I better not catch you grabbing buns from the store, not when my quick hamburger buns recipe takes just 30 minutes and six simple ingredients. So fast, you can have soft, fluffy, bakery-fresh buns on the table before your patties are even done - pair them with my quick easy ketchup recipe and dinner’s sorted.
Featured Review
"This (bun) recipe is amazing! I've tried her easy focaccia which was also incredible. I've passed her recipes along to anyone who will listen to me rave about them!"
- Talia
Quick Look: Quick Hamburger Buns Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 15 minutes at 425°F
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Servings: 8 buns
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Equipment: Large mixing bowl, baking sheet, parchment paper, pastry brush
- Optional Add-ins: Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, everything bagel seasoning, flaky salt, grated Parmesan
- Why This Works: A large amount of instant yeast combined with warm liquid activates immediately, skipping the traditional 1-2 hour wait times.
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Faster than going to the store: Last winter, a snowstorm hit, and my brother wanted a hamburger for lunch. These were on the table in 30 minutes with ingredients I already had.
- One dough, four completely different breads: This exact dough can turn into easy homemade hot dog buns, quick sandwich bread recipe, and easy hot cross buns recipe by simply changing the shape.
- Make it completely your own: I've tested sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning, Italian herbs, and even garlic butter instead of egg wash!
- First-timers nail it: I've received an overwhelming amount of comments and messages from readers who had never made bread before and got these perfect on the first try.
- You control the size: Store-bought buns are sometimes massive. Portion the dough how you want, something no bagged bun gives you.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sugar: Feeds the yeast and adds a subtle sweetness. As a Canadian, I almost always reach for maple syrup instead, same amount, no other changes needed.
- Warm Water & Vegetable Oil: You can swap warm water with warm milk, and vegetable oil with melted butter to create a softer, richer, brioche-style bun. This is something I personally do almost every time… If you also love soft bread, you'll love my japanese milk bread recipe.
- Instant Yeast: And at last, the hero of this recipe. A generous amount of instant yeast is what gets you from mixing bowl to table in 30 minutes. If you're not in a rush? You can halve it; the buns rise more slowly, but the flavour develops a little more depth.
Pro Tip: If you're using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, make sure to proof it first. This is the most common reason I see comments about dense, flat buns. Combine your active dry yeast with the warm water (or milk) and ½ teaspoon of sugar and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until it's foamy.
Need More Substitutions? Discuss With AI:
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How To Make Quick Hamburger Buns Recipe
- Step 1: Combine 2 tablespoon instant yeast with 1 cup warm water in a large bowl and stir for a few seconds.
- Step 2: Add ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 2 tablespoon sugar, and one egg into the yeast mixture. Whisk for around 30 seconds until it's well combined.
- Step 3: Add 1 teaspoon salt and 3 cups flour (start with 3 cups, only add more if the dough feels too sticky).
- Step 4: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3 to 5 minutes. (If it's sticking to your hands, add flour one tablespoon at a time.) You're done when the surface looks smooth and satiny and the dough springs back when you poke it.
- Step 5: There is no rise time, so immediately divide your dough into 8 - 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet with enough room to expand.
- Step 6: Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl, then brush the egg wash over the tops of the buns. If you're using sesame seeds or other toppers, now's the time to sprinkle them on the dough balls.
- Step 7: While you preheat the oven to 425°F, let the buns rest for 5 - 10 minutes. That's a perfect amount of time to learn how to make homemade ketchup or consider giving homemade pickles a whirl, both of which are a hamburger's best friend!
- Step 8: Place buns in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Once finished, remove buns from the oven and let 'em cool before serving.
Bonus step: Congratulate yourself, because you just made hamburger buns completely from scratch! That's really frigging cool!
Expert Tips
- Shape: After shaping the buns into a ball, I found that flattening them slightly with my hands helps make a more distinct hamburger bun look.
- Yield: You can evenly divide the dough up to 12 times. They may look small before baking, but due to the fast rise in this recipe, they'll come out of the oven nice and big.
- Garlic Butter: Instead of egg wash, I sometimes brush the buns with a melted butter and garlic powder mix. It'll give the buns a flavour reminiscent of my Copycat Pizza Hut Garlic Parmesan Breadstick Recipe!
- To Knead: To knead, press into the dough in a forward motion with the heel of your hand, then fold the far edge back toward you, give it a quarter turn, and repeat
Quick Hamburger Buns Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! The buns can be stored in a paper bag on the counter for 1 - 2 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, and can live in the freezer for months at a time.
Hey, if you got it, flaunt it! Mix the ingredients with the paddle attachment, then switch to the dough hook and knead for 3 - 4 minutes on medium-low speed.
Nine times out of ten, it's the yeast. If you used active dry yeast instead of instant and added it directly to the dough without proofing it first, the yeast never fully activated (left a note in the ingredient section to help you solve this.)
