My quick and easy monkey bread recipe is made in the microwave with canned biscuit dough, and it comes out perfectly every time! It only takes 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to whip together this gooey, cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread for a fun family snack. No one ever believes me when I say I made this dessert in my microwave!
Pull-Apart Monkey Bread Made with Biscuit Dough
Monkey bread is one of those desserts I absolutely loved growing up, and now my boys adore it too. The gooey cinnamon sugar bites of bread always put a smile on their faces, and they love pulling apart each piece one by one. The fact that I can whip up this simple monkey bread for a sweet afternoon snack using a can of biscuits from the fridge and my microwave is the best part of all. It’s so much easier than turning in my oven, and it comes out just right without fail.
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Microwave Monkey Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 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.
Microwave Baking Tips
- Rotate for even cooking. If your microwave doesn’t have a rotating plate or tends to cook unevenly, be sure to rotate the pie pan halfway through the cooking time. This ensures the bread cooks through evenly, without leaving under-cooked or dry spots.
- Check early to see if it’s done. 5-6 minutes is the sweet spot for microwave monkey bread. But I recommend checking on it a little early (around 4:30). Once it starts rising just a little bit, it’s done!
- Let it rest. Due to residual heat, the bread will continue to cook slightly after you turn off the microwave. So give it a couple of minutes to rest before removing it!
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.
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