✔ Updated · a roll troubleshooting table, freezer dough and bread machine options, batch sizes and nutrition
These copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls are pillowy, honey-sweet yeast rolls brushed with butter and served with whipped cinnamon honey butter. They take a little patience for the rise, but the hands-on work is only about 30 minutes.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Keep the dough soft and slightly tacky. Adding too much flour to stop the stickiness is the number one reason homemade rolls turn out dense.
Why You'll Love These Rolls
- Soft and fluffy, with a sweet honey flavor like the steakhouse basket.
- The cinnamon butter, whipped in 2 minutes and impossible to stop eating.
- Make-ahead friendly, they freeze and reheat beautifully.
The Secret Is the Dough (and the Butter)
These copycat rolls get their soft, tender texture from an enriched dough: warm milk, an egg and butter, sweetened with honey. A double rise and a quick fold before cutting give them that tall, fluffy, pull-apart look.
Serve them warm with my cinnamon honey butter. For a bigger batch of the butter, see my full Texas Roadhouse cinnamon butter recipe.
How to Get the Steakhouse Look
- Bake them touching. The rolls in that bread basket bake shoulder to shoulder, which keeps the sides pale, soft and pull-apart. For that look, set the squares about 1/2 inch apart in a 9×13-inch pan instead of spacing them out on sheets. Crowded rolls need 2 to 3 extra minutes in the oven.
- Cut, don't roll balls. Square rolls cut from a folded sheet of dough are the signature shape, and cutting is quicker than shaping 15 balls.
- Stop at light gold. Pull them when the tops are just golden. Deep brown tops mean a firmer crust, which isn't what we're after.
- Brush twice. I brush melted butter on as they come out, then again 2 minutes later. The second coat soaks in and keeps the tops soft overnight.
Rolls Timeline
Here's how the time breaks down, so you can plan dinner around it.
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Mix and knead | 15 minutes |
| First rise | About 1 hour |
| Shape and cut | 10 minutes |
| Second rise | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Bake | 14 to 16 minutes |
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Check the milk temperature. About 110°F feels warm, like a baby's bottle. Hotter than 120°F can kill the yeast and your rolls won't rise.
- Resist extra flour. The dough should stick to your finger a little. I add flour a tablespoon at a time and stop as soon as it pulls away from the bowl.
- The fold matters. Rolling, folding and rolling again gives the rolls their tall, layered, pull-apart shape.
- Find a warm spot. My trick is the oven with just the light on. It's cozy enough for a steady rise without cooking the dough.
- Butter them hot. Brushing the rolls the second they come out keeps the tops soft and gives that buttery shine.
- These smell like my Austin years. Warm rolls and cinnamon butter were my favorite part of any steakhouse dinner back then, and they're what got me baking rolls at home.
If you love a restaurant bread basket, my copycat Outback bread makes soft, dark honey wheat mini loaves.
Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls
15
rolls30
minutes16
minutes190
kcal2
hours30
minutesSoft, fluffy copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls: a honey-sweetened yeast dough made with milk, egg and butter, rolled, folded and cut into squares, baked until golden and brushed with butter. Serve with cinnamon honey butter. Makes 15 rolls.
Ingredients
- For the rolls
1 1/4 cups whole milk, warmed to about 110°F
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg, room temperature
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
- For the cinnamon honey butter
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
- Stir the warm milk, honey and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
- Add the softened butter, egg, salt and 2 cups of flour. Mix with the dough hook on low until smooth, then add the remaining 2 cups of flour a little at a time. Knead on medium for 5 to 6 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth and slightly tacky.
- Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let it rise somewhere warm for about 1 hour, until doubled.
- Punch the dough down and roll it into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle on a floured counter. Fold it in half, press the edges together and roll it again into a 12 by 8-inch rectangle.
- Cut it into 15 squares and set them on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Cover and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes until puffy. Heat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until golden on top. Brush with melted butter right away.
- For the cinnamon honey butter, beat the butter, honey, powdered sugar and cinnamon until fluffy. Serve with the warm rolls.
Recipe Video
Notes
- For soft, pull-apart sides like the steakhouse basket, bake the squares about 1/2 inch apart in a 9×13-inch pan.
- Make ahead: refrigerate the cut rolls overnight, or freeze them unrisen for up to 1 month.
- Brush with butter twice: straight from the oven and again 2 minutes later.
