Monkey Bread is a sweet, sticky treat made with cinnamon-sugar-coated dough baked in a rich syrup—perfect for breakfast or dessert.
Why It’s Called Monkey Bread
Monkey Bread gets its name because it’s a finger food you pull apart, kind of like how a monkey might eat.
Growing up, we had Monkey Bread every Christmas morning and for many of our birthday breakfasts.
After tweaking this recipe for years, I’m excited to share my favorite version yet. I love it so much I even made a Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread you’ve got to try next!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make homemade Monkey Bread:
- Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and helps everything stick.
- White Sugar: Coats the dough for a sweet, crispy layer.
- Cinnamon: Adds a warm and delicious flavor.
- Biscuits: Flaky layers make the bread soft and easy to pull apart.
- Brown Sugar: Mixes with butter for a rich, caramel-like syrup.
- Vanilla: Adds a sweet flavor.
- Pecans: Add crunch and nuttiness—skip if you want a nut-free Monkey Bread.
How To Make Monkey Bread
- Prep the pan: Grease and flour a Bundt pan; preheat oven to 350°F.
- Melt butter: Microwave until melted; let cool to room temp.
- Coat biscuits: Cut into pieces, toss with cinnamon and sugar.
- Mix syrup: Stir butter with brown sugar, vanilla, and pecans.
- Assemble: Add some syrup to the pan, layer biscuits, and pour the rest on top.
- Bake: Bake 30–40 minutes; cover with foil if browning too fast.
- Cool and serve: Let cool 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate.
Quick Tip
How to grease a bundt pan? To grease a Bundt pan, simply coat it evenly with cooking spray or softened butter, then lightly dust it with flour, tapping out any excess.
Storage
Storage Tips
Monkey Bread Storage: Store at room temperature, in a airtight container for up to two days.
Make-Ahead: To make ahead, refrigerate quartered biscuits in Bundt pan, then let stand 30 minutes at room temperature before baking.
Freezing: Freeze wrapped leftovers up to 3 months; expect texture and flavor changes. Do not freeze uncooked dough.
Monkey Bread Without A Bundt Pan
Monkey Bread in a 9×13 pan: This recipe works great in a casserole or 9×13-inch baking dish. To do so, follow the same steps as we do on this recipe below (place cut up sugared biscuit pieces in a greased pan and drizzle sauce over top.) Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.
Savory Breakfast Ideas
Balance the sweet with these savory breakfast dishes
- Sausage and Veggie Hash
- Ham and Cheese Quiche
- Country Breakfast Egg Skillet
- Quiche Lorraine
- One Pan Breakfast Potatoes and Bacon
Monkey Bread
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 (16.3 ounces EACH) cans Pillsbury Grands Flaky layers refrigerated biscuits (8 biscuits per can, 16 total needed for this recipe)
- 1 cup packed dark (or light) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease (with cooking spray) and then lightly flour a large (12 cup) Bundt pan.
- BUTTER: Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl and melt. Set aside to allow the butter to return to room temperature. Melted butter must be at room temperature before adding other ingredients so it doesn't melt the sugar and make it greasy/grainy.
- BISCUIT PREP: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the white sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Separate the biscuits then cut each biscuit into four equal pieces. Add the biscuit pieces to the cinnamon-sugar mixture, tossing the biscuits gently until all of the biscuits are well coated.
- BUTTER CONT.: Add in the brown sugar, vanilla, and pecans to the melted butter. Stir until combined.
- ASSEMBLE: Add a few spoonfuls of the butter-pecan mixture to the bottom of the Bundt pan and then add the biscuit pieces on top. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture over the top of the biscuits. Pour the remaining butter-pecan mixture over the biscuits and then bake for 30-40 minutes or until it is cooked through. To test: insert a skewer into the inside (middle) of the bread; if it comes out clean, it should be done. If it starts browning too quickly on top, tent some foil over the bread.
- SERVE: Remove the pan from the oven and allow the Monkey Bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before inverting it onto a cake pan or serving plate.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Don’t have bundt pan
Can this be made in cake pan?
Sorry I’ve never tried this recipe in a cake pan; I have in a muffin tin though (just make miniature monkey breads)
One of my absolute favorites! Love the cinnamon sugar flavor and how gooey it is!
Monkey bread is our favorite!
So happy to hear it! Thanks!
My kiddos love this monkey bread! It’s so fun to make!
This monkey bread recipe is the stuff of dreams – and so easy to make, too!
Thank you soo much!! So glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Yummy- this monkey bread is our favorite!