Easy Monkey Bread
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The best easy monkey bread recipe made with canned biscuit dough! Tender biscuit dough is tossed in cinnamon sugar, drenched in a buttery brown sugar sauce, and baked to golden brown perfection. Perfect for breakfast or dessert (or both!).
Sweet, sticky, pull-apart breakfast goodness.
I like to make monkey bread as a special, fun-to-eat breakfast treat on weekends. The whole family loves it and whenever I serve it up to guests they ask for a copy of the recipe.
The pull-apart bread is also a must-have for special occasions and on holiday mornings. Especially Christmas morning.
Just look at all that gooey sauce–so yummy!
What readers are saying
“This was an amazing recipe. I made it this week to see if it was something I wanted to bring to a Christmas brunch. I will definitely be making it. Thanks for sharing this recipe! Happy Holidays!”
– Dean
If you are a fan of sweet breakfast treats like my family, be sure to give my blueberry french toast casserole and breakfast cookies a try. They are both frequently requested and enjoyed in our house.
Why is this the best monkey bread recipe?
- Easy recipe with only 5 simple ingredients.
- No yeast or stand mixer needed.
- Can be made ahead.
- Perfectly sweet and gooey.
- So much fun to pull-apart and eat!
What is it called Monkey Bread?
It isn’t known for certain how monkey bread got its name. It has been suggested that the name could have been given because the bread resembles a barrel of monkeys or because of how it is pulled apart and eaten, similar to how monkeys groom one another.
Ingredients
This section includes ingredient notes and substitution options. Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
With only 5 ingredients, this pull-apart sticky bread is super easy to make!
Here is what you will need:
- Biscuits– You will need about 30 ounces of refrigerated biscuit dough (the non-flakey kind). I used four 7.5 oz. cans of generic store brand buttermilk biscuits, but Pillsbury biscuits are great too (regular or Pillsbury Grands)!
- Sugar– both granulated white sugar and light brown sugar (or dark brown sugar).
- Cinnamon– Feel free to swap ground cinnamon for pumpkin spice or apple pie spice for some Fall flavor.
- Butter– One stick of butter, melted in the microwave or a small saucepan on the stovetop. Either salted butter or unsalted butter is fine for this recipe.
Kitchen Supplies
- 9-inch bundt pan or fluted tube pan
- gallon-size sealable baggie
- nonstick spray
- mixing bowls
What Can I Use if I Don’t Have a Bundt Pan?
Yes! If you don’t have a bundt pan or fluted tube pan you can make the recipe in a 9 x 13 baking dish or in two 9 x 5 loaf pans. However, it will take less time to cook so I would start checking on it after 20 minutes.
How to Make Monkey Bread with Biscuits
This section shows you how to make the recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions. For the full printable recipe, see the recipe card below.
Step 1: Cut each biscuit into quarters, toss in the cinnamon sugar mixture, and place in a greased bundt pan.
Step 2: Combine melted butter and brown sugar. Pour the butter mixture over the biscuit pieces in the pan. It will look like way too much sauce but don’t worry, it’s going to be amazing.
Step 3: Bake to golden brown as directed in the recipe card below. Cool for 10 minutes then turn onto a plate and enjoy!
Use your fingers to pull apart the bite-size pieces of dough to eat. Yes, it will be sticky and messy, but it is so worth it.
Pro Tip:
To easily remove monkey bread from the pan allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, place a large plate on top of the bundt pan and turn it over to release it from the pan and transfer it onto a plate or serving platter. If it doesn’t come right out try tapping on the bottom of the bundt pan to help it release.
Storage
Countertop: Delicious monkey bread can be stored for a couple of days at room temperature. Reheat in the microwave for a few seconds and enjoy.
Freezer: For longer storage, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
Overnight Monkey Bread
To make monkey bread ahead, prep it up to the point that you would bake it, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, allow it to come to room temperature before baking or add a few minutes to the bake time.
Recipe Tips
- Use a pizza cutter to make easy work of cutting the canned biscuits.
- Place your bundt pan on a baking sheet just in case any caramel sauce bubbles up and leaks over the side of the tube pan.
- If the top is getting too browned but the center is still doughy, tent with foil.
Additions and Variations
- Nuts: Chopped pecans or walnuts make a great addition.
- Chocolate: Fill each of the dough balls with a Hershey Kiss to make a Chocolate-Stuffed Monkey Bread.
- Cinnamon Rolls: Use canned cinnamon rolls instead of biscuits for an extra sweet treat.
- Sprinkles: Top with rainbow sprinkles for a fun birthday breakfast.
More breakfast favorites
- Brioche French Toast
- Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Doughnuts
- Best Ever Overnight French Toast Casserole
- Maple Walnut Coffee Cake
- Buttermilk Pancakes
- Chocolate Glazed Biscuit Donuts
- Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Banana Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Easy Monkey Bread
Ingredients
- 30 ounce refrigerated biscuit dough*
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup butter 1 stick, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Coat a bundt pan with a layer of non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Cut each biscuit into quarters. Add cinnamon, granulated sugar, and half the biscuit quarters to a large zip-top bag and shake to coat. Remove biscuits from the bag and place them into the prepared pan. Repeat to coat remaining biscuits in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- In a small bowl, stir to combine the melted butter and brown sugar, then pour evenly over the biscuits in the Bundt pan.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning over onto a plate.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Very confusing when you give directions without amounts to use only to find out after scrolling way further down, then you get the actual recipe.
Fortunately I’ve been cooking for over 50 years so I was able to figure it out. Much better than figuring out the blog.
No offense, but if you’ve been cooking for over 50 years, you should know that you need to read the whole recipe before you start!
It’s helpful to click on “jump to recipe” Then you don’t have to read through the entire post.
Can I make this in a 9×13 pan and lower the cooking time?
I haven’t tried making moneky bread in a 9 x 13 myself but it should be fine. I would just start checking on it after 20 minutes in the oven. Enjoy!
Sooo I followed the directions exactly. Either the bake time/temp or proportions are WAY wrong. I baked for 35 minutes. It came out almost completely raw everywhere besides the top layer. I proceeded to bake it for another 20 minutes, then 15, then 10 more.. and it finally came out kind of decent but also kind of over baked on the top. I don’t recommend this particular recipe.
Or it could be your oven…
What is the result of you use flaky biscuits?
I only had flaky biscuits. The only place the flakiness was not usable was on the edge. It was a little crunchy there but it didn’t alter the flavor.
These are so good! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Followed directions exactly! Came out perfect! Yum!
I love this. Good recipe and wery good explain. Thank you
Sounds like a couple of people didn’t quite get the recipe correct.
I added a cup of slightly chopped pecans to the bottom of the Bundt pan first! Loved it!!