Easy to make Monkey Bread Muffins recipe made with refrigerated biscuits! You only need 5 ingredients to make this simple alternative to Monkey Bread with no bundt pan needed!
Monkey Bread Muffins Recipe
I was craving some sticky sweet Monkey Bread, but I didn’t have a bundt pan on hand so instead I made these Monkey Bread Muffins. This recipe is super easy to make, made with refrigerated biscuits and 4 other ingredients I know you have in your kitchen already.
Here’s a recipe video I made to show you easy these muffins are to make!
Facts about Monkey Bread
When I looked up the origin of the word “Monkey Bread”, Wikipedia told me: “The origin of the term “monkey bread” is uncertain.” Wow, that was helpful (not). So I did some deep searching and here are some facts I found:
- Monkey bread is also called monkey puzzle bread, sticky bread, African coffee cake, golden crown, pinch-me cake, pluck-it cake, bubbleloaf and monkey brains.
- It first appeared in cookbooks in the 1950s.
- It’s mostly popular in the United States.
Why do they call it Monkey Bread?
Ok what about the name? Most of my results were helpless, but here’s what I could put together on where the title “Monkey Bread” comes from.
There is an African tree called the Monkey Bread tree that has an exceedingly thick trunk and an edible pulp. Some people think that Monkey Bread is named after the tree as it slightly resembles it.
Alternatively, some people believe Monkey Bread gets its name from monkeys. When eating monkey bread, people usually tear it apart with their fingers, much like how monkeys eat.
What is monkey bread made of?
You only need 5 simple ingredients to make it: refrigerated biscuits, melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon. You probably already have these ingredients in your kitchen!
How to Make Monkey Bread Muffins
Spray your muffin pan with nonstick spray, bottoms and sides. Don’t skip this step as this will prevent the muffins from sticking when you slide them out. Now pour the butter and brown sugar mixture into each muffin cup.
Rip each biscuit into 6 pieces, you don’t have to be exact with sizes, just make them about even. I used Pillsbury biscuits, but any brand works.
Shake up white sugar and ground cinnamon in a plastic bag. Then put the ripped up biscuits inside and shake to coat evenly.
Fill each muffin cup up with about 8-10 pieces. Continue until all the muffin pieces are gone.
Into the oven it goes, and in about 14 minutes this magic will emerge. By the way, your kitchen is going to smell amazing!
Let sit for 1 minute before turning the pan upside down. Each muffin should easily slide out. These are best served warm so now go and eat them up! 🙂
Does monkey bread have to be refrigerated?
Although Monkey Bread is best served warm, you do not need to refrigerate the muffins. Instead, store the leftover muffins in an airtight container on your kitchen counter.
More Muffin Recipes You’ll Love:
Mini Blueberry Muffins
Mini Coffee Cake Muffins Recipe
Mini and Moist Banana Muffins
Fluffy Chocolate Chip Muffins
Sprinkle Birthday Cake Muffins
Easy Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Pin for later:
Monkey Bread Muffins
PrintIngredients
- 2 7.5 oz cans refrigerated biscuits
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a muffin sheet with nonstick spray, bottoms and sides.
- Mix melted butter and brown sugar together in small bowl, spoon 1 tablespoon into each muffin cup.
- Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Take each biscuit and rip it up into 6 pieces. Put the biscuit pieces in bag and shake to coat evenly.
- Place 8-10 pieces of biscuits into each muffin cup to evenly fill them up. If you have any sugar left in the bag, sprinkle on top of the muffins.
- Bake for 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for just 1 minute.
- Turn upside down, the muffins should fall right out. Serve warm, enjoy!
Video:
Check out my Monkey Bread Muffins Web Story!
Jill says
I Know this is an old post so not sure if you will see it…..I also have never made monkey bread cause I did not have the pan….made these today …wonderful…only problem i had is not all of them stayed together…
Pamela says
Hey Jill, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these today! Wish I could arrive at your house right now to steal one. 😉
Kyla Maeda says
I know it’s easier to buy the roll of dough already but can I make the dough from scratch and still use the same recipe?
