It took a little trial and error to get the proportions just right on this Monkey Bread with Biscuits. The result? Soft, pull-apart biscuit pieces coated in a sticky buttery caramel sauce. As a mom of 5, I wanted to make sure there were prep-ahead instructions to keep your morning as easy as possible! Just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes of hands-on time, and you can have this crowd pleaser ready to pop in the oven.
Do you prefer your monkey bread with yeasted dough or biscuits? After years of making our Rhodes Roll Monkey Bread, we decided to swap out the rolls for biscuits for a version that doesn't require thawing but is just as full to pull apart.
This extra quick version of monkey bread is great for Christmas morning or any weekend throughout the year, but it's also a favorite in our Thanksgiving Recipes collection.
Recipe Notes from Danielle & Misty
While this is a simple recipe, it took several tries to get it to the correct ratio of sauce to biscuits.
- Simplified: Most biscuit monkey bread recipes have you toss the biscuit pieces in a separate cinnamon-sugar mixture. We tried it, but honestly, found it more annoying than helpful! Pouring the sauce right over the biscuits is much simpler.
- More flavor: Plain cinnamon sugar felt a little one-note. We wanted something richer, with that buttery, caramelly flavor that makes you want to pull off just one more piece. So we went with the classic pudding mix combined with cream.
- Heavy cream: It gives the sauce a creamy richness, but getting the amount right took some testing. Too little wouldn't give us the consistency we wanted; the right amount helped create that smooth, rich sauce
Ingredients for monkey bread with biscuits
A full list and ingredient quantities are in the recipe card below, but here are a few noteworthy tips:
- Canned biscuits: Two of the 8 count Pillsbury Grands biscuits provide enough heft ot the biscuit layer. The smaller 8 count biscuits do not work the same.
- Butterscotch pudding mix: It is very important to get the cook and serve version and not the instant pudding. This is essential for a smooth sauce.
- Brown sugar: Instead of plain granulated sugar, we upped the flavor profile by using brown sugar. Either light or dark brown sugar will work.
- Cinnamon: Makes for the classic monkey bread flavor.
- Heavy cream: We found melted butter produced a grainy sauce, but heavy cream produced the best caramelly monkey bread.
- Walnuts (Optional): I love mine full of walnuts but feel free to leave out or use less.
Helpful kitchen tools
How to make monkey bread with biscuits
Preheat the oven to 350º F and prepare a 12-cup Bundt pan by spraying generously with nonstick baking spray.
Mix together the pudding mix, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and heavy cream in a small bowl.
Add chopped walnuts evenly (if using) across the bottom of the pan.
Pour ¼ a cup of the butterscotch and brown sugar mixture over the nuts.
Layer in half of the canned biscuit dough pieces. Make sure they are all touching each other.
Take half of the remaining caramel sauce mixture and pour it over the pieces of dough.
Evenly distribute the rest of the biscuits.
Finish with the remaining sauce making sure each biscuit is covered with sauce.
Place in the oven for a bake time of 30-40 minutes.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack or serving plate. I like to eat this warm, but it is also delicious at room temperature.
How to tell when monkey bread is finished baking?
I find that the best way to know when it's done baking is to go by visual cues. The top should be quite golden brown and looking baked. Gently pull back a middle piece and look down in where it connects to the other pieces. It is done if the small pieces inside are moist but not raw. If any part is still looking raw it will need a while longer.
What to serve with ...
Prep Ahead Instructions
Being able to prep ahead means less time in the kitchen in the morning which makes this recipe perfect for Christmas morning! The entire homemade monkey bread recipe can be prepped until the point of baking. For full instructions see the recipe card.
Be sure all edges of the store-bought biscuit dough are covered to ensure they don't dry out. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours in advance.
When it is time to bake, pull it out and leave on the counter for 30 minutes. In the meantime preheat the oven. Uncover and bake as instructed. The cooking time might need to be increased by a few minutes depending on how cold it is going into the oven.
Tips & Tricks
- Prepare the pan really well by spraying it thoroughly with nonstick baking spray.
- Cover every biscuit piece in the second layer with the sauce. This will help the pieces brown evenly and stay moist.
- Only let it sit in the pan for 5 minutes before flipping it over. If it cools too long it will get stuck in the pan.
- Occasionally bits of the topping stay in the pan once it is flipped over. Don't worry about it! Just scoop it out and spread it from where it was missing. Chances are you will not be able to tell. It all just blends in.
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Recipe
Monkey Bread with Biscuits
Equipment
Ingredients
- baking spray
- 2 tubes 8 count Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (16.3 ounces) cut into quarters
- ½ - 1 cup chopped walnuts optional
- 1 box 3.5 ounce cook & serve butterscotch pudding do not use instant
- ½ cup brown sugar light or dark
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.baking spray
- Mix pudding mix, brown sugar, heavy cream, and cinnamon together.1 box 3.5 ounce cook & serve butterscotch pudding, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup heavy cream, 1 tsp cinnamon
- Add chopped walnuts evenly across bottom of the Bundt pan. Pour ¼ cup of sauce evenly over walnut layer.½ - 1 cup chopped walnuts
- Add half the biscuits making sure they all fit even if it is a little scrunched. Pour over ½ of the remaining liquid mixture.2 tubes 8 count Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (16.3 ounces)
- Repeat with remaining biscuits and sauce mixture. Be sure to cover every biscuit with sauce to ensure that they don't dry out while baking.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until cooked through. See tips below for testing doneness.
- Let cool for 5 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack or serving plate.
Notes
-
- Prepare the pan really well by spraying it thoroughly with nonstick baking spray.
-
- Cover every biscuit piece in the second layer with the sauce. This will help the pieces brown evenly and stay moist.
-
- Only let it sit in the pan for 5 minutes before flipping it over. If it cools too long it will get stuck in the pan.
-
- Occasionally bits of the topping stay in the pan once it is flipped over. Don't worry about it! Just scoop it out and spread it from where it was missing. Chances are you will not be able to tell. It all just blends in.
- Prepare through step 5. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Pull out of the refrigerator as the oven is preheating. Uncover and bake as instructed. The cooking time might need to be increased by a few minutes depending on how cold it was going into the oven.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
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