Rosemary Sea Salt Sweet Potato Rolls
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These rosemary sea salt sweet potato rolls are quite possibly the easiest and fluffiest rolls ever. They will disappear from your table in a flash!
What is the dish count for this Rosemary Sea Salt Sweet Potato Rolls recipe?
- 1 Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowl
- 13×9 pan
While my Whole30 was a phenomenal flop, I did learn a few things about myself while on. I swore I would do a recap, but the abysmal finish of the program left me too embarrassed to do it. But I will, eventually.
What I did learn was that I love sweet potatoes.
They are my lifeblood right now. And since I had about six roasted taters in the fridge, because that’s all you can eat on that diet – I wanted to use some of them for a wholly un-compliant reason – to make sweet potato rolls. I’m a bad girl.
I was watching my snapchat feed a couple weeks ago, and Elise from Simply Recipes had snapped making potato rolls, and at that precise moment, I knew I had to make them, and that my friend Rachel (of Baked by Rachel) had the recipe I had been meaning to make like, FOREVER, so I did.
It was a light bulb stream of consciousness moment. Those don’t happen often if you can believe it.
I put a little twist on them, added some herbs from my sad winter garden, and the rosemary plant that won’t die, and BAM! Here they are! Ben and I ate these with stew for the last week, and they were perfect. He gave them a hearty two thumbs u and I know they will be my go-to from now on.
What are these Rosemary Sea Salt Sweet Potato Rolls topped with?
These rolls are topped with honey butter. Made simply with honey, butter, sea salt, and if you’d prefer you can add additional minced rosemary!
Ingredients for Rosemary Sea Salt Sweet Potato Rolls
For Rolls
- Water
- Milk
- Yeast
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Salt
- Butter
- Fresh Rosemary
- Sweet Potato
- All Purpose Flour
For Honey Butter Topping
- Butter
- Honey
- Sea Salt
- Rosemary
Raise your hand if you love carbs!! Try your hand at some other bread baking with these other favorites of mine!
Inspired Homemade Recipes To Try
Sweet Dinner Rolls – Brown Eyed Baker
Rosemary and Cheese Dinner Rolls – Foodness Gracious
Easy Pretzel Buns – Crazy for Crust
Print
Rosemary Sea Salt Sweet Potato Rolls
- Prep Time: 3 Hours 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 16–20 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These rosemary sea salt sweet potato rolls are quite possibly the easiest and fluffiest rolls ever. They will disappear from your table in a flash!
Ingredients
For Rolls
- 1/2 cup Water, Between 102-110 Degrees
- 1/4 cup Milk, Between 102-110 Degrees
- 2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) Yeast
- 1 tsp plus 1/3 cup Sugar, divided
- 2 Eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 6 Tbsp Butter, melted and cooled
- 2 1/2 tsp Fresh Rosemary, minced
- 1 cup Mashed Sweet Potato – *SEE NOTE*
- 4 1/2–5 cups All Purpose Flour, more depending on moisture of dough
For Honey Butter Topping
- 1/4 cup Butter, room temperature
- 2 Tbsp Honey
- Sea Salt
- Additional minced Rosemary
Instructions
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine milk and water. Heat in microwave until the temperature reaches between 102-110 Degrees. Stir in 1 tsp sugar to the mixture, and add in yeast. Gently mix yeast, and set aside to proof. About five minutes.
With a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment, add in remaining ingredients, and begin to mix until combined. Slowly pour in the yeast mixture, and allow to incorporated. Mix until the ingredients are smooth and dough like, and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, but still sticks to the bottom.
Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until it becomes a smooth, uniform ball. Place into a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
Roll dough out onto lightly floured surface and cut into 16-20 equal pieces. Roll the dough into small balls, and place seam side down in a greased and parchment lined 13x9inch baking dish. Cover and let the dough rise, another hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown on top, and reach 200 degrees when tested with a thermometer.
In a small dish, mix together 1/4 cup room temperature butter, and 2 tablespoons honey until smooth. Brush tops of baked rolls with mixture, sprinkle sea salt and additional minced rosemary on top. Allow to cool slightly. Or serve warm.
Notes
Lightly Adapted from Baked by Rachel’s Amish Potato Rolls and America’s Test Kitchen Potato Rolls
*NOTE* – I recommend using CANNED sweet potato puree, or canned pumpkin puree. Do NOT use candied yams or sweet potatoes as a substitute. If you mash your own roasted sweet potato, place it in a food processor, and add in small amounts of water to ensure that it reaches a potato or pumpkin puree consistency.
Keywords: Dinner Rolls, Rosemary, Sea Salt, Baking, Holiday
Megan these look SO good!!
Gorgeous rolls, girl! Golden brown, butter and honey glazed!!!! GAH!
