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Over the years, these super easy rolls made with mayonnaise have become one of my family’s favorite breads!
With just three basic ingredients and ready in about 20-minutes, these Quick 3-Ingredient Dinner Rolls bake up with a light and airy texture.
Besides being super easy and convenient to whip up, Quick 3-Ingredient Dinner Rolls are delicious served hot from the oven with a smear of butter, a drizzle of honey, or warm cinnamon apples!
My quick mayo dinner roll recipe—yes, I do mean mayonnaise—has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. With just three basic ingredients and ready in about 20-minutes, this recipe has saved the day many times when I’ve forgotten to get rolls from the bakery.
Looking for more EASY homemade bread recipes? Ready in just 30 minutes, this quick biscuit bread bakes up like a pan of cornbread, but the texture is definitely soft like a biscuit. OR, you may enjoy another family recipe, my Aunt Lucille’s Mexican cornbread with bits of corn, onion, sweet bell pepper, and spicy jalapeño pepper in every delicious bite!
Why you’re going to love it!
- Simple ingredients — nothing fancy here
- Easy to put together
- Family friendly — everyone gobbles them up!
Quick 3-Ingredient Dinner Rolls: behind the recipe
Let’s face it, I rarely make homemade bread and I especially don’t have time to do it on weeknights. That makes this recipe really handy, and besides that my family loves them! (I first shared these rolls over at the Weary Chef.)
When I was growing up, my Mom used to make these dinner muffins at least once a week. With a couple of growing boys gathered at the table, she had to make a double batch!
It never failed, whenever one of us had a friend stay for supper, they always begged “please give that recipe to my Mom, too, ok?”
Ingredients
- Self-rising flour — Unlike all-purpose flour, salt and baking powder (which is a leavening agent) have already been added to self-rising flour. If the flour you have in your pantry is all-purpose, add 1 tablespoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Milk — Use any kind of milk in this recipe, whole, 2% or skim.
- Mayonnaise — A few tablespoons of mayo adds moisture to this bread batter and eliminates the need for oil or butter.
How to make mayonnaise rolls
STEP 1 | Measure the ingredients
- Start with two cups of self-rising flour, a cup of milk, and three “heaping” tablespoons of mayonnaise. My mom taught me to make these rolls and the amount of mayonnaise was never exactly determined. She would just open the jar and dip out three big spoonfuls.
- In all actuality, there’s probably about four tablespoons of mayonnaise if you leveled them out! But don’t worry about that — just use a heaping measure.
STEP 2 | Make the dough
- Dump all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir gently until the dry ingredients are just moistened — think muffin batter. The dough will be thick and lumpy.
- Evenly divide the roll dough into the cups of a well-oiled muffin tin. I like to use a non-stick muffin pan and pour a little canola oil (one-half teaspoon) into each cup and use a paper towel to spread the oil all around the inside. (Or you can spray the insides well with cooking spray.)
tip
- Too much stirring the dough will make these rolls tough. Don’t over do it!
STEP 3 | Bake
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes. As the rolls bake, a nice golden brown crust forms on the bottom and sides.
- Depending on your oven, the tops may not get overly browned, so pop them under the broiler for just a minute if you like them more golden.
Serving suggestion
Sometimes I sprinkle a few poppy seeds on the rolls before they bake (totally optional). Also, if you like brush the rolls with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven.
Related recipes
- Southern {LOVE} Biscuits — All biscuits are made with love, but using cold fat and bread flour help ensure delicious and flaky biscuit results.
- Savory Ricotta Scones — A light and fluffy savory scone that is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or served in place of dinner rolls.
- Greek Olive Focaccia Bread — Easy focaccia prepared with your favorite pizza dough recipe or a store bought pizza dough.
- Jalapeño Jam Corn Muffins — A sticky-sweet—and slightly spicy—surprise in the middle of these Jalapeño Jam Corn Muffins awakes your taste buds. Just one taste and you’ll know they’re not your ordinary cornbread!
