Pesto Rolls with Garlic Butter
Last Updated on June 21, 2021 by Annie
Step up your savory bread roll game with the Pesto Rolls. Dairy-free dinner rolls meet savory cinnamon rolls in this fluffy bread recipe. Packed with light and airy dough, swirls of spinach pesto, and topped with garlic butter, these rolls are the perfect addition to any dinner recipe!
There is not much that can beat a warm roll fresh out of the oven. This dinner bread meets savory cinnamon roll hybrid recipe is everything you love about a warm fresh baked roll packed with the delicious and fresh flavor of pesto. Topped with garlic butter and baked to perfection, these fluffy pesto rolls are sure to be a hit no matter when you serve them.
The vegan spinach pesto adds a fresh and herby flavor to these soft, melt-in-your-mouth rolls. If you have been looking for a savory dinner roll recipe, you do not want to miss out on this one!
Why You’ll Love These Savory Dinner Rolls
Honestly, if I could just pass you one of these pesto rolls through the screen I wouldn’t even need to tell you why you will love them the smell alone of fresh-baked bread, garlic butter topping, and herby pesto would do the work for me but since that technology still doesn’t exist, here are just a few reasons to love these rolls.
- Tender melt-in-your-mouth bread, seriously these rolls are the epitome of soft.
- Swirls of spinach pesto perfect for all of that fresh basil that is in season right now.
- Minimal hands-on time making the hardest part waiting for the dough to rise.
How to Make Dairy-Free Pesto Rolls
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Non-dairy milk– I found oat milk to work the best for these rolls.
- Yeast– Helps them rise to fluffy and delicious heights.
- Eggs– Adds color to the dough and binds the ingredients together.
- Plant-based butter– Helps give the dough a light flaky texture.
- Salt– For a little flavor.
- Sugar– To feed the yeast and help the dough rise.
- Flour– Give structure to the dough.
- Spinach Pesto– Used as the filling in these pesto rolls.
- Garlic butter– made with melted plant-based butter, salt, and fresh garlic
Directions for Pesto Rolls
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together warm non-dairy milk, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 5-10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
- Add eggs, melted plant-based butter, salt, and 4 cups of flour to the bowl. Mix until combined, then mix for an additional minute.
- Add remaining 1/2 cup of flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and mix with the dough hook. Knead for 5 minutes.
- Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise in a warm space until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough out into a large rectangle roughly 24×15-inches.
- Spread the spinach pesto to cover the rectangle and roll up along the short edge of the dough.
- Cut into 12 pieces (about 1-1 1/2-inches thick) and place in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and brush the tops with garlic butter just before adding to the oven. Bake 40 minutes, rotating halfway if your oven heats a little too much in one area like mine…
- Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes before diving in!
Dairy-Free Changes to Pesto Rolls
One of the things that makes bread and rolls so deliciously addictive is the soft texture. This usually comes from milk tenderizing the dough but in this case, I swapped out milk, butter, and pesto to make a deliciously dairy-free roll. Here are the changes:
- Plant-based butter– Instead of using traditional butter, I used plant-based butter. For baking, I like using Country Crock’s Plant-Based Butter.
- Non-dairy milk– In this recipe, I used oat milk as the milk replacement. It’s creamy, like dairy-based milk, and doesn’t add any additional flavor.
- Vegan Spinach Pesto– Unlike most pestos, this vegan spinach pesto is made without any cheese. It’s a fresh pesto made with spinach and basil.
Storing and Freezing Tips
While I have been known to put a whole tray of these rolls down in a day, you might end up with some leftovers from time to time. Here are a few different ways you may want to store and re-heat these savory rolls.
- Storing– Allow the rolls to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. If you do not finish them in that time, I would recommend freezing them.
- Freezing– To freeze, place cooled pesto rolls in a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months.
- Reheating– Remove frozen pesto rolls from the freezer and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes.
Serve these Dairy-Free Pesto Rolls With…
If you want to go ham on these rolls by themselves, I am not going to judge or stop you. But if you are looking for a few ways to make these rolls into a meal, here are a few main dishes or sides you can serve with them.
- Oven-Baked Chicken Breasts
- Garlic Orzo Pasta
- Mom’s Homemade Hamburger Helper
- A side of marinara sauce for dipping!
How do you know your pesto rolls are done?
There are two different ways to tell the pesto rolls have cooked through completely. The first way is to use an instant-read thermometer. Insert it into the center of your center most roll, you are looking for an internal temperature of 190°F.
Another way to check that you have cooked the rolls all the way through is by checking the color. They should be a light golden brown on top.
Delicious Bread Recipes to Make Next
If you tried these delicious Pesto Rolls and enjoyed them, feel free to leave a comment below! I would love to hear how it went! Or, snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy to share all your life after dairy adventures!
You can also get delicious dairy-free recipes and tips by signing up for my newsletter!
Pesto Rolls with Garlic Butter
Savory dinner rolls swirlled with a spinach pesto and topped with delicious garlic butter.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Non-dairy Milk I uced oat milk
- 2½ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup Plant-Based Butter melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 4½ cups Flour all-purpose
Filling
- ½ cup Spinach Pesto
Garlic Butter
- 4 tablespoons Plant-Based Butter
- 3-4 pods Garlic minced or microplaned
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together warm non-dairy milk, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 5-10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
-
Add eggs, melted plant-based butter, salt, and 4 cups of flour to the bowl. Mix until combined, then mix for an additional minute.
-
Add remaining 1/2 cup of flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and mix with the dough hook. Knead for 5 minutes.
-
Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise in a warm space until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
-
Roll the dough out into a large rectangle roughly 24×15-inches.
-
Spread the spinach pesto to cover the rectangle and roll up along the short edge of the dough.
-
Cut into 12 pieces (about 1-1 1/2-inches thick) and place in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
-
Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise 30 minutes.
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F and brush the tops with garlic butter just before adding to the oven. Bake 40 minutes, rotating halfway if your oven heats a little too much in one area like mine…
-
Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes before diving in!
