Monkey Bread Recipe

Name: Monkey Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 2 (16.3-ounce) cans buttermilk biscuit dough (not flaky); 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, plus more for Bundt pan; 1 cup (213g) packed light brown sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Monkey bread has always been my favorite treat at my family’s holiday brunch. We place it right in the middle of the spread so we can all pull apart the pieces of gooey, buttery dough with our fingers. Hey, it’s family!

What Is Monkey Bread?

Monkey bread is made by rolling tender, fluffy dough in cinnamon sugar and baked in a Bundt pan with a generous drizzle of melted butter and brown sugar. It’s simply made for sharing. It’s like the best part of a cinnamon roll (the gooey inside), but an entire cake of it.

It may sound too good to be true, but it gets better. It's so easy to make you can throw it together for breakfast in the morning with no hassle and no waiting for the dough to rise since it uses canned store-bought buttermilk biscuit dough. (Here's a delicious version that uses homemade dough.)

Monkey Bread on a Cake Stand, and on the Counter Surrounding It, a Stack of Plates, a Kitchen Towel, and a Coffee Mug — Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

How to Make Monkey Bread

I use canned biscuit dough rather than making the dough from scratch because I'm usually making it for a brunch or get-together that requires other cooking and planning. Plus, nobody can tell the difference. Many recipes instruct you to cut each biscuit into quarters, but I prefer cutting them in six pieces to make them bite-sized. It also means there are more pockets of cinnamon and caramel.

The balls of dough then get tossed with cinnamon and granulated sugar before arranging them in a greased Bundt pan. Finally, the best part: the whole cake is covered in melted butter and brown sugar before baking.

Plate of Monkey Bread Pieces, and in the Background, More on a Cake Stand and a Mug on the Counter — Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Monkey Bread Swaps and Mix-Ins

It truly is difficult to make improvements to monkey bread, but if you’re looking to add something extra, start with one of these swaps or additions:

Try other spices in place of or in addition to the cinnamon. You could add 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg or 1 teaspoon of cardamom, or replace the cinnamon altogether with the same amount of pumpkin pie spice.
Add some crunch with 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans.
Add some fruitiness and extra sweetness with 1/2 cup of raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped dates.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

I doubt you will have any leftovers to store, but if you do, they can be stored, covered, at room temperature for 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. And if you aren’t serving monkey bread warm, you're missing out. Reheat it in the oven at 300°F until it is warm to the touch, or use the microwave for individual servings.

Recipes for Fans of Cinnamon Sugar

Monkey Bread

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Servings 12 servings

1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 (16.3-ounce) cans buttermilk biscuit dough (not flaky)
3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, plus more for Bundt pan
3/4 cup (160g) packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan liberally with butter or nonstick baking spray. Set it aside.
Prepare the cinnamon sugar and biscuit dough:

In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Separate the biscuit dough and cut each biscuit into 6 evenly sized pieces.

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
Coat the biscuit dough:

Add the biscuit pieces to the bowl of cinnamon sugar, and use your hands to toss and evenly coat each piece with the cinnamon sugar. Transfer the coated dough and any extra cinnamon sugar into the prepared Bundt pan, and distribute them evenly in the pan.

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
Melt the butter and brown sugar:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, until smooth and fully combined. Take the butter mixture off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Evenly pour the butter mixture over the dough.

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
Bake:

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the caramel coating begins to bubble around the edges of the pan.
Cool:

Remove the monkey bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan set on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a spatula or butter knife. Flip a large round plate or platter upside down over the pan. Then, carefully flip the pan. You may have pieces of dough stuck to the pan. That’s okay! Simply remove them and tuck them back into the monkey bread. Serve warm.

Monkey bread is best served warm on the day it is baked. Any leftovers can be stored airtight at room temperature for 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat the monkey bread in a 300°F oven until warm to the touch, or heat individual servings in the microwave.

Did you love the recipe? Leave us some stars below!

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
543	Calories
29g	Fat
66g	Carbs
6g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories	543
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g	37%
Saturated Fat 12g	62%
Cholesterol 33mg	11%
Sodium 530mg	23%
Total Carbohydrate 66g	24%
Dietary Fiber 2g	6%
Total Sugars 23g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg	1%
Calcium 202mg	16%
Iron 3mg	14%
Potassium 131mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.