How to Make Delicious and Easy Monkey Bread

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Kids and adults can’t resist doughy, sweet, pull-apart monkey bread! This easy monkey bread recipe uses biscuit dough, rolled into tiny balls and dipped in butter, cinnamon, and sugar. It’s simple to make and really is the best monkey bread recipe!

easy monkey bread recipe - cinnamon sugar, bundt pan, baking sheet, whole family, fluted tube pan, brown sugar, biscuit pieces

We’ve been making this easy monkey bread recipe for years. Homemade monkey bread can be a pain to make and, to be honest, not worth the trouble. This easy recipe tastes just as good. It’s a fun recipe to make. It’s a sweet treat the entire family will enjoy.

To get the maximum of both worlds, you want to turn to easy monkey bread. It’s a cinch to make, and its pull-apart design makes it not only hand-friendly but almost mandatory. It’s a great recipe to make with kids!

Also, check out our favorite super moist banana bread, the easiest pumpkin bread, the best blueberry muffins ever, and our very popular coconut loaf. They’re all amazing and perfect recipes for brunch.

What is Monkey Bread?

What is monkey bread? It’s a gooey and sweet pull-apart bread that’s made with dough, butter, cinnamon, and sugar. It can be baked in a bundt pan or a loaf pan and baked 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.

Why This Recipe Works

We have been making this recipe for over 20 years, here are some reasons why we love it and why it works:

  • It’s easy to make using canned biscuit dough, which is just as good as homemade, but with half the effort.
  • You only need a few ingredients when making monkey bread and you can find them at your local grocery store.
  • It’s an easy recipe to follow and you can bake it in a bundt pan or a loaf pan.
  • Our recipe has been made by hundreds of people who all love it as much as we do!

Everything about this monkey bread is easy. It stores well, it’s customizable, you can prep it in advance, and it lasts long enough that you can get away with big batches.

It doesn’t even require plates to enjoy, though you’ll want to stay on top of who’s touching what in between bites.

how to make monkey bread recipe - cinnamon sugar, bundt pan, cooking time, preheated oven, brown sugar, biscuit pieces, pull apart bread

Ingredient Notes

This recipe is so easy and with just 5 simple ingredients! Full recipe in the recipe card below.

Canned Biscuits – A can of biscuits makes the best gooey, delicious monkey bread. We used Immaculate organic flaky biscuits. Pillsbury biscuits will work too. You’ll need two cans of biscuits.

Dark Brown Sugar – This adds a deep and sweet flavor to the bread, giving it a rich, caramel-like flavor that is difficult to replicate with other ingredients. It also helps create a beautiful, golden-brown color as the bread bakes in the oven.

Cinnamon – Adds a sweet and spicy flavor to monkey bread that complements the sweetness of the sugar. It also helps to give the bread its signature brown hue, making it look as good as it tastes.

Granulated Sugar – This sugar brings a hint of sweetness to the bread. It’s mixed with ground cinnamon for the cinnamon, sugar flavor.

Butter – Not only adds flavor but it gives the monkey bread a rich and moist texture. Each ball of dough is rolled in butter before being coated with cinnamon and sugar. We also pour melted butter over the top of the bread to give the bread a golden-brown exterior that is full of flavor.

We also make a glaze for this recipe using a little confectioner’s sugar and milk. This is totally optional, but we love the added flavor.

Flaky biscuit dough, bowl of cinnamon and sugar and a stick of butter.

How to Make This Monkey Bread Recipe in 6 Steps

1. Pull the biscuits apart into small pieces and roll the dough into small balls. About 3 tablespoons per ball.

2. 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.

3. In a medium bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar and stir. Roll each dough ball in the cinnamon and sugar mixture and then place it in an even layer at the bottom of a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over the dough balls.

Kids making easy monkey bread by rolling small dough balls into butter, cinnamon and sugar.

4. Continue creating another layer over the first layer. Depending on the size of the pan, you should have 2 layers of dough balls in the pan. You might have extra dough, but you don’t need it. The dough rise will happen when it’s baking in the oven.

5. Melt the butter and pour it over the top of the dough before baking. Sprinkle on some of the leftover cinnamon and sugar.

6.Bake the bread in a 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes. Depending on what biscuits you’re using, the bake time will vary.

balls of dough rolled in cinnamon and sugar  to make an easy monkey bread recipe.

Check the directions on the biscuits to see how long to cook. It can take longer. You will know when it’s done when the top of the biscuits are a deep golden brown and have doubled in size.

Tips for Making Monkey Bread

  • Depending on the size of the pan, you should have 2 layers of dough balls in the pan. You might have extra dough, but you don’t need it.
  • Make sure to pour the extra butter over the top of the dough before baking. 
  • Sprinkle on some of the leftover cinnamon and sugar mixtures. 
  • 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. 
  • You can bake this in a bundt pan or a loaf pan. We used a loaf pan made from clay, which absorbs, distributes, and retains heat evenly, so the bread bakes to perfection.
  • Only fit as many dough balls as you can. No need to use them all if it doesn’t fit into the pan you’re baking the bread in. This is an easy recipe to alter as you go.
  • If the bread isn’t fully cooked through, give it some more time in the oven. True oven temperature varies and can alter the baking time.
  • This is monkey bread with biscuits; however, you can try pizza dough to make monkey bread as well.

Easy Glaze Recipe

  • To make the glaze, add 1/4 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk and mix until smooth.
  • Pour over the monkey bread before serving.

Another option is to drizzle our easy caramel sauce over the top as a glaze. It becomes like sticky bread and is full of buttery caramel flavor!

