If you love pizza, then you're gonna absolutely fall in love with this easy pizza monkey bread recipe made with soft dough, pepperoni, cheese, and warm marinara sauce. It's the perfect pull-apart finger food for game day or pizza night to enjoy with family and friends that everyone will love!
Contents
For a deliciously homemade experience try my artisan bread and focaccia bread recipes!
🌟 Why this recipe works
Pepperoni pizza monkey bread is an easy and delicious recipe that is becoming very popular on game day, and it's a fun twist from having the usual pizza. It's made with similar ingredients to most pizza recipes, but instead of pizza dough, this recipe uses biscuits dough.
This recipe is made with rolled-out soft biscuit dough that's filled with marinara sauce, then topped with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. Once it's baked to perfection, the monkey bread is brushed with melted butter, herbs, and parmesan cheese.
This recipe is so good because it's the perfect finger food that is easy to eat and make in less than 1 hour. The dough is soft and fluffy, and the savory toppings are the perfect combination of salty and cheesy.
Monkey bread is great for pulling apart into bite-sized pieces, perfect for sharing and dipping in warm marinara sauce. You can even customize the monkey bread with your favorite pizza toppings and make it your own.
Whether you're looking for an easy recipe to make for game day or you're just looking for a fun and delicious pizza recipe to try, this pizza monkey bread is definitely worth a try, and it's sure to be a crowd-pleaser! Also check out my Italian-inspired pizza pockets recipe made with homemade empanada dough.
🍽 Key Ingredients
Pizza monkey bread is a delicious alternative to pizza that uses minimal ingredients and a bundt pan.
Refrigerated biscuit dough - Store-bought biscuit dough is the perfect dough to give monkey bread a soft and chewy texture.
Pepperoni - You can use any type of pepperoni for this recipe. I like to use mini pepperoni because they're easier to eat, but you can use regular-sized pepperoni and chop them in half if you prefer.
Cheese - Use fresh mozzarella cheese for the best cheese pulls.
Marinara sauce - You can use your favorite marinara sauce or pizza sauce.
Olive oil - Olive oil is used to coat the dough balls and prevent them from sticking together.
Seasonings - A touch of red pepper flakes and Italian seasonings gives the monkey bread a little bit of flavor.
Toppings - Once the monkey bread is baked, it is topped with melted butter, dried oregano, fresh basil, and grated parmesan cheese for decoration and flavor.
Marinara sauce - Serve with a bowl of warm marinara sauce for dipping with the pull-apart bread.
Substitutions
You can make a few substitutions to this recipe if you need to.
Biscuit dough
If you can't find store-bought biscuit dough, you can make a 5-ingredient pizza dough that will be soft and chewy.
Pepperoni
Chopped cooked bacon, shredded chicken, ground beef, or sausage are great alternatives to pepperoni.
Cheese
You could also use cheddar cheese, American cheese, or even a mix of cheeses as a substitute for mozzarella.
🔪 How to make pizza monkey bread
To make this pizza monkey bread recipe, simply follow the step-by-step instructions below for the best finger food EVER!
Preparations
- If you're using large pepperoni, slice them in half.
- Shred the fresh mozzarella cheese.
- Chop the fresh basil.
Cooking instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
Step 2
Make the olive oil mixture by mixing the olive oil with Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
Step 3
Place the biscuits on a chopping board, cut them in half, and flatten each piece until you have roughly a 2-inch circle.
Step 4
Spoon (¼ teaspoon) of the marinara sauce into the center of each biscuit and place 2 to 3 pieces of pepperoni and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese on top.
Step 5
Fold the sides, pinch the dough together to seal it, then roll them into a ball with your hands.
Step 6
Place the dough balls into a large bowl and spoon the olive oil mixture over so that the balls are coated in it to prevent them from sticking together.
Step 7
Gently place half of the balls in a bundt pan and top with half of the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices.
Step 8
Add the rest of the balls and top with the remaining cheese and pepperoni.
Step 9
Place the Bundt pan uncovered in the preheated oven and bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Tip: When the Pizza Monkey Bread is finished baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before flipping it over.
Step 10
Run a knife around the edges of the bundt pan to release the monkey bread, and place a plate over the pan. Hold the plate with one hand on top and carefully flip the bundt pan over.
Step 11
Spoon the melted butter over the top of the monkey bread, then sprinkle with oregano, parmesan cheese, and fresh diced basil.
Warm the remaining marinara sauce in the microwave in a small bowl and place it in the middle of the monkey bread.
💭 Expert cooking tips
Use nonstick cooking spray.
Spray the bundt pan with cooking spray so that the monkey releases from the pan easily when flipping it over.
