Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls Recipe

Texas Roadhouse has a lot going for it, including budget-priced steaks (the most affordable of which is a cheese-smothered delight) and awesome appetizers (here's how we ranked them). One of its best assets, however, is its delicious rolls with honey-cinnamon butter. The rolls are baked in-house every day, and since 2024, frozen miniature versions have been available to purchase at some Walmart stores. Of course, the freshest and tastiest rolls come right out of the oven, so developer Katie Rosenhouse did her best to recreate Texas Roadhouse's recipe so you can make it in your own kitchen.

"Texas Roadhouse rolls are soft, fluffy, and sweet, especially with a slathering of cinnamon butter," says Rosenhouse, and she asserts, "These copycat rolls are just as light and buttery as the original. Warm from the oven, they melt in your mouth, with a pillowy crumb that pairs perfectly with BBQ, fried chicken, chili, roasts, and more." She's also included a bonus recipe for cinnamon-honey butter, but the rolls would be just as delicious with plain butter or with a different type of compound butter, such as pumpkin, herb, lemon, or garlic.

For the rolls, you'll need whole milk, active dry yeast, granulated sugar, honey, an egg, flour (either bread or all-purpose), salt, and salted butter. Additional ingredients needed for the cinnamon-honey butter are powdered sugar and ground cinnamon.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir to combine the milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Cover and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes or until foamy.

Add the remaining sugar, honey, egg, flour, and salt.

Knead using a dough hook for 4 to 5 minutes on low or until a sticky dough forms.

Add 3 tablespoons of butter and continue to knead on low for an additional 5 to 6 minutes until the dough is smooth and supple.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and set it aside to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Line a standard baking sheet with parchment paper and cooking spray.

Transfer the chilled dough to a clean surface dusted with flour.

Roll the dough into a 6x14-inch rectangle.

Dust off the excess flour and fold the dough in half lengthwise.

Trim off the ends and slice it into 6 even squares.

Space out the rolls on the lined baking sheet.

Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.

Set aside to rise for about 1 hour or until puffed.

When the buns are almost ready, preheat the oven to 375 F.

Bake the buns for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.

In the meantime, prepare the cinnamon butter. Stir the butter in a small bowl until smooth.

Add the honey, confectioners' sugar, and cinnamon; mix until smooth.

Brush the hot buns immediately with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.

Serve the rolls warm with cinnamon honey butter.

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There's no single secret that can help you make fluffy bread rolls, but rather, a series of small precautions. For starters, make sure the milk doesn't get too hot — it should be between 100 and 110 F. Any hotter, and it might harm the yeast and prevent the rolls from rising as they should. It's also best to proof the yeast to make sure it's working correctly before adding it to the other ingredients. Be sure to measure all ingredients carefully, too. Baking is more science than art, since too much or too little of any ingredient can result in a texture that's dense, rubbery, or otherwise unpleasant.

Rosenhouse advises you not to skimp on the kneading step. "Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic to achieve the most feathery, tender texture." The dough may need more or less time than the recipe says, depending on the air temperature. Once it has risen and you're dividing it into individual rolls, make sure they're all the same size. Otherwise, the smaller ones may rise and cook more quickly than the larger ones. And when you're baking the rolls, you'll know they're done when they're golden-brown on top. You can also tap the bottom of the roll. If you hear a light, slightly hollow sound, the rolls are done.

When the rolls are intended to be slathered with cinnamon-honey butter, you might be wondering why the dough also includes honey. The reason bread recipes often call for a sweetener to be mixed with the yeast while it's proving is that sugar gives the yeast something to feed on, helping to activate it more quickly and work more effectively. When you add it to the dough as well, not only does it add a hint of sweetness to the bread, but it also gives the final product a more tender, softer crumb, and helps the rolls to stay moister for a longer period of time. If you'd prefer a vegan substitute for honey, you can use maple syrup, agave syrup, or a homemade simple syrup made from three parts of either white or brown sugar mixed with one part of water.

This dough also contains butter, which limits gluten formation and makes the rolls soft and tender instead of dense. Refined coconut butter, a vegan butter substitute, or even margarine can make for a plant-based substitute. If the product you're using is unsalted, though (this applies to unsalted butter, as well), you will need to add about ⅛ teaspoon of salt to the recipe to compensate for the missing flavor.

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