Best Easy Monkey Bread Ever
Monkey Bread is a pull-apart bread that’s insanely addictive! It’s made with soft biscuit dough that’s coated in cinnamon and sugar, loaded with pecans, and drenched in a sticky, sugary, butter sauce. The finishing touch is a drizzle of homemade vanilla icing.
Looking for a sweet afternoon snack, a decadent brunch dish, or something fun and delicious to serve for dessert? This easy Monkey Bread Recipe is a guaranteed hit!
Serve it warm to the family, and the whole thing will be gone in 20 minutes or less! I also highly recommend my Apple Fritter Monkey Bread that’s perfect for fall!
The only monkey bread I ever make is using this recipe. I love it.
What Is Monkey Bread?
Also known as Pillsbury Grand Monkey Bread, it all starts with the dough from those moist, flaky biscuits!
They’re cut into balls of dough that are coated in cinnamon sugar, then drenched in a brown sugar butter mixture. Crunchy chopped pecans are added, and after baking the monkey bread, Homemade Vanilla Icing is drizzled on top!
While there are a lot of variations out there, this is the best Monkey Bread recipe if you ask me!
Ingredients
Biscuits – The base of this recipe is premade Pillsbury Grands Biscuit dough! It’s cut into pieces, coated in sugar, then layered in a pan with chopped pecans.
Coating – Each of the biscuit pieces are rolled in a cinnamon-sugar mixture with a dash of allspice.
Sauce – A melted butter and brown sugar sauce with a dash of vanilla and a splash of whole milk is poured over the dough. As it’s cooked, it becomes an ooey, gooey, caramel-like sauce!
Icing – The finishing touch is an optional drizzle of vanilla icing!
How To Make Monkey Bread:
Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and coating a bundt pan with nonstick spray.
Then cut your biscuits into quarters and roll them in cinnamon sugar until fully coated. Place them in the greased bundt pan. Add chopped pecans into the pan as you go.
Make your sauce in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted. Pour the mixture over the biscuit pieces. I like to do a layer of sauce halfway through the biscuits and then the rest on top.
After the monkey bread is fully prepped, there should be able 1 to 1 1/2 inches of room between the biscuits and the top edge of the pan.
Bake the monkey bread until the top is golden and crisp the the center comes back mostly clean when a cake tester is inserted into it.
If you want to add even more decadence to this sugary sweet treat, flip the monkey bread out onto a large plate or serving platter and top with vanilla icing.
Expert Tip: Place a plate on the bottom of the pan while flipping to reduce the risk of the bread breaking. Also, removing the bread from the pan while it’s still hot will yield the best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do they call it Monkey Bread?
Yes, the sauce makes it sticky, but that’s why it’s so fun to eat and share.
What can I use instead of a bundt pan for monkey bread?
How do you know when Monkey Bread is done?
How long does Monkey Bread stay good for?
Can I use cinnamon rolls?
More Sweet Bread Recipes:
- Ice Cream Bread – This no-knead sweet bread is made with just 2 ingredients!
- Blueberry Ice Cream Bread – Another ice cream bread with juicy blueberries mixed in!
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread – An indulgent twist on traditional pumpkin bread.
- Zucchini Bread – This quick bread recipe is loaded with spices and nuts and a reader favorite!
- Applesauce Bread – This spiced sweet bread tastes like autumn in a pan.
Best Ever 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!
Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there, where you can join our recipe challenges!
Monkey Bread
Ingredients
Sauce
- ½ cup salted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
Bread
- 2 (16 oz.) cans Grands homestyle biscuits OR 3 (12 oz.) cans
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a bundt pan with nonstick spray.
- In a small saucepan, make the sauce by melting the butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and milk over medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cut the biscuits into quarters or sixths.
- Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and allspice and coat each biscuit piece in the cinnamon mixture and place in the bundt pan.
- Layer the biscuits in with the chopped pecans and the butter mixture. Finish with the butter mixture over the top and around the edges of the biscuits.
- 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. Drizzle with vanilla icing, if desired.
Notes
- A couple of loaf pans or round cake pans work, too. However, I wouldn’t recommend using a tube pan.
- 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!
- While you traditionally make Monkey Bread with biscuits, you can make Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread with canned cinnamon rolls instead.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Don’t forget to share it with me on Instagram @sugarandsoulco and follow on Tiktok @sugarandsoulco and Pinterest @sugarandsoulco for more!
Can you put this together the night before and bake it in the morning?
I think that would be fine; it may take a little longer to bake in a cold pan, though.
The only monkey bread I ever make is using this recipe. I love it.
I always wonder when I make monkey bread: do you add in the excess cinnamon/sugar mix with the dough balls or do you discard the excess and only use what sticks to the dough???
I only use what sticks to the dough.
Do you pack the brown sugar
Yes, always.