Texas Roadhouse Rolls Recipe – Sweet, fluffy, and generously slathered with homemade honey cinnamon butter, these copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls will be the star of your dinner table! Experience pure heavenly softness in every bite! It makes the perfect breakfast, snack, or accompaniment to any dish for a complete comfort food delight.
Who doesn’t enjoy those soul-satisfying rolls served at Texas Roadhouse? I swear I could make a whole meal off them. Finally, I cracked the code and made my version of the famous bread rolls. It wasn’t easy, but totally worth it!
You’ll love how fluffy, buttery, and tender they are, especially hot out of the oven and smothered in melted butter. Bet you can’t eat just one! Good thing they’re so easy, the waiting being the hardest part.
What Makes Texas Roadhouse Rolls So Amazing
If you’ve ever bit into a Texas Roadhouse roll, you know how soft and satisfying they are. And the signature cinnamon butter makes them even better. Moisture hydrates the dough so it rises higher for more squishiness. Butter delivers the right amount of fat, and milk brings it all together for an amazingly soft dough.
However, the key ingredient is patience, so give the yeast time to make the dough rise and develop flavor. Then, after making the rolls, let it rise again until at least doubled. You know you’ll be a star when your family walks in the door to the tantalizing aroma of fresh-baked bread.
Ingredient List
- Dry Ingredients – All-purpose flour, active dry yeast, sugar, and salt provide structure and give the rolls a good rise. Bread flour works, as do other forms of yeast (instant, fast-acting, and bread machine yeast).
- Wet Ingredients – Milk, unsalted butter, and water give the rolls their rich buttery flavor and make them light and tender. The egg adds fat, flavor, and a nice color.
- Cinnamon Honey Butter – Butter, powdered sugar, honey, and cinnamon combine to complement these fabulous rolls perfectly.
How to Make Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Make the Dough
- Proof Yeast – Combine lukewarm water and yeast in a stand mixer and let dissolve for about 5 minutes. (Photo 1)
- Liquids – Combine the milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about a minute. Stir until everything melts. (Photo 2)
- Combine – Allow the liquid to cool to 110℉/43℃ so you don’t kill your yeast or curdle your egg. Then, dump it into the yeast mixture.
- Egg – Whisk an egg into the mixture. (Photo 3)
- Mix for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add about 3½ cups of flour and continue mixing the dough. (Photo 4)
- Knead – Add as much flour as needed to make a soft dough. Err on the side of caution, less flour is better than more. Turn dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes or more. (Photos 5-6)
- First Rise – Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1-2 hours or until doubled. Punch the dough down. (Photo 7)
Make the Rolls
- Roll dough into a rectangle about 1″ thick. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut dough into squares. (Photo 9)
- Prep – Preheat oven to 350F°/177℃.
- Second Rise – Spray a cookie sheet pan with oil or butter, then place rolls on an oiled pan ½–1″ apart. Cover lightly with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 30 minutes or until the dough is puffy. (Photo 10)
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with remaining melted butter. Remove from the baking pan and let it cool. I like eating mine when they’re still warm. (Photo 11)
- Cinnamon Honey Butter – Combine butter, confectioners’ sugar, honey, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Then mix with a mixer or by hand until blended. Serve with rolls (refrigerate leftovers). (Photo 12)
To Use a Bread Machine
- In the bread machine pan, add the liquid ingredients first (water, milk, melted butter, beaten egg). Then, add the dry ingredients (sugar, salt, flour). Finally, make a small indentation in the flour and add the yeast.
- Select the “Dough” cycle to mix and knead, then let the dough rise.
- Once the dough cycle is complete, remove it from the bread machine. On a floured surface, divide and shape the dough into rolls.
- Then, follow the rest of the rising and baking instructions.
Flavor Variations
- Adjust sweetness. Feel free to omit the sugar and let the honey shine.
- Texas Roadhouse mini rolls. Divide the dough into smaller squares for mini rolls that are perfect for a breakfast charcuterie board.
- Savory rolls. Leave out the sugar and add rosemary, oregano, and thyme to the dough for a herby, savory dinner roll.
Recipe Notes
- Make sure the water to activate the yeast is lukewarm (98-105℉/37-40℃). It should feel slightly warm on your wrist. Too cold will make the yeast sluggish, and too hot will kill it.
- Making the rolls roughly the same size will help them bake evenly.
