This pizza monkey bread recipe is a fun way to serve up all the flavors of pizza in a crowd-pleasing format. It’s a family-friendly recipe for the holiday season, and it’s always a hit at a celebratory potluck or tailgate party.
To make the dish, biscuit pieces are tossed in a cheesy Italian dressing that’s studded with pepperoni. The savory biscuit pieces are then layered with marinara sauce in a fluted tube pan. The pan goes in the oven and bakes into an irresistible pull-apart pizza appetizer.
What is monkey bread?
Monkey bread (also known as “pull-apart bread” or “puzzle bread”) is a dish made from bite-sized pieces of dough that are smashed together in a baking pan. Once baked, the pieces are easy to pull apart with your fingers. There are many ways to bake monkey bread. Savory recipes are fantastic as a party appetizer, and recipes with sticky-sweet sauce (like cinnamon monkey bread) are perfect for brunch or dessert.
Ingredients for Pizza Monkey Bread
- Refrigerated flaky biscuits: Canned biscuits are perfectly convenient for pull-apart recipes like this pizza monkey bread recipe. Simply pop open the can and cut the premade biscuits into bite-sized pieces. Take a peek at what our Test Kitchen has deemed the best store-bought biscuits.
- Seasoned oil: A lovely mix of olive oil, Italian seasoning, minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes coats the biscuit pieces. This promotes browning in the oven, ensuring the monkey bread develops a gorgeous golden color.
- Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses: Mozzarella provides that melty, gooey factor, Parmesan adds a sharp, nutty flavor. For best results, grate your own cheese. It melts much better than pre-shredded cheese.
- Pepperoni: You can use full-sized or mini pepperoni for this recipe.
- Marinara sauce: We layer marinara sauce inside the monkey bread, then serve more as a dipping sauce on the side.
Directions
Step 1: Make the seasoned oil
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the olive oil, Italian seasoning, minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Microwave, covered, on high for 30 seconds. Cool slightly.
Step 2: Mix the monkey bread filling
Cut each biscuit into four pieces. Add the cut biscuits to the bowl with the seasoned oil, and toss to coat. Add the mozzarella, Parmesan and pepperoni. Toss to combine.
Step 3: Layer the monkey bread
Coat a heavy 10-inch fluted tube pan with cooking spray. Arrange half of the biscuit mixture in the pan. Drizzle with 1/4 cup marinara sauce. Repeat the layers.
Editor’s Tip: Coat the pan well with cooking spray before filling. Otherwise, the biscuit dough will stick to the pan, and the bread will be difficult to remove after it bakes.
Step 4: Bake the monkey bread
Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Editor’s Tip: Insert a toothpick into the center of the monkey bread to see if it’s done cooking. The monkey bread is done if the toothpick comes out clean.
Step 5: Remove the monkey bread from the pan
Run a knife around the side and center tube of the pan. Invert the pan onto a platter.
Serve pizza monkey bread with additional marinara sauce. If desired, top with torn fresh basil and additional grated Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
Recipe Variations
- Use different dipping sauces: Try pesto instead of marinara for a colorful—and delicious—twist. You can also serve this pizza monkey bread with a cheese sauce or a creamy dip like ranch. Browse these dip recipes for a crowd for inspiration.
- Skip the meat: To make a vegetarian pizza monkey bread recipe, skip the pepperoni. You can increase the cheese to make it cheesier, or add more garlic for garlic bread vibes.
- Make it cheesier: Place a dot of cream cheese or mozzarella cheese inside each biscuit piece to make pizza monkey bread with melty, gooey centers.
- Swap in pizza dough: Swap in pizza dough for the biscuits to give the dish a chewier texture and more bread-like flavor.
Can you make pizza monkey bread ahead of time?
Pizza monkey bread tastes best fresh out of the oven, but you can bake up to four days ahead of time if needed. Reheat the whole pizza monkey bread, covered, in a 350° oven until warmed through. We don’t recommend prepping the recipe and letting the raw ingredients sit in the refrigerator overnight. The marinara sauce can add too much moisture to the biscuit dough, giving the dish an odd, gummy texture.
How to Store Pizza Monkey Bread
To store pizza monkey bread, let it cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Pizza Monkey Bread Tips
Can you make pizza monkey bread without a Bundt pan?
You don’t need a fluted tube pan like a Bundt pan to make pizza monkey bread. The dish will turn out just as tasty if you bake it in a casserole dish or loaf pan. Just keep in mind that the baking times may vary when using different pans.
Why is my monkey bread doughy?
In most cases, you can fix a doughy monkey bread by baking it longer. Sweet monkey bread should be a little gooey and have a sticky, soft texture. However, most prefer a flakier, more cooked texture for monkey bread pizza. If you’re extending the cook time, tent the pan lightly with aluminum foil to protect the top from overbrowning.