Pamela says
I don’t see why that wouldn’t work Kyla. Let me know how they turn out!
Kyla Maeda says
They were a success!! Came out delicious and my whole family loves them!
Pamela says
Awesome, glad they were a hit!
JaiDee says
What a great idea! With cold & flu season here I would like to make these for a large group so folks can just grab one and go and keep their germs to themselves but I need to feed a large group of 15 to 20 people. Does this only make a pan of 12? And do you think they’d stick together if I don’t fill up each cup so full? Thanks in advance! These are going to be a hit!
Pamela says
What a nice and yummy gesture! Yes, this recipe makes 12 muffins. If you need 24 or 36 muffins, just multiple the recipe by 2 or 3. If you fill up each cup once they bake they will stick to each other. I don’t think this is a disaster though as you can easily just cut them apart when they come out of the oven, the only thing is they might not be as formed (“pretty”). Enjoy!
Vanessa says
Thanks for posting this! I had a large-group potluck and wanted to use mini-muffin tins instead, so I thought I’d share the modified recipe in case anyone else wanted to do so: I used 1.5x recipe (3 biscuit cans, etc), used 4 of the 24-muffin mini-muffin trays, cut each biscuit into 8 pieces, put ~1/2 teaspoon of butter/brown sugar mix into each mini-muffin form, put 2 sugar-cinnamon-coated biscuit pieces in each form, and baked them for 10-12 minutes. I let them cool and left everything in the muffin tins for easy transport. Once I got to the party, I stuck them back in the oven at 350F for 5-7 minutes to warm them up before dumping them out on a serving platter. Worked great, was a total hit at the party! The guys especially liked what they lovingly called “monkey balls.”
Pamela says
Thanks for sharing Vanessa, glad you and everyone else liked them! Boys.. I tell ya. 😉
Teenie says
Rarely do i IMMEDIATELY make a recipe i see on Pinterest. However, since I was aching for something sweet on this cold Saturday morning (plus it was that time of the month, lol) I made these. Imagine my surprise when they came out looking the same as yours! That’s always a good sign for me 😉 If hear about a woman in Georgia who cant stop eating monkey bread and blasting Aaliyah in her apartment…….that’s me!
Can’t wait to try another from your site.
Pamela says
Your comment made my Saturday morning Teenie! That sounds like the greatest breakfast (along with music!), enjoy! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and letting me know!
Sally HAUSER says
I think these sound wonderful but what about adding some toasted pecan pieces before putting the dough in ?
Pamela says
That sounds like a great addition Sally!
Gretchen @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
I seriously look forward to your posts. Thank you for making me laugh (your writing is fantastic!), thank you for an awesome new way to make monkey bread, thank you for the history lesson (I’d be lying if I said I had never wondered where the term ‘Monkey Bread’ came from!), and most importantly – thank you for the Aalyiah reference. That one took me way back! Good times! 🙂
Pamela says
Thanks Gretchen! Glad it made you smile. 🙂
Jocelyn @ BruCrew Life says
The picture of the monkey made me laugh out loud for real!! 🙂 And I could totally go for some of these monkey bread muffins!!
Pamela says
Enjoy Jocelyn!
Karly says
My kids would love a batch of these for breakfast! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Pamela says
Thanks for stopping by Karly!
Kelly says
Hehe, thanks for the history behind monkey bread. Looks amazing! I have yet to try making it but your post is so inspiring. Pinning for sure 🙂
Pamela says
Thanks Kelly, enjoy these muffins! They are addictive!
Kim Osburn says
Stopping by from the Weekend Potluck Party. Thank YOU I don’t have a Bundt pan either and I’ve been looking for a way to make Monkey Bread. I tried it in the Crock Pot. The kids ate it but it was really not so good. I will definitely give this a try. Thanks for sharing.
. Love <3 Kim
Pamela says
Thanks for stopping by Kim! Enjoy these muffins and have a wonderful weekend!