- Sweet Potato Biscuits — Make the ultimate Southern biscuit sandwich with Buttery Sweet Potato Biscuits, sliced ham, and a homemade honey dijon vinaigrette.
- Mexican Cornbread Muffins — Moist and cheesy, and with just the right amount of spice, this Mexican Cornbread Muffin recipe makes enough to serve a crowd!
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Quick 3-Ingredient Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise heaping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously oil or spray a 12-cup muffin tin; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients just until moistened (do not use a mixer). Spoon evenly into the prepared muffin tin.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.
- Variations: Sprinkle batter with poppy seeds before baking. Brush with melted butter immediately after removing baked rolls from oven.
Notes
Nutrition
About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
Thank you for a quick, easy, & most important tasty recipe. I made 8 larger biscuit/rolls and sprinkled ‘Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend’ by Trader Joe’s on half of the biscuits. Yum enjoyed by all our family.
Can you use Miravle Whip in place of mayonnaise in this recipe. I apologize of this has been asked and answered I havent read the comments yet
Ann, I believe that you could substitute Miracle Whip if that is your preference. Let me know if you try it!
Can’t make in advance (couple hours before)and cook when needed.
Stacey, I wouldn’t recommend mixing these up in advance; instead mix and bake immediately. They are so quick and easy to mix up and bake, making them ahead really wouldn’t save that much time.
Is there a substitute for self rising flour?
Sharon, if you don’t have self-rising flour, then substitute 2 cups all-purpose flour and whisk it with 3 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Happy Thanksgiving!
They use to be a recipe that called for sour cream instead of mayo. Do you recall that recipe?
Patty, I am not familiar with a quick roll recipe that uses sour cream.
Can these be frozen once baked?
Natalie, I don’t think the texture of these rolls would be as good after being frozen.
This is a really lovely and quick recipe and the good thing is that it is guaranteed you won’t fail. Since the lock down I wanted to learn how to make bread. I have had a few failures and I was skeptical this recipe would work. I could not believe how quick and delish these bread rolls are. Perfect for the family and even a nice addition when we do hosting. I gave up on other bread making, but instead bought bread maker machine and life is so much easier. As for these bread rolls, this is a delightful recipe I plan to always make and pass it to everyone. Thank you so much.
I don’t have a miffin tin. When I make yeast rolls, I pat them out on my countertop and cut them with a knife, then let them rise. Is it imperative that I use a muffin tin, or can I just press them out and cut them as I do yeast rolls?
Valerie, you will need a muffin tin for these rolls because they are more like muffins and the batter is too soft to roll or press out.
These are fabulous and easy. Made them for the first time a week ago and have made them 3 times now. Added garlic and rosemary to serve them with a recipe that called for rosemary. I am wondering if I can just lay them out hand shaped into ropes to make bread sticks? Thanks
Barbi, oh! I’m happy to hear you are loving this easy recipe! I’m not about hand shaping these rolls since the dough is so sticky. If you do try it, I’d love to hear about your results.
These are baking now for a ladies luncheon I am hosting, wow do they smell great!
Could I use almond milk for these??
I don’t see why you couldn’t!
Made these tonight….never imagined I could make bread like this..they are delicious..I made 2 batches because the first time I forgot to add all the milk and I added it after I had mixed it..instead of throwing it away I decided to bake them on a cookie sheet pan with parchment paper..they turned out great..I will be making them again
Very good but has the texture of a biscuit rather than a dinner roll
can i use olive oil mayo?
Yes, olive oil mayo should work in the recipe.
Can I substitute nonfat yogurt for the Mayo?
I’ve never tried the recipe with yogurt, but it should work although the flavor may be a little bland.
I was sooooo disappointed in this recipe ! I wanted a quick easy dinner roll. This is far from that. This is a biscuit roll ! I am not a fan of biscuits at all. So I just wasted good mayo , milk and flour. You need to change the recipe name ! Take the words dinner rolls out of it !!
Disgusting and flat. Tastes like raw flour. Very gummy and gross. Do not recommend this recipe. Do not waste your ingredients!