There’s nothing better than fresh and soft dinner rolls paired with spaghetti or lasagna.
Oh-la-la! Soft, warm, and simply doubling up on comfort food is the way to go.
It’s one of my go-to combo meals for a big holiday and other special occasions.
When making homemade rolls (any meal actually), I sometimes whip up more than I can eat within a day or two, resulting in possible leftover problems.
The good news is I’ve found some nifty and simple methods for reheating bread rolls, meaning I can still enjoy my leftovers the next day!
The article also features easy tips and tricks on storing and warming up buttery rolls so you’ll never have to feel the disappointment of having cold rolls ever again.
How to reheat dinner rolls—the various methods
Warming up dinner rolls can be tricky.
Give them too little oven heat for too long and you’re going to have dried out and crunchy rolls.
Turn the heat up too high and you will end up having burnt bread.
Every step is important so ensure to follow these methods below and monitor your leftover dinner rolls closely as they heat up.
How to reheat dinner rolls in an oven
The oven method is the best way to reheat day-old dinner rolls.
When done correctly, they will taste almost exactly as they did the night before: warm, soft, with a fluffy texture and golden brown color.
The disadvantage of using this method is that it will warm up your kitchen and the bread takes longer to cook than the other reheating techniques.
But before you pop those refrigerated or frozen rolls into your oven, be sure to place them close together in a baking dish with sides and not on a baking pan (or sheet pan).
This is because reheating your leftover dinner rolls on a cookie sheet and separating them allows too much hot air to dry out the individual rolls, resulting in a hard, crunchy outside.
Tools needed:
-
- Leftover dinner rolls, stored
- Baking dish with sides
- Oven
Instructions:
-
- Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Position the rolls in a baking dish or if you only have a low-sided cookie pan, place them close together and cover with foil.
- Brush them with melted butter and sprinkle a dash of salt or garlic powder, if desired.
- Cover the rolls with a single layer of aluminum foil or leave them as is.
- Heat them up for about 7 to 10 minutes.
How to warm up dinner rolls using a slow cooker
Warming up dinner rolls in a slow cooker is another great option when you’re avoiding the hot conventional oven, especially during the summer.
The best part about this method is that the end result is incredibly soft, similar to fluffy homemade dinner rolls you had last night. The added moisture is a nice benefit, bu
Here’s how to do it:
Tools needed:
-
- Leftover dinner rolls, stored
- kitchen or tea towels
- Slow cooker
Instructions:
-
- Place a moistened, clean kitchen towel or tea towel at the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Put the leftover dinner rolls on the towel.
- Then cover them with another damp kitchen towel so the lid sits on top. This keeps condensation from dripping back down onto the rolls so they don’t get soggy.
- Close the slow cooker lid and reheat on low or medium. It may take 30 minutes to bring the rolls up to eating temperature.
- Done! Serve your fluffy rolls at the dinner table alongside your favorite entree.
Pro tip: Never heat the rolls on the high setting as this can harden, or worse, burn the bread.
Turn your slow cooker to a warm setting once you’re done bringing the bread up to temp.
How to reheat dinner rolls in a microwave
Microwaving dinner rolls is the best option when you’re in a hurry or you can’t simply wait for that 10 to 30 minutes to reheat your stale bread in an oven or slow cooker.
The downside is that the microwave method can turn your rolls tough and chewy and it can ruin your food when left unsupervised.
For the best results, make sure to follow the CookingChew 4Ts method of microwaving: turn, time, test, and taste!
TURN food over, watch the TIME, TEST for doneness, then TASTE the food.
Here’s how to reheat dinner rolls in a microwave:
Tools needed:
-
- Leftover dinner rolls, stored
- Microwave-safe plate
- Kitchen towel, tea towel
- Microwave
Instructions:
-
- Prepare a microwave-safe plate, one moistened kitchen towel, and one dry tea towel.
- Place the leftover dinner rolls on the microwave-safe plate. Make sure to put some space between them.
- Cover the rolls with a moistened kitchen towel.
- Once done, wrap the whole plate (including the kitchen towel) using the dry tea towel.
- Reheat for at least 30 seconds. Be sure that you won’t leave the rolls unsupervised during the process.
- Remove them from the oven and serve your warm rolls immediately.
Pro tip: No kitchen towel available? Use a damp paper towel to cover your rolls.
We don’t recommend reheating dinner rolls that have already been reheated. The texture will not be the same.
How to reheat dinner rolls in an air fryer (bonus method)
Reheating dinner rolls in an air fryer is quick and reliable—sure to make your favorite bread warm and tasty!
