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If you’ve ever had those soft, sweet Hawaiian rolls and wondered how to make them even better at home, this recipe is about to change your life. These homemade Hawaiian rolls are unbelievably soft, fluffy, and perfectly sweet with a rich, buttery crumb that literally melts in your mouth. And yes, they’re even better than store bought! Whether you’re making sliders, holiday dinners, or just want warm, fresh bread on the table, these rolls bring that bakery-style, soul-warming comfort straight to your kitchen.
I set out to replicate King’s Hawaiian Rolls. First thing that I did was read the ingredients on the the package and began reverse engineering the recipe.
I worked backwards from my brioche dinner rolls recipe and came up with the PERFECT replica of the rolls. In fact, they’re even better.
They’ve got a sweet, buttery flavor, that signature fluffy interior, and a pillowy pull-apart texture that melts in your mouth. Everything you love about King’s Hawaiian rolls, but richer, fresher, and made right in your own kitchen. Once you try this homemade bread version, there’s no going back.
Recipe Highlights: Hawaiian Rolls
- 🥒 Prep Time: 30 mins
- 🕛Rise Time: 1 1/2-2 hours
- 🍳Cook Time: 25-30 mins
- 👥Makes: 16 slider rolls
- 🔥Method: Two-rise enriched yeast dough
- 🥣Flavor Profile: Sweet and Buttery!
- ⭐Difficulty: Moderate
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Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
(full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card)
- Honey: a lot of copycat recipes use pineapple juice – but King’s Hawaiian doesn’t have that listed in their ingredients. So, I used honey instead and it gives these rolls the BEST flavor. It also adds moisture and shine, giving you that squishy sweetness of a king hawaiian roll. Leave the pineapple juice at the grocery store.
- Bread Flour and All Purpose Flour – using a mix of the two is key here. We get just enough strength from the bread flour (higher protein structure) and softness from all purpose flour.
- Milk Powder is another key! It’s my unsung hero in the kitchen. It adds richness and softness without adding extra liquid, which keeps the dough perfectly balanced.
- Salted Butter brings the flavor and tenderizes the crumb, giving you that plush bite. We’re also using vegetable oil as a secondary fat so that the rolls stay soft DAYS.
- Eggs and Egg Yolk – this is an enriched dough and eggs bring a lot of richness to the table. Structure too of course, but they add flavor, color, and a silkiness that’s to die for.
- Active Dry Yeast is my go to for all of my yeasted dough recipes. It gives you a slightly slower, more controlled rise, which helps develop better flavor in rich, sweet doughs. However, if you prefer to use instant yeast, you can! It can be swapped equally 1:1.
Quick Tips Before We Begin
- Use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients. I say this for ALL of my baking recipes – it’s critical to the success of the recipe and prevents adding too much or too little ingredients that can impact the final dish.
- This is a sticky dough – do not add more/too much flour with the intent to get it less tacky. Once it’s fully kneaded and the gluten develops, it’ll pull away from the bowl and will become nice and smooth.
- Don’t rush the kneading process. Full gluten development is what gives these rolls structure and softness. Mix until the dough is glossy, elastic, and pulls cleanly from the bowl, about 8-10 minutes.
- When adding the egg wash, spread a thin, even layer gives shine and color without masking the buttery flavor or creating an eggy crust.
How To Make Hawaiian Rolls
Step 1: Activate the yeast: Warm water + evaporated milk, then bloom the yeast with a little sugar until foamy. Whisk in the wet ingredients until smooth.
Step 2: Combine the dry ingredients and Knead: Mix flours, milk powder, and salt, then add the yeast mixture to form a shaggy dough. Briefly knead the bread dough in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, then add room temperature butter. Mix until smooth, glossy, and pulling cleanly from the bowl. It’ll be a slightly tacky, sticky dough but should be smooth and glossy when finished. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
Keep in mind: rise time can vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen. I like to place the dough in a warm place like the oven with the oven light on (do not turn the oven on).
Step 3: Shape the rolls: Divide into 16 equal pieces, roll into balls, and place rolls in a 9×13 pan.
Step 4: Second rise + bake: Let rolls get puffy, brush with egg wash, bake until golden, then finish with melted butter.
How To Use Slider Rolls
Aside from eating them fresh out of the oven with a huge glob of melty butter … there are SO many uses for these slider buns. Use them for for my philly cheesesteak sliders, pulled pork sliders, or even my BBQ chicken sliders just to name a few.
Keep it simple and add a piece of my crispy fried chicken and some cajun coleslaw for a simple but delicious sandwich.
