Stretch The Groceries Budget With Easy Leftover Hawaiian Rolls Recipes

These leftover Hawaiian rolls recipes are a great leftovers makeover recipe ideas. You’ll be surprised what you can make with leftover rolls (yes, even stale rolls!) with these easy frugal living tips to help save money and stretch the groceries budget.

10 Things To Do With Leftover Hawaiian Rolls Besides Throwing Them Out and Wasting Money!

If you’re like me, you always buy too many dinner rolls for special occasions (like cookouts) or holidays (like Thanksgiving or Easter).

After the dinner party, I’m then left looking at a stack of roll packages with zero room in the freezer and only so many ham sliders you can make before your family starts giving you the stink eye.

(Whhhhhhyyy???? Why do I buy all those rolls?!?)

One year, I decided I was going to figure out what to do with all those leftover rolls that I couldn’t bribe anyone else to take home.

I didn’t want to throw them away because that’s such a huge waste of food and money, and, well, grocery budget…

So, here’s what I game up with — even things to do with stale dinner rolls!

LEFTOVERS TIP: You can use these recipes for any leftover rolls — from Kings Hawaiian Rolls to Aunt Millies Rolls (we love those!) to your favorite off-brand grocery store rolls.

Recipes for Hawaiian Rolls – Food Saving Tips Overview

1. Garlic Bread Rolls
2. Easy Croutons
3. Ham and Cheese Slider Rolls 
4. Mini Hawaiian Bread French Toast Bites
5. Bread Roll Pudding Recipe
6. Mini Bread Dip Bowls
7. Bread Salad
8. Bread Pudding Muffins
9. Bread Parfaits 
10. Bread Stuffing
11. French Toast Casserole Recipes
12. Fondue Recipes

I’ve explained the ideas in further detail below, if you need more leftovers tips.

12 Best Ideas for Leftover Dinner Rolls

Garlic Bread Rolls with Leftovers

One of the easiest ways to use leftover rolls is for an easy garlic bread.

Slice the rolls, spread garlic butter on each side, and toast in the oven for a quick and easy garlic bread recipe ready in minutes for your spaghetti or pasta dinners.

It doesn’t even matter if the rolls are stale, because when you toast them it gives the rolls new life!

DIY Croutons

Using leftover rolls and stale bread for croutons is one of my favorite ways to save money and get rid of bread before it goes bad.

(Why are store bought croutons so expensive?!? They’re just… bread!)

To make homemade croutons:

• Cube the leftover dinner rolls.
• Toss them in olive oil, salt, and your favorite herbs.
• Bake until lightly crispy to make homemade croutons for salads or soups.

Leftover Ham and Cheese Slider Sandwiches 

Create mini sandwiches or sliders by splitting the rolls and filling them with your favorite meats, cheeses, and condiments.

Hawaiian roll sliders are one of my favorite recipes for leftover holiday ham and Swiss cheese.

They’re also good for leftover turkey sliders and game day individual sliders, too.

ALSO CHECK OUT EASY $5 MEALS TO MAKE: Tomatoes and Macaroni Cheap Recipe

French Toast Casserole Recipes

Use the rolls to make a delicious breakfast casserole a la French toast style!

• Slice the rolls and line a greased casserole dish.
• Pour a mixture of eggs, milk, and cinnamon over the sliced rolls.
• Bake for a tasty breakfast treat or breakfast for dinner!

Bread Pudding Recipe

Turn the Hawaiian rolls into bread pudding by tearing them into pieces and using them with your favorite bread pudding recipe (custard mixture made of eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla).

Bake until set.

Mini Bread Pudding Muffins

Use muffin tins to make individual servings of bread pudding with the leftover rolls.

Tear up pieces of the muffins, place them in muffin tins, and pour your favorite bread pudding recipe over them.

Makes easy dinner desserts or mini dessert ideas!

Bread and Sausage Dressing

Cube the rolls and use them as a base for a delicious stuffing with sausage, herbs, and vegetables, instead of store-bought bread cubes.

CHECK OUT MORE FRUGAL TIPS NEXT: THINGS TO DO WITH LEFTOVER HAMBURGER MEAT

Mini Bread Dip Bowls

Soft Hawaiian rolls are great for mini dip bowls for a party or snacks for kids

Pinch out the center of the rolls (leaving them sides and bottom in tact) and fill with your favorite dip.

Kids love this as a bread bowl for ranch served with fresh veggies, and then you can eat the bread bowl when finished dipping.

Bread Parfait

Leftover King’s Hawaiian bread is great for parfaits! (They’re way sweeter than you realize!)

Cube the rolls or tear them into small, bite-sized pieces and layer them with flavored yogurt, fruit, fresh berries, granola, and whipped cream to make an easy DIY parfait.

RECIPE TIP: This is also a fun and easy recipe for kids to make on their own, too! You can make a mini parfait tray and let kids add their own yogurt flavors and toppings. Great for brunch after a party sleepover, too! (Get all those rolls used up while your guests are still there!)

Bread and Tomato Salad

A bread and tomato salad is actually called panzanella and is traditionally made with stale bread.

(So, yay you if you have stale rolls!)

To make a quick and easy panzanella salad:

• Cube the rolls.
• Toss them with fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella, and balsamic vinaigrette and serve.

Hawaiian Bread French Toast Bites

Slice the rolls in half and coat them in a mixture of eggs, milk.

Cook them on in a pan with melted butter.

Top with fresh fruit, yogurt, and/or and maple syrup for easy mini French toast bites.

Bread and Cheese Fondue

Leftover Hawaiian rolls (even stale ones) are perfect for fondue pot recipes.

Cube the rolls and use them for dipping into a delicious cheese fondue or even chocolate fondue.

TIP: Kids LOVE doing fondue, so it makes using leftovers fun for them!

I hope you find my ideas for leftover Hawaiian rolls recipes helpful!