Ordering
How Many Dinner Rolls Per Person? A Straight Answer Before You Order
17 September 2026 · 5 min read
Short answer: two to three rolls per adult. Two is enough beside a full plate. Make it three if there is gravy, because gravy is what turns a roll from a side into a utensil. Everything below is the longer version — quantities by headcount, which kind to buy, and how far ahead to call.
By headcount
| Guests | Holiday meal, with gravy | Everyday meal |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2 dozen | 1 dozen |
| 12 | 3 dozen | 2 dozen |
| 20 | 5 dozen | 3–4 dozen |
| 30 | 7–8 dozen | 5 dozen |
| 50 | 12 dozen | 8–9 dozen |
Two adjustments worth making. Children count as about half an adult for rolls — they take one and leave most of it. And if people will be taking plates home, add a dozen: leftover rolls are the part everyone actually wants the next day.
Frozen or baked
We sell both, and the right answer depends on your oven rather than your taste.
Frozen — $4.95 a dozen. The same rolls, unbaked, for you to finish at home. Order ahead, keep them in the freezer, bake them the day of. This is the one to buy if you want rolls arriving at the table hot, which is the whole point of a good roll.
Baked — $6.95 a dozen. Ready to eat. Buy these when your oven is already committed, which on a holiday it almost always is. Between the bird, the potatoes and everything else, oven space is the real constraint on Thanksgiving, not money.
The two-dollar difference is buying you oven time. Decide which of those you have less of.
When to call
Rolls are made to the order rather than pulled from the case, so timing matters more than it does for donuts.
- Thanksgiving week — call at least a week ahead. It is the heaviest ordering week of our year by a wide margin.
- More than five dozen, any time of year — a week, so the bake can be planned around it.
- A normal Sunday dinner — a day or two is usually plenty.
The shops: Spanish Fork (801) 416-0800 · Ogden (385) 865-1029 · St. George (435) 628-9290.
Why a donut shop sells dinner rolls
Fair question. They come from the same tradition as our kolaches — a soft, enriched, slightly sweet dough that has to be proved properly and handled gently. A shop already making that dough every morning at three is a shop that can make a good roll.
It is also why they sell almost entirely at the holidays. Nobody plans a Tuesday around dinner rolls. Everybody plans Thanksgiving around them.
More on the frozen-versus-baked decision in Thanksgiving dinner rolls in Utah, and every price we charge is in how much a dozen costs.
Common questions
How many dinner rolls per person should I buy?
Two to three per adult for a holiday meal. Two is enough alongside a full plate; three if there is gravy on the table, because people use rolls to finish the plate. For a lighter meal without gravy, plan on two.
How many dozen dinner rolls for 12 people?
Three dozen for twelve adults at a holiday meal. That is three a head with a little margin. For twenty, plan on five dozen. For thirty, seven to eight dozen.
Should I buy frozen or baked dinner rolls?
Frozen if you want them hot at the table and have oven space — you finish them yourself. Baked if your oven is already full, which on Thanksgiving it usually is. Frozen are $4.95 a dozen and baked are $6.95 a dozen.
How far ahead should I order dinner rolls for Thanksgiving?
Call at least a week ahead for Thanksgiving, and earlier if you need more than five dozen. It is the heaviest ordering week of the year and rolls are made to the order rather than pulled from the case.
How much are dinner rolls at The Donut Run?
Frozen by the dozen, $4.95. Baked by the dozen, $6.95. Call the shop to order.
Can I freeze them until Thanksgiving?
That is exactly what the frozen dozen is for. Order ahead, keep them in the freezer, and bake them the day you need them so they reach the table hot.