10 Creative Ways To Use Hawaiian Rolls

Not only are there so many different types of bread out there, but there is also an impressive variety of rolls. From plump Kaiser rolls to frozen store-bought dinner rolls, there is no shortage of options worth trying, but there is certainly one that stands above the rest: plush, beloved, and slightly sweet Hawaiian rolls — the crème de la crème of sweet breads.

These rolls, often sold by brands like Kings Hawaiian — though Aldi makes a pretty great and affordable version as well – differ in flavor, color, and texture from other rolls. Hawaiian rolls get their flavor and orange-gold hue from honey and pineapple juice. These sweeteners were used in the earliest form of Hawaiian rolls because refined sugar was scarce on the islands, meaning that Portuguese immigrants who were preparing them had to look to ingredients that were more readily available. And, it's safe to say that the rolls made with these unique sweeteners were so delicious that their recipe just stuck. 

Besides their sweetness, Hawaiian rolls also stand apart for their texture: They're pillowy, soft, and pliable, making them excellent for a whole host of uses. We wanted to explore some of the most creative ways to enjoy these rolls and work with — rather than against — their sweet flavor. The next time you have some leftover from a barbecue, refer to this list to give these beloved rolls a new lease on life.

Is using every single type of bread (and bread-adjacent product) for French toast kind of a catch-all? Yes ... but that doesn't make the Hawaiian bread version of French toast any less delicious. 

Besides adding extra sweet notes and more flavor dimension than ho-hum sliced bread, Hawaiian rolls also solve another common problem with French toast: the sogginess. The rolls are compact, yet still soft, meaning they'll easily soak up custard without becoming soggy or gummy like other types of bread — namely challah and brioche. To maximize absorbency, we recommend letting your rolls dry out on the counter for a few days beforehand. Once your rolls are dry enough to dip, you'll want to separate them in half before dipping them into the custard. In theory, you could leave them whole, though this would make pan-frying and cooking them on every side more difficult. 

You can serve your Hawaiian roll French toast any way that you would normally serve standard French toast, including with a pat of butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. However, you could also give your dish an island twist with pineapple chunks and honey as well. When selecting a topping, just be sure to account for the bread's existing sweetness; going overboard with even more sweet toppings can make the bite too cloying. 

If you've never thought about making homemade croutons before, consider this your sign. Store-bought croutons, while convenient, allow little opportunity for you to customize them by playing with different types of bread and seasonings. Plus, it's an excellent way to repurpose leftover rolls or ones that may be a little too stale to use otherwise. 

To make croutons out of your Hawaiian rolls, you'll first want to dice the bread up into small pieces, then toss it with butter and your seasoning of choice. Since the rolls are naturally sweet, you may be inclined to stick with sweet seasonings — like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. However, you could also take the savory route with garlic, herbs, and salt to offset some of that sweetness and pair it with more savory dishes, including soups and salads.

Once you've seasoned and baked your cubed Hawaiian bread to perfection, it's time to put your homemade croutons to use. Sweet-leaning croutons are excellent garnishes for sundaes and ice cream; the sweet bread adds the perfect complementary crunch to an array of flavors, including vanilla, banana, butter pecan, and chocolate. Savory croutons — which offer a subtle sweetness underneath all of those seasonings — can be sprinkled on tomato soup, meshing well with its acidity and sharpening the sweetness, or hearty squash soup, which is already sort of sweet. You can also use the croutons to leverage sweetness on a salad adorned with sliced apples, candied nuts, and dried fruit.

Everyone loves the feeling of biting into a soft, pillowy, homemade donut, only to be greeted by a combination of decadent frosting and tantalizing filling. However, it's the whole "making the donut" part that turns many people off to the idea of doing it themselves. However, you won't have to worry about whipping up a yeast dough, resting, and doing all of the bread-making components of donuts when you have a bag of Hawaiian sweet rolls lying around. This simple hack will allow you to have donuts on the table in no time — and you won't miss the fluffiness of a yeasted version, either. 

To do this recipe at home, all you need to do is pull the rolls out of the package, punch a little hole in the side of each one with the flat end of a spoon, and add your filling using a piping or resealable bag with the corner cut. Jam and thickened pudding mix are two basic, beginner-friendly fillings, though you could also get creative with canned pie filling or some other homemade concoction. Use a store-bought canned frosting or a homemade ganache on top of your rolls to seal the deal.