The only disadvantage of this reheating technique is that you can’t reheat more than five rolls at the same time.
So it’s not an ideal choice when you have lots of dinner rolls.
We don’t recommend reheating dinner rolls that have already been reheated. The texture will not be the same.
Tools needed:
-
- Leftover dinner rolls, stored
- Air fryer
Instructions:
-
- Preheat the air fryer to 320°F.
- Place four dinner rolls in your air fryer basket.
- Reheat the bread for three minutes and you’re good to go!
Tips on storing dinner rolls
Since your fluffy dinner rolls contain all purpose flour, active yeast, eggs, butter, and other dairy products, they are considered perishable and could become contaminated if left out at room temperature for some time.
To make your dinner rolls edible after a couple of days, follow these useful tips on storing the food.
Avoid refrigeration and yes to freezing
If you’ve made several dinner rolls, then you should expect to have some leftovers. When you finish your meal, you can place the yeast rolls inside your freezer so you can eat them later.
Take note, it’s not advisable to refrigerate the rolls as this can dry them out or make them stale even faster.
To do this, put the rolls in a heavy-duty freezer bag or you can wrap them tightly with aluminum foil. Slide the bag into the freezer and you’re done!
Consider storing dinner rolls at room temperature
As mentioned, dinner rolls shouldn’t be refrigerated as this process can cause the bread to become stale even faster.
If you’re planning to eat them within three or four days, then I recommend storing the rolls in a bread box or an airtight container at room temperature.
Just make sure to place the dinner rolls in a plastic storage bag or plastic wrap to retain moisture and keep them soft.
Label to track the date
Let’s say you already stored your dinner rolls in a storage container or plastic wrap—so what’s next?
My advice is to label the container using erasable marker pens so you can track the expiration date of your food.
After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry, right?
🥐 While you’re here, check out our FAQ for how to Reheat Garlic Bread. 🥐
How long will dinner rolls last
No matter what the food, whether it’s a casserole, pot roast, or dinner rolls, the same rule applies for all—they should be consumed a few days after it was prepared and stored properly to extend their shelf life.
As for dinner rolls, they will last for up to a week in a cool and dry area.
It’s best to put them in a bread box, tied tightly in their bag, or an airtight container with lid and then store the rolls at room temperature.
In case you’re living in an extremely warm place, it’s a good idea to freeze your dinner rolls as this can keep your bread fresh for about three months.
Tips and tricks
Here are some tips and tricks that you need to follow to properly reheat your dinner rolls to achieve that soft, fluffy textural nuance and buttery flavor like they’re freshly made!
- When using the oven method, arrange your dinner rolls closely together in a baking dish.
- If you don’t want to warm up your kitchen, then consider reheating the rolls in a slow cooker, microwave, or air fryer.
- Use only your oven if you’re planning to warm up lots of leftover rolls.
- If you’re using your microwave to warm up dinner rolls, follow the 4Ts method of microwaving: turn, time, test, and taste.
- Never heat the rolls on the high setting in a slow cooker as this can harden, or worse, burn the bread.
- Don’t leave the rolls unsupervised during microwaving or you could come back to a tough and chewy mess.
- For the slow cooker method, you can use a damp paper towel to cover your rolls instead of a kitchen towel.
The bottom line
Making hot rolls is always a delight, especially when you serve them at your Thanksgiving dinner or any holiday meal, really.
The best part is that they can possibly be reheated, regardless of whether they are homemade or store-bought.
Though dinner rolls are best eaten fresh, there are times that you can’t finish everything, and reheating them later is the best choice you have.
But like we said, we don’t recommend reheating dinner rolls that have already been reheated. The texture will not be the same. Take out and reheat only what is definitely going to be eaten, because reheating already-reheated baked goods just doesn’t come out tasty.
Bread dries out and gets stale easily, so if your rolls are sitting out after a big meal, be sure to cover tightly so they stay as fresh as possible.
How To Reheat Dinner Rolls: Oven Method
Learn the best way to warm up dinner rolls using this simple oven reheating method.
Ingredients
- Leftover dinner rolls, stored
- Baking dish, baking sheet
- Oven
Instructions
- Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Position the rolls in a baking dish or put them on a baking sheet.
- Brush them with melted butter and don't forget to sprinkle a dash of salt.
- Cover the rolls with a single layer of aluminum foil or leave them as is.
- Heat them up for about 7 to 10 minutes.
🍞🍞 Can’t get enough? Here’s another guide for Reheating Bread. 🍞🍞