Classic monkey bread gets a fall makeover! This Pumpkin Monkey Bread combines buttery biscuit pieces with sweet pumpkin pie filling. It’s a fun to eat treat that the whole family will love!
Pumpkin Spice Monkey Bread
As a kid, I remember that one of my favorite things my mom would make for us was monkey bread. Together we would rip apart pieces of biscuit dough and dunk them in melted butter and cinnamon sugar.
When the biscuits cooked, they puffed up and stuck together in a “cake” of ooey-gooey goodness that you could rip apart and eat piece by piece.
This year, I’m sharing a fall-flavored update to my childhood favorite. We started with cinnamon roll dough instead of plain biscuit dough to add a hint of spice throughout. Then we added layers of creamy pumpkin filling, so that there is this lovely contrast of flavors and texture in every bite.
This pumpkin monkey bread recipe is jam-packed full of flavor! With a cinnamon glaze and a taste of pumpkin in every bite, you can’t go wrong with this easy-to-make dessert recipe.
Related: For another decadent pumpkin treat, try this Pumpkin Sheet Cake recipe too!
Why Do They Call it Monkey Bread?
The name monkey bread comes from the way it’s eaten: by pulling apart the pieces with your fingers, the way an animal might. At least that’s what I’m guessing! This type of dessert has been around for decades, so who knows where the original name truly came from!
Another common name for this baked biscuit treat is “bubble bread” or “bubble loaf.” I grew up calling it monkey bread, so that’s what I named it here. But by any name, this is a yummy treat that both kids and adults alike will enjoy!
Pumpkin Bubble Bread Ingredients
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- Canned cinnamon rolls — 2 typical 16oz cans
- Light brown sugar
- Butter — Softened
- Canned pumpkin — Pure pumpkin
- Cream cheese — softened
- Vanilla extract
- Granulated sugar
- Pumpkin pie spice
For the Cinnamon Glaze
- Powdered sugar
- 1Vanilla extract
- Milk
- Ground cinnamon
Kitchen Tools Used
- Bundt pan — Or tube cake pan
- Non-stick baking spray — This spray is designed specifically for baking. It is a combination of oil and flour and makes cakes much easier to get out of the pan without sticking.
- Cooling rack
How to Make Pumpkin Monkey Bread
I love this recipe because it is almost as easy as my microwave monkey bread recipe! No mixers needed. No messing with yeast or making dough.
Simply cut up the biscuits, make the filling, and add everything to the pan…and bake!
To Make the Pumpkin Spice Filling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray or baking spray.
While the oven heats, prepare your filling. Add brown sugar, butter, pumpkin, cream cheese, and vanilla extract to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the pumpkin sugar mixture is smooth, then remove from heat and set aside.
Baking Directions
Remove the cinnamon rolls from the cans and cut each roll into quarters (4 pieces).
Add granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice to a large zip-top bag. Place biscuit pieces in the bag and shake until all the dough is well coated in the sugar-spice mixture.
Once they are coated, place half of the biscuit pieces into the prepared bundt pan and pour half of the pumpkin mixture on top.
Add a second layer with remaining cinnamon roll pieces. Top with remaining pumpkin.
Place the bundt pan onto a cookie sheet, and then into the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the dough is cooked through.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, flip the pan over onto a wire rack or cake platter and gently shake to remove the monkey bread from pan.
To Make the Cinnamon Glaze
In a medium bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the monkey bread and allow the glaze to set.
How to Serve
As a kid, I always ate monkey bread right out of the pan! It was kind of this family-style treat.
This pumpkin monkey bread loaf actually slices beautifully (use a good sharp knife), so you can plate it like you would a regular bundt cake.
Feel free to add a touch of cinnamon or even an extra drizzle of icing before serving each slice.
Also, though monkey bread is typical eaten without utensils, this particular recipe is a bit gooier than the original, thanks to that delicious pumpkin filling. You might want to use a fork for this one!
Can You Make Monkey Bread Ahead of Time?
With some baking recipes, you can make ahead and bake the next day. However, with monkey bread, it is best to prepare and bake at the same time.
Canned biscuit dough, or cinnamon rolls in this case, has a limited shelf life once you pop open the can. You have about two hours after opening to bake the dough, for best results.
You can however prepare the glaze and/or the filling a day ahead and refrigerate. It doesn’t save a ton of time, since you’ll need to warm up the glaze again before frosting, but sometimes every minute counts!
How to Store and Reheat Monkey Bread
Regular monkey bread is usually best kept covered at room temperature, to maintain softness.
However, since this recipe contains cream cheese, it will need to be stored in the refrigerator.
Transfer any leftovers to a large ziptop bag or food storage container and place in the fridge. It should keep for 2-3 days.
To reheat, place the leftover bread on a baking sheet and put in the oven. Turn the oven on to the “warm” setting. When the oven reaches temperature, remove your leftovers and they should be warmed through.
More of our favorite pumpkin desserts:
- Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
- Pumpkin Pie Spice Muddy Buddies
- Gluten Free Starbucks Pumpkin Loaf
- Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake
- Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Truffles
- Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding
- Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Parfait
- Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
- Churro Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Grab a free printable copy of our Pumpkin Monkey Bread Recipe:
If you like this recipe, please rate it! We’d also love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Pumpkin Monkey Bread
Ingredients
- 32 oz cinnamon rolls 2 typical 16oz cans
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- .25 cup unsalted sweet cream butter softened
- 1 cup pure pumpkin
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- .5 cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
For the Cinnamon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and coat bundt pan with baking spray.
- Add the brown sugar, butter, pumpkin, cream cheese, and vanilla to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until smooth, then remove from heat.
- Remove cinnamon roll dough from cans and cut each roll into quarters.
- Add white sugar and pumpkin pie spice to a zip-top bag. Add dough pieces to bag and toss to coat.
- Add half of cinnamon roll pieces to bottom of bundt pan and top with half of the pumpkin mixture. Layer with remaining cinnamon rolls and top with remaining pumpkin mixture.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cinnamon rolls are cooked through.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before turning the pan over onto a wire rack.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the glaze ingredients until combined and smooth. Drizzle on top of the monkey bread and allow to set.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin this Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread on Pinterest:
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Rebecca says
Can you leave the cram cheese out??
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Yes, you could. Just keep an eye on it when cooking in case it cooks a little faster.