Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread – Barefoot In The Pines

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Starbucks just dropped a new cinnamon pull apart bread for the holidays, and if you know me, you know I love recreating my favorite Starbucks treats at home. This recipe shows you just how to do it using refrigerated cinnamon rolls! This recipe is ready in under an hour and tastes better than the Starbucks version.

A close-up of a glazed monkey bread ring drizzled with white icing, served on a white plate.

If you’re someone who loves making your favorite Starbucks treats at home, you can absolutely make this too. I specialize in recreating Starbucks recipes by studying the originals and then testing, tweaking, and simplifying them until the recipe works perfectly at home.

Every copycat recipe I share is built on real trial-and-error, with tips and solutions for common mistakes so you can skip the guesswork. My goal is to give you better-than-Starbucks payoff using everyday ingredients and no-fail methods that anyone can follow with confidence.

If you want the complete Starbucks experience at home, serve this monkey bread with a homemade eggnog latte or a slice of cranberry orange bread!

Why You’ll Love Making Pull Apart Bread with Cinnamon Rolls

This cinnamon pull apart bread (also called cinnamon roll monkey bread) is a fun riff on my classic monkey bread recipe from canned biscuits, but instead of biscuits, we’re using Pillsbury cinnamon rolls for an easy shortcut that still tastes incredible.
It’s rich, gooey, cozy, buttery, and full of cinnamon sugar—a super fun, family-style treat to serve at breakfast, holiday brunches, or on Christmas morning.
This easy Monkey Bread is also a fun and quick activity for kids to help with, and watching their little fingers pull off each piece of bread is adorable.

A hand holding a piece of glazed monkey bread above a plate of more monkey bread pieces with icing drizzled on top.

Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread Ingredients

You just need a handful of ingredients to make this easy Monkey Bread. Ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card.

Overhead view of Pillsbury Grands! cinnamon rolls, butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon in separate bowls on a white surface with a striped towel.

Main Ingredients

Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls – I use the Grands 17.5 ounce cans of refrigerated cinnamon rolls. Two cans of these are enough to fill a 12 cup capacity bundt pan during baking. Also, reserve the icing that comes with the cinnamon buns, we won’t bake with them, but we’ll drizzle on the icing after the bread is baked.
White sugar + Ground cinnamon– this combo will be the cinnamon sugar mixture the cinnamon rolls are rolled in.

Brown Sugar Glaze Ingredients

Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter here. The bread is sweet enough that you won’t taste the salt—it’s just there to balance the sweetness.
Light brown sugar – packed when measuring
Coarse Kosher Salt – you can reduce the salt by half in this recipe if you’re using salted butter.

How To Make Monkey Bread Using Cinnamon Rolls

Full instructions for this cinnamon roll pull apart bread are located in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a bundt pan really well with cooking spray.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl or large zip top bag. Set aside.

Step 2

Cut each cinnamon roll into quarters.

Close-up of an unbaked cinnamon roll cut into six equal triangular pieces, resting on a brown surface.

Gently roll the pieces in the cinnamon sugar mix until fully coated. Arrange them evenly in the bottom of the bundt pan. Repeat until all the cinnamon roll dough balls are used.

Six pieces of rolled dough coated in cinnamon sugar are arranged in a glass bowl with extra cinnamon sugar scattered at the bottom.

Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the top and jiggle the pan to shake the cinnamon sugar around evenly.

Bundt pan filled with pieces of cinnamon sugar-coated dough arranged in a circular pattern, ready for baking.

Step 3

Next, make the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, brown sugar, and salt together. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 30 seconds, until the sugar dissolves.

A saucepan filled with caramel sauce and a whisk sits on a white countertop next to a baking dish and a striped kitchen towel.

Pour the butter-sugar mixture evenly over the cinnamon bun pieces in the pan. Swirl the bundt pan around to make sure the glaze coats all the cinnamon roll pieces evenly and gets into every nook and cranny.

Unbaked monkey bread dough pieces coated with cinnamon and brown sugar syrup in a Bundt pan.

Step 4

Bake 30–40 minutes in the preheated oven until risen and golden brown. If you have an instant-read kitchen thermometer, the monkey bread will be done when the center reaches 190°F.

A bundt pan filled with baked cinnamon pull-apart bread, next to a striped kitchen towel and a plate with three forks on a marble surface.

Let the bread cool in the pan for just 5 minutes. Next, cover with a large plate or serving dish and carefully flip the pan over. Do this before the glaze sets, so the bread slides out onto the plate easily. Let the plated monkey bread cool for 10 minutes.

A glazed monkey bread ring sits on a white plate next to a striped towel, a bowl of icing with a spoon, and a few white plates with forks.

Step 5

After the bread has cooled, drizzle some of the reserved icing (not all) from the cinnamon roll cans over the pull-apart bread. You can also use a piping bag to drizzle on the icing if it’s easier!

