Effortless Gooey Monkey Bread With Canned Biscuits

Craving that pull-apart, sticky-sweet, cinnamon-sugar bliss but terrified of complicated baking projects? You know the feeling. You see a picture of perfectly gooey monkey bread and imagine it filling your kitchen with the warm scent of caramel and cinnamon, only to be stopped short by recipes calling for yeast, proofing times, and hours of effort. You just want a delicious, crowd-pleasing treat for a holiday morning or a lazy weekend brunch without the fuss.

This is the go-to recipe in our family for those very moments, perfected over years to guarantee maximum gooeyness with minimum effort. This easy monkey bread recipe uses the ultimate shortcut—canned biscuits—to deliver a foolproof, decadent, and utterly irresistible treat.

This easy monkey bread recipe uses canned biscuits for a foolproof shortcut. Simply cut the biscuits, coat them in a warm cinnamon-sugar mix, arrange them in a Bundt pan, and drench them in a simple 5-ingredient brown sugar caramel sauce before baking to golden, gooey perfection.

Craving an Irresistibly Gooey Treat That’s Shockingly Easy?

This is the go-to recipe in our family for holidays and lazy weekends, perfected over years to guarantee maximum gooeyness with minimum effort. We’re talking about a warm, pull-apart bread, dripping with buttery caramel and loaded with cinnamon spice, that comes together with just a handful of simple ingredients. Forget the yeast and the long proofing times; the secret here is refrigerated canned biscuits. This shortcut makes the entire process incredibly simple, fast, and completely foolproof. It’s the perfect “I’m not a baker” recipe that makes you look like a pastry pro. Whether you need a showstopper for a holiday breakfast, a fun treat for the kids, or a cozy dessert, this is your answer.

What Exactly is Monkey Bread?

Monkey bread is a sweet, sticky pull-apart pastry made from pieces of dough coated in cinnamon sugar and baked together with a rich caramel sauce. It’s named for the fun way it’s eaten—by pulling off individual, gooey pieces with your fingers, much like a monkey would. It also goes by other names like bubble bread, jumble bread, or sticky bread, but no matter what you call it, it’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Recipe (Updated for 2025)

This recipe is a keeper for so many reasons, but here’s why it will become your new favorite:

• Shockingly Simple: Thanks to canned biscuits, you skip all the hard parts of working with dough. It’s a true shortcut to deliciousness.
• 5-Ingredient Wonder: At its core, you only need five basic ingredients you might already have: biscuits, cinnamon, sugar, butter, and brown sugar.
• Completely Foolproof: I’ve worked out all the kinks. Follow these steps, and you’re guaranteed a perfect, gooey result every single time.
• A Crowd-Pleasing Favorite: Seriously, who can resist warm, cinnamony, caramel-coated bread? It disappears in minutes at any family gathering, holiday brunch, or party.

7 Simple Steps to The Best Gooey Monkey Bread

Ready to create the most amazing monkey bread of your life? I’m going to walk you through every single step with detailed instructions and pro-tips I’ve learned along the way. We’ll use high-quality photos to guide you through each stage, ensuring your final product is a showstopper. This is the definitive, tested method for making perfect monkey bread with canned biscuits.

1. Prep Your Oven & Pan

Proper preparation of your oven and pan is the essential first step to prevent sticking and ensure even baking. This simple setup takes only a minute but makes all the difference for a clean release later.

• Materials Needed:
  • Bundt pan or fluted tube pan
  • Non-stick cooking spray or softened butter
  • Baking sheet
• Step-by-Step Directions:
  1. Position a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Take your non-stick cooking spray or softened butter and generously grease the inside of your Bundt pan. Make sure you get into every single nook and cranny. This is the most important step for a beautiful monkey bread that doesn’t stick.
  3. Place the prepared Bundt pan onto a larger baking sheet. This will catch any caramel that might bubble over, saving you from a smoky oven.

Pro Tip: Don’t skip the baking sheet underneath! It has saved me from cleaning a smoky, burnt-sugar oven mess more times than I can count. It makes cleanup a breeze.

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2. Cut & Coat The Biscuit Pieces

The easiest and cleanest way to coat the biscuit pieces is by using a large zip-top plastic bag. This method ensures every piece is evenly covered in cinnamon sugar with minimal mess.

