Kids and adults can’t resist this warm, doughy, sweet, pull-apart monkey bread! With just five ingredients, this easy monkey bread recipe uses biscuit dough rolled into bite-sized balls and dipped in butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Simple to make, it’s a delicious addition to any brunch or dessert spread.
A Family Favorite Tradition
I’ve been making this easy monkey bread recipe for years! I needed fun ways to entertain the kids in my nanny days, especially on a Friday night. Monkey bread was always a hit; we’d have a blast making it together.
Fast forward 20 years, and I still make this recipe for my family on Saturday mornings. We even turned them into monkey bread muffins! It’s a nostalgic treat that brings everyone to the kitchen with its warm cinnamon aroma.
Here are a few more of my favorite brunch recipes: Super moist banana bread, the easiest pumpkin bread, the best blueberry muffins ever, and our very popular coconut loaf.
Why This Monkey Bread Recipe Works
Perfect for Sharing: Great for brunches, family breakfasts, and even desserts with its pull-apart design.
Simple Ingredients: Only five easy-to-find ingredients, so it’s quick to assemble with minimal prep.
Kid-Friendly: Rolling the dough in butter and cinnamon sugar is fun for kids!
Versatile: Use a bundt pan for a traditional look or a loaf pan for easy serving. It’s also perfect for customizing with different flavors (see our variations below).
Ingredients You’ll Need
Butter adds richness and moisture, keeping the bread soft and gooey. Use it to dip the dough balls and drizzle on top..
Canned Biscuits: Two cans of biscuit dough (like Immaculate Organic Flaky Biscuits or Pillsbury Biscuits) make for a gooey, delicious monkey bread.
Dark Brown Sugar: Adds deep, caramelized sweetness and a golden-brown color.
Cinnamon: Brings that warm, spiced flavor and signature brown hue.
Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness when mixed with cinnamon for the coating.
How to Make Monkey Bread
- Prep the Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a bundt or loaf pan generously with butter or non-stick spray.
- Cut and Roll: Cut each biscuit into quarters and roll each piece into a small ball.
- Cinnamon-Sugar Coating: In a small bowl, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon. Dip each dough ball into melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until fully coated.
- Layer in Pan: Place the coated dough balls in the greased pan, layering them evenly.
- Pour the Brown Sugar Mixture: Combine the remaining melted butter with the dark brown sugar and pour it over the dough balls for extra caramelization.
- Bake: Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Let it cool for about 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.
Easy Glaze Recipe
For an extra touch of sweetness, drizzle a simple glaze over the monkey bread:
- Ingredients: Mix ¼ cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk until smooth.
- Alternative: Try drizzling our easy caramel sauce over the top for a sticky, buttery finish!
Another option is to drizzle my easy caramel sauce over the top as a glaze. It becomes like sticky bread and is full of buttery caramel flavor!
Helpful Tips
Prevent Sticking: Ensure your pan is thoroughly greased, and let the monkey bread cool slightly before inverting. This helps release the bread without sticking.
Storage: Cover leftover monkey bread and store it at room temperature for 2 days. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months for more extended storage. To reheat, thaw and warm it in the oven.
Make-Ahead Option: Assemble the monkey bread the night before, cover, and refrigerate. In the morning, bake as usual, adding a few extra minutes if needed.
Flavor Variations
Try these delicious twists on the classic monkey bread:
Orange Cardamom: For a fragrant, unique twist, add fresh orange zest and a pinch of cardamom to the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Caramel Apple: Add small diced apple pieces between the dough layers and drizzle caramel sauce on top.
Chocolate Peanut Butter: For a rich, indulgent version, add dollops of peanut butter and sprinkle with chocolate chips between layers.
Savory Garlic Parmesan: Swap cinnamon sugar for grated Parmesan and garlic powder for savory monkey bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you prefer homemade, simply roll out your dough and cut it into small pieces before coating.
Ensure your pan is well-greased with butter, and let the bread cool briefly before inverting to release quickly.