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Roll Troubleshooting
| Problem | Why it happens | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dense and heavy | Too much flour, or not risen enough | Keep the dough slightly tacky and let it fully double. Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling |
| Didn't rise | Milk too hot, or old yeast | Milk should be about 110°F. Proof the yeast first: if it isn't foamy in 10 minutes, start over with fresh yeast |
| Flat, spread rolls | Over-proofed second rise | Bake as soon as they look puffy, usually 30 to 45 minutes. A gentle poke should spring back slowly |
| Too brown, dry tops | Oven runs hot or baked too long | Check at 12 minutes, tent with foil if browning fast, and brush with butter right away |
| Bland | Not enough salt | Use the full 1 1/4 teaspoons of kosher salt; it makes the honey taste sweeter |
| Hard by the next day | Stored uncovered | Cool completely, then keep them in an airtight bag at room temperature |
Make-Ahead, Freezer and Bread Machine Options
- Overnight in the fridge: shape and cut the rolls, cover tightly and refrigerate up to 18 hours. Let them sit at room temperature about 1 hour until puffy, then bake.
- Freezer dough: freeze the cut, unrisen squares on a tray, then bag them for up to 1 month. Set them in a greased pan, cover and let them thaw and rise at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours before baking.
- Baked and frozen: cool completely, bag and freeze up to 3 months. Warm from frozen, wrapped in foil, at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Bread machine: add the milk, honey, egg, softened butter, salt, flour and yeast in your machine's order and run the dough cycle. Then roll, fold, cut and bake as written.
Half or Double Batch
| Batch | Flour | Milk | Yeast | Pan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half (about 8 rolls) | 2 cups | 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons | 1 1/4 teaspoons | 8×8-inch pan |
| As written (15 rolls) | 4 cups | 1 1/4 cups | 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) | 9×13-inch pan or 2 sheets |
| Double (30 rolls) | 8 cups | 2 1/2 cups | 4 1/2 teaspoons (2 packets) | Two 9×13-inch pans |
Scale the honey, butter, egg and salt the same way. For a double batch, knead in two batches unless your stand mixer bowl holds at least 6 quarts. That's how I make them for Thanksgiving, and there are never leftovers.
Nutrition (Estimate)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| 1 roll, buttered tops | About 190 calories, 5 g protein, 6 g fat, 30 g carbohydrates |
| 1 tablespoon cinnamon honey butter | About 100 calories, 10 g fat, 4 g sugar |
Estimates from the ingredients in the recipe card; sizes vary with how you cut the dough.
What to Serve With These Rolls
Go full steakhouse with Texas Roadhouse-style seasoned rice, green beans and country fried chicken. Find the rest in my Texas Roadhouse copycat recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Texas Roadhouse rolls so good?
They're a soft, slightly sweet enriched dough: milk, butter, egg and a little honey or sugar make them tender and fluffy, and they're brushed with butter straight from the oven. The cinnamon honey butter on the side does the rest.
Can you leave Texas Roadhouse-style cinnamon butter out?
For serving, it's fine at room temperature for a couple of hours, which keeps it soft and spreadable. Store it covered in the fridge for up to 1 week and let it soften for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
Can I make the rolls ahead?
Yes. After shaping, cover the rolls and refrigerate overnight. Let them sit at room temperature for about 1 hour to finish rising, then bake as usual. Baked rolls also freeze well for up to 3 months.
How do you reheat the rolls?
Wrap them in foil and warm at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes, or microwave one roll for 10 to 15 seconds under a damp paper towel. Brush with a little butter to freshen them up.
Can I use instant yeast?
Yes. Use the same 2 1/4 teaspoons and mix it straight into the flour instead of proofing it in the milk. Rising times may be 10 to 15 minutes shorter, so watch the dough rather than the clock.
Are Texas Roadhouse rolls yeast rolls?
Yes. They're soft, slightly sweet yeast rolls made from an enriched dough with milk, butter, egg and honey or sugar. This copycat uses one packet of active dry yeast and two rises.
Why are my homemade rolls dense?
Usually too much flour or too short a rise. Keep the dough soft and a little tacky, let it fully double in the first rise and get puffy in the second, and check that your milk is warm (about 110°F), not hot.
Can I make Texas Roadhouse rolls in a bread machine?
Yes, for the dough. Add the ingredients in your machine's recommended order and run the dough cycle. Then roll, fold, cut into squares, let them rise until puffy and bake at 375°F.
🦃 Planning the big dinner? Here are all our copycat Thanksgiving side dishes, casseroles and pies in one place.
🎄 Planning Christmas dinner? See all our Christmas side dishes next to the mains and a make-ahead timeline.
