Homemade Hawaiian rolls are incredibly soft and delicious. The perfect dinner roll, sweetened with pineapple juice and brushed with butter.
You might also like our knotted dinner rolls, old-fashioned Amish dinner rolls, or pretzel dinner rolls!
What Are Hawaiian Rolls?
Hawaiian rolls are soft, fluffy dinner rolls with a slightly sweet flavor. Unlike traditional white dinner rolls, they're made with pineapple juice and a little extra sugar, giving them their signature sweetness and tender texture. They're delicious served with dinner, used for sliders, or simply enjoyed warm with butter.
Hawaiian rolls became famous through King's Hawaiian Bakery, founded by Robert Taira in Hilo, Hawaii, during the 1950s. Their signature sweet bread quickly became a local favorite before growing into one of America's most recognizable dinner rolls. This homemade version captures that same soft texture and subtle sweetness while tasting even better fresh from the oven.
If you like King's Hawaiian rolls, you'll love my homemade version. They are ridiculously soft and fluffy with just the right sweetness and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Where did Hawaiian rolls originate?
I altered one of my classic dinner roll recipes, and my family agreed that these were some of the best rolls that I have ever made. They are my go-to dinner roll recipe now, not just because of the amazing flavor, but because of how SOFT they are. They can't be beat.
Why I Like This Recipe
- Incredibly soft and fluffy. These rolls are unbelievably soft and pillowy with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Brushed with melted butter straight from the oven, they're impossible to resist.
- Sweet without being too sweet. The pineapple juice adds just enough sweetness to make these taste like Hawaiian rolls without overpowering savory meals. They're equally delicious with dinner or as slider buns.
- Perfect for make-ahead meals. One batch makes 24 rolls, so there's plenty to enjoy now and freeze for later. They thaw beautifully and taste almost as fresh as the day they were baked.
What Others Are Saying
LOVE this recipe, I tried it out and it’s AMAZING!!!---Sarah
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What Makes Hawaiian Rolls So Soft?
The secret to soft Hawaiian rolls is a combination of pineapple juice, eggs, butter, and a soft, well-hydrated dough. Using just enough flour—and resisting the urge to add extra—creates the light, fluffy texture Hawaiian rolls are known for. Brushing the warm rolls with butter after baking keeps the tops tender and adds even more flavor.
Tips and Tricks
- Tip for those who don't own a stand mixer: If you do not have a stand mixer, you can make this dough by hand using a Danish dough whisk in a large mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients together, then knead on a lightly floured surface for 5+ minutes. I rarely use a wooden spoon to mix dough anymore; a dough whisk is much more efficient and works great!
- Letting the dough rise: The dough will rise faster in a warm spot. I preheat my oven for 1 minute, then shut the heat off. It makes the oven just warm enough for the dough to rise.
- Do NOT add too much flour: this is a SOFT dough and might start out sticky. That's totally normal. Don't worry, it will come together, and because you didn't add a lot of extra flour, the rolls will be soft and airy.
Ingredients
- Pineapple juice: Use canned pineapple juice; it works great for this recipe. You'll need two small (6 oz.) cans or 1 ½ cups.
- Sugar: this recipe calls for twice the amount of sugar that I typically use in dinner rolls. Don't try to reduce the amount. These are a sweet roll and won't be the same without the pineapple juice and sugar.
- Butter: I highly recommend not using oil or shortening in place of the butter. Butter adds great flavor, both in the dough and brushed over the finished rolls.
- Yeast: you can use instant or dry active yeast. I always rehydrate my yeast in water, no matter what kind I use, out of habit.
- Water: just a small amount of water to help activate the yeast.
- Egg: eggs add a richness and makes the rolls fluffy.
- Salt: for flavor
- Flour: you can use bread flour or all purpose flour. I use all purpose flour.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Hawaiian Rolls
Step 1: Pour pineapple juice into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 90 seconds in the microwave.
Step 2: Add butter and sugar to pineapple juice. Stir. Allow hot pineapple juice to sit until it cools to around 110 degrees (warm, not HOT) and the butter is mostly melted.
Step 3: While the pineapple juice cools, combine water and yeast in a small bowl. Let it sit until it puffs up.
Step 4: Pour pineapple juice mixture, water and yeast mixture, and egg into a stand mixer bowl. Mix on low using the paddle attachment. Add salt and flour, 1 cup at a time, and mix on low.
Swap the paddle attachment out for the dough hook and mix on low for an additional two minutes, or until the dough starts to pull away from the sides. Add ¼ cup of flour, if necessary, but like I mentioned before, this is a soft and sticky dough, not as firm as most bread doughs. DO NOT add too much flour.
Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and form it into a ball in the center of the bowl (see photo above).
Step 5: Loosely cover the bowl with plastic and let rise in a warm location for 90 minutes.
Step 6: Punch dough down to deflate. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and form into a ball.
Step 7: Divide the dough in half and then in half again (you will have 4 portions of dough).
Step 8: Form 6 balls from each portion of dough, for 24 rolls.
Step 9: Place rolls in two greased 9"x 13" baking pans (12 rolls per pan). Cover with plastic and let rise until doubled, about an hour.
Step 10: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 20 minutes or until tops are golden. Brush hot rolls with melted butter.
