Monkey Bread with Biscuits
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Every time I bake Monkey Bread with Biscuits, everyone ends up in the kitchen before breakfast is even ready — the smell of buttery cinnamon sugar sees to that! My easy monkey bread starts with refrigerated biscuits and bakes up warm, gooey, and perfectly pull-apart, making that first morning cup of coffee even better.
Sheila’s Recipe Snapshot for Monkey Bread with Biscuits
This is the kind of recipe you make when you want something fun, comforting, and guaranteed to please a crowd.
Monkey bread has always been a favorite at my house, especially when the whole family gets together. If you’ve never had it, you are truly in for a treat!
It starts with canned biscuits, cut into small pieces and coated in cinnamon sugar. Then you pour melted butter and brown sugar over the top, and bake! Using those refrigerated biscuits makes this recipe super easy, since you don’t have to take the time to make a homemade dough.
After it is baked, it is ooey gooey and so delicious! Typically, it is served warm, and each person can just pick off pieces as they want.
If you have a big family like me, this monkey bread with biscuits recipe is a great option for brunch or even dessert! For cinnamon-roll vibes, I like to top it with an easy powdered-sugar glaze.
Ingredient Notes for Monkey Bread with Biscuits
- Granulated Sugar & Cinnamon | This is the classic combo that gives each bite of monkey bread loads of flavor.
- Refrigerated Biscuits | Canned biscuit dough makes this recipe super simple!
- Butter & Brown Sugar | Melted together, they form the sticky, gooey coating that helps the bread stick together and stay super moist.
- Vanilla Extract | For an added depth of flavor!
- Powdered Sugar Glaze | Optional! If you want a glaze on top, you’ll just need powdered sugar and milk.
Variations and Substitutions
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free biscuits for a gluten-free monkey bread!
- Add-ins: Feel free to add a handful of chopped walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, or even dried cranberries between the biscuit pieces for different flavors and textures.
- Spices: Swap cinnamon for a pumpkin pie spice blend! This would be a delicious fall version!
How to Make Easy Monkey Bread
This easy monkey bread recipe is simple to assemble and bake! With canned biscuits and a few pantry staples, you can have a warm, gooey breakfast in the oven in just minutes.
PREHEAT & PREP. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a Bundt pan with cooking spray being sure to get in all the crevices.
COAT THE BISCUITS IN CINNAMON SUGAR. Empty the sugar and cinnamon into a gallon-size ziploc bag; seal and shake to mix it up. Cut the biscuits into 6 pieces. Add the cut biscuit pieces to the bag with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Seal and shake vigorously until all pieces are coated.
PLACE INTO BUNDT PAN. Arrange the coated dough balls in the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour any remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the biscuits.
MELT BUTTER AND SUGAR & COAT BISCUITS. Melt butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat just until it comes to a boil. Stir in the vanilla and pour the brown sugar mixture over the biscuits in the pan.
BAKE. Bake for 35 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cake plate. The monkey bread is delicious as is, but if you like, you may add a powdered sugar glaze.
GLAZE & ENJOY. Stir the powdered sugar together with the milk until the desired consistency is achieved. Drizzle over the warm monkey bread and serve immediately.
More Recipe Success Tips
Storage and Reheating Tips
- To store: Keep leftover monkey bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat gently before serving.
- To reheat: Warm in the microwave for 15-20 seconds per serving! If you want to heat up the whole bread, place it on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and reheat in the oven at 300°F until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Monkey bread is a pull-apart bread made from small dough pieces coated in sugar and baked together. It’s soft, gooey, and perfect for sharing as a breakfast treat!
Cinnamon monkey bread is meant to be pulled apart with your fingers, piece by piece. It’s casual, fun, and perfect for sharing with family or friends over coffee or breakfast.
If you don’t have a bundt pan, a tube pan would be great. If you don’t have that, you can use a deep round cake pan, cast iron skillet, loaf pan, or even an oven-safe casserole dish. Just be sure to adjust baking time slightly and check that the bread is golden brown and cooked through before serving.
Looking for More Brunch Recipes?
My cream cheese French toast casserole and easy baked pumpkin donuts are always popular for brunch! As a savory option, my crustless spinach quiche recipe is a great option.
What to Serve With Monkey Bread
Pull-apart monkey bread goes with all of your breakfast favorites. Try it with fresh fruit to round out the sweetness!
As a brunch spread, it goes well with a sausage apple casserole, banana nut muffins, and of course, some sugared bacon. During winter, I love to serve monkey bread with a dark chocolate peppermint mocha, too!
Beyond the Recipe
Monkey bread has been around longer than many people realize, with roots that trace back to European pull-apart breads, particularly Hungarian sweet breads like arany galuska.
The recipe made its way to the United States, where it became especially popular as a family-style breakfast and holiday treat. Its playful, pull-apart nature , and the fact that it’s meant to be eaten with your hands, helped make monkey bread a beloved classic that’s still showing up on breakfast tables today!
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Monkey Bread
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 16-0z. cans refrigerated Pillsbury Grand biscuits
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a Bundt pan with cooking spray.
- Empty the sugar and cinnamon into a gallon-size ziploc bag; seal and shake to mix it up.
- Cut the biscuits into 6 pieces. Add the cut biscuit pieces to the bag with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Seal and shake vigorously until all pieces are coated.
- Arrange pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour any remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the biscuits.
- Melt butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the vanilla and pour over the biscuits in the pan.
- Bake for 35 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cake plate. The monkey bread is delicious as is, but if you like you may add a powdered sugar glaze.
- Stir the powdered sugar together with the milk until the desired consistency is achieved. Drizzle over the warm monkey bread and serve warm
Notes
- Coat the biscuits well! Shaking the biscuit pieces in the cinnamon sugar bag ensures every bite is sweet and flavorful. Thorough coating makes the monkey bread extra sticky and delicious!
- Use a nonstick Bundt pan. A nonstick pan helps the monkey bread release easily once baked. Make sure to grease it well with cooking spray to keep it from sticking!
- Don’t skip the resting time! Letting the bread cool for 10 minutes before inverting helps it hold its shape. If you try to flip it too soon, the buttery brown sugar sauce will just spill out and make a mess!
- Even baking. I recommend cutting your biscuits into roughly equal pieces so they bake evenly!
- Serve warm. Homemade monkey bread is at its absolute best fresh from the oven or slightly reheated. So after you let it cool a bit in the pan, you can invert it and serve!
- To store: Keep leftover monkey bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat gently before serving.
- To reheat: Warm in the microwave for 15-20 seconds per serving! If you want to heat up the whole bread, place it on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and reheat in the oven at 300°F until heated through.
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
