There’s something truly magical about waking up to the smell of warm cinnamon and gooey brown sugar baking in the oven. This monkey bread is one of those recipes that can turn a regular morning into something memorable. It’s packed with sticky, pull-apart goodness, made with buttery biscuit pieces coated in cinnamon and sugar. It’s not fancy or complicated—but it is comfort food at its absolute best. Perfect for slow weekend brunches with tater tot breakfast casserole and a spicy cowgirl coffee, cozy holiday mornings paired with a cranberry mimosa, or anytime you want to impress people without stressing yourself out.
And honestly, the best thing about this monkey bread? It’s easy. Really easy. Hard to mess up. Almost impossible to fail. You’ve got this. The smell alone is irresistible, but the taste is even better. You can pull pieces off with your hands… or, if you’re feeling fancy, you can use utensils. I usually don’t. Just be warned—this sweet treat disappears fast. Once people start pulling it apart, there’s no stopping them.
What Is Monkey Bread?
Monkey bread is a sweet, sticky, pull-apart bread made from bite-sized pieces of dough coated in cinnamon and sugar, baked in a Bundt pan with a buttery brown sugar sauce, and served warm for sharing. Its name comes from the way you pull off pieces with your fingers, like a monkey would. Originating in Hungary, it’s a popular treat for breakfast, brunch, or holidays, often made with biscuit dough or yeast dough and variations like nuts or chocolate chips.
Key characteristics
- Texture: Soft, fluffy, and wonderfully gooey.
- Flavor: Sweet, buttery, and rich with cinnamon spice, much like cinnamon rolls.
- Preparation: Small pieces of dough are coated in cinnamon sugar, layered in a Bundt pan, and baked in a thick, caramel-style sauce.
- Serving: Flipped onto a plate and pulled apart by hand for easy sharing.
Common variations
- Dough: Can be made from scratch using yeast or prepared quickly with store-bought biscuit dough.
- Add-ins: Popular additions include pecans, walnuts, or chocolate chips.
- Savory: A savory version can also be made using herbs and cheese instead of sugar and cinnamon.
Why is it called monkey bread?
Monkey bread gets its name from how it’s eaten. Instead of slicing it, people pull it apart piece by piece and pop it right into their mouths—kind of like monkeys do. Who came up with that name, I have no idea. What I do know is that you need to make this as soon as possible.
What kind of pan do you bake monkey bread in?
I bake mine in a Bundt pan, but a tube pan works just as well. You can even use a muffin tin if you want to make individual monkey bread muffins.
Do you need to grease the pan for monkey bread?
You can grease the pan if you want, but I usually don’t. The glaze uses two full sticks of butter, which does a pretty good job of preventing sticking on its own. That said, a quick spray of baking spray won’t hurt if you want extra peace of mind.
How do you serve monkey bread?
Turn the bread out onto a serving plate or platter and let everyone pull off pieces. Monkey bread tastes best when it’s warm and the caramel sauce is still sticky and gooey. Serve it with a hot cup of coffee or a big glass of milk—it’s the perfect combo.
How do you reheat monkey bread?
For smaller portions, microwave for about 30 seconds. If you’re reheating a larger amount, place the bread on a baking sheet, cover it with foil, and warm it in a 300°F oven until heated through.
Can you use spices other than cinnamon?
Cinnamon is the classic flavor for sweet monkey bread, but you can also use pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice. Both give that warm, cozy spice flavor that works beautifully in this recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 cans buttermilk biscuits (non-flaky)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 to 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Open all three cans of biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters.
- Combine the white sugar and 2 to 3 teaspoons of cinnamon. (Use 3 teaspoons for a strong cinnamon flavor, or 2 teaspoons if you prefer it lighter.) Pour this mixture into a 1-gallon zip-top bag and shake to combine.
- Add all the biscuit quarters to the bag. Seal it and shake really well to separate the pieces and coat them evenly with cinnamon sugar. Spread the coated biscuit pieces evenly into a Bundt pan.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and brown sugar together. Stir for a few minutes until fully combined and smooth. Once the mixture becomes one even color, pour it evenly over the biscuits.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and, if you can resist, let it cool for 15 to 30 minutes before turning it out onto a plate.
Hi, friends. It’s Jerry.
My buddy Jerry shared this sticky, delicious, and surprisingly simple monkey bread recipe with us.
—PW
I got this recipe from my mother-in-law Tracy, right after I recovered from the first time I ate this strange, pull-apart, breakfast-lunch-or-dinner bread creation. Here’s what you’ll need:
From left to right:
- Brown Sugar – 1/2 cup
- Butter – 2 sticks (1 cup)
- Bundt Cake Pan (use any fun shape you like)
- Cinnamon – 2 to 3 teaspoons
- 3 cans of buttermilk biscuits (non-flaky)
- Sugar – 1 cup
Before you do anything else, preheat your oven to 350°F. You’ll need it shortly.
BWOP! That’s the sound of a biscuit can popping open. Didn’t know I did sound effects, did you? Open all three cans and cut each biscuit into quarters.
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a large zip-top bag. Add all the biscuit pieces—even if they’re sticking together at first. Seal the bag and shake hard until everything is well coated. Some extra sugar in the bag is totally fine.
Go ahead. Eat one piece. I won’t judge.
Spread the biscuit pieces evenly in your Bundt pan. You can grease it, but the butter coming next usually handles that just fine.
Melt the butter and brown sugar together over medium-high heat, stirring until smooth. You could use the microwave, but doing it on the stove feels cooler. Pour the hot mixture over the biscuits—careful, it’s very hot.
At first, it might look like too much sauce. It’s not.
And no, this is definitely not low-calorie food.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is deep brown. Let it cool for 15–30 minutes, then flip it onto a plate. If it doesn’t slide out right away, give the pan a few gentle taps. It’ll come out.
Pull off pieces by hand…
Or use utensils if you must.
I’m still not totally sure why it’s called monkey bread, but people do tend to gather around it, make excited noises, and keep picking at it nonstop. One bite and you’ll understand exactly what I mean.
Love Wins,
Jerry