Yes, assemble it in the pan, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, bake as directed with a few extra minutes if needed.
It’s best served warm when soft and gooey, but it’s still delicious at room temperature.
Though you’ve probably seen many store-bought versions come in the traditional Bundt shape, it’s unnecessary. Monkey bread cooks in a bread pan, a cookie sheet, ramekins, or a loaf pan.
If you prefer to use a tube pan, that is fine. If you release it from the bundt pan, ensure the sides are greased.
You want to be careful to balance the thickness to avoid uneven cooking.
It’s a gooey, sweet pull-apart bread made with dough, butter, cinnamon, and sugar. It can be baked in a bundt or loaf pan until the dough is golden and perfect. Once the bread is done, a glaze is drizzled over the top. It’s one of the easiest desserts to make and SO incredibly tasty.
More Brunch Recipes You’ll Love
There are a lot of benefits to making easy monkey bread, and it works for any season. If you’re looking for more breakfast recipes, check out these:
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Easy Monkey Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Monkey Bread Recipe
- 2 cans biscuit dough
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/8 cup ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup butter
Simple Glaze
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Break the biscuits into small balls of dough.
- Roll the dough into small balls, about 3 tablespoons per ball.
- Grease an entire deep-dish loaf pan with butter. You can also use a bundt pan for this recipe. Cooking spray is another option for greasing the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Combine cinnamon and sugar in a medium bowl and stir.
- Roll each dough piece in the cinnamon mixture.
- Add a single layer of dough balls to the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle 1/8 cup of the brown sugar over the layer, leaving the other 1/8 cup for the next layer.
- Continue creating another layer of dough over the first layer, and sprinkle brown sugar over the top.
- Depending on the size of the pan, you should have two layers of dough balls in the pan. You might have extra dough, but you don’t need it.
- Melt the butter and pour it over the top of the dough before baking.
- Sprinkle on some of the leftover cinnamon and sugar mixture.
- Then, bake the bread in a 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes. Check the directions for how long to cook depending on what biscuits you’re using.
- The monkey bread will be golden brown on the top and that’s what you want. It’s important to cook all the way through so you don’t have a doughy inside.
- To make the glaze, add 1/4 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon milk and mix until smooth.
- Pour over the monkey bread before serving.
Can you do this with cinnamon rolls instead of biscuits or croissants?
Calls for way too much butter, I used less and it still boiled over and burned on the bottom of my oven. It also just doesn’t taste right to use canned biscuits for this recipe, too salty.
Probably needed unsalted butter
Tried this amazing Monkey Bread today and my husband and I cannot stop eating it! So delicious!
These are good but the recipe is confusing –
4. combine cinnamon and sugars or just the cinnamon and white sugar – since later you are supposed to sprinkle with brown sugar – or the brown sugar mix?
6. Coat the bottom (with the cinnamon covered balls?)
It would help to have the ingredients listed as they are used. This is why #4 is confusing to start.
Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for a list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions.
Absolutely the best monkey bread!! Thank you!! My family loved this recipe!!!
I love making this with the boys. Always fun and always good!
Hi. I have a loaf of bread dough that I thawed. Can I use that instead of the biscuits???
In the “how long will is last” section, it should say not long once your family gets their hands on it, haha! I’m making it again this afternoon because it’s already gone.
I love this monkey bread! So glad I have monkeys of my own to share it with, this is too big of a temptation to have on my own!
We are obsessed with monkey bread over here. So yummy! the perfect treat for chilly nights
This recipe was so easy and totally delicious. Perfect treat!!
Thank you, Laura!
This was SO delicious! What a fun breakfast bread. Easier than cinnamon rolls and JUST as yummy! We’ll definitely make this one again!
Glad you liked it Lisalia!!
This is actually something really fun to prep with my son and it’s nice that it doesn’t have to turn out “pretty”. Definitely kid friendly and approved!
I LOVE monkey bread, it is so fun to pull apart and it is super easy to make. 🙂 🙂