Fast and fun to make, this monkey bread recipe is a real treat!
Monkey Bread (AKA pinch me bread) is made with biscuits baked in a sticky brown sugar glaze with cinnamon and pecans.
We Love Sweet and Sticky Monkey Bread Because…
- This easy monkey bread recipe has only a few ingredients.
- The buttery brown sugar sauce is hard to resist.
- Monkey bread is versatile-add nuts, fruit, or coconut!
- Pillsbury canned biscuit dough makes the prep and cleanup easy breezy.
- This sweet pull-apart bread can be served for breakfast or dessert.
What You’ll Need to Make Monkey Bread
- Biscuit dough: I use a can of prepared biscuit dough to keep the prep fast and easy. You can use homemade biscuit dough (enough for 12 biscuits) or dough made from Bisquick.
- Butter: I prefer unsalted butter but you can use salted if it’s what you have on hand.
- Brown sugar: Dark or light brown sugar can be used.
- Cinnamon Sugar: Make homemade cinnamon sugar and have it on hand for everything from toast to glazed carrots! For the holidays, swap cinnamon for pumpkin pie spice.
- Nuts: Nuts are optional, but they add a flavor to this monkey bread. Pecans or walnuts are great choices.
Variations
- Make festive monkey bread for the holidays and dried cranberries or other fruits like blueberries.
How to Make Monkey Bread
- Melt butter and brown sugar (recipe below) in a saucepan and set aside.
- Toss cut-up biscuits in cinnamon sugar (and optional nuts) and layer in a prepared pan.
- Pour over brown sugar topping and bake until golden on top.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Storing Monkey Bread
- Keep leftover monkey bread in a covered container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy it as is, or heat it in 30-second intervals on medium power in the microwave if desired.
- Freeze leftovers in individual portions in freezer bags for up to 3 months and let thaw from frozen at room temperature.
More Sweet Treats for Breakfast
Did you enjoy this Monkey Bread recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Monkey Bread
Monkey Bread with a cinnamon caramel glaze is a fun and delicious treat!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 32.6 ounces refrigerated biscuits 2 cans
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped pecans optional
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup butter melted
Instructions
- Combine melted butter and brown sugar in a bowl (or small saucepan). Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a bundt pan or spray with cooking spray.
- Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces using kitchen scissors or a pizza cutter. Combine sugar and cinnamon and toss the biscuit pieces in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Shake off excess sugar.
- Layer sugared biscuits and pecans in a greased bundt pan. Top with brown sugar and butter topping.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until golden. While warm, invert onto a serving platter and serve warm with whipped cream.
Video
Notes
Try different nuts or dried fruits (like raisins or dried cranberries) you have on hand.
You can toss the biscuit pieces in sugar-cinnamon inside a plastic bag, or use a bowl.
Serve with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or drizzle with caramel sauce or cream cheese frosting that has been thinned down with some milk.
Monkey bread will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. It also freezes well and will keep in the freezer for 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 775 | Carbohydrates: 97g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 1233mg | Potassium: 330mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 539IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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I made this for Christmas morning and it was a hit!! I used a reviewer’s suggestion and used frozen yeast rolls instead of Pillsbury, and my family absolutely loved it!! It was easy to put together, baked beautifully and looked fabulous when I took it out of the pan. This will be a Christmas morning tradition for years to come!! Thank you for sharing!!
Happy to hear your family loved it, Lisa!
I think we have a new Christmas tradition.
As we are only 2 people, I used 1 tube of cinnamon buns and halved everything else. I sprayed a 6 cup loaf pan, put down a layer of pecan halves and then tossed in the sugared dough ane more chopped pecans. Topped with the butter and brown sugar mix and vaked for 35 minutes. Inverted onto a platter and served with breakfast. We have about half left, which I separated for coffee breaks ovrr the next few days.
Thank you for another great, easy, recipe.
This recipe is delicious however your prep time of 15 minutes is unrealistic for an inexperienced baker. It was more like 45 min to an hour not having all the gadgets experienced bakers have… Chopped pecans took more than 15 minutes alone.
Hi Holly. Do you have a recipe for Potato Candy?
Hi Harrison, here is our potato candy recipe. Let us know how it turns out for you!
What would be a good pan to bake half the recipe?
I think it would work in a 9×5 loaf pan.
Can I prepare and refrigerate overnight prior to baking?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Lucie, but that should work just fine. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Looks so easy and tasty. I’ll try it.
Thanks for post.
Scrumptious and so easy! It disappeared very quickly at the senior center coffee hour. I added raisins because I love them. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
That is wonderful Jen! Glad to hear they all enjoyed it.
Hi Holly, I want to use your Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits recipe to make this Monkey Bread but I don’t know how much to make. A single recipe (2 cups flour)? A double? Help please!
The buttermilk biscuits recipes makes 10 biscuits which is about the equivalent of 1 can of biscuits. I would suggest doubling the recipe. You will want your bundt pan about ⅔ to ¾ full. If you have extra of the homemade biscuits, they can be baked on the side or even frozen and baked at a later date. I hope that helps.
Good recipe. I had a can of leftover biscuits so I decided to make half this recipe for my husband and I. I used a silicone loaf pan instead of a Bundt pan and it baked in 22 or 25 minutes. Came out great!
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Love to make and serve this recipe. This Monkey Bread is always a big hot
I don’t have a bundt pan. Can this be made in another kind of pan? If so, do I need to change the temperature or cook time?
You totally can Catherine, but it does cook faster in the bundt pan. If making in a normal pan you will probably need to increase the cooking time to make sure it is fully cooked.
Hi,
For using your buttermilk biscuits recipe as the basis for the monkey bread do I have to let the biscuits cool overnight or can they be used right away?
To make the recipe with buttermilk biscuits, you use them uncooked and can use them right away.
The buttermilk biscuits recipes makes 10 biscuits which is about the equivalent of 1 can of biscuits. I would suggest doubling the recipe. You will want your bundt pan about ⅔ to ¾ full. If you have extra of the homemade biscuits, they can be baked on the side or even frozen and baked at a later date. I hope that helps.
Can you use honey rolls or croissant dough?
Hi Natalie, we have only made this recipe as listed but any type of prepared biscuit dough should work for this recipe.
I’m all for monkey bread but I use frozen rolls and they have the yeast bread taste. So many recipes for monkey bread can be made the night before. Love your recipes.
Great tip Betty! Thanks for sharing.
Do you assemble or just get it ready to assemble then bake. I need it for a church breakfast in the morning
You are very welcome Rosa! We love this recipe too!
My mouth is watering! I love monkey bread, and yours is so gooey and sweet. I can’t wait to try your variations too!
Thanks Michelle! You will have to let us know how you enjoy the variations.
Simple and decadent are two of my favorite things!
Yes Juli!! We so agree!
This was so amazing!! Comfort food for me in this one. I have always loved Monkey Bread.
So glad you loved it Jessie! It is a delicious comfort food!
Monkey bread is one of my favorite treats!! I love that this recipe isn’t hard to make but it’s delicious!
It is so delicious Liz! Great choice in a favorite treat!!