• Materials Needed:
  • 2-3 cans of refrigerated biscuits (16 oz each, non-flaky recommended)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2-3 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Large zip-top plastic bag or a large bowl
• Step-by-Step Directions:
  1. In the large zip-top bag, combine the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. Seal the bag and shake it well until the two are completely mixed.
  2. Open the cans of biscuits. Using kitchen shears or a knife, cut each individual biscuit into four equal quarters.
  3. Add the biscuit quarters to the bag with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. It’s best to work in batches if you’re using three cans to avoid the dough clumping together.
  4. Seal the bag, leaving some air inside, and shake it vigorously. Tumble the pieces around until every single one is generously and evenly coated.

Lesson Learned: Using a zip-top bag is a game-changer for mess-free coating and is a fantastic step for getting kids involved in the kitchen! They love the shaking part.

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3. Arrange the Biscuits in the Pan

To achieve a perfect pull-apart texture, you need to arrange the coated biscuit pieces evenly in the pan without packing them down. This allows the caramel sauce to seep into all the spaces and for the dough to expand and bake through properly.

• Materials Needed:
  • Your prepared Bundt pan
  • All your coated biscuit pieces
  • Optional: 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• Step-by-Step Directions:
  1. Begin transferring the cinnamon-sugar coated biscuit pieces from the bag into your greased Bundt pan.
  2. Distribute them in an even layer around the pan. Don’t press them down or pack them in too tightly; a loose arrangement is best.
  3. If you’re using nuts, sprinkle them in between the layers of biscuit pieces as you fill the pan for a delightful crunch in every bite.

Pro Tip: For an extra layer of flavor, toast your pecans for 5-7 minutes in the preheating oven before adding them to the pan. It makes a huge difference and deepens their nutty taste!

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4. Create the Dreamy Caramel Sauce

The key to a perfect caramel sauce is to melt butter and brown sugar together, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture just begins to bubble. This quick, two-ingredient sauce is what makes the monkey bread so gooey and decadent.

• Ingredients:
  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark works)
• Instructions:
  1. In a small saucepan, melt the two sticks of butter over medium heat.
  2. Once the butter is fully melted, add the packed brown sugar.
  3. Stir the mixture constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon. Your goal is to help the sugar dissolve completely into the butter.
  4. Continue stirring until the mixture becomes smooth and starts to come to a gentle boil. As soon as you see those bubbles, remove it from the heat immediately.

Pro Tip: The key to a smooth, non-gritty sauce is to stir constantly and remove it from the heat the moment it boils. Don’t walk away from the stove during this step, as it can go from perfect to burnt very quickly!

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5. Pour the Sauce & Bake to Perfection

To bake your monkey bread, pour the hot caramel sauce evenly over the biscuits and bake at 350°F for 30-45 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center reveals cooked dough.

• Materials Needed:
  • Your filled Bundt pan
  • The hot caramel sauce
• Step-by-Step Directions:
  1. Immediately after removing it from the heat, carefully and slowly pour the hot caramel sauce over the biscuit pieces in the Bundt pan. Try to distribute it as evenly as possible, letting it seep down into all the cracks and crevices.
  2. Place the Bundt pan (which should be on its baking sheet) into the preheated 350°F oven.
  3. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. The top will become a beautiful deep golden brown, and the center should be fully cooked. You can test for doneness by gently pulling a center piece apart to ensure it’s no longer doughy.

Lesson Learned: If you notice the top is getting too dark before the center is cooked through, you can loosely tent a piece of aluminum foil over the pan for the last 10-15 minutes of baking. This prevents burning while the inside finishes cooking.

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6. The All-Important Cool & Invert

The secret to getting monkey bread out of the pan perfectly is to let it cool in the pan for 5-15 minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate. This brief cooling period allows the caramel to set slightly but not harden, ensuring a clean release.

• Materials Needed:
  • The hot monkey bread in its Bundt pan
  • A large serving plate or platter
  • Sturdy oven mitts
• Step-by-Step Directions:
  1. Using your oven mitts, carefully remove the hot Bundt pan from the oven and place it on a wire cooling rack.
  2. Let it cool in the pan for 5 to 15 minutes. This is the most crucial step. If you flip it too soon, it will be too molten and may fall apart. If you wait too long, the caramel will harden like cement and stick to the pan.
  3. Place your large serving plate upside down over the top of the Bundt pan.
  4. Firmly grasp both the edges of the pan and the plate with your oven-mitted hands. In one confident and swift motion, flip them over together.
  5. Set the plate down and gently lift the Bundt pan away. It should slide right off, revealing the glorious monkey bread. If a few pieces stick, you can easily coax them out with a spoon and place them back on top.