A close-up of monkey bread topped with a drizzle of white icing, served on a white plate.

Serve the bread whole and let your guests pull off individual pieces at the table. Serve extra icing on the side.

Substitutions & Variations

Add nuts like chopped pecans or walnuts. Layer the nuts between the cinnamon roll pieces for even distribution throughout.
Pillsbury makes a lot of fun flavors of cinnamon rolls, so play around with the orange flavored or pumpkin flavored cinnamon rolls. You can also add spices like ground nutmeg or ginger to the cinnamon sugar mixture, or some Pumpkin Pie Spice to make your monkey bread unique!
If you use the small cans of cinnamon buns (12.4-ounce cans), I recommend using three cans to fill the pan.

Tips For Making Monkey Bread With Cinnamon Rolls

Be gentle when you’re coating the pieces of cinnamon roll. After quartering, the cinnamon roll layers can break apart, so coat with care.
After pouring the glaze over the biscuit pieces, give the pan a slight jiggle to make sure the gooey glaze gets into all the nooks and crannies.
Cooking times vary by oven. To check doneness pull off a center piece; if it comes away clean with no gummy dough, it’s ready. If you want to be fancy and exact, use an instant-read thermometer—190°F in the center means it’s done.
Flip the monkey bread out of the pan 5 minutes after baking; this will ensure it comes out smoothly before the glaze cements the bread to the pan.

A close-up of glazed monkey bread on a white plate with a white and beige striped cloth next to it.

What to Serve with Pull Apart Cinnamon Bread

Serve this delicious monkey bread with some Fresh Fruit Salad, Maple Bacon, Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes, or Hash Brown Casserole for a well rounded breakfast.

If you fancy a homemade latte, I recommend a homemade maple latte, or a DIY Starbucks sugar cookie latte for extra sweetness.

Storing and Reheating Monkey Bread

Monkey bread is best the day it’s made, but if you end up with leftovers, store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I recommend warming leftovers for 15-30 seconds in the microwave to loosen up the glaze before eating.

See the FAQs below for freezing recommendations.

FAQs

Can you make monkey bread the night before?

I don’t recommend it. As soon as the cinnamon rolls are opened, they start to lose their rising potential. To make ahead, you can toss the cinnamon roll pieces in cinnamon sugar, assemble them in the pan, and cover for up to 1 hour max. I’d recommend pouring on the brown sugar mixture just before baking.

If you need to make it a day ahead, bake it fully and skip the icing. Rewarm it in a low oven before serving to loosen the glaze and heat the cinnamon buns. Once warm, drizzle on the icing.

Can I freeze monkey bread?

Yes! Bake the bread fully and allow it to cool completely before freezing. You can freeze the whole thing (with the icing) or freeze individual portions for grab-and-go snacks or treats. Store in an airtight, freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before eating. Rewarm if desired.

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Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread

2 x 17.5 oz cans of Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Reserved icing from the cinnamon rolls

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 12-cup capacity bundt pan really well with cooking spray. Pop open each can of cinnamon rolls and set aside on a cutting board.
Combine the granulated sugar with the cinnamon in a bowl or a zip top bag. Set aside.
Cut each cinnamon roll into quarters and gently roll the pieces in the cinnamon sugar until fully coated. Arrange them evenly in the bottom of the bundt pan.
Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon sugar over the top and gently shake the pan to help coat the cinnamon roll pieces evenly.
Next, make the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, brown sugar, and salt together. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 30 seconds, or until the sugar dissolves.
Pour the butter-sugar mixture evenly over the cinnamon bun pieces in the pan. Swirl the bundt pan around to make sure the glaze coats all the cinnamon roll pieces evenly and gets into every nook and cranny.
Bake at 350°F for 30–40 minutes, or until the center has risen and is no longer doughy. To test, pull a piece from the middle—if it comes away cleanly, it’s done. If it’s still stretchy or gummy, bake a little longer. If you have an instant-read kitchen thermometer, the monkey bread will be done when the center reaches 190°F. Let the cinnamon bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
To get it out of the pan, place a plate or serving dish over the bundt pan and carefully flip it so the cinnamon bread releases onto the plate. Do this while the bread is still hot and before the glaze sets. It’s much easier to get out that way. Let it cool for another 10 minutes before icing.
After cooling, drizzle some of the leftover cinnamon roll icing over the monkey bread (you won’t need all of it). Stir or gently warm the icing to make it easier to drizzle, or use a piping bag if you prefer. Serve your cinnamon pull apart bread warm with extra icing on the side.

If you can’t find the 17.5-ounce cans of Grands Cinnamon Rolls, try the 12-ounce can. For the smaller cans, you’ll need three cans instead of two to fill the pan.

Cuisine American, Holiday

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Holiday Baking

barefootinthepines.com (Article Sourced Website)

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