Thanksgiving

bread rolls being passed at thanksgiving table
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The 12 Best Store-Bought Bread Rolls For Your Holiday Table

They’re an easy, delicious win.

by Cat Bowen and Lindsay E. Mack
Updated: 
Originally Published: 

Even if you bake your own bread regularly, it's a chore you might not have time for around the holidays. Between the pie crust and the cookies and the turkey brine, there are only so many things you can make from scratch. But there are plenty of ways to make store-bought bread your own, especially once you find the best brands. So as the Thanksgiving comes up, you'll want to know the best store-bought dinner rolls available for your family dinner.

The best rolls serve different purposes. You'll want a crusty roll if you're looking to sop up mussel broth at the bottom of a bowl, and it's nice to have a par-cooked roll if you're wanting something hot and fresh. If you're serving sandwiches or sliders, a soft bun is heavenly. One of the easiest store-bought rolls to use is the frozen variety. They're perfect to use for adapting into pepperoni rolls or monkey bread, and they're amazing stuffed with cheese or baked into breadsticks. Although there are plenty of easy Thanksgiving recipes out there, getting the rolls just right is probably the simplest part of the holiday cooking. When it comes to entertaining for the holidays, fresh, hot rolls just make it a party.

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1

Best Frozen Rolls For Thanksgiving Dinner

Made with sweet dairy butter, milk, and eggs, these frozen dinner rolls from Williams Sonoma can help take your dinner to the next level. They are shipped out frozen, which means you can buy the rolls ahead of time and keep them in the freezer for up to a month before your event. To cook, let the rolls rise overnight and bake up some hot, fresh dinner rolls to serve with your Thanksgiving meal. The reviews are generally positive. “Easy to make and better than store bought. Served it at a dinner party and everyone loved them,” said one reviewer, with another calling them “restaurant quality.”

2

Best Store-Bought Rolls For Picky Eaters

King's Hawaiian rolls are the base for excellent dinners and leftovers alike. This pack contains 12 of the sweet, fluffy rolls that complement most any meal. They're also great for turkey leftovers. Just slather dijon and mayo on each roll, add turkey, cranberry sauce, and a little stuffing, top, and brush melted butter over the tops of each roll. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and you have a delicious treat. These rolls are ready to eat, easy to serve, and generally on sale for $5 or less. Even the most picky eater will get excited about these soft and sweet rolls.

3

Best Dinner Rolls To Buy For Holiday Meals

This order includes 16 rolls total, and these potato rolls are made without high fructose corn syrup, artificial dyes, and trans fats. They also have a pretty devoted fan base. “I originally bought these because they were suggested in a recipe video I watched on how to make Shake Shack's Smash Burgers. Now I buy them for everything from a snack to turkey sandwiches. I'm addicted. They freeze very well, too!” said one reviewer. Others appreciate the ingredients. “I bought these because of the low sodium content, then found I really like the taste. They are the only buns I buy now. They are usually sold out at my grocery store,” said another reviewer.

4

Best Store-Bought Rolls For Thanksgiving

Simple and budget-friendly, these dinner rolls from Walmart are made with enriched flour. The pull-apart rolls can be used as a compliment to any dinner, as well as the base for tiny sandwiches packed with leftovers. Soft and yeasty, the rolls are baked fresh inside stores, making fresh-baked dinner rolls available anywhere you find a Walmart (AKA basically everywhere). And the cost of about a quarter per roll, it is a smart choice for families who are feeding a crowd this Thanksgiving. Just check your store’s hours before heading out to shop, because Walmart stores will be closed for Thanksgiving day.

5

Best Homemade Dinner Rolls From Independent Seller

Did you know Etsy doubles as a bakery? Perfect, ready-to-go rolls will show up at your door. Place an order with Etsy seller Homestylesnacks a few weeks before your holiday meal to ensure time for shipping. You even get a choice of whether your rolls get brushed with butter or garlic herb butter, because butter improves everything. One reviewer praised the roll’s “wonderful taste and texture,” and another one called them “very delicious.” Another poster praised the “delicious rolls delivered in perfect condition.” It’s the easiest way to bring homemade dinner rolls to your family meal without doing any baking yourself.

