Easy Pull-Apart Monkey Bread Recipe

Monkey Bread is an easy way to make something special on a lazy weekend. Warm, soft & gooey, monkey bread is something your entire family will love!

Monkey bread always looks so good and I’m always scratching my head trying to figure out how I can fit in one more workout that day to make it worth it.

This recipe is made with canned biscuit dough which not only results in a fluffy, soft and buttery texture but is quicker to bake because there is no yeast involved. It takes about 30 minutes to bake so you can have a little coffee and kick back while sweet smells fill your kitchen. It’s also a really fun recipe for kids to help with!

What Is Monkey Bread?

There are endless variations to this bread but at its most basic monkey bread is a pull-apart bread made with bite-size pieces of dough coated with sugar and cinnamon and baked with a buttery brown sugar sauce. Bisquits, butter, sugar, and cinnamon are the most common ingredients but you’ll find many variations with ingredients such as chopped and peeled apples, raisins, and/or nuts.

Monkey Bread Ingredients

• Sugar
• Cinnamon
• 2 cans (16.3 oz buttermilk biscuits)
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine (melted)
• large pinch kosher salt

I use the refrigerated and canned Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Buttermilk biscuits but feel free to use your favorite buttermilk biscuit brand. You can use any style of biscuits as well but I have found the non-flaky biscuits work best for monkey bread.

Use a 10″ or 12-cup bundt pan.

How to Make Monkey Bread

• Grease and Flour the Bundt pan: Lightly grease a bundt pan with cooking spray.
• Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large resealable plastic bag, mix together sugar and cinnamon.
• Cut, Shake, Place. Cut the biscuits into quarters and shake them in the sugar and cinnamon resealable bag. Remove from bag and place the pieces into the bundt pan.
• Mix the Other Ingredients: In small bowl or glass measuring cup melt the butter and mix the brown sugar, butter, and salt; pour over biscuit pieces.
• Bake: Bake at 350°F for 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center.
• Serve: Turn upside down onto the serving plate; pull apart or slice into pieces to serve. Serve warm.

How to Make Air Fryer Monkey Bread

Making monkey bread in an air fryer is incredibly easy with this recipe. Simply follow the directions prior to baking and use two small 7 inch bundt pans. Bake in each bundt pan in the air fryer for about 25 minutes. Since air fryers baking times vary greatly, keep an eye on the air fryer and check for doneness prior to 25 minutes. You can also cut this recipe in half and use just one small bundt pan.

No Bundt Pan Monkey Bread

Instead of a bundt pan you can use any baking pan that is similar in volume and follow the directions. Here are few pans that all hold 12 cups, same as a bundt pan:

• Square pan (10×2 inches)
• Springform pan (10×2.5 inches)
• Jelly roll pans (12×17 inches)
• Fluted tube pan (9.5-inch (12-Cup))

Keep in mind the presentation will look different and that baking times and temperature may need to be adjusted because the dimensions will change. Keep an eye on the oven and begin checking for doneness earlier than the recipe states.

As a general rule, raise the temp and decrease the baking time on shallower pan and lower the temp and increase the baking time on a deeper pan.

Filling pans around 2/3 full is the best practice. This leaves room for rising.

Make Ahead Monkey Bread

You can make this easy monkey bread recipe ahead of time and even overnight! Simply prepare the monkey bread and arrange it in the pan. Tightly cover the pan with foil and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake.

How to Store Monkey Bread

Homemade Monkey Bread can be stored at room temperature for 1–2 days if tightly covered. For freshness up to 3–4 days, store in the fridge. To save for later, freeze for up to 2 months.

To quickly reheat monkey bread individual servings place in a microwave-safe plate and heat on 50% power for 20 seconds, adjusting as needed based on your microwave’s strength. Reheating times may vary.

For reheating larger portions or a whole monkey bread, set it on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through. Adjust time based on portion size and oven strength.

Not Just For The Holidays

Christmas morning is the most traditional time to make monkey bread but it’s just as perfect on a lazy weekend morning or for a holiday brunch. Either way, if you haven’t already, you’ll want to make this a tradition in your family!

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Easy Monkey Bread Recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 32 minutes

Total Time: 42 minutes

Warm, soft & gooey, monkey bread is something your entire family will love!

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cans (16.3 oz buttermilk biscuits)
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine (melted)
• large pinch kosher salt

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 10" bundt pan with cooking spray. In a large resealable plastic bag, mix together sugar and cinnamon.
2. Separate each biscuit into two by pulling apart; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat with sugar and cinnamon (it’s helpful to put a few in, shake the bag a little and keep adding as you go to keep them from sticking together; do this in several batches). As you finish each batch, place the pieces into the bundt pan.
3. Melt the
4. In small bowl or glass measuring cup melt the butter than mix the brown sugar, butter and salt; pour over biscuit pieces.
5. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart or slice into pieces to serve. Serve warm.

Notes

Use refrigerated dough and work quickly as it rise better the cooler it is as the pan goes into the oven or refrigerate before baking..

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 313Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 160mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 0gSugar: 41gProtein: 0g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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