Homemade Hamburger Potato Buns

These potato hamburger buns are light and airy and really, simple to make! Serve them at your next barbecue or use them to make your favorite sandwich.

yellow plate of potato buns, one sliced open showing the white fluffy center.

Potato Burger Buns

The addition of potato to this hamburger bun recipe helps create a soft, tender bun. They’re terrific filled with a hot-off-the-grill patty but they are also a great accompaniment for soup! 

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Ingredients

Bread flour — The protein content in bread flour is higher than all purpose flour. That higher protein means lots of gluten, which gives bread its stretch and elasticity. Can you use all-purpose flour instead? You can, but the texture of the bread may be slightly less chewy.

Potato — You’ll use a medium sized potato for this recipe. Russet potatoes work well, but you can really use whatever kind you have on hand. 

Milk Use whatever kind of milk you typically keep on hand. If you prefer a dairy free version, save the potato water from boiling the potatoes and use that.

Active Dry Yeast — This is the ingredient that gives the bread loft.

Sugar — Use your favorite brand of granulated cane sugar. I prefer organic.

Sea Salt  Bread baked without salt is terribly bland, so be sure to include this staple ingredient!

Egg To make the potato buns nice and pretty – and to make any sprinkles you want to add stick – you’ll brush the tops of the buns with whisked egg.

3 panel showing yeast and dough, before and after rise.

Making these Buns

Start by boiling preparing the mashed potato. You can boil some or utilize leftover mashed potatoes. You could also use instant mashed potatoes, which is what I did, since I had some left from a recipe testing project. 

Allow the yeast to proof and combine the ingredients in a large bowl to form a shaggy dough. 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook in the bowl of your stand mixer. 

Let the dough rise until it has doubled in volume, which will take about an hour os so. 

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and divide evenly into 6 or 8 pieces, depending on the size bun you desire. Six buns make a larger bun for hearty burgers, divide the dough into eighths for slightly smaller buns. 

potato bun dough before 2nd rise.

Use your hands to shape the balls of dough so they are somewhat smooth on top; no need for perfection here. The rising process will smooth out some of those bumps! Brush with egg and sprinkle with dehydrated onion flakes or sesame seeds if desired.

uncooked buns with the egg wash and dried onions.

Bake the burger buns until light golden brown; transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool before cutting them.

close up of one potato hamburger bun topped with dried onions.

Storage

Place cooled potato hamburger buns in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to a week. For longer storage, you can freeze the bread. It will last a couple of months in the freezer. 

yellow plate of potato buns, one sliced open showing the white fluffy center.

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yellow plate of potato buns, one sliced open showing the white fluffy center.

Hamburger Potato Buns

Yield: 6-8 buns
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Rising time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes

Hamburger buns from scratch? It's really pretty simple, as long as you plan ahead to allow the dough time to rise. These hamburger potato buns are light and airy. They're perfect for serving grilled burgers, but they are delicious topped with your favorite sandwich fixings, too.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup mashed potatoes
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 3.5 cups bread flour, plus more for kneading
  • 1 egg (for egg wash)
  • onion flakes or sesame seeds for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine mashed potatoes, milk, water, and sugar in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer. Whisk until well-blended; sprinkle on the active dry yeast. Stir to combine and allow to proof for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles begin to form.
  2. Stir in the salt and 3 cups of the flour
  3. By hand: stir with a wooden or metal spoon until the dough comes together into a shaggy mass. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, adding flour as needed to keep it from sticking, until the dough is soft and the gluten developed. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour as necessary to create a pliable dough. With a mixer: Lock bowl into place and attach the dough hook. Turn the machine on to low and mix until most of the flour is absorbed. Add the remaining flour. When the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl, let the machine knead the dough for another 2-3 minutes.
  4. If you've kneaded by hand, place the dough back in the mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel, beeswax wrap, or plastic wrap. Allow to rise for one to one-and-a-half hours, until doubled in volume.
  5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide into 6 or 8 even pieces. Pick up each ball and use your hands to form the dough into smooth balls by folding the edges under as you turn the dough in your hands. This should leave a smooth surface at the top of the potato bun.
  6. Gently move the dough balls to a baking sheet, allowing an inch or two between them. The egg wash can cause the edges of the buns to stick. If you like, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet. Cover with a towel and leave to rise an additional 30-35 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
  7. Whisk the egg in a small bowl and baste each bun. If desired, sprinkle on dried onion flakes or sesame seeds.
  8. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
  9. Use a spatula to life the buns to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Notes

You can use freshly boiled potatoes, leftover mashed potatoes, or even baked potato for this potato buns recipe.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 bun
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 289Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 592mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 10g

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About the author: Kris Bordessa is an award-winning National Geographic author and a certified Master Food Preserver. Read more about Kris and how she got started with this site here. If you want to send Kris a quick message, you can get in touch here.

1 comment… add one
  • Alphabet Feb 2, 2024 @ 23:41

    Hi… love these buns, great recipe thanks! I did add an extra couple of tbsp of flour, and then rolled them out in extra flour to shape them and they still turned out beautifully soft and tasty… yum

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