6

Budget Frozen Dinner Rolls

Bake and serve rolls make planning for your Thanksgiving meal easier, and these rolls in particular have their share of fans. And at less than $4 for 10 rolls, it’s a budget-friendly addition to your Thanksgiving spread. “These taste exactly like my mom's homemade fresh bread. I literally almost cried because they were so good. Actually got them as a substitute for bread dough I ordered. I am so glad I did. Bought two more bags that I do not plan to share,” said one reviewer. And some fans already associate these rolls with Thanksgiving. “These are the best rolls out, hands down!” said another reviewer. “They have a special place in my heart because we have these every year for thanksgiving and they remind me always of family time!”

7

Individually-Wrapped Mini Challah Rolls

Challah rolls need to be on more dinner tables. They’re sweet, doughy, eggy, and when slathered with butter? Absolutely delectable.This is a pack of six, individually-wrapped rolls. They’re as big as your fist, and double as a wonderful sandwich bun. They are kosher (pareve), which means they are dairy-free, and they freeze beautifully. They’re delicious any time of year, but feel particularly decadent when paired with holiday dishes like turkey and cranberry sauce.

8

Best Dinner Rolls To Make That Taste Homemade

Flaky and tender, these rolls are best served hot with a drizzle of butter. In particular, reviewers praised the rolls as a Thanksgiving side. “I tend to refrain from rolls and basically purchased these for the recipients of my Thanksgiving meals, however I ate one and then one became three. They are superb and easy to re-heat,” said one reviewer. “These are the best rolls I have ever eaten!!! The friends I had for dinner (who make home rolls and have grandmothers who make them as well) stated the same thing. I had a pan left in the freezer for several MONTHS, and they were still GREAT!! I will never buy any other rolls other than these!!!” said another reviewer.

9

German Rye Rolls

For something a little different, try out the chewy German Rye Rolls. A version of the classic German "roggen broetchen," these will add some serious flavor and substance to your dinner. “These rolls are delicious! Subtle rye flavor without caraway seed. Baking instructions deliver crispy outside, soft inside perfection. I will definitely be reordering!” wrote one reviewer. “I don’t think I have ever enjoyed bread so much,” said another reviewer. “The rolls were terrific too. I’m so impressed. The price was extremely reasonable — the quality unsurpassed.” Others praised the roll’s texture and taste, as well as the fact that the rolls can cook from frozen in about 10 minutes.

10

Brioche Pasquier Pain au Lait Sweet Milk Rolls

On holidays, you’re encouraged to be bougie, right? What’s bougier than brioche rolls? Butter on butter with a side of butter? Yes, please! These are really dense, eggy, buttery rolls that somehow manage to keep a tender crumb. We don’t know how they did it, but we’re pretty sure there is witchcraft afoot. And this might sound weird, but try dipping these rolls in your coffee at the end of the night. It’s a miraculous flavor and texture combination.

11

Rhodes Frozen Dinner Rolls

If you love having your house smell like the bakery of your dreams, grab these Rhodes frozen rolls, melted butter, chopped garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper, and you’re ready to be catapulted into bread ecstasy.

Yes, you can make these as regular rolls, and they’re terrific, but the fact that it’s dough, not a par-baked roll makes it really malleable and perfect for recipes.

12

SlidePiece Soft Pretzel Slider Buns

One bite of these pretzel rolls and you’ll be wondering where they’ve been all your life. They’re the best accompaniment to sweet butter and cranberry sauce you’ve ever had. The combination is magical. They’re designed to be slider size, so think of all of the post-dinner ham or turkey sandwiches you could make with this. Bacon, egg, and turkey, anyone?

Make your Thanksgiving meal special with these delicious store-bought dinner rolls that taste as good as the homemade variety.

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