Apple Fritter Monkey Bread is an easy, soft, and sticky pull-apart bread that’s made to share! Chunks of refrigerated cinnamon roll dough and fresh chopped apples are drenched in a sweet and sticky sauce and baked to perfection.
This simple recipe is super delicious and perfect for fall!
If the chilly weather has you wanting to fill your home with the aroma of spiced quick bread, try a new kind of quick bread with a decadent twist! With warm flavors like apple, brown sugar, and cinnamon, Apple Fritter Monkey Bread is wonderfully comforting for fall.
Drenched in a sticky sauce, your entire family will want to dive in. And since it’s a pull-apart bread, they won’t even have to wait for you to cut them a slice!
P.S. If this Apple Fritter Bread looks heavenly, check out my classic Monkey Bread recipe, too!
Ingredients:
Refrigerated cinnamon rolls – You can’t have apples without cinnamon, and cinnamon roll dough is the perfect base for this recipe. Slice each roll into chunks then layer them in a bundt pan so they pull apart after they’re baked!
Cinnamon Sugar – The dough pieces are rolled in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon plus a touch of allspice.
Sauce – This is what makes the bread extra indulgent and sticky! It’s made with melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and a bit of whole milk. Once cooked, it has the consistency of caramel.
Chopped apples – Use your fresh-picked apples and toss them with brown sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon! In the oven, they become tender and infused with the spices and flavors of the caramel sauce.
How To Make Apple Monkey Bread:
- Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan along with the vanilla extract and milk to create the rich and decadent sauce for the bread.
2. Toss the chopped apples with brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
3. Chop the cinnamon rolls into quarters.
4. Roll the cinnamon roll pieces in a small bowl of cinnamon sugar.
5. Layer half of the apple mixture into the bottom of a prepared 12-cup bundt pan.
6. Add a layer of the cinnamon rolls, then a layer of the sauce. Repeat the layer once more and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Cool the baked monkey bread in the pan for about 15 minutes before flipping it out onto a serving plate.
Expert Tip: Make sure to use a rimmed serving plate or cake stand since this bread will drip (see image above). Nobody wants a dry monkey bread, but nobody wants a mess either, so plan ahead!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Because of its pull-apart texture, you can grab a piece with your fingers … as a monkey would!
You can cover and store it for two days at room temperature.
Using two loaf pans also works just fine. You could also make it in a muffin tin for individual servings. It’s important to note that the cooking times will vary based on the pan you used, so be sure to keep an eye on it and test it with a cake tester or toothpick.
I personally love using either Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples in this apple bread recipe! But you can use your favorite kind, however, I do recommend using a firmer baking apple.
Yes, this is essential! If you don’t grease it and pieces stick then the monkey bread will fall apart when you try to remove it from the baking pan. I like to use Baking PAM which has flour added into it, it works wonders with cakes!
Substitutions & Variations:
- Vanilla icing – If you’d like, add a drizzle of vanilla icing once the bread is cooled.
- Powdered sugar – You can also sprinkle this on top. It looks especially festive winter.
- Pecans – Feel free to add a 1/2 cup of chopped pecans; simply layer them in when you stack the balls of dough.
- Swap cinnamon roll dough for biscuit dough – You can also use Pillsbury Grand biscuits for the base like with my Best Monkey Bread recipe. Simply cut each biscuit and coat in the sugar mixture, then proceed with the rest of this recipe.
More Quick Bread Recipes:
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread – Because pumpkin and cream cheese are a match made in heaven!
- Applesauce Bread – Loaded with nuts, spices, and sweet apple flavor.
- Zucchini Bread – One of my most popular quick bread recipes – it gets RAVE reviews!
- Best Spice Pumpkin Bread – The BEST recipe for this classic bread.
- Monkey Bread – Made with biscuits, this version includes pecans and a drizzle of vanilla icing on top.
Apple Monkey Bread
Pin It For LaterClick the button above to save this delicious recipe to your board!
👋 Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review, I love hearing from you! And don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos!
Apple Fritter Monkey Bread
Ingredients
Apples
- 2 cups Honeycrisp apples peeled, cored, and diced (about 2 apples)
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Sauce
- ½ cup salted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
Bread
- 2 (16 oz.) cans Refrigerated Cinnamon Roll Dough OR 3 (12 oz.) cans
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick spray; set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the chopped apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice; set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and milk over medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat; set aside.
- Cut the cinnamon rolls into quarters.
- Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and allspice and coat each cinnamon roll piece in the cinnamon mixture.
- Layer the half the chopped apples in the bottom of the bundt pan, followed by a layer of cinnamon rolls and half of the butter mixture. Repeat the layers once, finishing with the butter mixture over the top and around the edges of the cinnamon rolls.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, when done the dough will puff up and become golden brown and crisp on top. And a toothpick inserted into the thickest part should come out clean.
- Remove from the oven and flip the monkey bread out onto a serving dish. Make sure to use a rimmed serving plate or cake stand since this bread will drip. Drizzle with vanilla icing, if desired.
Notes
- Using two loaf pans also works just fine. You could also make it in a muffin tin for individual servings. It’s important to note that the cooking times will vary based on the pan you used, so be sure to keep an eye on it and test it with a cake tester or toothpick.
- Want to cut the recipe in half? Halve the ingredients and bake in a loaf pan.
- Store it at room temperature for up to two days … if it even lasts that long!
- You can make this recipe with canned biscuits instead.
- You can use your favorite kind of apple but I would recommend using a firmer variety.
Rebecca Hubbell says
I’m sure you could but I have never tried it.
Marc says
Can you add apple cider instead of the milk to the sauce?