Fluffy and buttery soft, these copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls are delicious and so easy to make. Serve with cinnamon butter for a divine combo!

You guys, these rolls. 😍 They are some of the best rolls to come out of my kitchen, and I have a feeling they’re going to become a fast favorite for you, too.

Square roll with other rolls in basket with towel.

Texas Roadhouse Roll Dough

The dough for these famed copycat rolls comes together quickly and easily.

Here are a few quick tips for ultimate success:

  1. The recipe calls for scalded milk. This means heating the milk to just below a boil until the milk is steaming and small bubbles form around the edge. Don’t use skim milk. Two percent or whole milk works best.
  2. In addition to the milk, we’re also using water, too. Using both water and milk lends the perfect texture to the rolls. Not too dense. Not too airy. They are perfect.
  3. It’s important to add the yeast once the butter/honey/milk/water mixture cools to between 105-110 degrees F. An instant-read thermometer (I have this one and love it) can help here so that the yeast doesn’t end in a tragic demise thanks to lava-hot liquid. If you don’t have a thermometer, dip your finger in the mixture – it should feel like pleasantly warm (but not hot) bath water. 
  4. These rolls are sweeter than most other “standard” dinner roll recipes. That’s because we’re going full-on Texas Roadhouse style, and we’re using honey as the sweetener. If you sub sugar for the honey, keep an eye on the flour amount – you’ll likely need a bit less flour.
Butter melting in mixer; honey getting poured into mixer; yeast proofing in mixer; dough mixing in mixer.

Add the flour gradually and knead for a few minutes in the mixer.

Don’t over flour the dough. It should be soft and slightly sticky, not stiff. Add additional flour only if the dough is super sticky and clings to the sides, bottom, or center of the bowl.

The exact amount of flour will vary based on a variety of factors, but in my kitchen, I use right around 7 3/4 cups of flour. I employ the fluff-dip-sweep method for measuring.

Cover and let the dough rise until doubled.

Dough rising in white Bosch mixer.

How to Get Square Shaped Rolls

Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased or very lightly floured counter and press or roll into a rectangle about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick.

Use a pizza wheel to cut the dough into 24 squares. It doesn’t have to be exact! These rolls are meant to be a bit rustic.

If you end up with some bigger squares (ahem, like my row on the far left), you can trim a strip from the larger rolls and press onto the side of the smaller rolls to even them out.

Or just leave them as they are. I promise they’ll get devoured either way.

Rectangle of dough cut into 24 pieces.

I place the rolls 12 to a pan, spaced about an inch apart.

Let them rise until very puffy and doubled in height. It’s important to let them rise fully in this step for optimal fluffiness! (The rolls pictured below have not risen yet.)

12 unbaked square rolls on baking sheet.

Texas Roadhouse Effect

Bake the rolls until lightly golden on top and bottom.

Immediately out of the oven, brush the tops with a healthy amount of melted butter. Don’t skip – or skimp – this step!

With the buttered tops, the fluffy, lightly sweet rolls are incredible!

Because the Texas Roadhouse rolls are made from-scratch and fresh at each restaurant, they’re hard to beat in terms of homemade deliciousness, but this copycat recipe has done it.

Baked and buttered square roll on sheet pan.

My Aunt Marilyn and I have been sharing tips back and forth to get these rolls just right: soft and light while still holding on to just the right amount of fluffy heft.

They are perfect!

It is really satisfying knowing I can have this ultra-popular, ultra-delicious recipe any time I want without ever leaving my house. #dreamcometrue

These copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls are wonderful served alongside any number of meals. And they make tasty little sandwiches, too. I can’t wait for you to make them!

Fluffy roll split in pieces on white plate.

Don’t Forget the Cinnamon Honey Butter

These rolls are delicious no matter how you eat them, but they are DIVINE with a swirl of cinnamon honey butter.

I’m going to post a recipe for the cinnamon honey butter in a few days just so it can have a placeholder of its own, but if you can’t wait that long, here it is.

Mix all of these ingredients together until creamy and smooth:

  • 1/2 cup butter (I use salted)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • splash of vanilla (about 1/4 teaspoon)

There are a lot of knockoff recipes for cinnamon honey butter online that call for powdered sugar, too, but I found it overpowered the honey flavor in a way I did not enjoy, so I stripped the honey butter down to just the basics, and the buttery, sweet, cinnamon flavor is so, so good.

Roll split in half with cinnamon butter on bottom half.

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Five square rolls in basket with blue and white towel.

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls

4.88 stars (64 ratings)

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 ½ cups 2% or whole milk, scalded (see note)
  • 1 cup room temperature water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons instant or active dry yeast
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 7 ¾ to 8 cups all-purpose or bread flour
  • Melted butter, for brushing

Instructions 

  • Add the butter and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Pour in the scalded milk. Mix for a few seconds. Let the mixture rest until the butter is mostly melted.
  • Add the water. Let the mixture cool until 105-110 degrees F (on an instant-read thermometer).
  • Add the yeast and mix to combine. Let the mixture sit for 5-7 minutes until the yeast is bubbling and the top of the liquid looks foamy.
  • Add the eggs, salt and 2-3 cups of the flour. With the mixer on medium-low speed, continue adding flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Don't over flour the dough. It should be soft and slightly sticky, not stiff.
  • Knead on medium speed for 4-5 minutes, adding additional flour only if the dough clings to the sides of the bowl and is really sticky.
  • Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
  • Scrape the dough onto a lightly greased or very lightly floured counter and roll or pat into a thick rectangle, about 15X10-inches in size and 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick.
  • Cut the dough into 24 square or rectangle shapes. The rolls are meant to be a bit rustic, so don't worry if they aren't all the exact same size or shape.
  • Line two rimmed, half sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray. Place the rolls 1/2-inch apart on the baking sheets (I place them in four rows of three each).
  • Cover and let rise until noticeably puffy or doubled in height, 60-90 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls for 18-22 minutes until lightly golden on top and bottom.
  • Immediately out of the oven, brush the top of the rolls with melted butter.

Notes

Scalded Milk: scalding milk means to heat the milk just below a boil until small bubbles form around the edge and the milk is steaming. This helps break down the proteins of the milk creating light and fluffy breads/rolls. 
Temperature: it’s important to add the yeast to the milk/water/butter/honey mixture when it is at just the right temperature. An instant-read thermometer is really invaluable here. If you don’t have one, dip your finger in the mixture – it should feel like pleasantly warm (but not hot) bath water. 
Serving: 1 roll, Calories: 210kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 327mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (with lots of experimenting and ideas from my Aunt Marilyn)