OH MY!! Look at those buttery, gorgeous rolls!!
Get out of adulthood territory – it’s a trap! 😉 And take these crazy awesome rolls with you!
what gorgeous looking rolls! Pinned and shared on Facebook!
oh I can just smell these baking in the oven!! I can’t wait to make them!
Ok who actually made these things. I’m usually good with recipes but these were a bust. 5 hours for nothing. I have pucks that are way too heavy. What went wrong?
Paul, I’m so sorry these didn’t work out for you! They continue to be my go-to dinner roll with continued success. A couple of items might have got in the way. Was your yeast brand new? Expired yeast might have been a factor. Was it particularly cold in your house while they were proofing? And making sure you have a consistent mashed sweet potato puree is important too. You can try these again with pumpkin puree as well, but may need a bit more flour to offset the added moisture that pumpkin has. I hope you do try them again!!
These rolls are B-E-A-UTIFUL! So fluffy and delicious! I can practically smell them through the screen. 🙂
These look like perfect pillows, and I love the rosemary touch!
OH MY GOODNESS!!! These rolls are calling my name. YUM
These look absolutely heavenly! I love adding potato to my bread recipes and the idea to add sweet potato… YES!
Biscuits are probably my favorite thing in the world. These look SO good!
I agree. Adulting is totally difficult. LOVE these sweet potato rolls. They’re so pretty and I bet they smell wonderful out of the oven!
They look delicious. I can’t wait to try them!! 🙂
Wow, these look sooooo good!
Whenever there is bread with rosemary, I canNOT resist. Pass the butter!
Yummy! These look amazing Megan! Bread and potatoes are my favorite food group!
How many cups of mashed sweet potato do you generally use?
I believe it says in the recipe – 1 cup. Roast the potatoes and mash them so you are using the cooked mash.
They are on first rise and look beautiful, an apricot color with little specks of green from the fresh rosemarmary I picked from my aerogarden. I’m baken them today and warming them tomorrow for Easter. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Karen, I am absolutely so pleased that you and the family enjoyed them!! Happiest Easter to you all!
Paul I made them and I’m no expert. In fact I’m just making them for maybe the sixth time. I love these rolls and like to keep them in the freezer. I pull one out, defrost and toast Megan is right about yeast and the temperature of your milk/water mix. Also making sure they rise in place that’s warm and not drafty. Yeast products can be a little tricky but worth it in the end
Just took them out of the oven. I wriggled out one of the middle ones to make sure they were cooked through. My mom and I ate it and I sure hope they make it until tomorrow s dinner. This is definitely a go to dinner roll, so easy. People don’t think about making these, just make them, you won’t be sorry!
I made the dough for these in the bread machine yesterday and they were fantastic! So light and fluffy, excellent flavour, and the melted butter and honey with salt and rosemary spread on top after baking were perfect! After just one try they are now a family favourite.
Kimberlee, Happy Easter to you and the family! I am so pleased that you all enjoyed the rolls!! All the best!
I don’t have fresh rosemary – may I use dried in a spice jar? If so, how much would I use?
Yes, you may definitely use dried if you don’t have fresh. I would use an addtional 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of dried.
I saw your recipe for these rolls and knew I had to make them! I made them yesterday and these are FABULOUS!!!!! They say you should never make a new recipe for a holiday meal until you test it first!! So delicious and tender and I know these will be on the menu for every holiday meal!! Loved the sprinkle of added rosemary and crispy flakey salt for that added savory pop! Thank you for sharing!!
Do you think you could refrigerate after the second rise and bake the following day? Trying to cut down on day-of prep!
I’d love to know the answer to this. I want to do the same thing.
I did a slow rise overnight, and they turned out great!
Ooooo a slow rise is a GREAT idea!! I hope you all love them! Happy Thanksgiving!!
These were delicious and easy to bake (once I figured out how to work with yeast)! Our new go-to for dinner rolls. 😋
★★★★★
Hi,
These look so good I can’t wait to make them for thanksgiving!
Many of my family members have celiacs and I was wondering if you knew whether the rolls would still come out the same way with gluten free flour? I know nothing about baking and have never successfully made bread with or without gluten free flour so am nervous
I’ve made these in the past and they were a hit. My niece is newly diagnosed with celiacs so I thought I’d just buy a gf “1:1” flour. This is my first gf baking endeavor. Now that I’m in the proofing stage, I have learned you need more liquid. Like a lot more. I added about 1/2c more water when I realized the dough wasn’t sticking to itself in the mixer. The dough is still really dry. I greased the bowl a little more heavily so fingers crossed… if you’re going to try a gf version, do more research ahead of time than I did.
