Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread (Easy Pull-Apart)

Name: Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: ½ cup granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 35 ounces cans Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls (icing reserved); ½ cup unsalted butter; ¾ cup packed brown sugar

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I make cinnamon roll monkey bread any time I want something warm and gooey for breakfast. It is a pan of soft, pull-apart pieces coated in cinnamon sugar and baked in a brown sugar glaze. Every piece comes off warm and sticky, and I drizzle the icing from the rolls right over the top.

Glazed cinnamon roll monkey bread with a crisp, caramelized cinnamon coating.

This one comes out right every time because of how you layer it. Most monkey bread turns out doughy in the center, and loose layering is the fix. When the pieces have room to puff as they bake, the middle cooks all the way through and you still get those soft pockets that make it fun to pull apart. That, plus serving it warm with the icing, is what makes it worth making.

I use canned cinnamon rolls so there is no homemade dough to deal with. I put the whole thing together while the oven preheats, and it bakes into a gooey pull-apart in under an hour. If you want the classic version instead, my easy monkey bread uses canned biscuits, and my apple pie cinnamon roll bake is another shortcut that leans on canned cinnamon rolls.

Kid-Approved

The Breakfast My Kids Always Wanted to Help Make

This was one of the first recipes my kids could really help with. Cutting the rolls, tossing the pieces in cinnamon sugar, dropping them in the pan, it was all easy for little hands. By the time everyone was up, the whole house smelled like fresh cinnamon rolls, and there was rarely a piece left by the time the coffee was poured.

Here’s Where Most Go Wrong

Do not pack the pieces in tight. It feels like cramming in more is better, but the dough needs room to puff up as it bakes.

When the pieces are crammed together, the outside gets too dark while the center stays doughy. Drop them into the pan loosely and let them settle where they land. They spread and bake into each other as they rise, so a little space between them at the start is exactly what you want.

That one change is the difference between a gummy middle and a monkey bread that pulls apart soft all the way through.

What Goes In It

Canned cinnamon rolls: These are the whole shortcut. The rolls come already layered and filled with cinnamon, so once you cut and coat them they bake up soft and pull-apart. I use Pillsbury Grands. If you grab a smaller brand, check the weight on the can, because you may need an extra tube to fill the pan. Set the icing packets aside for the end.
Cinnamon and granulated sugar: This is the coating every piece gets tossed in before it goes in the pan. It is on top of the cinnamon already inside the rolls, so every pull tastes cinnamon-forward, not only the middle.
Butter and brown sugar: Melted together and poured over the top, this is the glaze. It seeps down into all the gaps, gives you those caramelized edges, and helps the whole thing hold together once it cools.

Hand pulling apart a warm, glazed piece of cinnamon roll monkey bread.

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread

Step 1: Prep the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a tube pan or Bundt pan really well, getting into every crevice.

Step 2: Mix the cinnamon sugar. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and cinnamon until combined.

Step 3: Cut and coat the rolls. Open both cans of cinnamon rolls and cut each roll into quarters. Toss the pieces in the cinnamon sugar until they are evenly coated. Cinnamon roll pieces coated in cinnamon sugar with a can of Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls nearby.

Step 4: Layer them loosely. Drop the coated pieces into the prepared pan, keeping them loose instead of packing them down. Cinnamon sugar coated cinnamon roll pieces arranged in a Bundt pan with melted butter and brown sugar nearby.

Step 5: Pour on the glaze. Stir the melted butter and brown sugar together until smooth, then pour it evenly over the pieces so it seeps down into the crevices. Bundt pan filled with cinnamon sugar coated cinnamon roll pieces topped with a buttery brown sugar mixture, ready to bake.

Step 6: Bake. Bake for 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center is cooked through and no longer doughy. If the top is browning fast, tent it loosely with foil. Freshly baked cinnamon roll monkey bread in a Bundt pan with a golden brown, caramelized cinnamon sugar coating.

Step 7: Cool, then flip. Let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert it onto a plate or cake stand. Flip it too soon and the hot caramel runs everywhere. Wait too long and the brown sugar hardens and grabs the pan, so watch that window. Freshly baked cinnamon roll monkey bread turned onto a plate with vanilla glaze ready for drizzling.

Step 8: Drizzle and serve. Warm the reserved icing in the microwave for a few seconds, then drizzle it over the top. Serve it warm. Vanilla glaze being drizzled over freshly baked cinnamon roll monkey bread.

A Few Things Worth Knowing

Grease every crevice of the pan. The brown sugar glaze sinks into the bottom and sets like caramel. If the pan is not well greased, the bread tears on release instead of dropping out clean.

Serve it on a rimmed plate. The glaze runs as it comes out of the pan. A plate or cake stand with a lip keeps it from ending up on the counter.

Add a little crunch if you like. Chopped walnuts or pecans sprinkled between the layers give it a nutty bite. A handful of raisins tucked in works too.

Pull-apart pieces of cinnamon roll monkey bread served on a white plate.

How to Store and Reheat

Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

To reheat, warm a portion in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, or heat the whole thing in a 300°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes to bring back that fresh-from-the-oven texture.

Cinnamon roll monkey bread with a soft, fluffy center and sweet glaze.

Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread FAQs

Do I have to use a Bundt pan?

A Bundt or tube pan is what I use, and the open center helps the middle bake evenly. If you only have a regular baking dish, the center takes longer and can stay doughy, so keep an eye on it and give it extra time.

Can I make it ahead?

It is best warm and fresh from the oven, so I make it the morning I want it. Leftovers do reheat well, so if you have extra, see the storage note above.

Why is my monkey bread doughy in the middle?

Almost always because the pieces were packed in too tight. Layer them loosely so they have room to puff and the center bakes all the way through.

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