Pillsbury Apple Monkey Bread with Biscuits

This apple monkey bread with biscuits is packed full of fresh fruit and easy to make! Like our apple pull apart bread but made in a bundt pan, I’ve made with refrigerated cinnamon rolls too. Drizzled with a simple glaze you can enjoy this for breakfast, brunch or dessert this week.

If you’re looking for the best Christmas morning breakfast recipe or just something to make on the weekend for your family, this fresh Pillsbury apple monkey bread version of our easy monkey bread recipe is the bomb! (affiliate links present)

Monkey Bread with Cinnamon Rolls

I love making Pillsbury cinnamon roll monkey bread or with plain biscuits because there are SO many possibilities to change it up with fruit, caramel, or anything else you love. Since the base is already made you save a ton of time. The only difference between the two choices is the cinnamon variety would be sweeter, that is it. Decide for yourself.

Can you make monkey bread with Rhodes rolls?

Absolutely you can. This can be a great frozen Rhodes cinnamon rolls recipe, or use plain frozen rolls to make this same variation with fruit. The only difference is it will take a bit more time just because they need to sit, covered in order to defrost so they can be quartered and then dipped into the cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Here’s where this apple monkey bread idea began. I saw the idea in the Taste of Home magazine while I was waiting in the dentist office. I snapped a picture of it with my phone. Changing up the timing a bit and a few other things you have what you see here. I had made this easy monkey bread recipe in the past but using fresh apples was a great idea.

We always visit an orchard during the fall months and pick a lot of varieties. I hate to waste to I love to bake with them on a weekly basis until they are all used up. In savory and sweet dishes they add a ton of flavor, moisture and sweetness to all sorts of dishes.

Apple Monkey Bread with Canned Biscuits

When using biscuits you will want to use the regular sizes and not Grands. The difference between the two is obviously that one is larger and thicker so it would need to be cut into 6ths instead of 4 pieces each. if that is all you have to choose from then by all means go with that and ensure that you cut them into large bite size pieces.

Apple Monkey Bread Ingredients

1. 3 containers refrigerated biscuits cinnamon rolls
2. 3 large apples
   1. I like Fuji as we use for our air fryer apples too
   2. a splash of lemon juice works if you dice them a while beforehand to prevent browning
3. 1 box apple cider mix – dry mix like you’d use to make the drink
   1. dumping this sugar mixture into a large baggies and shaking with cinnamon roll pieces is how I do it
   2. you could dip each one in a small bowl with mix too
4. Melted butter
5. 1/2 cup nuts – optional to add these, I used honey roasted pecans
6. Vanilla frosting – use what the ones that come with your cinnamon rolls, but really you need more!
   1. could sprinkle with powdered sugar

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread with Apples

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
• Do NOT overbake it, you want it to remain gooey when you flip it over
  • As soon as the top is very lightly browned take it out and put it on a cooling rack
• Use a bundt pan that has a non stick surface AND spray the inside with non stick spray (replace your pan if it’s chipped or washed off)
  • This is my favorite bundt pan that seems to never lose it’s non stick texture and has a pretty design embedded in it
  • I use whichever non stick spray is on sale
• Allow it to cool before flipping over

Reason for this is that it makes it more likely to stay in one “pretty” piece if it has a bit of time to rest in the pan. Use a cake platter or plate that is big enough to fit the whole thing on.

Slow Cooker Directions

Here’s the creation we made here with apple cider mix and fresh apples picked right off the tree! Like I said, making semi homemade monkey bread isn’t anything new in our house. As you can see, we are big fans of the idea…… You can bake them in a bundt pan like this, or make slow cooker apple cinnamon rolls.

Baking in a Muffin Pan

You can. I love this option because it bakes up quickly and you can grab and go with them in the morning. Our version of Apple monkey bread muffins are fun and finger treats for the kids that uses canned pie filling instead of fresh, just works better that way y’all.

Other Flavors

• Cherry cheesecake monkey bread is packed with flavor, pie filling is the key
• You can make smoked monkey bread too.
• Savory monkey bread is a fun side dish with pasta
• Crockpot cinnamon roll monkey bread
  • this has a homemade “goo” with the brown sugar cinnamon mixture and all the goodness poured on top. If you love all things Fall flavored this will be your fave!
    • You can make monkey bread in an air fryer too.

Tips for making monkey bread

• You really want each piece to be coated well with the dry apple cider mix.
• It is important to NOT overbake it, you want it to be ooey gooey, but have the dough pieces cooked through in the middle. It is a fine line. Very lightly browned usually is perfect, then let it cool before flipping it over to make it a bit easier.
• If you don’t care about it being pretty on a platter then by all means just flip it right away and use a fork to pull all the pieces right out to eat immediately.
• It’s best to serve warm, we love monkey bread this way.

This is what your apple monkey bread should look like once you flip it over and drizzle vanilla icing on the top! Sugar and cinnamon mixture is a nice topping too. It will not look sticky sweet when you pull it out, it will look like this. All the goodness is on the bottom so don’t worry, you will get there.

How to do you spice up canned cinnamon rolls?

• Make them like tike this with an apple pie taste to them!!
• It’s the perfect holiday treat or brunch item to add to your buffet table.
• The apples bring a natural sweetness and texture to your semi homemade monkey bread.
• You can make our cinnamon pull apart bread too.
• It is inexpensive to make, but impressive to serve out of a pretty bundt pan.