home › Vegan Recipes › Desserts
4.84 from 6 votes
by Marly
14
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure Policy
This homemade veganmonkey breadrecipe is made with a simple dough coated with lots of cinnamon and sugar! The buttery brown sugar topping is added to create a spiced,sweet pull-apart bread baked in a bundt pan. Sweet pieces of yeast bread can be pulled one bite at a time as a favorite morning meal, but you can enjoy it anytime!
Pin this recipe for later!
Believe it or not, Monkey Bread is mostly an American fetish. So many delicious foods can be traced back to other countries, but not this one. If there is one culinary contribution to be proud of, it’s Monkey Bread!
Table of Contents show
Why is it Called Monkey Bread?
Monkey Bread is a sweet, gooey pull-apart bread that you make by forming dough into balls, rolling them in sugar, and baking them in a bundt pan. It’s eaten by pulling off bite-size pieces, thereby picking it apart bit by bit, similar to how we would imagine monkeys eating bread. Or maybe because we like to affectionately refer to our kids as our little monkeys. Either way, it’s a term of affection for this beloved recipe.
Monkey bread has a reputation as a breakfast food, but you can have it for brunch, a snack, or even dessert.
It’s delicious finger food at any time of the day! Of course, you can use store-bought biscuit dough to make monkey bread. There are several brands that are accidentally vegan.
I prefer making my vegan monkey bread from scratch. It doesn’t take long to make and the flavor is so much better!
What Makes This Recipe Shine?
- Brown sugar adds a rich, caramel flavor to this bread, making every bite absolutely delicious
- Enriching the dough with whole wheat flour, which has a higher protein count, makes a tender dough that is also higher in fiber
- Sprinkling each layer of the dough balls with cinnamon infuses every bite with cinnamon sugar goodness.
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:
- Yeast — I used active dry yeast, but you can also use instant yeast.
- Brown sugar — You can use light, dark, or homemade brown sugar.
- Olive oil — This is a neutral oil, or you can substitute melted vegan butter.
- Flour — I recommend using all-purpose flour or substitute whole wheat pastry flour or gluten-free pastry flour if you need gluten-free monkey bread.
- Whole wheat flour — This recipe also uses whole wheat flour to add more substance and fiber to the dough. You can substitute bread flour, which also has a higher protein content.
- Granulated sugar
- Ground cinnamon
Ingredient Spotlight
What Flour is Best for Monkey Bread?
I recommend using a combination of flours, such as all-purpose flour combined with whole wheat flour. Alternatively, you can use all whole wheat pastry flour.
How to Make Monkey Bread from Scratch
- Proof the yeast by stirring it with warm water and brown sugar.
- Stir together all-purpose flour and salt and then stir in the yeast mixture into the flour mixture.
- Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead.
- Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled in size.
- Tear off pieces of the dough, shape them into balls, roll them in sugar, and drop them into an oiled Bundt pan.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon and repeat dough and cinnamon layers until ¾ of the pan is full.
- Cover the pan and let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until golden on top.
- Set it aside to cool for about 10 minutes, then invert the pan onto a large serving dish.
- Drizzle with vanilla glaze.
If your yeast doesn’t foam in proofing, it’s a sign that the liquid was either too hot or your yeast has expired.
Make-ahead Tips
This easy vegan monkey bread begins with homemade dough. Here’s how to make it ahead of time:
- Make the dough the night before, cover it in the bowl and refrigerate.
- The following day, let the dough rise until doubled in size (this may take a little longer because the dough is cold).
- Then proceed with rolling the dough balls in sugar, sprinkling with cinnamon, and baking.
Vanilla Glaze
The vanilla glaze is optional, but highly recommended. It’s easy to make because we’re simply combining powdered sugar with a little bit of vanilla-flavored plant-based milk.
Stir that together and then drizzle it over your baked monkey bread, or serve it on the side for dipping. It’s delicious either way!
Storage Tips
Store the entire loaf or broken-up sections in large sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or freezer for up to 2 months. If frozen, let sit on the counter for 10 minutes to defrost before serving. To serve, preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C and bake for 10 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet.
