Easy Apple Monkey Bread

This 6-ingredient apple monkey bread with canned biscuits is SO easy to make and loaded with warm cinnamon-apple flavor – a perfect vegan fall dessert for sharing!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Love warm and cozy vegan apple pie, vegan cinnamon rolls, and cinnamon apple fritters? Combine elements of all three into this simple apple monkey bread – giving a popular childhood classic a fall twist for a crowd-pleasing fall breakfast, brunch, or dessert (perfect for Thanksgiving, too!).

It combines soft, tender cinnamon-sugar coated pillowy biscuit dough layered with tender caramelized apples and a ‘buttery’ brown sugar caramel sauce. The result is sticky, gooey, tender, and completely irresistible. Plus, it’s so easy to make thanks to refrigerated biscuit dough – perfect for when you don’t have lots of time (or effort!).

Looking for even more ways to enjoy apples this fall? Try stuffed baked apples, easy apple pie bars, apple crescent rolls, apple pie cookies, vegan apple crumble, this apple cider slushie recipe, and cinnamon apple pancakes for breakfast.

Ingredient Notes

This cinnamon apple monkey bread is made with only 6 simple, inexpensive ingredients. Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and substitutes.

• Apples: Use any crisp apples. I prefer sweet-tart or tart apples to complement the sweetness. I.e., Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji, or a combination for depth.
• Vegan buttermilk biscuits: Go for the chilled type rather than frozen (otherwise, they’ll need to be thawed). Alternatively, try frozen and thawed dinner rolls. For breakfast another day, try my dairy-free biscuits from scratch.

You can also use ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls (Annie’s and Trader Joe’s work well for vegan monkey bread), and toss the apples in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Recipe Variations

• Add a glaze: Add a vanilla, maple, or pumpkin spice glaze to drizzle.
• Other spices: Add depth by subbing some cinnamon with pumpkin spice.
• Extracts: Add depth to the caramel with a hint of vanilla or almond extract.
• Dried fruit: Like raisins, cranberries, chopped dates, etc., for sweetness.
• Nuts: Like walnuts, pecans, almonds, etc., for crunch.
• Use pear: Simply swap the apples for pears.

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

Step 5: Bake it for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove the apple monkey bread from the oven. Leave it to cool for a minimum of 20 minutes, 2 hours to fully cool, before removing it from the pan by placing a plate over the top and quickly flipping it. Enjoy!

FAQs

Pro Recipe Tips

• Use fresh, crisp apples: Avoid varieties that will become mushy when baked. I like Granny Smith/ Honeycrisp.
• If the top browns too quickly: Loosely cover it with foil.  
• Use a rimmed serving container: The sauce may be drippy, so it’s best to serve it on a dish with either a raised edge or a rim.
• Leave it to rest: This is important to allow it to begin cooling and set, so it’s easier to unmold and serve.

Serving Recommendations

Enjoy a portion of this apple cinnamon monkey bread, warm or at room temperature, alone or with:

• Vegan vanilla ice cream
• Vegan whipped cream
• Vegan date caramel sauce
• Mulled apple cider
• Tea, coffee, or homemade vegan hot chocolate)

Storage Instructions

Fridge: Allow it to cool, then store leftover apple cinnamon monkey bread in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Freezer: Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Reheat: Microwave individual portions for 40-60 seconds, air fry for 4-6 minutes, or bake larger amounts in the oven at 350F/180C for 10-15 minutes.