@sarahkraffty

The best monkey bread! RECIPE: Grease a bundt pan. Take 2.5 cans of grands biscuits and cut into 1/4ths. Get a zip lock bag and fill it with 1 cup of sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Mix. Add in biscuits and shake. Add biskits to bundt pan. Next get a skillet and add 2 sticks of butter, 1/2 cup of cinnamon sugar mixture from the bag, and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Pour over biskits and bake at 350 for 45 mins. After flip pan over and tap a few times! #e#easyreciper#recipef#fypシf#foryourpageb#breakfastideasb#breakfastd#dessertsd#dessertse#easydessertf#fypシ゚viralb#bakingtiktokb#bakingrecipec#cakesb#biscuit

♬ original sound – Sarah Kraffty

Pro Tip: In my experience, the absolute sweet spot for cooling is exactly 10 minutes. Set a timer! This gives the caramel just enough time to set up for structure but remain gooey enough to release perfectly.

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7. Serve Warm & Enjoy the Gooey Goodness

The absolute best way to serve monkey bread is to present it warm, allowing everyone to pull off pieces with their fingers. Serving it while the caramel is still soft and gooey provides the ultimate tasting experience.

• Serving Suggestion:
  1. Monkey bread is at its peak when served warm, while the caramel sauce is still soft, gooey, and dripping.
  2. Place it in the center of the table and encourage everyone to gather around and pull off pieces with their fingers. That’s part of the fun!
  3. For an extra touch of decadence, whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of milk or cream to create a simple vanilla glaze. Drizzle this over the top of the warm monkey bread just before you serve it.

Pro Tip: A simple vanilla glaze not only adds a beautiful visual contrast but also introduces an extra pop of sweetness that elevates this from a breakfast treat to a full-blown dessert.

Make this showstopper recipe and watch it disappear!

Key Takeaways: Your Quick Guide to Perfect Monkey Bread

In a hurry? Here are the most critical tips to remember for foolproof, gooey monkey bread every time.

• Use the Right Biscuits: For the best bread-like texture, choose a non-flaky refrigerated biscuit, like Pillsbury Grands!™ Homestyle.
• Grease Generously: Do not skimp on greasing the Bundt pan. Every crevice needs to be coated to guarantee a clean, easy release.
• Don’t Overbake: Keep an eye on it. If the top is browning too quickly, tent it loosely with foil to prevent the outside from getting dry while the inside finishes baking.
• Cool for 10 Minutes: The magic number for cooling is between 5 and 15 minutes. From my experience, 10 minutes is the perfect sweet spot before inverting.
• Serve Warm: Monkey bread is at its absolute best when it’s served warm and gooey, fresh from the oven.

People Also Ask About Easy Monkey Bread

Which biscuits are best for monkey bread?

The best biscuits for monkey bread are refrigerated canned biscuits that are not the “flaky layers” type. Brands like Pillsbury™ Grands!™ Homestyle or Buttermilk biscuits are ideal because they bake up with a more bread-like, uniform texture that holds the caramel sauce perfectly. Flaky layers can sometimes separate too much during the process.

Can I prepare monkey bread the night before?

Yes! You can assemble the entire monkey bread in the greased Bundt pan the night before. This is a fantastic time-saver for holiday mornings. Just cover it tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. In the morning, let it sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes while the oven preheats, then bake as directed. You may need to add 5-10 minutes to the total baking time since it’s starting from cold.

How do I make my monkey bread extra gooey and sticky?

For extra gooey monkey bread, you can slightly increase the sauce ingredients (e.g., use 1.25 cups of butter and 3/4 cup of brown sugar). When you pour the sauce over the biscuits, you can use a knife to gently nudge some of the pieces apart, allowing the sauce to seep all the way to the bottom of the pan. Serving it very warm is also key to maximizing that gooey, sticky texture.

Final Thoughts

There’s a special kind of magic in a recipe that is both incredibly easy to make and universally loved. This monkey bread is exactly that—a simple, forgiving recipe that brings people together. The aroma alone is enough to create a sense of occasion, and the act of everyone pulling off their own sticky, sweet piece is a joy in itself. It’s more than just a breakfast or dessert; it’s a centerpiece for creating warm memories.

What occasion will you be making this gooey monkey bread for? Let me know in the comments below