Pizza Monkey Bread

Pizza Monkey Bread is perfect for when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare a meal. Making monkey bread pizza is so easy. Use canned biscuits, spaghetti sauce, and a few simple pizza ingredients to make this Italian-inspired dish.

pizza monkey bread on a plate and in a baking dish.


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Monkey Bread Pizza

Whether you’re looking for a tasty appetizer or some fun food for the kids, this monkey pizza bread recipe is for you. And, this pepperoni pull-apart cheesy bread couldn’t be easier to make.

Pizza monkey bread is perfect when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare a meal. It’s also a tailgater’s delight and great for a picnic, baseball and football games, and slumber parties.

Pepperoni pizza monkey bread makes a perfect appetizer or snack. You get the full flavor of a pizza in an absolutely yummy easy-tear-apart bread! The top gives you a nice little crunchiness, and the center is moist and soft –absolute perfection in every bite.

This pizza monkey bread recipe uses canned biscuits, spaghetti sauce, and a few simple pizza ingredients.

What is Pizza Monkey Bread?

Monkey pizza bread is an Italian-inspired dish that copies everything you love in a pizza and more. If you love pizza, you’ll love this pizza monkey bread recipe that’s made with biscuits and spaghetti sauce and stuffed with pepperoni and cheese.

Why is it called Monkey Bread?

Monkey bread got its name from the way it’s eaten. It’s a finger food that you pick apart (just like a monkey!). Other names for monkey bread are bubble bread, pull-apart bread, and pluck-it cake.

Full of pizza flavor, this cheesy bread really hits all the right notes for being quick, easy, and delicious!

Why This is the Best Recipe for Pizza Monkey Bread

This pizza monkey bread recipe is the perfect way to clean up the odd bits of leftovers taking up space in your refrigerator. It’s also so much fun to make with your kids – they’ll have a great time helping and watching the biscuits puff up in the oven.

It’s also fun to pull this bread apart and get a little messy when eating it! You can tell them it’s ok to monkey around!

What’s more, you don’t have to worry about serving different things for kids and adults; everybody loves this monkey bread! It’s a real crowd-pleaser.

Recipe Ingredients

Easy, cheesy, and the perfect party food, this pepperoni pizza monkey bread is an easy recipe everyone will love. Here’s what you will need:

  • Canned refrigerated biscuits
  • Spaghetti sauce
  • Italian seasoning
  • Pepperoni
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian cheese blend

Optional Ingredients

  • Green bell pepper
  • Onion
  • Black olive slices
  • Cooked Italian sausage
  • Cooked ground meat
pizza monkey bread ingredients on a tray.

How to Make Pizza Monkey Bread

Here are the simple steps for making this tasty pull-apart pizza:

  1. Open the canned biscuits, cut each biscuit into 4 pieces, and place them in a large bowl.
  2. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the biscuits, add Italian seasoning, and stir to coat the biscuits with the sauce and seasoning.
  3. Add 3/4 of the pepperoni and half of the cheese to the bowl. Stir to mix in the pepperoni and cheese with the biscuits and sauce.
pizza monkey bread mixture in a bowl.
  1. Pour the mixture into a greased 9×13-inch pan.
  2. Sprinkle the remaining pepperoni and cheese on top. If using any of the optional toppings, sprinkle them on too.
pizza monkey bread before being baked.
  1. Bake at 350°F for approximately 25 minutes or until the biscuits are fully cooked.

Note: You can also make this recipe in a regular cake pan or a bundt pan.

pizza monkey bread with pepperoni and other toppings.

Recipe Notes and Tips

You might want to use mini pepperoni in this pizza bread recipe. If you can’t find it at your local grocery store, regular size pepperoni works just fine. You can leave it whole or chop it into smaller pieces.

If you don’t have a 9 x 13 baking dish you can use cake pans or a bundt pan. If you use a deeper pan like a bundt pan, it may take longer for the biscuits to cook all of the way through.