Peggy Kays says
I am going to try this and maybe add some finely chopped apple. I also made this type of yeast pull apart back in the 50″s and 60″s but I called it Pluck Its.
Pamela says
I love this idea of chopped apple! Enjoy Peggy!
hani/hanielas says
I’ve heard of monkey bread but never made it. It looks amazingly addictive. I can see myself eating 12 of these with no stopping.
Pamela says
Me too Hani, it’s hard to stop! 😉
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
Lol! That monkey pic is hysterical. All I know is I love this stuff, whatever we call it. 😉 I love how you made it into mini versions via muffins!
Pamela says
Thanks Tina! I can’t get enough of this!
Simply Life says
oooh I’ve been wanting to make monkey bread but this version looks even better!
Pamela says
Thank you! I find these muffins addictive! 🙂
Cate @ Chez CateyLou says
These look amazing! So impressive – and then I realized they were made with biscuit dough – I think I love them even more knowing that they are easy! Can’t wait to try this out, pinning your gorgeous muffins now!
Pamela says
Hey Cate, they’re so easy to make! Enjoy!
Megan {Country Cleaver} says
That monkey is what I look like when carbs are involved, too. Monkey bread makes me ridiculously happy.
Pamela says
Hahaha, we are some crazy cute monkeys Megan!
Tricia says
Going to make these very soon…
Pamela says
Enjoy Tricia! Yum Yum Yum!
Jennifer @ Not Your Momma's Cookie says
No matter where the name came from, I love me some money bread! 🙂
Pamela says
Me too Jennifer!
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel says
What a cute post! I like hearing the origin of names. And while I could tooootally do without calling this monkey bread (you KNOOOOW how I feel about monkeys–GAH!!!), I totally love monkey bread regardless of the name! These muffins look like something I need every AM.
Pamela says
Thanks Hayley! I would be ok with eating these muffins every morning! 🙂
ATasteOfMadness says
I also thought that monkey bread got it’s name from the tree. Wherever it came from, I’m glad it’s in the world. I have never made monkey bread, but I think I want to make this. YUM!!
Pamela says
Hope you give it a try! It surely is delicious!
Monet says
These are just brilliant! I love monkey bread but I’ve never thought to do them in muffin tins. Love it! Thank you for sharing Pamela!
Pamela says
Thanks for stopping by Monet, enjoy! 🙂
yummychunklet says
Cute! And I love monkey bread!
Pamela says
Thanks! Isn’t it delicious?
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says
These monkey bread muffins are absolute perfection! Much easier to eat too. My family calls monkey bread “pull-apart bread” for obvious reasons. It always makes an appearance at our family brunches and it’s one of my favorite things.
Pamela says
Thanks Amanda! I’ll be stopping by your next family brunch! 🙂
ashley - baker by nature says
Oh no you didn’t! NEED!
Pamela says
Get it girl!
Dan from Platter Talk says
Great method of preparing and of course eating monkey bread!! Love your photography and this post!!
Pamela says
Thanks Dan!
Nik@ABrownTable says
I love the photograph of the monkey. I have a friend who recently asked me to make him some for his birthday and I think I have a good recipe here to use!
Pamela says
Enjoy Nik! You’d be one great friend! 🙂
Ashley says
I’ve had monkey bread before but have never made my own… I love the idea of making it as a muffin instead (you know, to ahem possibly help with portion control). Although I’d probably eat way too many in one sitting anyway, who are we kidding : )
Pamela says
I’m the same way Ashley, at least we try!
Koko says
Monkey Bread is SO good! I think baking them as muffins is a really good idea- being able to break your own piece off a cake-sized monkey bread leads to eating 3/4 of it in one sitting 😉
Pamela says
I agree, because I could totally eat 3/4 of it in one sitting! 😉
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says
I remember looking up once where the name came from and I got the same results – nothing! haha. Just that people normally eat monkey bread with their hands like monkeys do. This looks yummy!!
Pamela says
Thanks Ashley!