Monkey bread is one of my favorite shareable desserts. This 5-ingredient microwave monkey bread with biscuit dough is quick, easy, and just as gooey as oven-baked! No one ever believes me when I say I made it in my microwave!
Microwavable Monkey Bread with Biscuit Dough
These days, it seems like every other recipe involves a slow cooker, air fryer, or Instant Pot – where did the love for the microwave go?! Hopefully, my easy monkey bread recipe will remind you how much you love your trusty microwave. I sure love mine!
I use just 5 simple ingredients–canned biscuits, white and brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon–to make this yummy microwave monkey bread recipe. I like to add in some chopped pecans when I have them, but it’s still delish without. I can’t believe how perfect this recipe turns out in my microwave, but it’s a great reminder that the microwave is way more versatile than we give it credit for!
Email this Recipe
Enter your email and we’ll send the recipe directly to you!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Easy Dessert Recipes.
Prevent Dry Spots and Maximize Gooeyness
Use room-temperature biscuits and cut them evenly into quarters for consistent cooking. Microwaves tend to heat unevenly, so uniform pieces ensure every bite is soft, gooey, and fully cooked without drying out. I also recommend gently pressing the cinnamon-sugar mixture onto the surface of each biscuit piece, rather than just tossing them, to ensure it clings and adds moisture to the dough as it cooks.
Microwave Monkey Bread Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Pie Pan
Ingredients
- 16 ounces flaky or buttermilk biscuits (1 can)
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (½ stick)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped pecans optional*
Instructions
- Lightly butter a microwave-safe pie pan with a ramekin in the center or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.16 ounces flaky or buttermilk biscuits
- Cut each biscuit into quarters.
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the brown sugar and the butter.⅔ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup unsalted butter
- Melt them in the microwave for about 45-60 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon.⅓ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Roll each piece of the biscuit in the sugar mixture, making sure it is completely covered. You may coat 2 or 3 pieces at a time.
- Place each dipped piece into the prepared pie pan. Surround the ramekin with the coated biscuits. Continue coating pieces until all of them are covered.
- Drizzle the melted butter mixture over the pieces of dough, trying to cover as much of the bread as possible.
- Sprinkle with chopped pecans, reserving 1 tablespoon of the pecans to top the bread before pulling them apart.½ cup chopped pecans
- Place the pie pan in the microwave and cook on high for 5-6 minutes. The bread will rise just a little bit while cooking. Remove from the microwave oven and allow the bread to cool for about two minutes.
- Before serving, place a plate over the pie pan and then flip it over onto the plate. Sprinkle the reserved pecans over the top of the bread and then use a large fork to spread the bites around the plate for easier serving.
Notes
- Cold biscuits can take longer to cook and may not absorb the sugar-butter mixture as evenly. Let them sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before cutting.
- After rolling in cinnamon sugar, gently press the sugar onto each piece to help it stick better and prevent sugar from pooling in the pan.
- Rotate the pie pan halfway through cooking if your microwave has uneven heating or doesn’t have a rotating plate. This ensures the monkey bread cooks evenly without dry spots.
- All microwaves are a little bit different. Start checking on your monkey bread at 4:30, especially if using flaky biscuits (they tend to cook faster). If you notice that the monkey bread has risen just a little bit, it’s most likely all done!
- Even if it’s finished at 5 minutes and you let it cook to 6, though, it should still be delicious. Just don’t allow it to cook for over 6 minutes, or you risk the monkey bread drying out.
- Let the bread cool for about 2 minutes before you flip it onto a pie plate! The plate will be very hot coming out of the microwave, so be careful not to burn your hands.
- Use a fork to gently pull apart pieces instead of trying to separate with your hands; it keeps the gooey interior intact.
- Air Fryer: Layer coated biscuit quarters in a greased bundt pan, drizzle with butter and brown sugar, and air fry at 320°F for 12-15 minutes, or until golden and gooey.
- Oven: Layer coated biscuit quarters in a greased bundt pan, drizzle with butter and brown sugar, and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes , or until golden and gooey.
How to Make Monkey Bread in the Microwave Step-by-Step
Prep: Let the biscuit dough come to room temperature for 5-10 minutes before beginning. Lightly butter a microwave-safe pie pan with a ramekin in the center or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside. Alternatively, if you have a microwave-safe bundt pan (usually made from silicone), you can use that!
Cut the Biscuits: Cut each biscuit from a 16-ounce can of flaky or buttermilk biscuits into quarters using a sharp knife. Aim for evenly sized pieces so they all cook through at the same rate.
Melt the Butter: In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine ⅔ cup of brown sugar and ¼ cup of unsalted butter. Melt them in the microwave for about 45-60 seconds. Remove from the microwave, stir together, and set aside.
Coat the Biscuits: In a medium bowl, whisk together ⅓ cup of granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Roll each quartered biscuit in the sugar mixture, making sure it is completely covered. You may coat 2 or 3 pieces at a time. I like to gently press the cinnamon-sugar into the surface of each biscuit piece to ensure it sticks well and coats evenly.
Place the Biscuits: Place each dipped piece into the prepared pie pan. Surround the ramekin with the coated biscuits. Continue coating pieces until all of them are covered.
Drizzle the Biscuits: Drizzle the melted butter and brown sugar mixture over the pieces of dough, trying to cover as much of the bread as possible. Sprinkle ½ cup of chopped pecans over top, reserving 1 tablespoon of the pecans to top the bread after cooking.
Microwave the Bread: Place the pie pan into your microwave and cook on high for 5-6 minutes. If your microwave doesn’t have a rotating plate, I recommend stopping halfway through and manually rotating the pan to ensure even cooking. Start checking for doneness at the 4:30 mark–the bread should rise just a little bit during cooking. Don’t cook for longer than 6 minutes, or it will dry out. Remove from the microwave oven and allow the bread to cool for about 2 minutes.
Invert and Serve: Before serving, place a plate over the pie pan and then flip it over onto the plate. Carefully unmold the bread from the pie pan, then remove the ramekin. Sprinkle the reserved tablespoon of pecans over the top of the bread, and then use a large fork to spread the bites around the plate for easier serving.
How to Store and Reheat
This microwave monkey bread is best served while it’s warm and fresh. While it will stay fresh for up to 3 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container, it will most likely dry out when reheated again in the microwave. If you do choose to reheat your monkey bread, consider making another brown sugar and butter mixture to drizzle on the bread. That will help it from drying out too much.
Leave a Reply