Two other things to check are water temperature and kneading time. The water should feel comfortably warm on your wrist. If it's too hot, it will kill the yeast entirely. And three to five minutes of kneading is the minimum; if cut short, the dough won't build enough structure to hold the rise during baking.
Make It a Full Burger Night
Going all in on burger night? Here's what to make alongside
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Quick Hamburger Buns Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Instant Yeast
- ⅓ Cup Vegetable Oil
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 3 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- Sesame Seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Stir 2 tablespoon Instant Yeast and 1 Cup Warm Water in a large bowl
- Add ⅓ Cup Vegetable Oil, 2 tablespoon Sugar, and 1 Egg. Whisk until everything is well combined.
- Add 3 Cups of All-Purpose Flour and 1 teaspoon Salt. Mix until dough is shaggy.
- Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes (add 1 - 2 tablespoon of flour if dough is sticky).
- Divide dough into 8 - 12 pieces, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet with enough room to expand.
- Beat 1 Egg and brush generously over the tops of each bun. Add Sesame Seeds (Optional).
- Preheat oven to 425°F, let dough sit for 5 - 10 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes until golden. Allow to cool and enjoy!
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This recipe is amazing! I’ve tried her focaccia which was also incredible. I’ve passed her recipes along to anyone who will listen to me rave about them!
Ahh Talia this is the sweetest comment ever!! I’m so glad you love my recipes, thank you so much (:
I absolutely love this recipe! Used it many, many times and it always turns out perfectly soft, delicious buns! Thank you!
Bea, that’s the best kind of feedback! I’m so happy the buns have been reliable for you every time. Thanks so much for coming back to the recipe!
These were wonderful & will be using this recipe again& again. Curious if anyone has modified or tried this as a basis for a sweet roll?
Elona, I’m so glad you enjoyed them! You actually could experiment with this as a sweet roll base. I’d probably add a little sugar to the dough and then fill with something like cinnamon sugar or jam before rolling. Could be really fun to try!
I made these last night for bacon cheeseburgers. It is definitely a quick recipe and my family loved these buns. This will be my go-to recipe for burger nights.
Lynn, that sounds like a great burger night! I’m so happy the buns worked out and that they’re becoming your go-to recipe.
Love your recipes! Just a question, why do my rolls never hold shape and always get really flat? Do i need more flour?
Hi Lisa! If your rolls are going flat your flour most likely absorbs water differently than mine, so you need to use more flour. The dough should not be sticky and it should hold its shape. Thank you so much for your kind words
I did not get the results you mention, soft hamburger buns. Mine turned out quite dense. Way too high for a small mouth like my daughter. Any recommendations? I did follow the recipe using your instructions with one variation, I do not have instant yeast but dry active yeast.
Duane Stegall
Your dough may not have risen enough because of the swapped yeast! You can use active dry yeast, just let the yeast with in the water with sugar for 10 minutes to froth up before adding the other ingredients. And if the buns are too big you can divide them into 10-12 pieces (:
My car’s in the shop which means I couldn’t just run to the store, so it was a good time to try this hamburger bun recipe I’ve had my eye on. Fast and super easy. I added some everything bagel seasoning on top. I’ll be making these often!
WOW this is the perfect example of when this recipe comes in handy!!! I’m so glad it worked out for you and hope that you make it many, many more times (:
Made these tonight for dinner since the family wanted burgers! I was a little nervous to make them but it was so quick and easy and they turned out delicious!!
I’m so happy to hear that Samantha!! Absolute music to my ears. These are one of my favourite breads to make!
Even though I used your bread recipe and it comes out perfect every time btw, I still hesitated to try buns for some reason. But hello, these came out perfect too! And believe I know nothing about baking! All I do is follow the recipe instructions and bam they’re great! ????
So, thank you for turning this guy into a baker! ????????
Darren I am soooo happy to hear that!!! What an absolute compliment, thank you. I will keep the recipes coming, and you let me know if you have any special requests (:
This was QUICK, EASY, and DELISH!! I used butter instead of oil and it still turned out AMAZING. Definitely will be using again.
WOOO Sarah I’m so happy to hear that!! I swap out butter sometimes too and you can also do milk instead of water for an extra fluffy dough.
Can you use avocado oil instead of vegetable oil?
Absolutely! Any oil will work great.
These were easy and quick just like you said. Thanks for the recipe. I used my stand mixer to make it easy. My granddaughter helped shape the buns and was happy with the result.
So happy to hear this Pamela and I’m so glad you’re grand daughter is getting in on the baking action too (: Hope you enjoyed!!
Can you use gluten free flour for hamburger buns. Thank you
You can but be aware you may not get the same fluffy texture! There are some really good blogs that exclusively make gluten free breads and I would recommend using one of their recipes for the best result (: