Enjoy a classic, homemade treat again with this easy gluten-free monkey bread recipe. Doughy soft cinnamon roll bites are covered in a sticky caramel pecan sauce and baked until bubbly and gooey. This make-ahead, overnight gluten-free breakfast has a bundt-cake option, perfect for a crowd, or prepare the small-batch adaptation. Easy, step-by-step photo tutorials included below!

Pull-Apart Gluten-Free Monkey Bread Recipe

Homemade gooey cinnamon Monkey Bread was another classic treat I thought I would never enjoy again. It seemed like a gluten-free version would be overcomplicated with underwhelming results.

But as my gluten-free baking expertise grew and I learned easy tactics for making GF yeast breads just as pillowy soft as the originals. I welcomed back my favorite homemade recipes, like gluten-free cinnamon rolls, pizzeria-style gluten-free breadsticks, and now this absolutely magical gluten-free monkey Bread recipe tastes too good to be true!

Even though it takes some time to portion out the dough balls, the process is quite simple and straight forward – easy enough for a novice gluten-free baker to pull off! The overnight, make-ahead option means GF monkey bread can be prepped the day before busy holidays, such as Christmas morning.

Traditional monkey bread is baked in bundt cake pan, meaning it’s perfect for a large groups and overnight guests. A full recipe yields about 40 balls, serving anywhere from 12-20 people, depending on guests’ appetites and what is served alongside it. However, a small batch option is also included and baked in a loaf pan or 9-inch cake pan.

The softness of gluten-free monkey bread dough comes from recipe testing techniques borrowed from these 5-star gluten-free dinner rolls. First, a small amount of flour is combined with water and milk and warmed to make thick paste, called a roux. This helps pre-saturate some of the flour, aiding in absorbing more liquid, resulting in soft, fluffy, bread, rather than dense and gummy.

The other easy way to achieve soft gluten-free pull-apart bread is to replace some of the GF flour with potato starch. To achieve a stiff, workable dough most recipes rely on adding additional gluten-free flours to structure the dough. Replacing some of that with potato starch helps absorb moisture, but bakes into a softer texture.

Ingredient Notes

When testing the cinnamon roll monkey bread I used an ingredient list proven to work well in all my gluten-free homemade bread recipes. Any workable substitutions or modifications are included below.

• Gluten-free flour – Using a good gluten free flour makes or breaks the quality of GF breads. Cup4Cup gluten-free flour is what I highly recommend for best taste and texture.
• Potato Starch (not flour) – Secret ingredient to make dough soft and fluffy. Instead of relying on additional flour to structure the dough, I substituted another gluten-free starch. Use for best results, but tapioca starch or additional GF flour may be substituted.
• Psyllium Husk Powder – Helps maintain moisture and prevents the rolls from becoming crumbly. It also mimics gluten, allowing pull-apart rolls to be shaped.
• Baking powder – I like to couple baking powder with yeast to assist the rise and make a light, airy texture, which is harder to achieve in GF breads.
• Instant (Rapid Rise) Yeast – I would suggest buying this is bulk and refrigerating in a glass jar. It doesn’t require mixing with warm liquids to proof and can be added right into dry ingredients. If using active dry yeast, stir into the warm milk with 1 teaspoon of sugar and let sit for 5 minutes until frothy.
• Butter – Melted butter flavors the dough. If making gluten-free dairy-free monkey bread, substitute vegan butter.
• Milk – Used to elevate taste and add richness. For dairy-free monkey bread, substitute non-dairy milk, such as almond milk or soy milk.
• Pecans – I enjoy the taste of monkey bread with pecans because the salty crunch cuts the sweetness. However, they may omitted from the recipe or replaced with another preferred nut.

how to make Gluten-Free Monkey Bread

(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

1. Before you begin making the roux, turn oven to 200ºF. Start to make the roux, but turn it off once it reaches temperature. This will serve as an extra warm place for the bread to initially rise. Grease a nonstick 12-cup bundt cake pan or see below for the small-batch adaptation.
2. Combine 4 tablespoons flour with milk and water in a small saucepan. Whisk constantly over medium heat, until a trail separation appears at the bottom of the pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients using a paddle attachment on low speed.
4. Add the warm milk, egg, melted butter, and the roux. Combine on low speed until well blended. Increase to medium speed and beat for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl once or twice. The dough will be stiff, but still sticky.

