EASY Gluten-free Monkey Bread

This Gluten-free Monkey Bread Loaf is like a cinnamon sugar pull apart bread and made with pancake mix, cinnamon sugar and a dreamy cinnamon sugar sauce. It’s an epic brunch for any occasion and is ready in under 30 minutes.

I am obsessed with monkey bread. It is such a gooey, sweet and delicious brunch recipe to make. Plus you know I love all things cinnamon sugar so this loaf is a dream to me. Most monkey breads are indeed not made with pancake mix and usually use flour. But they also are more labor intensive and require more work to make.

This version though, is so simple and we are using my absolute favorite pancake mix (and it’s gluten-free), from Krusteaz. Krusteaz Gluten-free Buttermilk Pancake Mix has to be the best pancake mix ever. And their gluten-free version that we are using is a must try for all my gf friends. It is easy to use, has never failed me and has the best fluffy texture. You’d never even know it’s gluten-free.

I love using it in this monkey bread too to switch things up. This is a great recipe to make for a group brunch or breakfast of sorts. And it’s 100x easier to make than homemade monkey bread.

What exactly is monkey bread? Incase you are wondering what monkey bread is though – monkey bread is a pastry that’s halfway between sweet bread and cake. Usually it has a sweet brioche dough base and it’s assembled into balls (like donut holes) that are covered in butter, cinnamon sugar and caramel. Then you bake them together and form a cake that can be easily teared or pulled apart.

I cannot wait to hear what you guys think of this recipe!

What ingredients you need to make gluten-free Monkey Bread:

• Cinnamon – a key ingredient for monkey bread! You will use it 3 times in this recipe alone.
• Cane sugar or coconut sugar – you can use either sugar for this recipe, so whichever you prefer
• Brown sugar or coconut sugar – this is for the sauce and either one can work
• Unsalted butter – I haven’t tried another sub besides butter but you can use a salted or unsalted butter
• Krusteaz Gluten-free Buttermilk Pancake Mix – this is my ride or die pancake mix. I love Krusteaz gluten-free mix the most. It is fluffy, delicious and superior in this recipe
• Large eggs – I haven’t tried an egg substitute for this yet but you can probably use one if you have success usually
• Milk of choice – really any milk like cow milk, almond, anything can work here
• Vanilla extract – needed for flavor as always!

How to make gluten-free Monkey Bread Loaf:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper and grease
2. Make the cinnamon sugar coating but mixing together sugar and cinnamon in small bowl and set aside
3. Mix together dough ingredients until combined (dough should be easy to work with)
4. Using a cookie scooper, scoop up up ball of dough and coat in cinnamon sugar mixture then add to prepared loaf pan
5. Continue for remaining dough then sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the dough
6. Next make the sauce by melting butter then adding in the sugar and cinnamon and boil over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes and remove from heat
7. Pour sauce over the dough in loaf pan then bake in oven for 22 to 28 minutes or until toothpick comes out pretty clean when you insert into center
8. Allow the monkey bread to cool in pan for about 10 minutes then remove from loaf pan using the parchment paper and enjoy!

FAQs and tips on making gluten-free Monkey Bread:

1. What is the best way to serve monkey bread? Pull-apart style or in slices. Traditionally, it’s a pull-apart bread and with my little ones, they love doing this. But you can also do slices if you prefer over pull-apart. Whichever you prefer.
2. Why is there no caramel in this recipe? I didn’t add caramel to the sauce because I wanted to make it more of a cinnamon sugar vibe. But you can 100% add in caramel to the sauce part if you want to. Add when you add in the sugar and cinnamon with the butter.
3. What is the best way to store this monkey bread? At room temperature for up to 3 days, tightly sealed. Or in the fridge for 5 days. Rewarm in the microwave or oven before serving.
4. Can you freeze monkey bread? Absolutely! Tightly wrap any leftovers and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in fridge overnight and warm in oven or microwave.
5. Make sure to follow the recipe below exactly to ensure the monkey bread turns out delicious. I haven’t try another pancake mix or any other subs that aren’t listed.
6. Feel free to bake this in another baking dish if you prefer but this recipe was created to be in a loaf pan so if you do an 8×8 or larger dish, it won’t be as thick.

A few other delicious brunch recipes to try:

Cinnamon Roll Sheet Pan Pancakes

Gluten-free Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Easy Sheet Pan Eggs!

Chocolate Chip Pancake Casserole