If your bread is browning too fast, loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Once out of the oven, allow the pizza monkey bread to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. If you leave it too long, it will start to stick. If you’ve greased the pan well and you run a knife around the edges, it should be easy to get out in one piece.

Line the 9×13 pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil (or use non-stick foil). You can then lift the pizza out of the dish and slide it onto a platter for serving.

Pizza Monkey Bread Recipe Variations

You can really make this monkey bread recipe your own by adding some of your favorite pizza ingredients. Here are a few other ideas:

  • Add crumbled sausage to the pepperoni for a double meat version.
  • Add mushrooms, olives, meats, onions, and peppers for a supreme pizza monkey bread version.
  • Sneak those veggies in where you can. For instance, chop and sauté a little spinach in a skillet. Your kids won’t even notice!
  • Try swapping the marinara sauce for pesto! You get a delicious pesto pizza bread.
  • You could also use ranch dressing instead of marina as a dipping sauce.
  • If you prefer a garlic bread vibe, melt some butter and minced garlic together, and use in lieu of the marinara sauce.
  • Want a Mexican vibe? Use queso instead of marinara sauce and ground beef cooked with taco seasoning instead of pepperoni. Serve with Rotel cheese dip on the side.

How to Serve Your Monkey Bread

Wondering what goes with this tasty pizza bread dish? Here are a few ideas:

Can You Prepare Monkey Bread Ahead of Time?

This is a good dish to bake ahead of time and reheat. However, it’s best not to let an unbaked dish sit in the fridge overnight because the biscuits will start to get a weird texture.

For larger pieces or the whole thing, cover with aluminum foil and reheat in the oven.

If you have leftovers in small pieces, they’ll still taste good if you reheat them in the microwave at 15-second intervals.

Does Monkey Bread Freeze Well?

Yes! After baking, allow the bread to cool completely. Then use plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. For best results, use it within three months.

Thaw the bread overnight in the fridge and reheat it before eating.

overhead view of pizza monkey bread on a plate and in a baking dish.

Favorite Pizza Recipes

Check out more of my easy Italian recipes and the best game day recipes here on CopyKat!

pizza monkey bread on a plate and in a baking dish.

Pizza Monkey Bread

Pizza Monkey Bread uses everything you love in a pizza and served as a savory pizza-inspired bread. 
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Breads
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Pizza, Pizza Monkey Bread
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 585kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 cans refrigerated biscuits
  • 24 ounces spaghetti sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or equal parts basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and thyme
  • 8 ounces pepperoni
  • 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian three-cheese blend

Optional Ingredients

  • chopped green bell pepper
  • chopped onion
  • black olive slices
  • cooked sausage
  • cooked ground meat

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Open the canned biscuits, cut each biscuit into quarters, and place them into a bowl.
  • Pour the spaghetti sauce over the biscuits, add Italian seasoning, and stir well.
  • Add 3/4 of the pepperoni (reserve the remaining 1/4) and 1/2 of the cheese to the bowl, and stir well.
  • Pour the mixture into a greased 9×13 pan.
  • Sprinkle the remaining pepperoni and cheese on top before placing the pizza into the oven. If using any of the optional toppings, sprinkle them on too.
  • Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the biscuits are fully cooked. They will be slightly firm when you press down on them.

Nutrition

Calories: 585kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 1836mg | Potassium: 513mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 375IU | Vitamin C: 4.1mg | Calcium: 166mg | Iron: 4.8mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bud Hoffman

    I’m looking forward to making this in a few days, I’m wondering what size containers of biscuits I need.
    I bought the small size (7.5oz) because they came in a 4 pack. :o)

  2. Mr_D

    We are going to try this this weekend. It looks like so much fun to make. I just discovered your site yesterday, I already love it….thank you for a great place!

  3. Fran

    What a great idea. I am going to need to find some people to share this with me because I have a feeling I’d eat the whole thing myself if I made it without people to share it with. 🙂

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