Alexandra, I have been asked for a GF version of these, so I will have to go to the drawing board to see what I can whip up! I am not a well versed GF baker either, so it may take a few tries. I hope that you found the sweet spot for the moisture content and I hope these turn out for your niece. No one should be denied rolls on Thanksgiving! 🙂
Hello! Wondering if a gluten free recipe was ever shared? These look incredible!
Hi Sandra, I have not tried making these gluten free. Sorry!
Made these to take to Thanksgiving dinner at a friend’s house. Everyone loved them…right down to the 3 year old and a 9 month old. The perfect dinner roll.
They were also delicious sliced and toasted the next morning for breakfast. The flavor of the rosemary was a little stronger then. Delicious.
I am so, so, SO pleased that you and everyone loved them!!
I made these for thanksgiving and they were a hit. They were so soft and flavorful. We didn’t even use any butter. I am making them again right now with pumpkin instead of sweet potatoes. I hope they turn out just as good.
Oooo pumpkin is a GREAT CHOICE!!! Thanks so much for letting me know they turned out! And send photos, tag me on twitter or IG, I wanna see!
Made these yesterday using pumpkin instead of sweet potato and they were delicious! I let my bread machine do most of the work so it was super easy too! Thanks for the great recipe!
Hooray! I’m so pleased these turned out! And great idea with the pumpkin substitution!
I will be making these tomorrow, I have a baby with a milk protein allergy so I plan to substitute with oat milk and plant based butter. With him being under a year old and not able to consume raw honey, do you think they will taste just as good with brown sugar substituting the honey?
Hi Jaylynn, I’m sorry I didn’t see your comment until now! I hope that you were able to make these for your family. I have actually omitted the honey from the topping entirely before, and they are still utterly delightful with just melted butter and sea salt on top. 🙂
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Is it possible to omit butter in this recipe or replace it with something else which isn’t a saturated fat and is also vegan?
Hi Marina, I have no tried with anything other than butter, but if you find a good substitute and try this recipe please let me know how it turns out.
I made it with olive oil (75% of the amount of butter) and it was wonderful.
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Can you make the dough a day ahead then refrigerate?
Hi Deanne! You can make the dough and roll it into shaped balls into the pan. Then I would cover and refrigerate overnight. They will still rise, but much more slowly. Bake them first thing in the morning and they will be perfect for dinner! I hope this helps!
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Y U M M M M M!!! This looks absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try it! I’m sure my Kids love them 🙂
I am trying to cut processed sugar heavily out of my diet, so I took out a little bit of the sugar in it and replaced it with honey. I can’t remember the exact substitution, but I took out about 1.5 TBs of sugar and replaced it with 1 TB of honey. Still was moist and wasn’t heavy at all.
This was a hit at Thanksgiving!
Jenn, I’m so glad everyone liked them!! Good note on the honey for sugar substitution!
Hi Megan! I made these last night and they were INCREDIBLE!!! To lighten them up a little bit for every-day use, I think I’d like to experiment with taking out the 1/3 cup of sugar — maybe replacing it with honey or maple syrup, maybe taking most of it out altogether. Do you have any suggestions about how I could modify the recipe to do this? I’m sure taking out the sugar will mean another ingredient has to be upped/reduced/added, so wanted to see if you have any thoughts!
Hi Brenna, you can probably reduce the sugar, but I wouldn’t omit it entirely as the yeast feeds off the sugar as it rises. start by reducing it a tablespoon or two to see how it affects it. Good luck!
Yum these look amazing!
My whole 30 attempt was really Whole 14 and I don’t think there is any shame in not finishing! Mine almost destroyed my relationship….and now i’m engaged so I guess I have my whole 30 failure to thank for that 😉
Looking forward to seeing more recipes!
Well CONGRATS on the engagement! It definitely put a strain on my relationship too hahah
Wow..these rosemary sea salt sweet potato rolls looked soooo good, I had to try and make them. I used your suggestion and used 6 Tbsp Butter, melted and cooled. Thx for sharing!
I’m making them right now. They are on their first rising. The texture of the dough was wonderful. I didn’t change one thing in the recipe but I will shape them into balls and the them rise overnight in the refrigerator and bake them off in the morning for a luncheon. Thank you!
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dear megan, i am from switzerland and i tryed today to bake your sweet potato rolls. they had a wonderful taste, but after 25 min they were like dough, after 15 min more we tooked them out of the oven….the taste is spectacular, but they are very heavy, perhaps i made a mistake with the yeast…is this fresh yeast or dry yeast ?
Hi Kerstin!! Altitude may play a factor in the baking of rolls. So that may have effected the baking time slightly. I am glad that they turned out well though! I use dry yeast, as it is more widely available in the US. Thanks so much for letting me know how they turned out!
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These are a family favorite in our house. We make them every year to bring to christmas dinner. It has become our assigned thing to bring.