- If your yeast doesn’t wake up and get frothy, it may be expired. Check the expiration date and get fresh if needed.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Texas Roadhouse rolls are the perfect make-ahead recipe. The dough’s texture and flavor keep improving in the refrigerator for up to a week. Store it in an airtight container, pull off as many 60-80-gram balls as you want for dinner, and bake them as usual.
Having frozen Texas Roadhouse roll dough on hand, ready to bake fresh, is also amazing. Prepare as instructed, wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and freeze for a couple of months. Thaw the dough, knead it, make the rolls, let rise, and bake.
Store leftover rolls in an airtight container for 2-3 days at room temperature or 5-6 days in the refrigerator. Toast them lightly in the oven when ready to serve. You can also freeze them for 3-4 months in a freezer bag (squeeze as much air out as possible).
What Pairs With Texas Roadhouse Rolls
These light and airy rolls are a delicious complement to hearty soups and stews. Pair them with slow cooker beef stew, sausage lentil soup, or chicken cabbage soup for a quick weeknight dinner option. Or pile on the pulled pork or crab salad for a tasty sandwich.
More Heavenly Bread Recipes to Try
- Easy Dinner Rolls
- Samoan Coconut Bread Rolls
- Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
- Homemade Brioche Buns
- Homemade Crescent Rolls
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in March 2018 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Texas Roadhouse Rolls
Ingredients
The Bread Rolls
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- 2¼ teaspoon (7g) yeast
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 6 tablespoons (90g) unsalted butter
- 5-6 tablespoons (60-72g) sugar
- 1½ teaspoons (10g) salt
- 1 large egg
- 3½-3¾ cups (420-470g) all-purpose flour
- unsalted butter for brushing the finished rolls
Cinnamon Honey Butter
- 2 ounces (57g) butter, unsalted and softened
- 1½-2 tablespoons (21-28g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) honey
- ½ teaspoon (3g) cinnamon or more
Instructions
The Bread Rolls
- In a stand mixer, combine lukewarm water and yeast and let dissolve for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the milk with the butter, sugar, and salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about a minute. Stir until everything melts.
- Allow the liquid to cool to 110℉/43℃ so you don't kill your yeast or curdle your egg. Then, dump it into the yeast mixture.
- Whisk an egg into the mixture.
- Mix for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add about 3½ cups of flour and continue mixing the dough.
- Add as much flour as needed to make a soft dough. Err on the side of caution, less flour is better than more.
- Turn dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes or more.
- Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1-2 hours or until doubled.
- Punch the dough down.
- Roll dough into a rectangle about 1" thick. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut dough into squares.
- Preheat oven to 350F°/177℃.
- Spray a cookie sheet pan with oil or butter, then place rolls on an oiled pan ½–1" apart. Cover lightly with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 30 minutes or until the dough is puffy.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with remaining melted butter.
- Remove from the baking pan and let it cool. I like eating mine when they're still warm.
Cinnamon Honey Butter
- Combine butter, confectioners' sugar, honey, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Then mix with a mixer or by hand until blended. Serve with rolls (refrigerate leftovers).
Tips & Notes:
- Make sure the water to activate the yeast is lukewarm (98-105℉/37-40℃). It should feel slightly warm on your wrist. Too cold will make the yeast sluggish, and too hot will kill it.
- Making the rolls roughly the same size will help them bake evenly.
- If your yeast doesn’t wake up and get frothy, it may be expired. Check the expiration date and get fresh if needed.
- No need to proof if you’re using instant yeast. You can mix it directly into the dry ingredients.
- To substitute active dry yeast with instant yeast, just remember this ratio: 1 teaspoon active dry yeast = ¾ teaspoon instant yeast.
- You can substitute all-purpose flour with bread flour using a 1:1 ratio.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Amy Luce says
These were good but even with added sugar not as sweet as Roadhouse rolls without the cinnamon butter.
How do you keep them shiny? The butter soaked right in and the shine was gone. The ones from the restaurant stay shiny even when cool.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Amy! Egg yolk will give a high shine and deep color to your bread when baked. Brush the egg yolk and water mixture onto the top of bread that is fully risen or on pre-packaged dinner rolls with a pastry brush.
Katie K says
These rolls are sooooo amazing! My sister used to work at Texas road house and she said she couldn’t even tell the difference! The only change I made was that instead of brushing the baked rolls with butter I brushed them with some melted roadhouse butter
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Katie! Nice nice! I hope I have seen your version! For sure, it taste great!!!