Alternatively, you can take more of a fritter approach and deep-fry your Hawaiian rolls. Plop them in hot oil, turning them until they're golden brown and crispy, and toss them in powdered or granulated sugar to finish. You could even make a melted chocolate or vanilla icing dipping sauce to serve with them.

Apple pie is one of the most beloved desserts, and for good reason. Sweet, cinnamon-laced apple filling married with a crispy pie crust is great in concept, but mastering the perfect filling and shell can be quite the task.

Lucky for you, there's an easier option. You only need one canned ingredient to turn your Hawaiian rolls into an apple dessert masterpiece: canned pie filling. The pie filling is already viscous and pre-cooked, and you don't have to waste any time peeling, chopping, or preparing it. Like with the donuts, you can create a little hole on the side of each roll and either add the filling with a spoon or a piping bag. Alternatively, you could make a little well on the top of each roll using an apple corer and add your filling to it; this will allow you to keep the sheet of rolls intact and turn it into a tear-and-share dessert. Pair that filling with some melted butter, cinnamon, and a warming spice drizzle on top (apply it with a pastry brush to ensure it ends up both on the top and in the holes with the pie filling).

Once the sheet has baked, you can add a drizzle of vanilla glaze on top, or serve the sheet as is. These delicious handhelds are bound to be a favorite at your next autumn gathering, and are especially tasty paired with warm spiced apple cider or coffee.

Bread pudding is another one of our favorite catch-alls for using leftover bread. It's one recipe where Hawaiian rolls can play a starring role, thanks to their sweetness, plushness, and ability to easily soak up liquid.

There are many different styles and approaches you can take when making bread pudding with your rolls. The first is a classic, casserole-style bread pudding in which the rolls are torn into small pieces, folded with any other add-ins (like dried fruits and nuts), and drowned in a custard before being baked. The result is a tray-bake that's easy to slice and customize. Generally, the add-ins for bread pudding lean sweet — think booze-soaked raisins and a drizzle of maple syrup on top — but there is no reason why you can't take a savory approach here as well. Instead of adding cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg to your custard, use salt, garlic, onion, and sage, and add crumbled sausage and cheese for a Hawaiian roll twist on a sausage strata. 

Aside from a tray-bake, you can also try a monkey bread approach; it's a favorite among kids and brunch gatherers alike. Coat your cubed Hawaiian rolls in eggs, melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon, and spread them in a well-greased Bundt tin. When it's time to serve, invert the pan onto a plate and serve your pull-apart bread with toothpicks or tongs for easy grabbing.

It's hard not to love cinnamon rolls and all of their sugary, icing-covered goodness. While we all are certainly partial to enjoying a cinnamon roll on Christmas morning, the task of prepping, resting, rising, and shaping the dough for homemade rolls takes some of the enjoyment out of it. Hawaiian sweet rolls offer the perfect remedy for all of our dough-making woes — all without sacrificing the familiar cinnamon-sugar goodness that a classic cinnamon roll offers. 

To use Hawaiian rolls for this recipe, you'll want to keep the sheet of rolls intact, cutting off the tops so that you have the perfect bed for your filling. Softened butter is the only required ingredient in the filling; you could go traditional with cinnamon and brown sugar, or give your rolls a chai spice twist with cardamom, ginger, and other warming spices. Once the initial filling has been added, place the top back on the rolls and drizzle the remainder on top. Once the rolls are baked to toasty perfection, smear on your favorite vanilla icing — cream cheese-based or plain — and enjoy. 

If you're looking for a fun variation, you could also try your hand at sticky buns with a sheet of these rolls. Fill the rolls as previously instructed or leave them plain. Set the sheet upside-down in the molten pecan caramel mixture, and once the bake time has completed and the rolls have cooled just enough, invert the rolls on your serving dish so that the pecan coating is right-side-up and the rolls are ready to enjoy. 

One of the most obvious and popular uses for Hawaiian rolls is for sandwiches — namely, ham and cheese or pulled pork. However, these are far from the only sandwiches that are deserving of the Hawaiian roll treatment. You can use them for almost any type of sandwich or slider, provided the filling meshes well with the slightly sweet and acidic flavor of the rolls. The most important thing to remember when preparing sliders is not to overbake them; the rolls (and usually the fillings) are already pre-cooked, so that final trip in the oven is essentially just to brown them, melt the cheese, and meld the flavors together.

