Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (2024)

Simply irresistible Hawaiian Sweet Rolls are soft and fluffy with just a subtle hint of pineapple sweetness! They’re great for sandwiches, sliders, or stand alone dinner roll.

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls would be the perfect compliment to Maple Dijon Roasted Chicken And Vegetables,Instant Pot Pulled Pork, or our family favoriteBlackberry Dijon Ham. They are fluffy, sweet, and SO good.

Soft & Sweet

I think it’s safe to say that I’ve been bitten by the bread bug. During the past month I’ve spent most of my free time on Sundays making sweet rolls, dinner rolls or loaves of bread. I can’t seem to get enough!

My latest experiment was with some unusual ingredients that just happened to give these rolls the most incredible flavor! If you’ve ever had the King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, you can probably guess where I’m going with this.

Because these are very similar to those tropical tasting rolls in the orange packaging. I wouldn’t call my version an exact copycat. I mean, is there really such a thing? These rolls however, are probably the closest thing to them.

They’re light, fluffy and bursting with that distinctively sweet flavor. Speaking of thatunique flavor, it comes from pineapple juice, brown sugar and a combination of vanilla and coconut extracts.

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try, our family LOVED it!

Making Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

These rolls require a little more TLC then your standard dinner roll.

PREP. Heat oven to 200 degrees.

WET INGREDIENTS. In a medium size microwave safe bowl (or a 2 c. glass measuring cup), combine the butter, buttermilk, pineapple juice and brown sugar. Heat in the microwave until the mixture is hot and the butter is almost melted (it took about 1 minute 40 seconds on HIGH in my microwave). Allow to sit for 3-4 minutes on the counter until it cools and reaches approximately 110 degrees, then add the extracts.

DRY INGREDIENTS. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the 3¾ c. flour, yeast, salt and ground ginger.

KNEAD. Using the paddle attachment, turn the mixing speed on low and slowly pour in the wet ingredients. Continue mixing while adding the eggs and egg yolk. A sticky dough will begin to form. Switch to the hook attachment and knead the dough for 7-8 minutes, adding ¼ c. more of flour if necessary. Do note that this is a very sticky dough, so don’t add any more than 4 c. of flour total! Once the dough has been kneaded, form into a ball and place in a large metal or glass bowl that has been lightly greased.

RISE. Cover with a clean towel, turn OFF your oven, place inside and allow to rise for 1-1½ hours or until doubled. Once the dough has doubled, remove and gently deflate. Divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll into circles and place in a parchment lined 9×13 pan or ¼ baking sheet. Heat oven to 200 degrees. Generously butter the tops and sides of each roll. Place a clean kitchen towel over top. Turn OFF your oven and place the covered rolls inside to rise for 1-1½ hours or until doubled.

Tips + Storing Info

Make your own Homemade Buttermilk to use in this recipe. It is recommended to use whole milk when doing so for these rolls.
Almond or vanilla extract can be substituted for coconut extract.
Lightly oiling your hands will help when working with this wet, sticky dough. Spray your hands with some cooking spray or rub some vegetable oil on them before you roll out the dough.
If using fresh pineapple juice in this recipe make sure to microwave it first for about 2 min. Then allow it to cool before using it. Heating it up first is important to kill the enzymes that can destroy the gluten in the rolls.
Brush the tops of your rolls with some honey butter for some added sweetness.

STORE leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. It is not recommended to refrigerate these rolls as they will taste stale more quickly.

FREEZE any leftover rolls in a Ziploc bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Reheat by thawing at room temperature, then warming in a 300 degree oven for about 10 min.

More delicious bread recipes:

Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Buttery Pull Apart Rolls
Homemade Crescent Rolls
Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!

Hawaiian Sweet Rolls Recipe

Simply irresistible Tropical flavored Sweet Hawaiian dinner rolls are delicious and perfect for any occasion!

4.34 from 6 votes

Ingredients

▢ 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter - cubed
▢ 1/4 cup buttermilk
▢ ¾ cup pineapple juice*
▢ 1/2 cup brown sugar
▢ 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
▢ 1/4 tsp coconut extract
▢ 3 ¾ - 4 cup all-purpose flour
▢ 1 packet (2 ¼ tsp) instant yeast
▢ 1 tsp salt
▢ 1/4 tsp ground ginger
▢ 2 eggs + 1 yolk - room temperature

Instructions

Heat oven to 200 degrees.
In a medium size microwave safe bowl (or a 2 c. glass measuring cup), combine the butter, buttermilk, pineapple juice and brown sugar. Heat in the microwave until the mixture is hot and the butter is almost melted (it took about 1 minute 40 seconds on HIGH in my microwave). Allow to sit for 3-4 minutes on the counter until it cools and reaches approximately 110 degrees, then add the extracts.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the 3¾ c. flour, yeast, salt and ground ginger. Using the paddle attachment, turn the mixing speed on low and slowly pour in the wet ingredients. Continue mixing while adding the eggs and egg yolk. A sticky dough will begin to form. Switch to the hook attachment and knead the dough for 7-8 minutes, adding ¼ c. more of flour if necessary. Do note that this is a very sticky dough, so don't add any more than 4 c. of flour total! Once the dough has been kneaded, form into a ball and place in a large metal or glass bowl that has been lightly greased. Cover with a clean towel, turn OFF your oven, place inside and allow to rise for 1-1½ hours or until doubled.
Once the dough has doubled, remove and gently deflate. Divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll into circles and place in a parchment lined 9x13 pan or ¼ baking sheet. Heat oven to 200 degrees. Generously butter the tops and sides of each roll. Place a clean kitchen towel over top. Turn OFF your oven and place the covered rolls inside to rise for 1-1½ hours or until doubled.
Remove the rolls from the oven and turn ON your oven to 350 degrees. Once heated, bake the rolls for 22-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown in color.
Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining butter. (SEE NOTES)

NOTES

*I used an 8 oz. can of Dole pineapple tidbits and just pureed it. You could also use a can of 100% pineapple juice.

These rolls, like any, will have slightly crunchy tops. As they sit on the counter while they cool they will soften, especially with the butter on them. But... if you want them to be extra soft, after cooling for 20 minutes, cover with foil and allow to sit for an additional 20 minutes. The warmth of the rolls will circulate and help soften the tops.

Nutrition

Recipe adapted from Food.