These delicious sweet potato rolls are perfectly chewy and lighty sweet. Easy to make and perfect for pairing with any meal.
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Making fluffy rolls with mashed sweet potatoes
There are a few restaurants that have the lightest, fluffiest homemade dinner rolls with a light sweet potato flavor. My favorites are at Texas Roadhouse and Memphis BBQ. They’re so dangerously good that my family can easily eat two baskets before our meal even arrives. I have to warn you. These rolls fit into the category of best rolls ever.
I actually thought this recipe was going to be a throwaway. I planned on using about 6 cups of flour, but the dough was too sticky, so I just kept adding more until I was up to 7 1/2 cups.
I thought I must have used too much milk or eggs or sweet potatoes. Even though it was still sticky, I let it proof. After an hour, it was beautiful. It was soft to the touch and easy to shape with just a very light dusting of flour. That’s a really important tip in baking bread. Never over-dust your counter, or your dough will become tough. Just use enough to handle the dough gently.
I initially made this dough so I could create a holiday twist on potato buns by using sweet potatoes. With leftover turkey, sweet potato buns will make tasty sandwiches, especially with a dollop of cranberry sauce and mayo.
This is a large batch of dough, but that works out perfectly for the holidays. You can make eight buns to take care of turkey leftovers, along with 12 fan rolls for the big feast itself. Or you can make 16 buns or 24 rolls.
You can season the fan rolls with salt or go on the sweet side and use cinnamon and sugar. I made eight buns, six buttered fan rolls and six cinnamon fan rolls so you can see them all – and so I could sample them all. 🙂
To make the sweet mashed potatoes called for in this recipe, peel two sweet potatoes and dice. Boil in water until tender. Drain and mash or press through a potato ricer or use a food processor. You can also use canned pure sweet potatoes or sweet potatoes baby food. As always, the recipe for sweet potato rolls is in US and European measurements. Enjoy!
Best Ever Sweet Potato Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk, 255 grams
- 1/2 cup water, 100 grams
- 1 tbls granulated sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes, 235 grams
- 2/3 cup shortening, 120 grams
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 65 grams
- 2 tbsp molasses, 60 grams
- 1 tsp salt, 5 grams
- 2 eggs
- 7 1/2 cups type 550 flour (or bread flour), 940 grams
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- kosher salt
- cinnamon sugar, optional
Instructions
- Proof: Microwave the milk and water in bowl for 45 seconds. Add the sugar and yeast and let proof for 5 minutes.
- Mix: Place the sweet potatoes, shortening, 1/3 cup sugar, molasses, salt and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, blend for 1 minute.
- Knead: Add the flour and yeast mixture to the bowl. Change to a dough hook and slowly mix until the flour is incorporated. Increase the speed and knead, until a soft dough forms. It will still be sticky.
- Rise: Set the bowl on the counter and cover with a towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Dump the dough onto a floured bread board.
Buns
- Cut: Using a dough scraper cut the dough into 3 1/2-ounce pieces.
- Rise: Shape into buns. Place onto silpat-lined baking sheets. Flatten with your hand. Brush with butter. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Let rise for 30 minutes.
- Bake: Bake in a 400F-degree (205C) oven for 10 minutes.
Buttered Fan Rolls
- Roll: Work with half of the dough at a time. Roll the dough into a large rectangle onto the floured surface.
- Cut: Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough rectangles about 2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide.
- Brush: Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with kosher salt. (note in this picture, I brushed the butter before finishing cutting into rectangles)
- Stack: Stack five rectangles on top of each other.
- Bake: Place lengthwise in a buttered muffin tin. Brush with butter and sprinkle with kosher salt. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake in a 400F-degree (205C) oven for 12 minutes.
Cinnamon Sugar Fan Rolls
- Sprinkle: Follow the steps for the buttered fan rolls above. After brushing with butter, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar, instead of salt.
- Bake: Stack and place in the muffin tin. Then brush with more butter and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake in a 400F-degree (205C) oven for 12 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients for sweet potato rolls
- Milk
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Packet of active dry yeast or instant yeast: Helps the dough to rise.
- Fresh sweet potatoes: These are mashed and added to the dough. You can use canned sweet potatoes or sweet potato puree.
- Shortening
- Additional granulated sugar
- Molasses: Adds a hint of spiciness to the dough.
- Salt
- Eggs: Used for brushing the dough to create a golden brown finish.
- Type 550 flour (or bread flour): Creates the structure for the dough. It has a higher protein content, producing fluffy dinner rolls with a chewy texture.
- Butter (melted)
- Kosher salt
- Optional cinnamon sugar
Substitutions: If you don’t have molasses, substitute maple syrup instead.
See the full recipe card for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to make sweet potato rolls
- Proof: Microwave the milk and water in a large bowl for 45 seconds. Add the sugar and yeast and let proof for 5 minutes.
- Mix: Place the sweet potatoes, shortening, 1/3 cup sugar, molasses, salt and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, blend for 1 minute on low speed.
- Knead: Add the flour and yeast mixture to the bowl. Change to a dough hook attachment and slowly mix until the flour is incorporated. Increase the speed and knead until a soft dough forms. It will still be sticky.
- Rise: Set the bowl on the counter and cover with a towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Dump the dough onto a floured bread board or cutting board.
✔️ PRO TIP
That’s a really important tip in baking bread. Never over dust your counter, or your dough will become tough. Just use enough to gently handle the dough.
Buns
- Cut: Using a dough scraper, cut the dough into 3 1/2-ounce equal pieces.
- Rise: Shape into buns. Place onto a silpat-lined rimmed baking sheet. Flatten with your hand. Brush with butter. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Let rise for 30 minutes.
- Bake: Bake in a 400F-degree (205C) oven for 10 minutes.
Buttered Fan Rolls
- Roll: Work with half of the dough at a time. Roll the dough into a large rectangle onto a lightly floured surface.
- Cut: Using a pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut the dough rectangles about 2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide.
- Brush: Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with kosher salt. (Note: I brushed the butter before cutting it into rectangles.)
- Stack: Stack five rectangles on top of each other.
- Bake: Place lengthwise in a buttered muffin tin. Brush with butter and sprinkle with kosher salt. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake in a 400F-degree (205C) oven for 12 minutes.
Cinnamon Sugar Fan Rolls
- Sprinkle: Follow the steps for the buttered fan rolls above. After brushing with butter, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar instead of salt.
- Bake: Stack and place in the muffin tin. Then brush with more butter and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake in a 400F-degree (205C) oven for 12 minutes.
How to serve sweet potato rolls
The best way to serve these homemade rolls is by serving them in a basket covered with a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm. Serve alongside your favorite main dishes.
Storage
Leftover sweet potato rolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend using bread flour as it produces a chewier texture, but you could use all-purpose flour if that’s all you have.
The sweet potatoes add a subtle flavor without overwhelming the rolls.
Absolutely. Make the dough as directed and refrigerate before the first rise. When you’re ready to bake, let the dough rise and shape into rolls. Let it rise again and bake as directed. You can also refrigerate after the first rise, shaping the dough into rolls and refrigerating. When you’re ready to bake, let the rolls sit out at room temperature to rise for up to an hour before baking.
These look delicious. Just wish they were made with glutenfree flour
Hey Christie,
Wow, those rolls look amazing. I think if I had them at someone’s house, I might have to take an Uber just to get home. I would eat so much!
Nice pics too,
Dennis