Rolls will stay fresh for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container or bag. These rolls freeze beautifully in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Hawaiian Rolls FAQs
Pineapple juice as well as a bit of sugar are in Hawaiian rolls which gives them their distinct flavoring.
Rolls will stay fresh for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container or bag. These rolls freeze beautifully in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
I always use bread flour or all-purpose, whichever one I have on hand. My favorite brand is King Arthur.
For the most part, I use whatever yeast is available. Most of the time, it's the instant yeast that comes in a large package from Sam's Club. When I use dry active yeast, I add 10-15 minutes to the rise time. Technically, you do not need to proof instant yeast, only dry active yeast, but I've gotten so used to proofing my yeast that I proof it for every recipe.
Yes! After shaping the rolls and placing them in the baking pans, cover them tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, let the rolls sit at room temperature for 1–2 hours, or until they've become puffy and nearly doubled in size, then bake as directed. This is a great option for holiday meals when you want fresh-baked rolls without doing all the work on the same day.
Yes. After shaping the rolls, place them on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. When you're ready to bake, arrange the frozen rolls in a greased baking pan, cover, and let them thaw and rise at room temperature until doubled in size before baking.
You can also freeze the baked rolls. Once completely cooled, store them in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and warm in the oven for a few minutes before serving.
If your rolls didn't rise, the most common cause is inactive yeast. Always check the expiration date and proof active dry yeast in warm water (about 105–110°F) to make sure it's foamy before mixing the dough.
Absolutely! Both bread flour and all-purpose flour work well in this recipe. Bread flour produces slightly chewier rolls with a little more structure, while all-purpose flour creates exceptionally soft, tender rolls. I usually use all-purpose flour because it's what I have on hand, and the rolls turn out wonderfully soft every time.
Yes! These homemade Hawaiian rolls make fantastic slider buns. Simply bake the rolls as directed, allow them to cool slightly, then slice them horizontally through the middle to create individual buns. They're perfect for ham and Swiss sliders, pulled pork, barbecue chicken, cheeseburger sliders, or leftover holiday turkey sandwiches.
recommend using canned pineapple juice for this recipe. Fresh pineapple contains natural enzymes (called bromelain) that can interfere with gluten development and affect the texture of the rolls. Canned pineapple juice has been heated during processing, which deactivates those enzymes, making it the best choice for consistently soft, fluffy Hawaiian rolls.
More Roll Recipes To Make
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Hawaiian Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pineapple juice (12 ounces)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter (1 stick)
- ½ cup warm water
- 4 ½ teaspoons yeast (instant or dry active)
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 6-7 cups all-purpose flour (see notes about flour)
- ¼ cup melted butter (to brush over rolls)
Instructions
- Pour pineapple juice into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 90 seconds in the microwave.
- Slice butter into small squares. Add butter and sugar to pineapple juice. Stir. Allow hot pineapple juice to sit until it cools to around 110 degrees (warm, not HOT), and the butter is mostly melted.
- While the pineapple juice cools, combine water and yeast in a small bowl. Let it sit until it puffs up.
- Pour pineapple juice mixture, water and yeast mixture, and egg into a stand mixer bowl. Mix on low using the paddle attachment. Add salt and flour, 1 cup at a time, and mix on low.Note: this is a SOFT dough and might be sticky. That's totally normal.
- Swap the paddle attachment out for the dough hook and mix in low for an additional two minutes, or until the dough starts to pull away from the sides. Add ¼ cup of flour, if necessary (see notes at the bottom of the recipe about flour).
- Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and form the dough into a ball in the center of the bowl (see photo above).Note: If you do not have a stand mixer you can make this dough by hand using a Danish dough whisk in a large mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients together, then knead on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes until it comes together.
- Loosely cover the bowl with plastic and let rise in a warm location for 90 minutes.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Divide the dough in half and then in half again (you will have 4 portions of dough). Form 6 balls from each portion of dough, for 24 rolls.
- Place rolls in two greased 9"x 13" baking pans (12 rolls per pan). Cover loosely with plastic and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 20 minutes or until tops are golden.
- Brush hot rolls with melted butter.
Brandy says
These are probably the softest dinner rolls I've ever made. My family loves these!
Sarah says
LOVE this recipe, I tried it out and it’s AMAZING!!! I want to make these for my MIL, however she is severely allergic to pineapple. Do you think orange juice would be a good substitute? Or is there another substitution you can think of that will produce the same results? I’m new to making bread….
Brandy says
Hi Sarah! This made my day, I'm so glad that you liked them! I don't see why you couldn't use orange juice. They might not taste as sweet, but I think orange would still give a delicious flavor!
Nicki says
Any idea how these work with gluten-free flour that’s cup for cup?
Brandy says
Hi Nicki, I've never baked with gluten-free flour, I'm sorry I'm not more help!
Holly says
Hi there. This recipe is delish! But I don’t see when to add salt. I added it before the flour but don’t know if that’s okay. Thanks:)
Brandy says
Yes, that is correct! I updated the recipe card to reflect that, thanks!
Eileen says
So happy that I’ve found this blog…you have all types of rolls which I can choose to bake …..thank you so much….
Brandy says
Happy to have you here! 🙂