One excellent, albeit unconventional, way to start is with chicken Parmesan. The acidity of the tomato sauce harmonizes with the sweetness of the rolls, the chicken provides the perfect savory contrast, and the melty mozzarella finishes things off with a bang. For even more sharpness, add a layer of Parmesan butter to the top of the rolls before baking. 

You can also make cheeseburgers for a crowd with these rolls. Layer cooked ground beef and cheese in the sliders, add some butter and sesame seeds on top, and bake away until the cheese is gooey and the rolls are slightly brown. Gone are the days of cooking and assembling individual burgers, since you can opt for ground meat instead of patties and prepare it as an entire sheet.

Eggs Benedict is probably one of the last dishes that you want to prepare for a crowd. Painstakingly stacking the little pieces of Canadian bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce on individual (and flavorless) English muffins can waste a lot of time. A sheet of Hawaiian rolls can stand in as a much more brunch-friendly and flavorful alternative to English muffins.

There are numerous ways that you can assemble your Hawaiian roll Benedict. The first is to use a whole sheet of toasted rolls, sliced in half. Assemble them as you would sliders; add the Canadian bacon and any other add-ons (like sliced cheese or avocado). Then, cut holes in the top half, sealing the slider, and spoon your poached eggs into the holes. Drizzle the whole thing with hollandaise, and have your guests pull off individual sliders when they're ready to eat. The sweet flavor of the Hawaiian roll will play well off the decadent sauce and salty meat.

The other method is to leave the rolls whole, but press a small indent in the top of them to fit a slice of ham (or Canadian bacon) and an egg. When you bake the rolls, the eggs will poach in the holes; you'll want to pull them from the oven once the whites are set. After you drizzle on the hollandaise sauce, you'll have a no-fuss, party-friendly eggs Benny ready for your next brunch gathering.

Garlic bread is a must-have for Sunday night pasta dinners. If you don't have any frozen garlic bread in your fridge, turn to Hawaiian rolls instead. Their slightly sweet flavor will mesh well with the sharp, punchy garlic (and any other ingredients you add to your rolls).

Prepping them couldn't be easier; simply make an X-shape on the top of each one, swipe on a copious amount of garlic butter, and bake away until your kitchen smells absolutely divine. These rolls are best served warm, so make sure to plan out when to stick them in the oven to ensure they hit your table hot. Top them with fresh chopped parsley for a pop of color and freshness and serve them with a tasty marinara for dipping.

But wait, there's more. You could also give your garlic bread a cheesy twist by adding grated Parmesan to the garlic butter mix or adding some melty mozzarella to the rolls before baking. Use your fingers to widen the slits on the tops of the rolls, then stuff them with shredded mozzarella. You could add other types of melting cheeses (like fontina or Gruyère) to these rolls, but shredded mozzarella is for sure going to give you the melty, cheesy pull that you're craving — and its neutral flavor is compatible with Italian-inspired favorites, like lasagna and chicken Parm. 

When you think "ice cream sandwich," your mind might immediately flash to the thin, chocolate wafer-adorned ice cream sandwiches in the freezer section of your grocery store. However, swapping out the ho-hum cookies for a more flavorful and dynamic alternative, like Hawaiian rolls, is an easy way to elevate this summer favorite. The plush, soft rolls soak up the melted ice cream like a sponge, and their small size makes them easy, one-scoop handhelds perfect for enjoying on a hot and humid day. 

This treat, similar to the Italian brioche con gelato, is easy to assemble. Open one of the Hawaiian rolls, add your ice cream, sandwich closed, and enjoy. You don't have to toast the roll, but doing so would give you an even better textural contrast between its crispy, buttery surface and the soft ice cream.

Personalize your sandwich with different toppings and add-ins, including sauces, crunchies, and fruit, or stick with a simple scoop of ice cream, paired with the natural sweetness of the roll. If you're looking to draw on the roll's tropical roots, consider a macadamia nut or toasted coconut ice cream, or Disney-inspired Dole Whip for a tart, refreshing burst of pineapple flavor.