This Hawaiian Roll French Toast is like eating sweet, fluffy little pillows of cinnamon and sugar happiness! This Hawaiian roll recipe is such a fun twist on traditional french toast! I like to pair these sweet rolls with some salty bacon and it’s a perfect weekend breakfast!
I first saw this recipe on Tiktok on Chef Candace’s page and I knew I had to attempt them! (By the way…ALL of her recipes look amazing so be sure to check them out!)
How to make French Toast with Hawaiian Rolls
The first step is making a basic French toast recipe. It contains: eggs, half and half, vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt (see the recipe card below for exact measurements.)
All of that gets whisked together in a large bowl. It needs to be large enough to fit a few of your rolls in it so don’t go too small. The next step is to get a toothpick or skewer and poke quite a few holes in the bottom of each roll. The rolls are a lot thicker than traditional french toast bread so I find that this helps the rolls absorb a little more of the egg mixture. And I’ll have to ask forgiveness for the weird hand angle! I had one hand on the camera.
When you’re ready to cook the rolls and your pan is already heated, you can start soaking them. You’ll want to soak your Hawaiian rolls for just about 30 seconds. You don’t want to soak any longer than that or you risk the inside becoming mush and it won’t cook.
Make sure to only soak what you’re ready to cook. If you have a smaller pan, you can work in batches.
When you’re cooking the rolls in that yummy melted butter, be sure to turn them and brown all the sides. You’ll also want to keep your heat on medium low. You want to give the inside plenty of time to cook before the outside gets burnt.
Once they’ve browned on all sides, they’re done! I like to give them a dusting of powdered sugar and serve with fresh berries. A side of salty bacon also goes very well with these sweet rolls!
Enjoy!
Hawaiian Roll French Toast
Equipment
- Toothpick or skewer
Ingredients
- 1 (12 pack) of Kings sweet Hawaiian Rolls
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup half and half (or whole milk if that's all you have)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 small pinch salt
- 4 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted is fine)
- Powdered sugar, fresh fruit, and syrup for topping
Instructions
- Crack your eggs into a large bowl, then add the half and half. Whisk until they full combined and you no longer see bits of egg whites.
- Add in the vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, and salt and whisk again.
- Take a toothpick or skewer and poke a few holes in the bottom of each roll so the egg mixture can soak in a bit better.
- Drop a few rolls at a time in the egg mixture and allow to soak for about 30 seconds. (not much longer or they will be too mushy)
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. (If your heat is too high, the outside of the rolls will burn before the inside can cook.)
- Add about 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and allow to melt. You can add more butter for each batch of rolls (I like to cook only 4 rolls at a time since it's a lot of turning)
- Add the soaked rolls to the pan and turn the rolls after about 30 seconds per side or when each side is golden brown. (You should cook each of the 4 sides plus the top and bottom.)
- Once all the rolls are cooked, you can serve them immediately.( I like to sprinkle some powdered sugar on top and serve with berries and maple syrup. Bacon is also a great side dish for these sweet rolls!)
16 Comments
Alison
July 9, 2022 at 3:37 pmI was looking for a way to use up the extra Hawaiian rolls I had around, so I tried this recipe, and it was perfect! Soft, and eggy, and just sweet enough!
Gwynn
July 9, 2022 at 3:54 pmSuch a delicious way to use Kings Hawaiian rolls and a unique take on french toast. We loved it!
Jamie
July 9, 2022 at 9:08 pmWow talk about decadence! I love the idea of using Hawaiian rolls for French toast. They tasted so good and my family loved it!
MJ
July 9, 2022 at 10:47 pmTwo things my family loves in one yummy dish! So good! Love the added sweetness the Hawaiian rolls add to this French toast twist.
Amy Nash
July 10, 2022 at 12:20 amLove this idea! I bought a big bag of these rolls from Costco and after eating half of them I wanted something different to try. These were a definitely hit with the family!
Erika from AmazingTalker
August 9, 2022 at 5:17 amThese were a delight! My family loved it as well. Will definitely make it again.
miles
December 25, 2022 at 2:57 pmthese were fantastic! i’m a bit of disaster chef, but they came out great anyway! i made some modifications that made it easier for a clumsy guy like me; cutting the rolls in half works out great and results in less flipping over if you’re stressed about keeping track of that like i was (first time making french toast LOL!), but you have to soak them a little less. also: i was making bacon at the same time and ended up accidentally putting a round of them in the pan that had all the bacon fat and it, but it turned out CRAZY good! so if you’re making bacon at the same time, you should totally try making some of these in the fat instead of just the butter, it’s crazy good! thanks again for this recipe, i had to stay home this xmas just me and my roomie because of covid, but this made our morning unforgettable and fun! 🥰
Coco and Ash
December 25, 2022 at 3:23 pmSo glad you enjoyed! Merry Christmas 🙂
Carole Duvall
February 25, 2023 at 1:39 pmBest French toast ever eaten. Great recipe.
Coco and Ash
February 25, 2023 at 1:46 pmThank you so much!!
Kristina
February 26, 2023 at 12:59 pmGreat recipe! Delicious take on breakfast
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Glen
January 29, 2024 at 8:45 amQuick, easy and delicious. Stuffed mine with fruit instead of topping them and there was a tasty surprise in every bite.
Gwen
April 13, 2024 at 2:04 pmAm I missing something? Where does it say to add the butter?
And is the butter supposed to be softened or melted or…idk. My 12 year old is sitting here trying to make these and this recipe just caused a lot of frustration. Fyi
Coco and Ash
April 13, 2024 at 2:37 pmHi Gwen,
step 6 states “Add about 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and allow to melt.”
I hope that helps!