I’ve seen folks use hawaiian rolls for french toast and cinnamon rolls too – which is really cool!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can substitute instant yeast in equal amount, but the rise may happen faster. Active dry yeast is preferred here for a more controlled rise and better flavor development in this rich dough.
Absolutely. Freeze baked rolls once cooled, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and warm before serving for best results.
Store cooled rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat briefly to restore their soft, fluffy texture.
Yes! After the first rise, you can refrigerate the dough overnight. Let it come to room temperature, shape, and proceed with the second rise before baking.
The tops should be golden brown and the internal temperature should reach 190–200°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, the rolls should sound hollow when gently tapped.
More Dinner Roll Recipes To Make
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Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (with Dough Hook Attachment)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120 g) Water
- 1 tbsp Active Dry Yeast
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 g) Evaporated Milk
- 1/2 cup (170 g) Honey
- 2 large (100 g) Eggs, (room temperature)
- 1 (18 g) Egg Yolk
- 2 tbsp (28 g) Vegetable Oil
- 2 cups (254 g) Bread Flour
- 2 3/4 cups (344 g) All Purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp Milk Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 6 tbsp (84 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature), additional for brushing on top of the rolls
Instructions
- In a large measuring cup or medium bowl, combine warm water and evaporated milk. Microwave for about 20-30 seconds, until warm (about 105-110 degrees F), then add active dry yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar. Whisk together and let it sit for 8-10 minutes, until bubbly and foamy. 1/2 cup Water 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk 1 tbsp Active Dry Yeast 1 tbsp Sugar
- Add honey, eggs, egg yolk, and vegetable oil and whisk together. 1/2 cup Honey 2 large Eggs 1 Egg Yolk 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- Add Bread flour, all purpose flour, milk powder, and kosher salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk together, then add the yeast/honey mixture. Use a rubber spatula to mix everything together until a shaggy dough forms, then place on the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. 2 cups Bread Flour 2 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour 2 tbsp Milk Powder 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, then begin adding the room temperature butter, 1 tbsp at a time, ensuring each tablespoon of butter is fully incorporated before adding more. 6 tbsp Salted Butter
- Once all of the butter is added, increase mixer to medium high speed. Mix for 8-10 minutes, until the dough comes together and stops sticking to the sides of the bowl. It should also be shiny and smooth looking. (stand by your mixer, it'll be moving around quite a bit so stay close to ensure it doesn't mix itself off the countertop)
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray or drizzle the bowl with oil. Add the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Place the dough in the oven with the oven light on (or just place in a warm place, but I've found that the oven provides the perfect temperature for dough to rise). Let the dough rise for 1 1/2-2 hours to double in size – this can take longer if your kitchen is cold, up to 3 hours.
- Punch the dough down and cut the dough into 16 equally sized pieces. (Pro tip: tare a kitchen scale and weigh the dough. Divide it by 16 and it'll give you the weight of how much each roll should be. For me, it's 74g). Roll each piece into a tight ball, then place into a 9×13 baking dish – preferably metal or ceramic. No need to grease the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and allow them to rise again for about 30-45 minutes, until puffy.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg and water. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the rolls with the egg wash in a single layer, thinly (don't cake it on, it'll taste eggy).
- Bake for 25-28 minutes, until the the tops are golden brown and the internal temperature is 190-200 degrees F with a instant read thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer, you can do the "knock test". Tap the tops of the rolls – it should sound hollow, like a drum.
- Fresh out of the oven, brush melted butter on top (I melted 2 tbsp of butter) and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Use a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients. I say this for ALL of my baking recipes – it’s critical to the success of the recipe and prevents adding too much or too little ingredients that can impact the final dish.
- This is a sticky dough – do not add more/too much flour with the intent to get it less tacky. Once it’s fully kneaded and the gluten develops, it’ll pull away from the bowl and will become nice and smooth.
- Don’t rush the knead. Full gluten development is what gives these rolls structure and softness. Mix until the dough is glossy, elastic, and pulls cleanly from the bowl, about 8-10 minutes.
- Spread egg wash a thin, even layer gives shine and color without masking the buttery flavor or creating an eggy crust.
- To reheat – place into the oven at 200 degrees and heat until warmed throughout, about 8 mins.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These actually taste better than the kings hawaiian packs. I’ll be making them again!
As soon as I saw you post this in instagram, I HAD to make them! These far exceeded my expectations and you’re right, they’re even better than the store bought versions. They’re a bit bigger than the slider rolls from kings hawaiian, but a lot more flavorful and buttery. We’re currently eating them with some soup, it’s so delicious.