet potatoes have a high starch content, which is why these rolls end up so soft and tender!
- Great for the holidays. These have become known as my homemade Thanksgiving sweet potato rolls because that’s when I usually make them, but they work for every other holiday, too. The sweet potato makes them seem a little extra special and each recipe makes 15 rolls, which is great for big gatherings.
- Stay fresh for days. Since the sweet potatoes naturally retain more moisture, these sweet potato rolls will stay soft longer than your average dinner roll. They reheat well, too, so you can easily prepare these a day or two in advance.
Ingredient Notes
These homemade rolls are made with just a handful of very basic ingredients, plus mashed sweet potatoes. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Sweet potatoes – Freshly boiled and mashed sweet potatoes yield the fluffiest texture. You can use canned sweet potato puree or roasted sweet potatoes in a pinch, provided it is well-mashed and smooth. Avoid canned candied yams in syrup.
- Active dry yeast – Be sure to check the expiration date as yeast does expire and the dough may not rise if it’s old.
- Warm milk – Heat the milk to 110 to 115F. Cold milk won’t activate the yeast and hot milk will kill it.
- Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to the rolls.
- Butter – I use salted butter here for the added flavor.
- Eggs – Adds structure to the dough and contributes to the soft, chewy texture.
- Salt – Adds more flavor to the rolls.
- All-purpose flour – Standard all-purpose flour gives these rolls a soft, tender bite. You can substitute bread flour for a slightly chewier pull-apart roll.
- Topping – I brush these rolls with a glaze of egg, milk, salted butter, and honey.
How To Make Sweet Potato Rolls
These rolls are easy to make, especially if you have a dough hook on your stand mixer. Just remember to leave time for both rises! The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Mash the potatoes. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1-2 inch cubes. Boil in a pot of water for 10-15 minutes, until fork tender. Drain and mash until very smooth. Cool to room temperature.
- Activate the yeast. Add the yeast, warm milk, and 2 tablespoons of sugar to a bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Make the dough. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the mashed potatoes, remaining sugar, butter, eggs, and the foaming yeast mixture. Stir until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead. Knead the dough by hand on a floured surface or in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 6 to 8 minutes. It should be smooth and elastic.
- First rise. Place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, until it doubles in size.
- Divide & second rise. Punch the dough down. Divide it into 15 portions and roll each one into a smooth ball. Place them in a greased baking dish, cover, and let rise for 30-40 minutes.
- Bake. Beat the remaining egg with a tablespoon of milk. Brush over the tops of the rolls. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. They should be golden brown on top and have an internal temperature of 190F.
- Finish with the glaze. Stir together 2 tablespoons of butter with a tablespoon of honey. Mix over the rolls before serving.
How To Tell When Your Rolls Are Ready
There are few things worse than biting into an undercooked, doughy roll! There are two ways to make sure your homemade Thanksgiving sweet potato rolls are perfectly cooked inside and out.
- Instant-Read Thermometer: This is my preferred method because it’s usually the most accurate. Insert a digital food thermometer directly into the center of the middle roll. They are finished cooking at around 190 degrees F.
- Visual & Touch Cues: The tops should be uniformly golden brown, and the sides where the rolls touch should look baked and set (not wet or doughy). I will sometimes take a butter knife and gently separate one of the middle rolls to make sure it’s not gummy if I don’t have a thermometer available. The finished product isn’t as pretty, but at least you know it’s finished cooking this way.
More Tips & Tricks
Here are a few other tips for perfecting this recipe!
- Make sure to cool your mashed potatoes. Adding hot sweet potato mash directly to the dough will raise the temperature and potentially kill your yeast, preventing the rolls from rising. Make sure the mash is warm or room temperature before mixing. I like to immediately transfer the mashed potatoes to a different dish to keep it off the warm pan.
- Weigh your dough balls. Using a kitchen scale to measure each dough portion guarantees all 15 rolls bake evenly at the exact same rate so no rolls turn out dry while others stay undercooked. Measure the entire dough ball and divide it by 15. That should be the amount that each roll should end up.
- Don’t skip the second rise. Allowing the rolls to puff up and touch in the 9×13 pan before baking forces them to expand upward in the oven, creating the iconic look and feel of a perfect dinner roll.
- Finish with a different glaze. Swap honey for maple syrup for a slightly different flavor profile, or sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt over the honey butter for the perfect sweet and salty finish.
What To Serve Them With
I always serve these sweet potato rolls on Thanksgiving with roasted turkey breast and turkey gravy, but they’re great for Christmas and Easter, too!
They pair nicely with all the usual holiday sides, like green bean casserole, baked mac and cheese, and homemade cranberry sauce.
Proper Storage
- Counter: Store leftover baked rolls in an airtight container or foil-wrapped pan at room temperature for up to 4 days. Sweet potatoes naturally retain moisture, keeping these rolls soft far longer than standard dinner rolls.
- Freezer: Baked rolls can also be frozen in a ziplock freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter before reheating.
- Reheat: To serve warm, place rolls on a baking sheet in a 300 degrees F oven for 5 to 7 minutes or microwave individual rolls for 8 to 10 seconds.
Add as Google Trusted SourceSweet Potato Rolls
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Rolls:
- 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes, cooked (I used 2 medium sized sweet potatoes)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 packet
- ⅔ cup warm milk, 110 to 115 degrees F
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar, divided in half
- ¼ cup salted butter, (½ stick) melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 ½-5 cups all-purpose flour, (540-600 grams), spooned and leveled
Topping:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1 to 2 inch cubes.
- Add the sweet potatoes to a pot of boiling water and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork tender.
- Drain the water and mash the sweet potatoes until very smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a small bowl, add in the dry yeast, warm milk, and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- In a large bowl, add in the flour and salt, stirring to combine.
- To the flour mixture, add the mashed sweet potatoes, remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, melted butter, eggs, and foaming yeast mixture. Stir until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface (or with a dough hook in a stand mixer on medium-low speed) for 6 to 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and divide it into 15 equal portions, rolling each into a smooth ball.
- Arrange the rolls in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish, cover, and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Beat the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of milk and gently brush over the tops of the rolls.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. The rolls should have an internal temperature of 190 degrees F when measured with a thermometer.
- Make the honey butter topping by stirring together 2 tablespoons melted butter with 1 tablespoon honey. Brush the tops of the rolls with honey butter mixture before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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