This homemade Hawaiian rolls recipe gets its signature sweetness from pineapple juice. The dough turns out soft, fluffy, and just sweet enough, baked golden and brushed with butter. You can shape the dough and refrigerate it overnight if you want fresh rolls with less morning work. It’s about 2 hours 35 minutes start to finish, most of it hands-off rise time.
Don’t Add More Flour Than This Recipe Calls For.
Most people know Hawaiian rolls as the ones in the plastic bag at the grocery store, and there’s nothing wrong with those. But homemade versions get their sweetness from real pineapple juice instead of a long ingredient list, and the dough itself is meant to stay soft and a little sticky. That’s the part that trips people up. If the dough looks too wet and you start working in extra flour to make it easier to handle, you’ll end up with rolls that bake up dense or gummy instead of soft.
This dough is supposed to feel looser than a standard bread dough, and resisting the urge to add more flour is what keeps these light. Readers have rated this one 4.66 out of 5 across 20 votes, so the sticky dough is doing exactly what it’s supposed to.
If Your Rolls Aren’t Turning Out Right
The Fall Cooking Guide for Busy Families!
FREE EMAIL BONUS: Easy & Delicious Fall Recipes.
If the tops are browning nicely but the centers still feel doughy when you pull the rolls out, the oven is likely running a little hot, or the rolls are baking a touch too fast on the outside before the inside catches up. Try dropping the temperature by 25 degrees and giving them a few extra minutes, checking that the centers are fully set before you take them out.
If the rolls come out dry or fall apart when you pull them apart, that usually points to too much flour getting worked in during shaping, or a few extra minutes in the oven past done. This dough should stay soft and a little tacky right up until it goes in the pan, so if you found yourself adding flour throughout shaping to make it more manageable, that’s the more likely cause.
These Are the Rolls My Girls Ask For
There’s something about the smell of these baking. My girls ask for this recipe every time they come home to visit. A friend from California once told me they reminded him of the bakery-style Hawaiian bread he used to get out west, and I’ll take that as a win. If you’ve only had the grocery store version, homemade is a real step up, fresher, softer, and with a flavor that doesn’t fade the way it does after a few days in the bag.
Why Canned Pineapple Juice Makes This Dough Work
I’ve always made these with canned pineapple juice, never fresh. Canned juice is more consistent in sugar and acidity than fresh, which keeps the dough behaving the same way every time. That sugar also matters beyond flavor, it gives the yeast more to feed on, which is part of why this dough rises higher and lighter than a plain milk or water based dough would. The sweetness you taste in the finished roll is really a side effect of what’s making the texture work in the first place.
Featured reader review
“These turned out amazing! I was a little intimidated by the prep time. But i cheated and used my bread machine. I put the flour and salt into the bread machine then mixed the wet ingredients in a medium bowl and wisked them together with the acception that i still mixed the water and yeast as stated in the recipe before incorporating it into the wet mixture. Then poured the wet ingredients into the bread machine and ran it on the dough cycle which did the work for the first hour and a half. Then followed the recipe from punching air out of the dough and dividing. Very pleased with the results! “
Krystal
Getting a Good Rise Every Time
- If your kitchen runs cool, steam up a bowl of water in the microwave, then slide the covered dough in next to it for a warm, humid spot to rise.
- No good spot in the kitchen? Heat your oven to 200°F, turn it off, and let the dough rise inside with the residual heat.
- Bake until the tops are a deep golden brown, not just pale gold, before pulling them out.
- Using a 9×13 pan instead of pie pans? You’ll need a second pan since a 9×13 only holds 12 of the 16 rolls this recipe makes.
- I always reach for King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill flour for this one, consistency matters more here than in a lot of other baked goods.
These are too delicious to save just for the holidays, try serving them with a weeknight chicken in white wine or with baked bbq pork ribs.
Make them smaller and you have an awesome roll for sliders to use for your bourbon BBQ hamburger sliders with pickled jalapeños or slow cooker carnitas.
Everything That Goes Into This Dough.
You’ll find the full list of ingredients and instructions in the recipe card, but here are a few of the MVPs:
Simple Steps to the Best Dinner Rolls
Step 1: Make the dough
Dissolve the yeast in warm water until it’s foamy. Add eggs, pineapple juice, sugar, vanilla, milk, and melted butter and combine. Add flour and knead with a dough hook of a stand mixer for about 10 minutes.
Step 2: Let it rise
At this point you can refrigerate overnight or let them rise one more time.
Step 3: Time to bake
Bake until golden brown and then brush with butter.
One Last Thing…
If you’re using a big can of pineapple juice and wondering what to do with the rest, I’ve got you covered. Try making Hawaiian cinnamon rolls or even a batch of slow cooker ribs with a tropical twist. Or just freeze the leftover juice for next time.
These rolls take a little patience for the rises, but between the pineapple juice and the sticky, soft dough, what comes out of the oven is worth the wait every time.
If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.
