Leftover Cranberry Sauce Dinner Rolls with a Bread Machine

Sneak Preview: Turn leftover cranberry sauce into tender, slightly sweet dinner rolls with this easy bread machine recipe! These cranberry-infused rolls, with a hint of lemon and optional dried cranberries, make perfect slider buns for turkey or ham.

Cranberry-Lemon Dinner Rolls --two pansPin

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Satisfy the tradition of having cranberries on your Thanksgiving menu with these delicious Cranberry Dinner Rolls. If Thanksgiving is over and you have some leftover cranberry sauce, it’s the best excuse to make these rolls.

Why You’ll Enjoy These Rolls

  • Uses up leftovers – A creative way to repurpose cranberry sauce.
  • Perfect for sandwiches – Great for turkey or ham sliders.
  • Hint of citrus – Fresh lemon zest enhances the cranberry flavor.
  • Customizable – Add nuts or swap in different dried fruits.
  • Easy bread machine dough – Let the machine do the mixing and kneading!
Cranberry-Lemon yeast rolls dough on floured boardPin
The bread dough right after it has been removed from the bread machine after the DOUGH cycle completes. It is so easy to handle after your bread machine does the kneading.

Happy Bakers Speak Up

“Great recipe. We loved it!”MARY

Recipe Inspiration

Jellied cranberry sauce, the smooth and sweet kind you buy in a can from the grocery store, was a tradition in my husband’s family. He talks about it every Thanksgiving and likes to see it on our table. Since he seems to be the only one who likes it, this is my solution for all the leftover sauce.

Cranberry-Lemon Dinner Rolls split on a platePin


Ingredients and Substitutions

  • CRANBERRY SAUCE:
    • Canned cranberry sauce (the smooth variety) is easiest
    • I haven’t tested the whole berry sauce but I would think it works.
  • MILK:
  • EGG:
    • Tested with “large” eggs (50 grams ∓)
    • Adjust the other liquids when using a different size
  • SALT:
  • BUTTER:
    • Unsalted butter.
    • Swap hydrogenated shortening or margarine.
    • Chop cold butter finely before adding (it doesn’t need to be warm)
  • LEMONS:
    • Fresh lemon rind is best
    • Omit or sub orange zest
  • FLOUR:
    • All-purpose flour (unbleached)
    • Swap for bread flour for chewier rolls
  • YEAST:
  • DRIED CRANBERRIES:

Pro Tips for Best Results

  • Avoid overbaking – golden brown is the goal!
  • Use a silicone mat for easy cleanup when shaping rolls.
  • Cover rising rolls with a cheap shower cap to retain moisture without sticking.
  • Choose dark or gold pans for better browning.
formed dinner rolls in baking pan before risingPin

Parting Thoughts: Are you an adventurous bread maker? I thought you might be since you looked at this recipe. Check out these easy bread recipes for Dark Dinner Rolls (No Rye)–A Bread Machine Recipe, Herb and Garlic Yeast Rolls, and these Overnight Yeast Rolls with All-Bran. I think you’ll find any of these rolls a great addition to your dinner table.


Cranberry-Lemon Dinner Rolls (A Bread Machine Recipe) perfect for ThanksgivingPin
Yield: 16 rolls

Leftover Cranberry Sauce Yeast Dinner Rolls: a Bread Machine Recipe

Put that leftover cranberry sauce to good use. Make this Cranberry Yeast Bread into a loaf, dinner rolls, or slider buns. The lemon and cranberry flavors go perfectly with turkey or ham. It’s also a delicious way to put cranberries on your Thanksgiving menu.
5 from 2 votes
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Video

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Rising Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Total time: 3 hours

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup (296 g) jellied cranberry sauce
  • ¼ cup (57 g) whole milk or half-and-half
  • 1 large (50 g) egg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup (57 g) butter, chopped
  • Grated rind from two medium lemons
  • 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose unbleached flour
  • 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast or instant yeast
  • 1 cup (130 g) dried cranberries

Instructions

Prepare the Bread Machine

  • Add all ingredients: 1 cup (296 g) jellied cranberry sauce, ¼ cup (57 g) whole milk or half-and-half, 1 large (50 g) egg, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ cup (57 g) butter, chopped, Grated rind from two medium lemons, 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose unbleached flour, and 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast or instant yeast, to the bread machine pan in the order given.
  • Select the DOUGH cycle and push the start button.

Check the Dough

  • 🔹 First Peek (1 Minute In): Lift the lid to ensure the paddle(s) are moving and the dough is starting to clump.
    🔹 Second Peek (15–18 Minutes In): The dough should stick to the sides, then pull away cleanly.
    💡 New to bread machines? Check out this picture tutorial for a visual guide!
    If it sticks without releasing, add 1 spoonful of flour at a time until it holds its shape.If it’s too dry (bouncing around or riding the paddle), add 1 spoonful of water at a time until it sticks briefly to one side before releasing.Wait 1–2 minutes between additions to let the dough adjust.
    Read more about this surprising secret to success with a bread machine.

