Easy Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
Easy Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread recipe is a sweet, gooey, buttery treat made with canned cinnamon roll dough and covered in a caramel and sugar glaze. This family favorite recipe is perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a special holiday!
This Easy Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread is an absolute over-the-top showstopper that is fantastic for breakfast or dessert. It tastes just as amazing as it looks with each bite rolled in cinnamon sugar, covered with buttery brown sugar caramel sauce, then drizzled with sweet icing. And it’s super easy to bake since it’s made with canned cinnamon rolls.
This is a hit every single time I serve it for family or guests. Family and friends requested this recipe more times than I can count. Trust me, no one will leave the table without a full belly and a smile on their face. Such a crowd favorite with pull-apart bread for everyone to dig in. It’s the perfect dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any special occasion or holiday.
Only 5 ingredients needed
Cinnamon rolls– canned cinnamon rolls make this recipe so easy! Any brand will work as long as it’s an 8 count and around 12.4 ounces.
Brown and white sugar– this combination gives it that deliciously sweet taste! The brown sugar melts with butter to form a sticky caramel that covers the entire dessert. Then the white sugar gives it a little sweet crisp when you bite into it.
Butter– this helps make the caramel sauce and melts all over the cinnamon roll pieces to make the most amazing flavor! I prefer to use salted butter but unsalted would work just as well. This is up to preference.
Cinnamon– this enhances the cinnamon roll taste.
How to make it
To summarize, all you have to do is:
Cut- the cinnamon roll dough into quarters. I found this easiest to do by using a pizza cutter but a knife will work too.
Mix– cinnamon and white granulated sugar together in a small bowl.
Roll– the dough in your fingers to make them into a ball and then roll the ball into the white granulated sugar and cinnamon mixture to completely coat all sides.
Place– place half the dough into a very well-greased bundt pan. Repeat- really grease that bundt pan. This will help it not to stick to the pan when the sugar and butter turn into a caramel sauce.
Melt– butter and then stir in brown sugar together. Do not worry if it does not fully combine together. It will combine and spread when it is baking.
Pour– half the butter/sugar mix over the dough.
Add– the rest of the sugar-coated dough to the pan.
Pour– the remaining butter/sugar mixture over the top.
Sprinkle– any remaining cinnamon sugar over the top of the dough.
Bake– for 40 minutes or until the dough is fully cooked through and then remove it from the oven.
Cool- the monkey bread in the pan for about 10 minutes.
Flip– over onto your serving plate. I recommend having help with this since the pan is extremely hot. I’ll usually put a plate on top of the pan, flip it over so the plate is now on the table with the pan on top, and then very carefully remove the pan from the plate. If greased well, the monkey bread should stay together and slide out of the pan. Do not worry though if a few pieces stick to the pan. Just remove them and put them back on the monkey bread. It should stick easily since it will be covered in the caramel glaze.
Warm– the icing that came with the canned cinnamon rolls. It usually only takes a few seconds in the microwave. You’ll want the icing to be thick but still able to pour. This will give it that nice white glazed look. Use as much of the icing as you desire. Typically I use 2 of the 3 containers of icing and save the last one for leftovers… if there are any.
Store– in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Frequently asked questions
You will know when it is finished cooking when the bread is puffy, the outside is firm, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a piece of bread comes out clean. A thermometer inserted into the center of the monkey bread should read 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
To achieve the typical look of monkey bread, a bundt pan is best. However, two- 8×8″ square pans could be substituted in a pinch.
Yes, this recipe can be for up to 3 months if the cream cheese icing has not been drizzled on the top. Tightly wrap the bread in cling wrap and place in an air-tight container or freezer bag. When ready to eat, allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Warm in the oven or microwave and then drizzle the icing over the top.
More delicious breakfast recipes
- Cinnamon French Toast Sticks- Texas Toast-sized pieces of bread dipped in an egg mixture, deep-fried, then rolled around in cinnamon-sugar goodness.
- 3 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Cookies– so simple to make with only bananas, oats, and sweet chocolate chips.
- Cinnamon Sugar Crescent Rolls– flaky crescent rolls filled with butter and cinnamon sugar that is rolled up into every bite.
Easy Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
Ingredients
- 3- 12.4 ounce cans cinnamon rolls
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using cooking spray or butter, thoroughly grease a bundt pan.
- Open the 3 cans of cinnamon rolls. Set the icing aside. Cut each cinnamon roll into 4 pieces.
- In a small bowl, mix white sugar and cinnamon. Roll and coat the cinnamon roll pieces in the mixture. Place half of the cinnamon roll pieces in an even layer in the bundt pan.
- In another small bowl, mix melted butter and brown sugar. Pour half the mixture over the top of cinnamon rolls in the bundt pan. This will not spread out quite evenly over each piece and that's ok, it will melt together.
- Add the rest of the cinnamon roll pieces in an even layer to the bundt pan. Pour the remaining butter/brown sugar mixture over the top. Add any remaining white sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly over the top.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the monkey bread is cooked through. The outside will be firm and have a caramel glaze and the inside should be around 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes (but not any longer to prevent it from sticking to the pan). Carefully flip the monkey bread onto a serving plate. If any pieces remained in the pan, add them to the monkey bread. The caramel glaze will help it remain in place.
- Warm the icing in the microwave for around 10-12 seconds until it has softened slightly and drizzle over top of the monkey bread. Enjoy warm!
Notes
- Grease the bundt pan really well with butter or cooking spray. This will help prevent the caramel glaze from sticking to the sides and will help the monkey bread release from the pan without problems
- Use the regular size cinnamon rolls in the can and not the ones titled “Grands” to be sure the monkey bread is the right size.
- The brown sugar/butter mixture will spread well when baked. Do not worry if it is a little unevenly spread on the cinnamon rolls before baking.
This looks like an extra cinnamon version of our christmas breakfast dish and sounds amazing! Thanks for the great recipe and tips on how to make it simple for us!
this looks super easy and delicious! I will pass this on to my neighbour too that absolutely loves this type of bread 🙂
Ohhhhhh my goodness. Now I have to make this for our family Christmas brunch! My mom used to make cinnamon rolls for Christmas and I never quite got the recipe right after she passed away. This seems like it would hit the spot and be a lot easier.
Guess I need to go buy a bundt pan.
This looks so good and simple! Will have to give it a try!
Will 2 cans of 12.4 oz cinnamon rolls work? I’m using a fluted kinda Bundt like 12 cup pan? Also I’m going to add in ½ cup or so of kraft carmel bites👅 i think the size of them should melt in perfectly. . .? Whats your thought/input pls.
Yes, I think you could use fewer cinnamon rolls but the monkey bread would be much shorter in size. If you do this, I recommend reducing the serving size so you would use less of all the ingredients to compensate. Hope it turns out well!
Hi there! Excited to try this recipe! I have never made or eaten monkey bread before. Your picture that shows all your ingredients shows a stick and a half of butter. But your recipe calls for just one stick – a half cup. Just wondering what do I do with the extra butter.
The half stick of butter is what I used to grease the pan but I agree, that is confusing! I’ll edit that picture. Hope you enjoy!