Slow Cooker Monkey Bread. Monkey bread is a super fun food that feels like breakfast and dessert all at once! People in America started making it a lot in the middle of the 1900s. It came from a type of pull-apart bread that people in Hungary used to make. Over time, it turned into a sweet, sticky treat baked in a round pan — and everyone loved it!
This version is made in a slow cooker, which makes things really easy. You just take store-bought biscuit dough, cut it into small pieces, roll them in cinnamon and sugar, pour buttery brown sugar on top, and let the slow cooker do all the hard work. No yeast, no waiting for dough to rise — simple as that!
It’s great for weekend mornings, holiday breakfasts, or any day you want something warm and yummy without spending hours in the kitchen. Just pull apart a piece and enjoy!
Soft, sticky, pull-apart bites rolled in cinnamon sugar and soaked in buttery caramel — made easy in your slow cooker with just 5 simple ingredients.
Slow Cooker Monkey Bread
Servings: 9
Ingredients
- 2 pieces refrigerated biscuit dough → 16 oz cans
- 1 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 0.5 cups unsalted butter → 1 stick
- 1 cups packed light brown sugar
Slow Cooker Monkey Bread: Steps
- Get the slow cooker ready: Put a piece of parchment paper inside your 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Let the paper go up the sides so you can lift the bread out later. Spray it with a little cooking spray or rub a thin bit of butter on it so nothing sticks.
- Cut the dough: Open both biscuit cans and pull the biscuits apart. Use a knife or clean scissors to cut each biscuit into 4 small pieces. If the biscuits are really big, cut them into 6 pieces instead so you get smaller, yummy bites.
- Mix cinnamon sugar: In a big bowl, mix together 1 cups granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. Stir them well so the cinnamon is spread out evenly all through the sugar.
- Coat the dough pieces: Drop the dough pieces into the cinnamon sugar bowl a few at a time. Toss them around until every piece is covered. Shake off the extra sugar, then put the pieces in the slow cooker in one even layer.
- Make the caramel sauce: Melt 0.5 cups unsalted butter (1 stick) in a small pot on low heat or in a bowl in the microwave. Stir in 1 cups packed light brown sugar until the mix looks smooth and shiny. It will be thick, but you should still be able to pour it.
- Pour over the dough: Pour the warm butter and brown sugar mix all over the dough pieces in the slow cooker. Try to cover as much of the dough as you can so every piece gets sticky and sweet.
- Cook it low and slow: Put the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 2 to 2½ hours. The dough should puff up, cook all the way through, and the edges should look dark and caramelized. Do not lift the lid for the first 130 minutes
130:00
— peeking lets the heat out and makes it cook slower! - Let it rest: Turn the slow cooker off and let the bread sit with the lid on for about 10 minutes
10:00
. This helps everything set up nicely. - Lift out and serve: Carefully grab the parchment paper and lift the whole monkey bread out onto a big plate or cutting board. If any caramel is stuck to the paper, just scoop it back on top. Pull apart pieces with your hands and enjoy right away while it’s still warm and gooey!
Notes
Tips for the best monkey bread:
Don’t skip the parchment paper — it makes lifting the bread out so much easier.
The bread is best eaten the same day it’s made, while the outside is still a little crispy and the middle is soft.
Great for weekend mornings, holiday breakfasts, or any time you want a fun treat to share with family.
You can drizzle a simple powdered sugar glaze on top if you want it extra sweet!