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Better Than My Mama’s Monkey Bread

This post featuring my crescent roll monkey bread recipe is inspired by my mom and  was originally a sponsored post.
Break off a piece of crescent roll monkey bread

Now you may have noticed that I don’t post on Saturdays all that often. But every now and then, I whip up something that’s so good that I can’t wait to share it with you. This crescent roll monkey bread? This is one of those times, friends.

I may or may not be typing this up now in the hopes that I don’t keep going back to grab just one more piece because it’s so good. And so easy to grab just a little bit and pull it off.

Or – my favorite part – take a chunk of the crescent roll monkey bread and swipe is through the “extra” sauce that poo ls to the side of it after you turn it out on a plate.

Best part is getting the extra caramel sauce

Once upon a time, monkey bread was something my mom made for special occasions like Easter Brunch or Christmas Morning (yes, those special occasions get capitalized). She hasn’t made it in a few years, and I had a major craving for it today.

The problem? Back in the day, my mom used to use frozen bread dough to make her monkey bread. That means thawing it at least overnight if not two nights, and that’s just not going to happen. I was convinced I could do this quickly and easily without having to wait for bread dough to thaw.

Fortunately, I had a brainstorm. Crescent Rolls. They are ready in a snap and would have the perfect texture for a light and delicious loaf. Yup. Done. Sold. Crescent roll monkey bread was going to happen.

And not immediately grabbing a piece to taste test and burning my mouth. Except that part I actually failed at. Don’t be me. Wait for the bread to cool a couple minutes before taking a bite.

Sneak a bite as soon as your crescent roll monkey bread is cooked

Seriously. Go pick up your own crescent roll dough at Walmart and make this. Because it’s so fast and fun to make..and to eat. And you certainly don’t have to wait for a Special Occasion to serve this!

In fact, pick up a bunch of crescent roll dough (or make your own homemade crescent roll dough – it’s pretty easy!) and try one of these more than 25 stuffed crescent roll recipes that includes ideas for both sweet and savory dishes.

Quick and easy crescent roll monkey bread

How to Make Crescent Roll Monkey Bread

Make the sauce before you start with the rest of it.  Over medium low heat, add the butter, sugar, cinnamon, pudding mix, and milk to a pan.  Stir until melted and incorporated, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Monkey bread sauce that makes it so yummy

Open your crescent rolls one by one. Start with the first one and fold it in half. Use a bench scraper or a knife to cut it into six rows, then slice the rows into squares. Gently roll them.

Use a bench scraper to cut the crescent roll dough

Repeat with the remaining three tubes of crescent roll dough.

Cut crescent roll dough into squares then roll

Place half the crescent roll dough balls into a greased bundt pan. Don’t worry about distributing them exactly evenly. Pour the entire sauce over the dough balls. It looks like too much. It’s not, I promise.

Pour the sauce over the half of the dough balls you've placed in the bundt pan

Place the remaining crescent dough balls over the sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Let the crescent roll monkey bread cool for ten minutes.

You want it to firm up and finish baking just a touch, but you don’t want the sauce to cool before you remove it. Place a large plate upside down atop the bundt pain and quickly flip it over.

Lift the bundt pan to remove the crescent roll monkey bread.

Flip finished monkey bread onto a plate

Serve immediately. You can keep it in a tightly sealed container for up to two days if you have leftovers, but I’m betting you don’t.

This crescent roll monkey bread has quickly become a family favorite, but it’s not the only creative use of Pillsbury’s crescent rolls. Check out more ideas here.

Break off a piece of crescent roll monkey bread

Have you ever tried crescent roll monkey bread? What’s your most creative crescent roll recipe?

Crescent Roll Monkey Bread

Crescent Roll Monkey Bread

Yield: 1 bundt cake size loaf
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

This quick and easy recipe for monkey bread is absolutely delicious. Using crescent roll dough means it's ready in a fraction of the time as traditional monkey bread, but it tastes just as amazing. Perfect for guests for a special occasion brunch or for a weekend family breakfast.

Ingredients

  • 4 tubes Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
  • 1/2 c butter
  • 1 c brown sugar
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 2 T milk
  • 1 4.6 oz box vanilla cook and serve pudding (not instant)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a saucepan, add butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, and pudding mix. Turn heat to medium low and stir until butter melts. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. Unroll crescent roll dough from one tube and cut into approximately 1 inch squares. Gently roll to form balls of dough. Repeat with remaining tubes.
  4. Place half the balls into a greased bundt pan. Pour sauce over the dough balls and top with remaining dough balls.
  5. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Flip onto a plate, then serve immediately.

Notes

Make sure to use cook and serve pudding. If you use instant pudding mix, this recipe will not turn out properly!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 209Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 119mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 0gSugar: 18gProtein: 1g

This site uses an outside source to provide nutrition. If you need exact details, please calculate yourself.

Did you make this recipe?

Please rate the recipe above and save it on Pinterest so you can find it to make again and again. Leave me a comment to let me know what you think about it, too!

Delicious and easy crescent roll monkey bread recipe. This comes together quickly for a special occasion breakfast for company or a fun weekend treat for your family brunch.

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  1. Sue says:

    I always made this with bread dough back in the day. Everybody loved it. Can I assemble all of this in the bundt pan and refrigerate over night so I can just put it in the oven in the morning?

    • Michelle says:

      That’s a really good question. I grew up with my mom (and me) making it with the bread dough which required waiting for it to rise, etc. I have never tried putting this together and refrigerating it to bake later. From what I’ve read, you should be able to do this overnight wrapped in plastic (which you wouldn’t do with traditional bread dough) and bake them just fine. I cannot guarantee that as I haven’t tried it before, but I would love to hear how it worked for you if you try it.

  2. Treasa says:

    So amazing it didn’t last any time. Getting ready to make it and wait to bake it the next morning. I truly know this is the best monkey bread ever,never liked it before I got this recipe.

  3. Judy Slusser says:

    I really like this recipe but I use a shortcut with the same results; I open the tube and simply pinch off about a 2″ piece from the end of the roll(s) and roll it a little. I also add chopped pecans on the layers, ending on top then the sauce goes on.

    • Michelle says:

      We are not nut lovers in my family, so I’ve never added them, but I bet that would taste great. I’m so glad this recipe works well for you!

  4. Suzi Hensel says:

    This looks amazing

    • Michelle says:

      Thank you! It’s one of our favorites here. I usually make it with homemade white bread dough, but the crescent rolls makes it so much faster!

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