Jazmine Williams says
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! they were so buttery and soft
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you, Jazmine! 🙂
Jillian Shaw says
To all the negative comments yall clearly dont know how to bake. They tasted just like texas roadhouse. My husband is obsessed great recipe.
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you, Jillian! I’m happy you and your husband loved this 🙂
Dorian Tsukioka says
This was a great recipe! I even made the dough the night before and put it in the fridge to rise overnight. I rolled it out and cut it while cold and let it do a slow second rise while the dough came to room temperature. Baked beautifully and tasted great. My kids devoured them. Will definitely be making these again.
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you, Dorian!
Jennifer Waalen says
I loved this recipe!!! I have made them more then once.
question! can I prepare these but then not bake them until the following day?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you can. I do it all the time . Make sure it is refrigerated . Enjoy!
Jackie Lomas says
This recipe is definitely NOT like Texas Roadhouse rolls at all. It’s decent bread but tastes like any other at home recipe for bread or rolls. The butter I enjoyed though.
Immaculate Bites says
Sorry you didn’t enjoy the rolls as I would have loved you to, Jackie. Thank you for trying out the recipe!
Katie K says
I’d like to respectfully disagree my sister used to work at TRH and she couldn’t tell the difference between this recipe and theirs
Anita Hallum says
I am wondering if the amount of water is accurate. I make yeast rolls frequently and usually use a cup of warm water with the yeast.
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have adjusted the liquid – use 1/4 cup water . Start with 3 1/2 cup flour and adjust flour as needed.
HB says
I never comment but after some of the negative reviews I wanted to add some positive. I make these rolls all the time! It’s a great recipe and easy to do!
ImmaculateBites says
Great! Thanks for the feedback.
Tab says
Hello,
I’m using a bread machine. I’m using bread machine yeast , do I use the same amount of yeast as listed in the recipe?
Immaculate Bites says
Hello Tab! Yes, you may use bread machine yeast with the same proportion as the yeast in the recipe.
Olivia Gonzales says
Hi. My name is Olivia. I’m not sure what happened, but I did follow your recipe exactly, and the bread never rose after 30 minutes. My mom decided that sonetimes dough needs to rise overnight. We did that and this morning the dough didn’t get any bigger. Was the same. We turned the oven on and stuck them in the oven. Still nothing. They just burned and got rock hard. I don’t know if we should try again, but not today anyways, but I just don’t want to go through this again if this is what’s going to keep happening. Could you tell me what I did wrong, or give me a point or two in the right direction? I wish I could’ve enjoyed them, instead of having burn bread.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Olivia,
Sorry to hear it did not work out well. There might be several reasons why this happen. Here are a few reasons why
– Expired yeast – make sure your east is not old.
– Your water should be slightly warm – but not hot . Hot water will kill the yeast.
– Also measure ingredients correctly- too much flour would result in a tough dough and might prevent it from rising .
Hope this helps.
Tracey Dysert says
This recipe didn’t work for me and I’m not sure why. I’ve been making bread and rolls for years. Don’t get why you would heat your oven to 350° to make these rise the second time before baking….??? I hate wasting food items. Really wanted to make these and have with our loaded baked potato soup tomorrow. Not sure if I will try this recipe again.
ImmaculateBites says
So sorry to hear this. You let the dough rise on the counter for 30 minutes , before placing in the oven to cook.
Amanda says
What kind of yeast should I do ? First time trying to make this and I would like to know what brands to buy to have the best outcome !
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Amanda, You can get Red star or Fleischmann’s active or rapid rise yeast . Happy Baking !!
Kori says
Taste very yummy. But I do have to agree that they are not very light and fluffy. Is there anything I could be doing differently?
ImmaculateBites says
You have to let the dough rise until double in size before deflating . It makes the dough airy and light.
Kaitlyn williams says
I think when I originally made it I let mine rise too much bc they were dEF big and I think I made them too big . But I doubled it and they came out awesome , airy light and fluffy just not kinda dense like TR rolls are . Making them again for another gathering thing I with 2 1/2 it bc family loved them so much . Gotta have enough to go around lol but great recipe. Also if you wanted to FREEzE them you would roll out and shape after first rose then rise halfway and immediately freeze .. that’s in the morning in warm kitchen and back as usual!!
ImmaculateBites says
Great! Thanks for the feedback.
Megan says
Are you supposed to use active dry yeast or rapid rise?
ImmaculateBites says
They both work out just fine. It all depends on the rising time.