Homemade Hawaiian Rolls Recipe with Pineapple Juice
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast 2 ¼ teaspoon
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ¼ cup milk
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 4 cups flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl dissolve yeast in ¼ cup warm water with a pinch of sugar. Let sit until slightly foamy.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the yeast mixture, eggs, pineapple juice, ¼ cup milk, sugar, vanilla and melted butter. When combined stir salt and flour into dough until a stiff batter is formed. Kneed for 10 minutes using a dough hook.
- Cover and place in a warm place and let rise for 1 hour. When doubled, punch the air out of the dough and turn onto floured surface.
- Divide into 2 equal pieces and then cut each piece into 8 sections for a total of 16 rolls. Form into buns forming them so that the seam is on the bottom and place in 2 buttered pie pans.
- Cover and let rise again until doubled, about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350º. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then remove from oven and brush the tops with melted butter.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- The dough is ready to shape when it’s roughly doubled and holds a dent when you poke it gently with a floured finger.
- Brush the rolls with melted butter right when they come out of the oven, while they’re still hot enough to soak it in.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days, or freeze baked and cooled rolls for up to 2 months.
- If your yeast doesn’t foam up within 5-10 minutes in the warm pineapple juice mixture, it’s likely dead, don’t try to bake with it, start over with a fresh packet.
Nutrition
Follow Me On SocialDid you make this recipe? Mention @ButterandBaggage or tag #ButterandBaggage
on Instagram!
Melissa C says
Wonderful! After the 1st rise, the dough was so sticky, I knew something wasn’t right…more than likely my own mistake. I added flour with my hands and kneaded lightly until the consistency was right, and all was well. I wanted to mention this because I see others ended up with sticky dough, but adding flour is all it takes. Put it in your pans, let rise again, bake…perfect. I make bread all the time and sometimes you just have to make a few adjustments depending on your weather, altitude, or your own mistakes. Thank you, this will be the recipe I turn to for Hawaiian rolls, every time.
Barbara Curry says
The dough should be sticky but if it’s too sticky to handle then adding flour will take care of it. You are right about having to make adjustments for the weather, but also if the eggs are larger than normal. Glad your’s turned out.
Shannon says
Can I use a different juice other than pineapple?
Barbara Curry says
I’ve never tried it with any other juice but I would think you apple juice would work.
Shaina Knox says
These came out perfect! I’ve seen alot of people mention that their dough came out too wet. I think the key is two things:
1. Make sure your yeast is good
I had to throw out two of my yeasts because they didn’t bloom. This is key. Mine bloomed and fluffed up and made my rolls so fluffy and airy.
2. Slowly incorporate the flour and salt into your mixture and then set the timer for 10 minutes.
Trust me, slow and steady wins the race. I had to stop my mixer twice to reset my load because it kept trying to escape from my bowl. Totally worth it though because my dough ball was perfectly glutinous and made the rest so much easier to accomplish.
With my bad oven, it took me 15 minutes. I tried your suggestion of proofing with turning my oven on then off and this helped immensely. I wish I could send a picture because mine look just like yours in the picture. I just wish they were a bit sweeter. Maybe a honey glaze? We will see
Anyways, thank you!!
Barbara Curry says
I’m so glad these turned out for you and I love that the oven proofing worked. I also like to warm up water in the microwave and let the dough rise in the warm microwave.
Macha says
How do you measure your flour? Do you spoon it into the measuring cup and level it? Or do you dip the cup and level it? I want to make these but I’m used to measuring by weight and I find if someone doesn’t specify how they measure then there can be problems.
Barbara Curry says
It’s a very forgiving recipe, but I measure my flour by dipping a measuring cup in the container of flour and leveling it with my finger.
DeLois Tweedy says
I would love to make these rolls, but I am allergic to pineapple/pineapple juice. Are there any substitutions?
Barbara Curry says
You could substitute orange juice for a similar type of roll or leave it out all together and add an additional 1/2 cup of milk.
amber Allen says
was wondering for a last minute roll could I add baking powder instead of the yeast?
Barbara Curry says
No, baking powder will not work for these rolls. For last minute, go with a biscuit, there are several options, go to the index and search under breads and biscuits.
Carol says
Delicious and so easy to make. Everyone bragged on these rolls. 😃
Barbara Curry says
Thats awesome, there the ones my kids always ask me to make.
Lisa Durant says
I used much more flour than the four cups called for but it might be that its so humid here right now. The buns are delicious. I threw out my first batch from a different recipe but I tried this one because if they didn’t turn out, I wouldn’t be wasting so many ingredients. I paired them with a honey butter like you get a Texas Roadhouse and they were a big hit
Barbara Curry says
Awesome, so glad they worked for you even with the high humidity.
Taryn says
Did you measure flour by weight?
Barbara Curry says
I don’t think you need to for rolls.
Debra says
I haven’t enough room to freeze it,
Can this recipe be cut in half?
Barbara Curry says
Yes.