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This easy monkey bread recipe uses canned biscuit dough and is sweetened with white and brown sugar and flavored with cinnamon. It’s a delicious pull-apart bread that is easy to make and is sure to be a hit whenever you choose to make it. As you’d expect, this monkey bread recipe smells incredible while it cooks, and you won’t be able to resist trying a bit as soon as it’s ready. The melted buttery brown sugar sauce on top is especially delicious. This sticky, sweet pull-apart bread is going to be a new favorite! A buttery cinnamon sugar topping makes this a Pillsbury monkey bread that you will make often!
You’re going to love how simple it is to make easy monkey bread that tastes this good. It’s a soft, sweet loaf baked in a Bundt pan and it’s incredibly popular.
Also try maple cinnamon roll cake with butterscotch glaze, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate mocha pistachio Bundt cake or a pistachio pudding cake.
Why You’ll Love It
Tasty: This has to be the most delicious way to make monkey bread and the sweet flavors and cinnamon kick makes it irresistible. If you love monkey bread you will find this one to be the best monkey bread recipe ever.
Simple: It’s an easy recipe that even beginners in the kitchen will be able to master with ease.
Versatile: You can tweak the recipe if you want, adding different flavors to it, to customize it and make it your own.
Easy Monkey Bread Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Buttermilk biscuits: Use Pillsbury or similar. Regular canned biscuits work best for this recipe, not the “flaky” variety.
Sugar: I used white sugar and brown sugar.
Butter: For flavor and moisture.
Ground cinnamon: Adds an earthy, warm richness.
How to Make this Monkey Bread Recipe
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Make the cinnamon sugar: Shake the cinnamon and white sugar together in a Ziploc bag.
Prepare and coat the dough: Cut the bread dough into quarters and toss the pieces with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Prepare the monkey bread for baking: Arrange the coated dough balls in a greased Bundt pan, mix the melted butter with brown sugar and pour this buttery brown sugar sauce over the monkey bread.
Cook the money bread: Bake for about 35 minutes or until golden brown and fully cooked through, then invert the monkey bread on to a plate and serve warm.
Substitutions and Variations
Brown sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar will work.
Ground cinnamon: If you prefer nutmeg or allspice or even ginger to cinnamon, you can use one of those instead.
Sweetener: You can substitute Swerve or another sweetener for the granulated sugar and/or in the brown sugar mixture.
Optional add-ins: Add a cup of chopped pecans or walnuts between the dough pieces or a cup of raisins while layering the dough for raisin monkey bread.
Serving Suggestions
With breakfast or brunch: This delicious monkey bread with cinnamon sugar and the buttery brown sugar sauce on top makes a gorgeous breakfast or brunch and it’s perfect served lovely and warm from the oven. Unlike some other baked breakfast options it doesn’t take much time to prepare either. Pair it with other brunch dishes such as breakfast tacos, Starbucks copycat egg bites or zucchini muffins.
For dessert: Enjoy it as it is or with ice cream or whipped cream.
With a drink: Enjoy monkey bread with anything from an iced lavender matcha latte to a mango banana smoothie.
How to Store Monkey Bread
Store: Leftovers should keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Freeze: You can freeze it in portions for up to 3 months but it won’t be quite as good as when served fresh.
Reheat: Microwave leftover monkey bread for about 30 seconds to warm it back up again, or if you prefer pop it in a 200 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes.
Top Tips
Clean coating: It’s less messy to coat the dough pieces in cinnamon sugar if you shake everything together in a gallon Ziploc bag. Alternatively, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl, add the cut dough and toss with a spoon to coat.
Easy inverting: Put a serving plate over the monkey bread and then flip it to invert. That’s the simplest way of getting it onto a plate.
Enjoy warm: You can serve monkey bread cold but it’s better warm.
Grease the pan: It is important the pan is well coated with spray; this will ensure an easy release from the pan and a beautiful presentation.
Slow the browning: The bread might need to be tented with foil for the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking if becoming too dark.
Monkey Bread FAQs
The brand is up to you but choose regular canned biscuit dough and not the flakey type of biscuit dough, so the texture of your homemade monkey bread is perfect.
If this happens, don’t worry – just tent some foil loosely over it for the last 10 minutes or so of the cooking time so it keeps cooking but doesn’t become too dark or burn on top.
You might like to add a cup of finely diced apples, pears, apricots, or peaches while layering the dough, or try raisins or chopped nuts. You could even add some chocolate chips in there, or mix and match two or more add-ins.
You can use any kind of pan you want. If you don’t have a bundt pan (here) then you might want to use a loaf pan or another type of tube pan for your homemade monkey bread instead.
The origin of the name monkey bread is uncertain, but it could be due to the bread’s resemblance to the way monkeys eat or its knotted and twisted appearance resembling the tangled mess of monkey tails.
Monkey Bread Recipe
Easy Monkey Bread
Equipment
- Saucepan Small
Ingredients
- 3 Cans buttermilk biscuits, 16 Ounces each
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- 2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 Sticks butter, 12 Tablespoons
- ¾ Cup light brown sugar
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and prepare a bundt pan by spraying generously with cooking spray.
- Cut biscuit dough into quarters, or desired size.
- In a gallon Ziploc bag, add granulated sugar and cinnamon, then seal and shake to combine.
- Add 8 to 10 cut pieces of the dough to the Ziploc bag, then seal and shake the bag to coat the dough with the cinnamon sugar.
- Add the coated pieces to pan and repeat until all dough has been coated and added to the pan.
- Melt the butter and add brown sugar, stir to thoroughly combine. Pour butter mixture evenly over top of monkey bread.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, place a serving plate inverted on the top of the monkey bread. Holding plate and pan together, carefully flip to invert the Bundt pan. Lift off the pan, leaving the monkey bread on the serving plate.
- Serve while warm.
Notes
Easy inverting: Put a serving plate over the monkey bread and then flip it to invert. That’s the simplest way of getting it onto a plate.
Enjoy warm: You can serve monkey bread cold but it’s better warm.
Grease the pan: It is important the pan is well coated with spray; this will ensure an easy release from the pan and a beautiful presentation.
Slow the browning: The bread might need to be tented with foil for the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking if becoming too dark.
Nutrition
This wonderfully simple monkey bread recipe makes a change from cinnamon rolls. It’s really quick and easy to prepare and makes an extra-special breakfast or brunch for the whole family to enjoy. Served warm, this cinnamon sugar money bread recipe is sure to impress everyone at the breakfast table, and you’ll want to make monkey bread again and again. Go ahead and add this to the list of your favorite Pillsbury recipes.
Other Recipes to Try
- If you’re in the mood for a simple yet elegant dessert, try Lemon Posset Brûlée.
- A Garlic Herb Bread Wreath is a great way to impress dinner guests!
- Going camping? Remember to pack the ingredients for Campfire Apple Crisp!
- Colorful Confetti Squares are easy to prepare and taste sweet and delicious.
- Enjoy the taste of a Canadian classic with Homemade Beaver Tails!
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I was intimidated to try it first but it turned out good. Thanks for the recipe.
I made this for my family and they went crazy for it. They’re begging me to make it again.
I just tried this recipe. It was so tasty! Will make it again. Thanks! 🙂