3 Store-Bought Frozen Dinner Rolls That Can Pass for Homemade

A basket of warm dinner rolls can make even a regular weeknight meal feel special, and they’re practically a requirement for holiday meals like Thanksgiving. Although the bread aisle and bakery department at most grocery stores usually have an assortment of fresh rolls, a stash of frozen rolls can really come in handy. You can bust them out whenever you’re whipping up a quick batch of soup, pull them out for a chicken dinner on a whim, or use them as a nice accompaniment to a big salad.

Some frozen dinner rolls are literally just balls of dough that have to be given time to thaw and rise before baking. Others are par-baked and just need five to 10 minutes in the oven to heat through. There are a fair number of brands out there, so I gave them all (or as many as I could find!) a try to find out which ones are worth buying again. I also wanted to see if the par-baked versions are just as good as the almost-from-scratch ones. Here are the rolls I’d be happy to serve. 

Although you do have to plan about three hours ahead before serving these rolls, and you have to be careful not to overproof them, they’re the best shortcut to homemade. No dough-mixing mess — just put the little frozen balls of dough in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and let thaw and rise. It took three hours in my kitchen.

For my planning prowess, I was rewarded with the yeasty smell of fresh baked bread wafting through the house within minutes of putting them in the oven. The rolls were incredibly soft, tender, and piping-hot. We devoured them almost instantly. 

The rolls are far cheaper than the bakery department and cheaper than par-baked versions too. Another benefit of going the frozen dough route? The dough balls can be turned into things beyond dinner rolls, like honey buns and monkey bread. Check the Rhodes website for more recipe ideas.

Buy: Rhodes Bake-n-Serv Yeast Dinner Rolls, $4.23 for 36 at Walmart

When you don’t have time to let the dough rise before baking, these par-baked rolls are your best bet. (Rhodes clearly knows what they’re doing in the frozen bread world!) They only took 10 minutes to reheat. My tasters and I loved how fluffy they were on the inside, with just the right amount of crispiness outside. These had a crunchier crust than the frozen dough version, so if you like a crusty roll, this is a good option. We also liked that they’re not as sweet as other brands. 

Buy: Rhodes Warm and Serve Soft White Rolls, $4.59 for 36 at Target

We tried a lot of gluten-free frozen dinner rolls and these were incredibly similar to the wheat-based rolls we tried. You’d almost never know they’re gluten-free. It’s amazing how incredibly crispy-crunchy they are on the outside, but still super tender, fluffy, and airy on the inside. If anyone in your house needs to follow a gluten-free diet, these will still be crowd-pleasers for everyone else, too.

Buy: Udi’s Gluten-Free Classic French Rolls, $5.99 for 6

This post originally ran on Kitchn. See it there: 3 Store-Bought Frozen Dinner Rolls That Could Totally Pass as Homemade