Golden brown monkey bread with gooey butter and cinnamon and sugar.

How to Store

Most bread products dry up and get tough to chew over time. Monkey bread, given its high surface area, allows some bits to stay moist longer than you’d think. 

You can safely leave monkey bread on the counter for a few days. The surface sugars will harden if you let them stay in contact with air, so covering is ideal.

Freezing

Freezing monkey bread lets you keep it fresh to use for weeks. Keep it airtight and tightly wrapped before storage. Freezing is the best way to keep the freshness and longevity of the monkey bread.

Recipe Variations

Here are a few ways you can change this recipe:

Caramel Apple Monkey Bread – This variation combines diced apples, caramel sauce, and spices for a sweet and delicious treat. Cut apples into small pieces and add them to the layers of dough.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Monkey Bread – This version adds creamy peanut butter and cocoa powder for added richness and flavor. Add a peanut butter layer over the dough.

Gluten-Free Monkey Bread – If you want to try and make this recipe gluten-free, we recommend making gluten-free biscuit dough and then rolling it into small balls.

Add a glaze over golden baked cinnamon and sugar bread.

When to Serve Monkey Bread

This recipe is perfect for a lazy Saturday or Sunday morning. It’s also great for any of these occasions:

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s monkey bread made of?

Monkey bread is a sweet, gooey cinnamon roll-like bread that is made from balls of dough rolled in cinnamon sugar. It’s made with biscuit dough, cinnamon, white sugar, and butter and is baked together to create a fantastic sticky cinnamon bread that is perfect for brunch.

How long does monkey bread last?

This bread is best right out of the oven when it’s fresh, warm, and gooey. If there are leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container, covered tightly in the refrigerator, for one week.

How Do You know When Monkey Bread is Done?

While the combination of sugar and toppings (especially caramel) leaves the overall texture on the gooey side, the bread shouldn’t be. While you want the middle soft, you don’t want it to have that near-custard texture of a French toast puff

Internal temps won’t give you a good enough indicator of doneness, nor will you check in one spot. 

Use a long toothpick or fork to poke in a variety of places. You want to aim for the thicker parts. A clean fork means done. A sticky fork needs another minute.
Remember to plate monkey bread quickly after it leaves the oven. That will keep it from hardening onto your cooking surfaces.

Does Monkey Bread Require a Bundt Pan?

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. Just make sure the sides are greased if you release it from the bundt pan.

You want to be careful to balance the thickness to avoid uneven cooking. 

Do you have to refrigerate leftover monkey bread?

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. Just make sure the sides are greased if you release it from the bundt pan.

You want to be careful to balance the thickness to avoid uneven cooking. 

How Do You Reheat Monkey Bread?

Reheat monkey bread to 140 F to melt the sugars and rehydrate the bread. 
If you leave it on the counter, there is no need to reheat it’s perfectly wonderful at room temp. 

Can you make it ahead of time?

You can make monkey bread ahead of time. Form the dough into balls and add them to a greased bundt pan along with any other ingredients like sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap and bake as directed.

Can you refreeze monkey bread?

You only want to freeze monkey bread one time. Once it’s removed and thawed, it should not be frozen again.

Bread with butter and cinnamon and sugar made with biscuit dough.

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:

Easy Semi-Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

The Best Crumb Cake Recipe

Traditional New Orleans Beignets

The Best Quiche Recipe

Easiest Brunch Ever

Chocolate Chip Biscuit S’mores

The Best Blueberry Banana Muffins

Let us know what you think!

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pouring glaze over baked monkey bread

Easy Monkey Bread Recipe

Kids and adults can't resist this doughy, sweet, pull-apart dessert. This easy monkey bread recipe is one you'll want to make over and over!
4.71 from 58 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 292kcal
Author: Eden

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

  • Open each package of canned biscuits.
    monkey bread ingredients
  • Roll the dough into small balls. Pull off about 3 tablespoons per ball.
    monkey bread pillsbury
  • Generously, grease a deep dish loaf pan with butter. Grease the bottom and the sides. 
  • In a medium bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar and stir.
  • Roll each ball of dough in the cinnamon and sugar mixture and then place it in the loaf pan.
    rolling dough in cinnamon and sugar.
  • Coat the bottom of the pan and then sprinkle 1/8 cup brown sugar over the layer.
    monkey bread from biscuits
  • Continue creating another layer over the first layer and again, sprinkle brown sugar over the top before starting another layer. 
  • Depending on the size of the pan, you should have 2 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. Depending on what biscuits you’re using, check the directions to see how long to cook. 
  • 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. 
    Gooey brown monkey bread in a loaf pan.
  • To make the glaze, add 1/4 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon milk and mix until smooth. 
    glaze for monkey bread
  • Pour over the monkey bread before serving.
    pouring glaze over baked monkey bread

Notes

Check the directions on the biscuits to see how long they need to cook. Use that as a guide. 
The top will become very golden brown, and that’s fine! If the biscuits are still gooey inside, cover the top of the bread with tinfoil, and continue baking.
If you want, add more melted butter and sugar over the top after the bread is baked.
Try to use organic ingredients when you can for better flavor. 

Nutrition

Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 19mg | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 709IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
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how to make monkey bread

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11 thoughts on “How to Make Delicious and Easy Monkey Bread”

  1. 5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    This was SO delicious! What a fun breakfast bread. Easier than cinnamon rolls and JUST as yummy! We’ll definitely make this one again!

    Reply
  3. 5 stars
    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!

    Reply

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