Back in the day, my mama would buy those bomb Hawaiian sweet rolls and throw them on the dinner table. We would seriously gobble them up. Once I learned how to make these Hawaiian sweet rolls at home, I realized they could taste even better. I nail that pillowy texture in these and we get that sweetness from a little pineapple, honey and brown sugar in the mix. I know you will adore these. If you have a little extra time, get at these.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
How to Make Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
- Use a stand mixer with a greased dough hook. Whisk together 5 cups flour, yeast, and salt.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk milk, pineapple juice, butter, and honey; warm in 20-second bursts until 120–130°F (about 90 seconds).
- On low speed, gradually add the warm mixture, brown sugar, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla to the flour. Knead 2 minutes, then increase to medium-low and knead until smooth and elastic, 7 minutes. Dough should clear the sides but remain sticky on the bottom. Add flour ¼ cup at a time as needed. Rest on a floured surface 10 minutes.
- Grease a 9×13 pan. Divide dough into 18 balls (3×6), spacing evenly. Cover and let rise until doubled, 30–40 minutes. For extra rise: let the whole dough proof 1½ hours, punch down, shape, then proof another 1½ hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush rolls with egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tbsp milk) and bake 18–20 minutes, rotating halfway, until golden. Cool 10 minutes, remove, brush with melted butter, and serve warm.
Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls Recipe
Learn how to make Homemade Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls (Sweet Rolls) right at home that are perfectly sweet, fluffy and oh, so delicious. These little pillows of heaven will become a family favorite you never expected! Inspired by Jessica Gavin
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Servings: 18 rolls
Ingredients
- 5- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour divided plus more for dusting
- 4 1/2 tsp instant or rapid rise yeast
- 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup whole milk plus 1 tablespoon, divided
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs divided
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Use a stand mixer fitted with a greased dough hook. Add 5 cups flour, yeast, and salt to a bowl, and whisk to combine.
- In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, add 1/2 cup of milk, pineapple juice, 6 tablespoons of butter and honey and whisk to combine. Microwave the mixture in 20 second increments until it reaches 120 to 130 F, about 90 seconds.
- Set the mixer to low speed and gradually add the warmed milk mixture, brown sugar, 2 eggs, apple cider vinegar and vanilla to the flour mixture. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed to incorporate the flour.
- Knead the dough on low until the dough begins to pull away from the bowl, 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium low and knead until the dough is elastic and smooth in texture, 7 minutes. The dough should start to clear the sides of the bowl, but will be sticky on the bottom. Add 1/4 cup of additional flour, mixing on low speed, 1 minute. Add another 1/4 cup if needed, until the desired texture is achieved and a slightly sticky bowl is formed. Use as little added flour as possible. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Grease a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray and set aside. Cut the dough into 18 even size pieces. Roll pieces of the dough into balls with smooth tops, lightly flouring the work surface as needed. Place the dough balls into the greased pan. 3 balls per row, 6 rows total. Leave about 1/2 inch around the corners of the pan.If you have any problems with rolls not rising, try this! After the dough is made, take it out of the bowl and kneaded it a couple extra times, dusting it with more flour. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and let it double in size for an hour and a half. Then take the dough out, punch it down, shape the rolls, and let that proof for another hour and a half.
- Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and place in a warm draft-free place. Allow the dough balls to rise and double in size, 30 to 40 minutes. The buns should be touching each other and nearly filling the pan completely.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position and preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush the egg wash on the tops and sides of the buns. Bake the rolls until golden brown and shiny on the surface, 18-20 minutes. Make sure to rotate the pan halfway through baking.
- Cool the rolls on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the rolls from the tray and brush with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Serve the rolls immediately while warm.
Nutrition
Calories: 363.34kcal | Carbohydrates: 65.47g | Protein: 9.69g | Fat: 6.69g | Saturated Fat: 3.62g | Cholesterol: 32.24mg | Sodium: 337.45mg | Potassium: 142.67mg | Fiber: 2.8g | Sugar: 8.38g | Vitamin A: 192.87IU | Vitamin C: 1.31mg | Calcium: 26.54mg | Iron: 3.6mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @GrandbabyCakes or tag #grandbabycakes!
Recipe Tips
- Sticky Feel: Make sure the dough is very soft and pliable but slightly sticky. If you add too much flour to the dough, they will make some stiff rolls.
- For Even Rolls: If you have a scale, weigh your rolls so they all end up the same size. They will also bake more evenly this way too.
