Garlic Bread Hawaiian Rolls Recipe (2024)

Light and fluffy sweet Hawaiian rolls drizzled with garlic butter make the best dinner rolls. Best of all, Garlic Bread Hawaiian Rolls are so easy – a few ingredients and 20 minutes is all you need!

Let’s talk Hawaiian rolls. Those sweet, soft, totally addictive pull-apart rolls are a staple in my freezer and make the best last-minute side dish for sheet pan dinners, salmon, or soup. Not only are Hawaiian Rolls available at the usual suspect grocery stores, but Trader Joe’s and Aldi now make their own store-brand versions. When we have a batch of these around the house, they get devoured in a day or two, but I’ve been stashing an extra bag in the freezer to make this delicious version of garlic bread.

What are Hawaiian Rolls?

Hawaiian rolls are light, fluffy, slightly sweet bread that is most well-known through King’s Hawaiian brand which was started in Hilo, Hawaii in the 1950s. The classic rolls are baked close to one another so that the edges touch as they bake and can be pulled apart once cooled. Other brands exist, including those made by Trader Joe’s, Aldi, and many grocery store brands.

How to Make Hawaiian Rolls with Garlic Butter

Second perhaps only to eating Hawaiian rolls with a smear of butter, turning them into garlic bread is absolutely the best. These take less than 20 minutes to make, so you can pop them in the oven while a batch of Chicken Spaghetti is cooking in the Instant Pot or Tomato Soup with Chickpeas and Pasta is cooking on the stove. Here’s how.

1. Whisk together melted butter, parsley, and garlic.
2. Place 12 Hawaiian Rolls on a rimmed baking sheet. Cut a deep x in the top of each roll.
3. Pour the garlic butter over the rolls, including inside each x cut in the rolls.
4. Bake the rolls, uncovered, at 400°F until golden and warmed through, 7 to 10 minutes.
5. Serve warm.

Ingredients

• Hawaiian Rolls – King’s Hawaiian is the brand that has made this style of roll so popular. The rolls are super light and fluffy with a noticeable, but not overwhelming, sweet flavor. There are many other brands now available – usually labeled as “Hawaiian Rolls” or “Sweet Hawaiian Rolls”. Any other type of soft roll will work.
• Garlic – It’s garlic bread after all! Fresh, chopped garlic will give you the most fresh and pure garlic flavor.
• Butter – Use salted or unsalted, but be sure to add some salt if you go for the unsalted version.
• Parsley – Chopped parsley is a classic addition for herb garlic bread, but you can easily skip it to simplify. Other finely chopped herbs like chives, green onions, or basil would also be great.

How to Freeze

For best results, freeze the Hawaiian rolls and herb garlic butter separately. The herb garlic butter can be melted and poured into a small freezer-safe plastic bag or a 4-oz mason jar. When you’re ready to serve, just defrost the rolls and butter in the microwave and follow the instructions to bake them.

Variations

• Add cheese – Make these rolls cheesy by adding freshly grated parmesan cheese. (Note: Just be sure to use freshly grated parm; pre-grated parm can contain additives that won’t melt properly.)
• Make them a meal – Add shredded cooked chicken, deli ham, or deli turkey to the slits inside of the rolls before adding the garlic butter.
• Use a different herb – Try these with chopped chives, green onions, or finely diced thyme or rosemary instead of parsley. You can also feel free to skip the herbs and keep them simple.

What to Serve with Garlic Bread Rolls

Once you’ve got this delicious side dish up your sleeve, you’ll find that there are many meals it can be served with. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Easy Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti – So fast, so classic, this red sauce spaghetti in the Instant Pot is practically begging for a side of garlic bread Hawaiian rolls.
• Crispy Baked Cornflake Chicken – Served with mashed potatoes, green beans, and garlic bread rolls, this would be a comforting family meal that would work as well for guests as it would on a regular old Tuesday night.
• Mini Italian Meatball and Orzo Soup – Garlic bread rolls are perfect to serve alongside soup for sopping up the last flavorful bit at the bottom of the bowl. This soup has flavorful meatballs that are made with Italian sausage for an easy shortcut.
• Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake
• Lasagna Bolognese