Garlic butter rolls are everything you want in a dinner roll!  Loaded with wonderful flavor from garlic, parsley, and butter, these rolls are baked until golden on the outside, and light, and airy on the inside.  They’re the perfect accompaniment to any holiday meal, but are so easy you can make them any night of the week!

Closeup shot of baking dish with garlic butter dinner rolls.

Who doesn’t love a good dinner roll?

These garlic butter rolls are a favorite in our home because not only do they taste fantastic, they’re also incredibly easy to make.

These rolls are perfect alongside holiday roasts like spiral ham, stuffed pork loin, and leg of lamb.

Just be sure to make enough because they go fast!

Ingredients shown: milk, yeast, salt, sugar, egg, butter, garlic, olive oil, bread flour, and parsley.

How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

  1. Mince a 1/4 cup of flat-leaf parsley and 5 cloves of garlic.  Heat a sauce pan to medium-low and add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 6 tablespoons (84g) of butter.
  2. Add the garlic and parsley and cook until the garlic turns fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Pour the garlic butter into a measuring cup and allow it to cool for 3 minutes.

Garlic butter rolls recipe process shot collage group number one.

  1. In a medium-sized bowl add 3 3/4 cups (500g) of bread flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of fine sea salt, and 1 tablespoon of instant dry yeast and mix until incorporated. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment add 1 1/4 cups (300g) of whole milk and 1 large egg and mix on low speed while gradually adding the dry ingredients a little at a time until combined, about 1 minute.  
  2. Remove the paddle attachment and replace with the dough hook and mix on low speed.  Add 1/2 of the garlic butter to the dough and continue to knead on low speed for 5 minutes or until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.  Reserve the remaining garlic butter for later.  Note: if you do not have a stand mixer, you can knead by hand for about 10 minutes until smooth.
  3. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough into the bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise for 2 hours. Note: to help the dough rise, place the bowl in a warm place like the top of the oven or near a sunlit window.
  4. After the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375f and set the rack to the middle level. 

Recipe process shot collage group number two.

  1. Place the dough on a floured work surface and shape it into a rough square.
  2. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to divide the dough into 20 roughly equal-sized portions.  Note: the 20 portions do not need to be exact, and some may be smaller than others.  If you want exact, break out your scale.
  3. Roll each portion of dough into a ball and place them seam side down into a large buttered baking dish (9×13 or 10×15 works well). 
  4. Cover the balls with plastic wrap or a towel and allow them to rise for an additional 30-40 minutes in a warm spot.

Recipe process shot collage group number three.

  1. Once the balls have risen, remove the plastic covering and baste with a bit of the warmed garlic butter from earlier.  Bake the rolls for 20-22 minutes until golden brown.
  2. Baste the rolls with more garlic butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

A hand holding a garlic butter roll over baking dish.

Top tips

  • Yeast. I usually use SAF instant yeast because there is no need to dissolve it in warm water and it works well for all bread and pizza recipes.  It just makes things easier!  
  • Mixing. If you don’t have a stand mixer, don’t worry. You can just use your hands to knead the dough.  While the stand mixer needs about 5 minutes with the dough hook, kneading by hand will take about 10 minutes.  Just knead until smooth.
  • Warmth.  The dough for the garlic butter dinner rolls will rise more efficiently if it’s kept in a warm place.  The top of a stove, while the oven is on, is a great place. 
  • Size. One of the things I love about homemade dinner rolls is that they’re not uniform in size.  However, if you want them to be exact, you can weigh each ball of dough and adjust accordingly.
  • Sea salt. Flaky sea salt is a wonderful topping for these garlic butter rolls and I highly recommend using it as a finishing salt.

Overhead shot of hands holding baking dish with garlic butter rolls.

More wonderful sides

While we often spend the most time on the main course, the sides are not to be overlooked as they really do complete the meal!  Here are a few other sides we love!

If you’ve enjoyed this garlic butter rolls recipe or any recipe on this site, give it a 5-star rating and leave a review.

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Garlic Butter Rolls

5 from 5 votes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
proofing time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Total: 3 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 20 rolls
Garlic butter rolls are wonderful dinner rolls that are golden on the outside while light and airy on the inside. These rolls are loaded with wonderful flavor from the garlic and parsley and are so easy to make!

Ingredients 

  • 3 3/4 cups (500g) bread flour
  • 1 1/4 cups (300g) whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon instant dry yeast
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 6 tablespoons (84g) butter
  • 1/4 cup flat leaf Italian parsley minced
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt for finishing

Instructions 

  • Heat a sauce pan to medium-low heat and add the butter, olive oil, and garlic. Cook until the garlic turns fragrant (about 2 minutes) then add the parsley and turn off the heat. Pour the garlic butter into a measuring cup and let cool for 3 minutes.
  • Add the salt, flour, sugar, and yeast to a bowl and mix together. Add the milk and egg to the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • With the paddle attachment mix at low speed and gradually add the dry ingredients to the milk until combined (about 1 minute). Switch to a dough hook and mix at low ( level 2 on KitchenAid ) speed. Add 1/2 of the garlic butter to the dough and continue to knead for 5 minutes or until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Reserve the remaining garlic butter for later.
  • Remove the dough and place it into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel for 2 hours or until the dough has roughly doubled in size. Keep the dough on top of the oven or in a warm spot to help it rise.
  • After the dough has doubled in size, preheat oven to 375f and set the rack to the middle level.
  • Place the dough on a floured work surface and divide it into 20 equal-sized portions. Roll each portion of dough into a ball. Place all of the dough balls seam-side down into a large buttered baking dish (10x15 or 9x13 will work) and cover with plastic wrap or a towel for 40 minutes so that they rise.
  • Remove the plastic covering and baste with a bit of the warmed garlic butter. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Pour the garlic butter over the baked rolls and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Enjoy!

Notes

  • I almost always use SAF instant yeast.  There is no need to dissolve it in warm water and it works great for all bread/pizza recipes. 
  • The dough can be mixed by hand.  Knead for ten minutes then place it in an oiled bowl and leave it in a warm place to rise.
  • You can weigh the dough balls for exact-sized rolls, but there really isn't a need for this simple dinner roll recipe.
  • There might be extra garlic butter.  Serve it for bread dipping.
  • Flaky sea salt really elevates these dinner rolls.  Sprinkle it on top right before serving.
  • Leftovers can be saved for up 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 21.2g | Protein: 3.6g | Fat: 4.7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Hi guys,
    These dinner rolls are amazing and will be my go to recipe from now!
    Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

  2. 5 stars
    Hi Jim,

    These look great. Can I purchase the dough and add the butter garlic mixture to it before allowing it to rise? Then follow all the remaining steps?

    1. Hi Dorothy, I can’t say for sure because I’m not sure what type of dough you’re planning to purchse, but I’m sure putting the garlic butter mixture on anything wouldn’t be bad.

  3. 5 stars
    These look delicious! Can they be made the day before and then baked the next day? Being from Northern NJ I love all of your recipes!

    1. Thanks for the comment, Angela. Yes, you can make these the day before. Let them proof to the point they’re ready to bake, pop them in the fridge, and then remove them from the fridge an hour before you bake them.