Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread is a pull-apart treat that is sweet, perfectly cinnamon-spiced, and drizzled with a cream cheese glaze.

The finished cinnamon roll monkey bread recipe with the cream cheese frosting, showcasing the texture and flavor of this delightful dessert.

The Best Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread

My oldest boy’s favorite treat is a homemade cinnamon roll. While he prefers homemade, he’ll happily eat them from the can if that means he gets a cinnamon roll.

The other day he had several friends over, so I thought it would be fun to make a twist on my traditional monkey bread and make it with canned cinnamon rolls. Not only did this dessert get two thumbs up all around the table, but my son also requested it for his birthday cake in a couple of weeks.

Cinnamon rolls that go into this monkey bread being cut into fourths.

Ingredients

  • Canned Cinnamon Rolls: I love using Pillsbury Grands for this recipe, but any brand will do as long as they’re 17.5 oz each.
  • Sugar & Cinnamon: Coats the dough for added sweetness and spice.
  • Butter, Brown Sugar, & Vanilla: Gives that cinnamon roll filling flavor.
  • Cooking Spray & Flour: Prevents sticking in the Bundt pan.
  • Icing: Use the pre-made icing from the cinnamon roll package to save time.

The dough cut into fourths and then rolled in cinnamon sugar.

How To Make Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread

  1. Preheat & Prep: Heat oven to 400°F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan.
  2. Cut Dough: Quarter the cinnamon rolls.
  3. Sugar Coat: Toss dough pieces in a mix of white sugar and cinnamon.
  4. Layer in Pan: Place coated pieces in the pan.
  5. Pour Sauce: Mix melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla, and pour over dough.
  6. Bake: Bake 25-35 minutes until set.
  7. Cool & Flip: Let it cool, then flip onto a plate.
  8. Add Icing: Drizzle with cinnamon roll icing.

The dough pieces being added to the bundt pan and the brown sugar sauce being poured on top.

Storage

Leftover Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread?

  • Refrigeration: Only refrigerate cinnamon roll monkey bread if using cream cheese icing. Otherwise, it’s best covered, at room temperature to avoid hardening.
  • Make Ahead: Assemble in a greased Bundt pan, cover, and refrigerate. Before baking, let it reach room temperature (30 minutes), add the brown sugar mixture, and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
  • Freezing: Wrap leftovers tightly and store in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge. Note: Freezing affects texture and flavor. Don’t freeze uncooked dough.

The finished dessert/breakfast displayed on a cake stand, with cream cheese frosting on top, a delicious treat full of flavor.

Savory Side Dishes

4.85 from 19 votes

Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread

This pull-apart Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread is sweet, perfectly cinnamon spiced, and drizzled with a cream cheese glaze.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Resting Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4 – 6 servings (it’s sweet, so a little goes a long way!)

Ingredients 
 

  • 2 cans (17.5 ounces each) Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously grease (with cooking spray) and then lightly flour a large, 12-cup Bundt pan.
  • Remove the cinnamon roll dough and cut each roll into quarters.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar and then toss the cinnamon roll dough quarters in the bowl until well coated.
  • Once coated with cinnamon sugar, add roll pieces to the prepared Bundt pan.
  • Melt butter and stir in the brown sugar and vanilla; pour over the dough in the Bundt pan.
  • Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until no longer gooey in the center. Remove and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Once it's still warm, but no longer hot, you can flip the Cinnamon Roll Monkey bread onto a plate.
  • Transfer the icing from the can into a plastic bag. Snip off the tip with scissors and pipe it all over the cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 18mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 709IU | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

 

Meet Chelsea


Hello, and welcome to Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron! Iโ€™m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. Iโ€™m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping byโ€”I hope you find something delicious to make!

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4.85 from 19 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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52 Comments

  1. Doctor Grandma Jeannie says:

    The number of servings appears to be wrong. The recipe calls for 2 cans of 5 rolls each, for a total of 10 large cinnamon rolls. But you say this only serves 4-6 people.For 4 servings, that would be the equiv. of 2 1/2 rolls per person or almost 2 rolls each for 6 people. It seems to me that you would get at least 10 servings out of this!

    1. Chelsea says:

      It’s difficult to know exactly how much a serving would be but from my experience when I make this it can feed about 6 adults. It’s probably more like 10 servings for kids, I appreciate this comment though, hopefully it helps people get a better idea of how much is in an actual serving. Thanks Jeannie! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Kevin says:

    5 stars
    Made for first time.Added toasted pecans and half vanilla half rum extract. Was DELICIOUS!! Thank you for recipe

    1. Chelsea says:

      Delish! So happy to hear you enjoyed this! Thanks Kevin! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Hcroghan says:

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. Will certainly will make again

    1. Chelsea says:

      Thanks so much! ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Alberson Talea says:

    5 stars
    Added pecans as I was layering in hells. Also cut some rolls into 1/8 pieces to fill in gaps

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      Delish!

  5. WLWahl says:

    5 stars
    I used the regular size rolls and made in a 8โ€ by 8โ€ pan Tasted great!! Thanx

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So happy you enjoyed! ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. RaeAnne says:

    5 stars
    My daughter has made this recipe several times. She does not keep track of her sugar consumption or her calorie consumption but I do. How many servings were the Calories and grams of added sugar calculated on. Thanks