Shaping, Assembling and baking

1. First, portion all the dough balls. Grease a large piece of parchment paper with cooking spray. Spray the inside of a medium cookie scoop with nonstick cooking spray. Scoop about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough and transfer to the greased paper. Don’t worry about rolling into smooth balls at this point! I’m the queen of efficiency and there’s no need to handle the dough more than necessary.
2. Once all the dough has been portioned, set up the dipping station. Melt the butter in a small bowl. Combine the cinnamon sugar mixture in another bowl and grab the greased baking dish.
3. With greased hands, take one of the dough balls and roll into a round ball (it doesn’t have to be perfect). Dip in the butter and then roll in the cinnamon / sugar mixture. Arrange at the bottom of the bundt pan in a circle, close but not touching for the first layer. Repeat with remaining balls, stacking on top of each other and filling in spaces.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the warmed, turned off oven for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let sit at room temperature for 20 more minutes while the oven preheats to 350°F. Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce so it has time to cool.
5. Pour 2/3 of the slightly cooled sauce over the top of the rolls, reserving the rest for later. Bake for 50-55 minutes. To check if the rolls are done, gently lift one from the top layer and check one underneath.
6. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the outer and inner edges. Place a serving platter on top and then invert the pan upside down to release onto the platter. Gently rewarm the remaining caramel sauce and drizzle over the top. Serve warm.

Sticky Caramel Pecan Sauce

When dreaming up the perfect monkey bread recipe, I knew I wanted to make a caramel sauce with heavy cream. While salted caramel can be a little temperamental to make, this easy sauce comes together in minutes with foolproof results!

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, chopped butter, heavy cream, and salt. Stir frequently over medium heat.
2. Once it comes to a FULL BOIL, cook and stir constantly for 4 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary if the boil becomes too high. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and optional pecans.

Small Batch Adaptation

It’s easy to to turn these recipe into a smaller-sized portion following the adaptations below.

• Half all the ingredients EXCEPT use 1 packet of instant active yeast and 1 teaspoon baking powder.
• Layer the shaped and dipped balls in a 9-inch cake pan or loaf pan. Arrange at the bottom close, but not touching for the first layer. Repeat with remaining balls, stacking on top of each other and filling in spaces.
• Make a half recipe of the caramel sauce. Pour 2/3 over before baking. Bake 30-35 minutes.
• Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, run a knife around the edges and then invert onto a serving platter. Pour the remaining sauce over.

Dairy-free modification

To make gluten-free dairy-free monkey bread, you will need to make substitutions for the milk and butter. Substitute dairy-free milk, such as almond or soy milk. For the butter, use plant-based vegan butter.

Also, the recommend flour, Cup4Cup, does contain milk powder, so you will have to choose another GF flour blend. I recommend King Arthur Measure-for-Measure.

For the sauce mix together 1/3 cup melted butter, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Pour all of it over before baking.

storing and serving

Monkey bread is best enjoyed warm, the day it is made. Store leftovers at room temperature, wrapped securely. Reheat serving-size amounts in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

Baked monkey bread can also be frozen in serving-size portions. Thaw at room temperature and then rewarm in the microwave.

Overnight make-ahead option

Since this recipe requires some time to portion and roll the dough balls, preparing it the night before is also an option.

After shaping the rolls and layering in the baking dish cover and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to start rising. Transfer to the refrigerator overnight. You will make the sauce the next day.

Set out the bread for about 2-2 1/2 hours before you want to serve it. Let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour while you make the sauce. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour 2/3 of the sauce over and then bake according to directions. After the pan has been inverted, pour over remaining sauce.

Save this recipe for Gluten-Free Monkey bread to your pinterest board!

Let’s be friends on Pinterest! I’m always sharing great recipes!