Use a large serving plate.
Flip the monkey bread onto a large plate that covers the bundt pan.
📖 Recipe Variations
The great thing about this pizza monkey bread recipe is that you can use your favorite pizza toppings to add more flavor. Here are a few variations to try.
Garlicky monkey bread
Add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder to the olive oil mixture and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic to the melted butter mixture to give the monkey bread a delicious garlicky flavor.
Meaty monkey bread
½ cup of cooked ground beef, shredded chicken, ground sausage, or bacon bits are a great option for a meaty variation. Spoon the meat into the dough balls and place the remaining meat mixture on top of them.
Pizza dough monkey bread
If you have enough time on your hands and want to make this recipe from scratch, try monkey bread with no yeast pizza dough and italian marinara sauce.
🥗 What to serve with
This pizza monkey bread recipe is perfect as a delicious appetizer for game day or a casual lunch with friends. And it can be served with other finger food recipes, like pizza, bacon and cheese bites, chicken wings, or jalapeno pinwheels.
Pizza
If you're looking for pizza recipes to go with your pull-apart monkey bread, try these delicious creations: zucchini pizza boats, or pesto pizza.
Easy baked dough recipes
Give your guests a selection of baked goods to choose from on game day with these tasty pull-apart cheesy garlic knots, sausage and cheddar stuffed pretzel balls or beef empanadas.
🙋 Frequently asked questions
What if I don't have a bundt pan?
Although a bundt pan is ideal for this recipe to hold the marinara sauce in the middle, you can also use a skillet or a baking dish and place the dough balls around a small oven-proof bowl.
Do you need to allow the balls to rise before baking them?
Nope! This recipe doesn't call for yeast, so there is no need to let the dough rise.
🧊 Storing and ♨️ reheating
Leftover monkey bread can be stored at room temperature and in the fridge.
Room temperature - Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Fridge - Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge.
Freezer - If you're looking for a freezer option, the best way is to prepare the dough balls and freeze them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, then transfer them to a freezer container. Defrost them in the fridge overnight and bake as instructed in the bundt pan.
Reheating - You can either bake the leftovers for 10 minutes in a preheated oven to 350 F or microwave them for 1 minute until warm.
🍳 Related Italian recipes
Or if you want to get your bake on, try my easy peanut butter bread and strawberry banana bread recipe.
👪 Serving size
You can expect to get 8 servings with this monkey bread pizza recipe. You can also double the recipe and bake 2 lots in 2 bundt pans if you have more than 10 guests.
This monkey bread recipe is perfect for a group because it makes a lot and can easily be reheated. It's also tasty and full of flavor, so everyone is sure to love it! Thanks for reading, and enjoy your pizza monkey bread!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Try one of my comfort dinner recipes for your next family meal! And if you have any questions, I'm here to help!
📋 Recipe
Pizza Monkey Bread
Ingredients
Pizza Monkey Bread:
- 2 (16 ounce) cans biscuits - flaky original-refrigerated
- ½ cup Marinara sauce
- 2½ cups Freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
- 6 ounces Pepperoni - cut in half, 170 grams
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Red pepper flakes
Savory Monkey Bread Topping:
- 2 tablespoons Melted butter
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- ⅓ cup Freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh diced basil
- 1 cup Warmed marinara sauce - for dipping
Instructions
- Preparations
- If you're using large pepperoni, slice them in half.
- Shred the fresh mozzarella cheese.
- Chop the fresh basil.
Cooking instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
- Make the olive oil mixture by mixing the olive oil with Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
- Place the biscuits on a chopping board, cut them in half, and flatten each piece until you have roughly a 2-inch circle.
- Spoon (¼ teaspoon) of the marinara sauce into the center of each biscuit and place 2 to 3 pieces of pepperoni and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese on top.
- Fold the sides, pinch the dough together to seal it, then roll them into a ball with your hands.
- Place the dough balls into a large bowl and spoon the olive oil mixture over so that the balls are coated in it to prevent them from sticking together.
- Gently place half of the balls in a bundt pan and top with half of the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices.
- Add the rest of the balls and top with the remaining cheese and pepperoni. Place the Bundt pan uncovered in the preheated oven and bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- When the Pizza Monkey Bread is finished baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before flipping it over.
- Run a knife around the edges of the bundt pan to release the monkey bread, and place a plate over the pan. Hold the plate with one hand on top and carefully flip the bundt pan over.
- Spoon the melted butter over the top of the monkey bread, then sprinkle with oregano, parmesan cheese, and fresh diced basil.
- Warm the remaining marinara sauce in the microwave in a small bowl and place it in the middle of the monkey bread.
Comments
No Comments