Incorporate Dried Cranberries

  • When the machine signals for mix-ins, add the 1 cup (130 g) dried cranberries.

Shape the Rolls

  • After the cycle is complete, remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it into 16 pieces. Shape them into balls and place them in two greased 8-inch cake pans.

Allow to Rise

  • Cover rolls with a tea towel or cheap shower caps and let rolls rise for approximately 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.

Bake

  • Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
    Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cool and Enjoy

  • Let the rolls sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to avoid steamed bottoms.

Notes

Alternative Mixing Methods
Using a Stand Mixer
  1. Add ingredients to the mixer bowl in the listed order.
  2. Mix on low speed until everything is moistened.
  3. Switch to the dough hook and increase speed to 2 or 3.
  4. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 5–10 minutes).
  5. Cover and let it rise in a warm place until doubled.
  6. Gently deflate, shape, and bake as directed.
Making by Hand
  1. In a large bowl, mix ingredients until you have a shaggy dough.
  2. Transfer to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (10–20 minutes, depending on experience).
  3. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled.
  4. Once risen, gently deflate, shape, and bake as instructed.
💡 Yeast Tip: You can substitute active dry yeast for instant yeast. Dissolving it first is optional. It may start slower but will catch up in the rise.

Nutrition

Serving: 1roll | Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 161mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com

5-Star Ratings Are My Favorite!Help others find this recipe in search results on the web.

FAQ

Can I make a loaf instead of rolls?
Yes! Shape into a loaf and bake at 350°F for about 30-35 minutes.

Can I freeze the dough?
Yes, freeze after shaping. Thaw and let rise before baking.


Final Thoughts

If you love experimenting with bread recipes, try these next:

Need help troubleshooting? Please email me: Paula at saladinajar.com–photos welcome!

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5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Recipe Rating




9 Comments

  1. lynda Edris says:

    Hi, I am a great follower of your site. I love love your bread machine recipes. Made your corn meal rolls for Thanksgiving. They were excellent. Everyone loved them. I have always had great success with them until this loaf. It is just not rising in the machine. I now measure everything in grams as you suggested. This recipe included. It has 4 min left in the dough cycle. I am leaving it in the machine for 10 extra min. to see what happens. But I think I will have a weapon instead of a great loaf of bread. Any suggestions as to what might be the problem? Thanks so much Paula for all your great bread recipes. Your explanations of how to do your recipes are excellent. Oh, 1 more thing. None of your videos come up. Do I need to do something special. Thanks again Paula.

    1. Is your kitchen cool? Sometimes, that can really slow down the rising. I would move the machine or pull the dough out and move it to another bowl in a warmer place until it actually doubles. Even if it takes a long time to rise, it won’t hurt the bread. In fact, a long rise will improve the flavor.

      Has the dough risen at all? If not–did you remember to add the yeast? (It’s happened to me more than once–I wrote a post about it.)

  2. carol green says:

    I made these in a stand mixer + they are delish! Thank you.

    1. Hi Carol,

      Thanks for coming back to say so. Even though I spend a lot of time talking about bread machines, stand mixers can do the same job just as well, but without the handy timer.

  3. 5 stars
    Great recipe. We loved it!

  4. Beth Pope says:

    Ok – these sound so yummy-I will figure out how to make them without a bread machine. I’ll let you know how they turn out.

    Beth P

    1. Hey Beth,

      Great to hear from you. Do you have a Kitchen Aid mixer? If so, just dump all the ingredients into the bowl in the order listed. Use the dough hook. Turn on slowly at first to mix things up. Turn up the speed a bit and knead for several minutes. This is where you will have to use your experience to know when it has been kneaded long enough. If too dry and dough thumps around like a heavy ball, add liquid–1 tablespoon at a time. If dough is too wet, and it won’t turn into a ball after 10 minutes of kneading but looks very sticky, add flour–1 tablespoon at a time. The goal is for the to dough stick to the side, then pull away. When sufficiently kneaded and dough is elastic, cover dough and set in a warm place to double in size. Follow the directions I give for the bread machine from there. The cool thing with a bread machine is that you can dump the ingredients in the machine and walk away once you are satisfied the moisture is right. When you come back and dough cycle is finished, it is time to make into rolls. So easy, especially for beginners.

      Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving with all your grands!

  5. Paula, it is the same at my house. My husband and son love this canned cranberry sauce, but I never ate it again after making my first batch of homemade cranberry sauce. So easy, and so much better. So this is timely. If there are leftovers, I will definitely make these buns, or maybe I will just buy some for that purpose. Thanks!

    1. Becky,
      I couldn’t agree more about homemade cranberry sauce. However, I would prefer to eat the requisite cranberries in these rolls. 😉