- Dough Not Rising Tip: After the dough is made, take it out of the bowl and kneaded it a couple extra times, dusting it with more flour. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and let it double in size for an hour and a half. Then take the dough out, punch it down, shape the rolls, and let that proof for another hour and a half.
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Recipe Help
Can I knead these rolls by hand?
Yep, you can knead it by hand! Start out by stirring with a spoon until you can’t anymore and then knead it with your hands. Just keep on kneading until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is soft to the touch and only slightly sticky. It’s a workout, but you can do it boos.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yep just make this recipe as instructed, properly wrap and store them and put them in the freezer. When ready to eat, remove them from the freezer and allow them to thaw and rise until double in size. This can take anywhere from 1-3 hours so allow yourself enough time. Then continue to bake according to the recipe instructions.
pinterest 
facebook 
twitter 
email
Can this be used for hot dog and hamburger buns, also bread instead of buns? If so what time frame on bread
Thanks
I would not be able to totally advise you on the difference of the bake time for hot dog and hamburger buns so it would be an experiment and trial for you but it absolutely can be done.
Hi there..just wondering if you could in the near future, include pics along with your steps..that would be awesome!
Thanks
These rolls sound so good and after I got to your site I saw all the other recipes and said I HAVE to get her emails. I was surprised with the mini cookbook, Thank you and it brought back a fond memory of my Mother who loved to make desserts and one was the tea cakes. I had forgotten about them, all her recipes disappeared with an ex-in law and we didn’t have the recipes anymore. It brought tears to my eyes and reminded me of all the meals that my mother made growing up. Thank you for happy tears , and I am so looking forward to trying your recipes.
Can agave be subbed for the honey?
I believe so.
These were not sweet like the Hawaiian Sweet Rolls I’m used to. Also, they were very dense. I was hoping for lighter fluffier rolls. Not quite what I wanted.
These were good, but as a 4th gen kama’aina, I assure you this is NOT an authentic recipe.
you should share the authentic recipe
Unless I missed it after reading the entire post, TWICE, I don’t see anywhere that she claimed the recipe was “authentic”. Whatever THAT means! My family loves these & I like knowing exactly what’s going into what I’m feeding them. l’m grateful that Jocelyn was willing to find & share this recipe since I can’t find an “authentic” one from a kama’aina”
BEST RECIPE EVER!!!
My family LOVES when I make these!
My adjustments for Active dry yeast (if you don’t have instant/quick rise:
Dissolve yeast in 1/4 c water heated to 105-110deg, wait (10 mins) until foamy
No milk. Instead, 1/4 c heavy whipping cream
Heat the pineapple juice, butter, cream, and honey to 105-110 deg.
Pour the yeast into the flour, then add the pineapple mixture. Mix well.
Add remaining ingredients.
Then, I put it in my bread machine and use the pizza dough setting. When doubled in size, I remove it and fold out the air bubbles.
In a greased deep 13×9 pan, 24 dough balls at 1.75-1.85oz fit perfectly and are a nice size. There’s about 10oz remaining, FYI.
Be sure to take the time to form the balls properly! (mushroom cap, fold under, repeat until smooth).
Allow to rise 45mins (not fully doubled in size).
Allow the oven to heat up with the rolls in it (I don’t preheat the oven).
I bake them at 300-325.
Hello! I am so excited to try this recipe. I only have active dry yeast. Would I be able to dissolve that in the pineapple juice or the warm milk before mixing it into the other ingredients?
I just posted the adjustments I made to this recipe to use active dry yeast instead.
This recipe is AWESOME. And, according to my family, the version with active dry yeast is now the favorite.
FYI, before trying “my” version, I made this exact recipe at least 5 times with excellent results every time (especially when I take the time to shape the rolls properly). 1 time, I used 1 packet each of instant/quick and active dry yeasts (that’s all I had): they turned out fine.
Hope yours turn out awesome too! Thank you Grandbaby Cakes for posting this amazing recipe! My family no longer smiles when I buy King’s Hawaiian brand Sweet Rolls: They only want them homemade!
This recipe worked perfectly. Light fluffy buns!
I have a kitchen scale. How much should each ball of dough weigh?
Sorry I don’t have this information.
Just divide the total weight of your ball by the amount you need
King’s Hawaiian brand states their ROLLS are 1 oz each.
In my deep 13×9, you can fit 24 rolls (4×6) with dough balls ranging from 1.25-1.85 oz.
For the most recent batch, dough balls were 1.75-1.85 oz, and approx 10 oz of dough remained. I greased a smaller baking pan, divided the dough 4 x 2.5 oz, flattened them after shaping, and had small-sized hamburger (slider) buns!