These Air Fryer Dinner Rolls are soft, buttery, and delicious! We used milk and butter to enrich the dough for the best flavor! Using an air fryer will cook your bread rolls in half the time.
Our homemade dinner rolls are the best! We use the perfect amount of flour for a fluffy and soft roll.
Another great bread recipe is my Hot Cross Buns, which are served for Easter and Mother's Day brunch.
One of the biggest mistakes when making bread is adding too much flour. The result is a tough and dense dinner roll.
In this recipe, we incorporate room-temperature butter and flour in multiple additions until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
If you are looking for a gluten-free option, try my All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour blend.
Serve these dinner rolls with my Air Fryer Filet Mignon, Sous Vide Scallops, or the Easy One-Pot Salmon Stew.
We prepared fast dinner rolls in the air fryer, cutting the baking time in half.
Make sure to serve this bread with our Acorn Squash Stuffed with Apples and Sausage for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the holidays. Your guest will thank you!
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⭐️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The air fryer cuts the cooking time in half! Cooking time is 10-12 minutes with an air fryer and 20-25 minutes with a conventional oven.
- This basic bread recipe uses milk and butter for a soft and fluffy roll. Adding fat to breads and cakes results in a moist texture.
- This recipe is perfect for the holidays! We like to serve these rolls for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter dinners. My Gluten-Free Fruit Loaf is great for the holidays too!
Tip - The day after Thanksgiving, I make the most delicious sandwich with leftover dinner rolls, turkey, and Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce.
📝 Ingredient Notes
Here is a visual overview of the air fryer dinner roll ingredients in this recipe. Scroll to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Flour - We recommend all-purpose flour or bread flour for this recipe. Bread flour will result in a chewier dinner roll.
- Milk - Adding whole milk increases the fat content, giving it a rich flavor and fluffy texture.
- Yeast - When using dry active yeast, activate in water between 100° - 110°F/37 - 43°C.
- Egg - Makes bread light and fluffy!
- Butter - Bring butter to room temperature before adding it to bread dough.
- Sugar - For sweetness and food for the yeast.
- Salt - Sprinkle Maldon sea salt over buttered dinner rolls for flavor and texture.
See recipe card for quantities.
🥘 Substitutions & Variations
- Garlic Rolls - Brush dinner rolls with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt.
- Sweet Dinner Rolls - For a sweeter taste like a Hawaiian roll, increase the amount of sugar.
- Yeast - Instead of active dry yeast, try quick-rise yeast or self-rising flour to make dinner rolls.
- Frozen Dinner Rolls - Use the air fryer to cook frozen dinner rolls in just 5 minutes with this 5-minute Air Fryer Dinner Roll Recipe.
- Milk Buns - Japanese milk buns use whole milk and milk powder to make a soft and moist dinner roll.
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
Learn how to make these dinner rolls with these easy-to-follow instructions.
Making the Dough
Step 1. In the mixer bowl, whisk the warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add cold milk, the rest of the sugar, and egg. Whisk to combine.
Attach the bowl of the mixer and fit with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed, adding 1 cup of flour and the salt. Beat in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Add in the rest of the flour or until the dough cleans the side of the bowl.
Step 2. Remove the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook. Knead on medium-low speed for 5 minutes.
Step 3. Transfer the dough to a medium bowl lightly sprayed with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap.
Step 4. Place dough in a warm spot in your kitchen until it has doubled in size. (40 minutes)
How to Roll Dinner Rolls
Step 1. Weighing the dough. Using a kitchen scale, divide and weigh the dough into 12 (1.5-ounce portions).
Step 2. Shaping the rolls. Pull the sides of the dough to the bottom and pinch to create a smooth and round shape. (This step is optional).
Step 3. Rolling the dough. Using the palm of your hand, gently roll the dough with a circular motion until perfectly smooth and round.
Step 4. Second proof. Place the dough into a parchment-lined air fryer basket and cover with plastic wrap.
Cooking Dinner Rolls in the Air Fryer
Step 1. Poofing Rolls. Let rolls double in size for 1 hour.
Step 2. Cooking dinner rolls. Set the air fryer to 300°F and cook for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Step 3. Butter the rolls. Brush dinner rolls with melted butter after they are done cooking for color and flavor.
Step 4. Salt. Sprinkle with Maldon sea salt for an amazing flavor and texture. Enjoy!
👨🏻🍳 Chef Tips
- If your yeast doesn't activate, you may have expired yeast or killed the yeast with very hot water.
- Never add salt straight to the yeast, or it could kill the yeast. It's best to add the salt with the flour additions.
- Kneading the dough for at least 5 minutes will develop the gluten you need for delicious dinner rolls.
- Adding too much flour can result in a dense and dry roll. In any bread recipe, add enough flour until you clean the sides of the mixing bowl.
- When rolling and shaping rolls, make sure the dough is always covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
- For pull-apart dinner rolls, cook 12 dinner rolls in the air fryer basket. Cook 9 dinner rolls if you don't want them touching.
- If your dinner rolls are undercooked, you might have too many rolls in the air fryer basket.
❓Recipe FAQ's
Yes, you can warm dinner rolls in an air fryer! Preheat your air fryer to 300°F and arrange rolls in the basket. Cook the rolls for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through.
Yes! Dinner rolls can be frozen for up to 6 months. Individually wrap rolls with plastic wrap and place them into a ziplock bag to prevent freezer burn. To serve, bring dinner rolls to room temperature.
Rolls may be soggy after defrosting. Crisp them up in the air fryer for a couple of minutes!
Homemade dinner rolls will taste fresh stored at room temperature for 1-2 days. Store in an airtight container. You can store dinner rolls in the freezer for up to 6 months.
These dinner rolls are a great addition to any meal and are perfect for the holidays. Serve with a Sous Vide Ham for Christmas or Sous Vide Turkey or Thanksgiving.
Yes, and if you are hosting a large dinner party, this may be the best option. A large baking tray can fit more rolls than an air fryer basket. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
🍽 Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Dinner Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup warm water (95° to 110°F)
- 1 ¼ ounce packet of active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- cooking spray
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 teaspoon Maldon salt flaky sea salt
Instructions
- In the mixer bowl, whisk the warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add ¾ cup of cold milk, the rest of the sugar, and egg. Whisk to combine.
- Attach the bowl of the mixer and fit with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed, adding 1 cup of flour and the salt. Beat in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Add in the rest of the flour or until the dough cleans the side of the bowl.
- Remove the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook. Knead on medium-low speed for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a medium bowl lightly sprayed with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
- Using a kitchen scale, divide and weigh the dough into 12 (1-ounce portions). Gently roll the dough pieces into balls and place them into a parchment-lined air fryer basket.
- Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 40 minutes.
- Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Brush them with the melted butter and sprinkle with the Maldon salt. Serve warm.
Notes
Expert Tips
- If your yeast doesn't activate you may have expired yeast or killed the yeast with very hot water.
- Never add salt straight to the yeast or it could kill the yeast. It's best to add the salt with the flour additions.
- Kneading the dough for at least 5 minutes will develop the gluten you need for delicious dinner rolls.
- Adding too much flour can result in a dense and dry roll. In any bread recipe add enough flour until you clean the sides of the mixing bowl.
- When rolling and shaping rolls make sure the dough is always covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
- For pull-apart dinner rolls cook 12 dinner rolls in the air fryer basket. Cook 9 dinner rolls if you don't want them touching.
- If your dinner rolls are undercooked you might have too many rolls in the air fryer basket.
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