Quick Monkey Bread
If you’re in a hurry, you can use these tips to make quick vegan monkey bread:
- Use this recipe, but raise the dough in a fraction of the time in the microwave. I love these tips from Erren on her caramel monkey bread recipe to use your microwave’s defrost setting to raise dough quickly. To do this, heat a cup of water in the microwave until hot and steaming (to add moisture), turn the power setting to 10%, then heat the dough for 3 minutes. Let the dough rest in the microwave for 3 minutes. Repeat this process one more time. Your dough should be fully risen.
- Substitute two cans of vegan biscuits for the dough (see my tips for accidentally vegan products) or use a known vegan brand such as Annies.
- Use frozen bread dough in place of the bread dough in this recipe. I’ve had good luck with frozen bread dough, although I don’t think it’s quite as good as homemade. Follow the bread dough package instructions to defrost it and then use it in this recipe.
If you love vegan cinnamon recipes, be sure to check out my Vegan Cinnamon Bread. It’s the best!
More Breakfast Bread
If you love this vegan monkey bread recipe, here are more bread-based recipes you’ll enjoy:
Vegan Cinnamon Bread
130 mins total
Vegan Custard Toast
17 mins total
Just Egg French Toast
25 mins total
Vegan Hot Cross Buns
155 mins total
Subscribe and get a free Easy Vegan Recipes eBook
Plus our latest vegan recipes, delivered right to your inbox!
Vegan Monkey Bread
Enjoy this vegan monkey bread, made with a simple homemade dough and coated with lots of cinnamon and sugar! Sweet pieces of yeast bread can be pulled one bite at a time and as a favorite morning treat!
4.84 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate Save
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Resting Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 344kcal
Author: Marly McMillen
Ingredients
- 4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast (2 packets)
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 cups warm water
- ½ cup olive oil, divided
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons vanilla soy milk
Instructions
For the Bread:
Combine yeast, brown sugar, and water in a small bowl. Let sit for 3 minutes until frothy. Add ¼ cup olive oil and stir slightly.
In a large bowl stir together all-purpose flour and salt. Pour yeast mixture into the flour mixture and stir well. The dough should be slightly sticky.
Turn dough onto a clean, well-floured surface and knead in whole- wheat flour, about 5 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky.
Place dough in a large well-oiled bowl and cover with a cloth. Let dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Prepare a 12-cup Bundt pan by pouring the remaining 1⁄4 cup oil in the bottom and using your fingers to run it up the sides and in pan crevices.
Place granulated sugar on a large plate. Punch down dough and tear it off in small pieces, shaping it into balls. Roll balls in sugarand then drop into Bundt pan. Repeat until there’s a layer of dough at bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with ½ tablespoon cinnamon. Repeat dough and cinnamon layers until ¾ of the pan is full.
Bake 30 minutes until golden on top. Once done, set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Use oven mitts to invert the pan onto a large serving dish.
For the Glaze:
Combine powdered sugar with milk. Drizzle glaze over top of monkey bread.
Store entire loaf or broken-up sections in large sealed containers in refrigerator up to 7 days or freezer up to 2 months. If frozen, let sit on the counter for 10 minutes to defrost before serving. To serve, preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C and bake for 10 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet.
Recommended Equipment
Bundt Cake Pan
(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)
Notes
Quick Monkey Bread:
Here are some tips for making your monkey bread faster:
- Use this recipe, but raise the dough in a fraction of the time in the microwave. You can useyour microwave’s defrost setting to raise the dough quickly. To do this, heat a cup of water in the microwave until hot and steaming (to add moisture), then turn the power setting down to 10%, then heat the dough for 3 minutes. Let the dough rest in the microwave for 3 minutes and repeat this process one more time. Your dough should be fully risen at this point. Amazing!
- Substitute 2 cans of vegan biscuits for the dough (see my tips of accidentally vegan products) or use a known vegan brand such as Annies.
- Use frozen bread dough in place of the bread dough in this recipe. I’ve had good luck with frozen bread dough, although I don’t think it’s quite as good as homemade. Follow the instructions on the bread dough package to defrost it and then use it in this recipe.
Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 2.3mg
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a rating below then tag @namelymarly on Instagram and hashtag it #namelymarly. I love seeing your creations!
Enjoy!