This makes me so completely Happy!!! Thank you so much Gretchen! Happy Christmas to you and the family!
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These are spectacular!!!!! I made them for mother’s day brunch today and we are all freaking out over how good they are. Thank you for a perfectly written recipe!!! Followed to a T!
CORI! Thank you so much, I am so pleased that these were a hit with the whole family!
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I don’t have a stand mixer, just a handheld. Will that still work?
Hi Lesley, I wouldn’t use a hand mixer unless you have dough hook beaters for it. The standard whisk beaters would get clogged up and it would over stress the motor of the hand mixer. Instead, I would use your hands! You can start with a large spoon or spatula to start the dough, then turn it out onto a floured work surface, and knead it by hand until it is elastic. It will take longer, but it will be fun. The dough is quite sticky, so make sure you have flour to be able to coat your hands and surface in. But use as little as possible so you don’t dry out the dough. I hope this helps! Please let me know how it turns out!
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This is such an excellent recipe! I’ve made it a bunch of times successfully. I made it yesterday for Thanksgiving with bread flour, and it came out even more delicious.
I’ve been wanting to make these for a while now!
Just took them out of the oven! DELICIOUS!
Thank you for sharing!
I’m so so pleased these were a hit!!
When I went to print this recipe I get a photo that is on top of the recipe that does NOT belong to it. Just wanted to let you know that the link is messed up.
Thank you so much for letting me know, Stephanie! I’ll take a look at it!
Hi, what type of yeast is appropriate for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Jocelyn! I’m sorry I didn’t see your comment until now! You can use whatever dry active yeast you have on hand – Instant, or a regular Active Dry yeast. Both will work well in this recipe. I hope that helps. Please let me know how these turn out for you! 🙂 They are truly MY FAVORITE during the holidays. I am always asked to bring them to events ha!
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I made these for a COVID Quarantine Ladies’ Dinner and they were a hit! I want to nake yhem again for Thanksgiving but I need to make them gluten-free. Have you tried any gluten-free versions?
Hi!! I’m so so pleased to hear that these rolls were a hit!! I have not tried to make them gluten free. but if you do try, please let me know how they turn out.
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I’ve made these so many times. They come out awesome!!!! Solid recipe! I love your presentation in the cast iron oval dish. What size is that pan. Would love to try that this Thanksgiving.
This recipe looks amazing!! I’m excited to make them for Christmas. Question, what kind of yeast did you use? Instant yeast or dry active yeast? I have both on hand. Thanks so much!
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Looking to try this- for those using pumpkin, did you find success with canned pumpkin puree or is fresh pumpkin necessary? Thank you!
I made these today, they were incredible. Highly recommend. Modified slightly, I used cane syrup instead of honey for the brushing, I did not put rosemary in the rolls, just on top. I let them bake 20 minutes and then brushed with the butter/cane syrup, sprinkled with coarse sea salt and sprinkled with rosemary, then finished baking. I made my dough one day, let it rise, shaped the rolls, then refrigerated the dough overnight. The next day I took them out to come to room temp and finish rising and then baked. Absolutely perfection. I’m using the leftovers in my Thanksgiving stuffing, should be fabulous.
★★★★★
I absolutely love these rolls. The only change I make is I combine 2T butter with 2T cane syrup, bake the rolls 15″, brush with the butter/cane syrup mixture, sprinkle them with coarse sea salt and rosemary, and finish baking. The leftovers make divine sandwiches.
★★★★★
Sorry! Didn’t realize I had already commented. They truly are great rolls.
I’m so so pleased you liked the rolls!!
I’ve made these twice and they are a big hit! My next step is to try to make them vegan. Has anyone used flax eggs in place of the eggs?
★★★★★
These were ridiculously good. I found this recipe when I was looking for things to do with the rosemary I have growing in my garden. They took a few minutes longer than the suggested time for me to bake, but they came out perfect. My family loved them. Thank you!
★★★★★
I’m so so pleased, Katie!! These are definitely a family favorite here, so I’m glad they will be for you as well!
I made these last year for thanksgiving and they were a hit! So delicious. Making them again this year
Thank you for sharing the recipe!!
★★★★★
I’ve made these rolls probably at least 6 or 7 times, and they’ve always been such a hit! I’ll be making them this year for Thanksgiving, as requested by my family. I usually have to go over 5 cups of flour, but that’s all by my judgment of the dough while kneading–I know there are so many factors that go into how much is needed. I also often make them with thyme instead of rosemary just based on what I already have or what else I’m making, and they’re delicious either way!
★★★★★
Hi! I’ve made these two years ago and they were so good. Planning on making them this Thanksgiving but have a question. The recipe says “yeast” but doesn’t specify instant or active dry. Does it not matter or does it need to be one or the other? Thank you!