Our Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread transforms the familiar flavors of pizza into a cheesy, snackable, pull-apart bread that your friends and family will love! After careful testing, our recipe uses only 6 simple ingredients to make an easy, show-stopping appetizer. We’ve provided detailed step-by-step photos and directions so you can successfully make this fun pull apart pizza bread the first time you try.
We love making new snack and appetizer recipes to share whenever we’re hosting. And this seriously snackable pizza pull apart bread has been a huge hit at game day parties, on game night, and for miscellaneous play dates. With just 10 minutes of prep time, this savory pull apart bread is everything you love about pizza but in fun, finger-food form.
Pizza monkey bread also works as an entertaining and interactive kind of dinner main dish! It satisfies your pizza cravings, especially when served with classic pizza side dishes like antipasto salad, garlic knots, chicken wings, and homemade ranch dip.
If you love this recipe, be sure to try our classic cinnamon monkey bread with biscuits too!
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love This Pizza Monkey Bread Recipe
- Pizza Monkey Bread Ingredients
- How to make pizza pull apart bread
- Pizza Monkey Bread Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Pizza Monkey Bread Recipe Tips
- How to Store Pull Apart Pizza Bread
- Pizza Monkey Bread FAQs
- Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
- Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread (Pull Apart Pizza Bread)
Why You’ll Love This Pizza Monkey Bread Recipe
Great for parties. Pull-apart pizza bread will stand out at game day parties, birthday parties, and holiday gatherings!
Irresistible taste and texture. Sauce-covered bites of warm pizza bread will be devoured in minutes! Your friends may be fighting over the wonderfully crispy edge pieces (mine did).
Quick and easy. What’s not to love about a delicious recipe that uses canned dough and easy-to-find ingredients?
Crowd-pleasing. I’m yet to meet someone who doesn’t enjoy pizza. This pizza-inspired recipe is sure to please kids and adults of all ages!
Pizza Monkey Bread Ingredients
- Canned biscuits. You’ll need two cans of refrigerated biscuit dough. I like the Grands Original Flaky Layer Biscuits. Use a chopping knife to cut each biscuit into bite-sized quarters.
- Salted butter. Melted butter helps the Italian seasoning stick to the biscuits, keeps them soft and moist while baking, and adds to the flaky texture.
- Pepperoni. You can cut standard sized pepperoni in half for this recipe, or use mini pepperonis!
- Italian seasoning. Italian seasoning will give the bread that distinct pizza flavor.
- Italian cheese blend. Shredded Italian cheese blends usually include mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan cheeses. Any similar combination will work!
- Pizza sauce. You’ll definitely want to serve this with a good pizza sauce for dipping!
- Optional toppings. Optional toppings for monkey bread with biscuits include red pepper flakes, grated parmesan cheese, or fresh basil.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Helpful Equipment
Monkey bread should be made in a bundt cake pan or tube pan for best results. A large mixing bowl is also helpful when combining the bread ingredients.
How to make pizza pull apart bread
Step 1: Prep ingredients by cutting canned biscuits into quarters, cutting pepperonis in half, and pre-heating the oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Add the biscuit pieces and melted butter to a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Toss by hand to coat each piece of biscuit with butter. Pull pieces apart as needed to ensure all sides are coated.
Step 4: Add in the Italian seasoning.
Step 5: Toss again to coat all of the biscuit pieces with the seasoning.
Step 6: Add the pepperoni pieces and shredded Italian cheese to the bowl.
Step 7: Toss again to distribute the ingredients.
Step 8: Transfer the pizza monkey bread mixture to a greased bundt cake pan.
Step 9: Rearrange the biscuits and pepperoni pieces as needed so they’re evenly distributed throughout the pan and not clumped together. Goal to have an even layer when all ingredients are in the pan.
Step 10: Cover the pizza monkey bread with tin foil and bake it in your preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown on top.
Step 11: Allow the monkey bread cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes.
Step 12: Turn the monkey bread out onto a large serving platter and serve the bread with warm pizza sauce for dipping.
Pizza Monkey Bread Recipe Variations & Substitutions
Just like there is an endless variety of pizza recipes, there are endless ways you could be creative with monkey bread pizza!
- Mix in different pizza toppings. Some of my other favorite pizza toppings include sausage, bacon, garlic, and veggies.
- Use different dipping sauces. Instead of pizza sauce, try alfredo, pesto, or marinara sauce.
- Make homemade dough. If you prefer to make your dough from scratch, I recommend using my friend Cynthia’s homemade flaky biscuit recipe!
Possible Dietary Restrictions?
This Pizza Monkey Bread recipe doesn’t fit into any special diets as written. I don’t recommend trying to make the recipe work with a vegan or dairy-free diet, as cheese and butter add rich and savory flavor.
- Eliminate the pepperoni to make this a vegetarian recipe. I suggest replacing the pepperoni with vegetarian pizza toppings, such as black olives, bell peppers, mushrooms, or broccoli.
- To make this into a gluten-free pizza monkey bread recipe, you’ll need to use a gluten free biscuit mix or make homemade gluten free biscuit dough.
Pizza Monkey Bread Recipe Tips
- Use your hands to mix. When combining the biscuits with the rest of the ingredients, it’s best to just use your hands! It’s easier than using a mixing spoon and ensures all the biscuits are evenly coated in the butter and seasonings.
- Generously spray the bundt pan. What I mean by “generously” is spray the heck out of it! A good coating of non-stick cooking spray ensures the monkey bread will release from the pan when turned onto a plate.
- Turn out the monkey bread. After the bread has cooled for several minutes, carefully invert the bundt pan onto a large plate or serving platter. The monkey bread should easily pop out of the pan and onto your serving plate.
How to Store Pull Apart Pizza Bread
I’m pretty confident you won’t have any leftovers. However, if you do, leftovers will stay fresh for 2-3 days if stored properly.
Let the monkey bread cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container or ziplock bag. Store the pizza bread in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Pizza Monkey Bread FAQs
Yes, monkey bread can be made with canned or fresh pizza dough. However, I don’t recommend using it as a substitution for canned biscuits in this recipe. The recipe steps and cooking time may change.
Reheat individual portions of leftover pizza monkey bread in the microwave for 30-second increments until heated through. Reheat larger portions on a cookie sheet in the oven. Cover the bread with foil and reheat at 170°F for 20-30 minutes.
You may have heard monkey bread called pull-apart bread, tear-and-share bread, bubble bread, or monkey brains bread.
There are two main differences between pizza dough and biscuit dough. First, is the leavening agent. Pizza dough is made using yeast as the leavener while biscuit dough is made with baking soda and/or baking powder and it’s leavening agent. Second, is the type of flour used to develop the gluten level of the dough. Pizza dough generally needs to be malleable and stretchy to make it’s shape. This requires a higher level of gluten required to prevent it from breaking apart. A high protein bread flour helps pizza dough do this. Biscuits don’t need to stretch like pizza dough, so using a standard all-purpose flour is fine for this type of dough.
The monkey bread will be golden-brown and firm to the touch. You can also insert a skewer into the center of the bread and if it comes out clean (a few crumbs are ok), then it’s ready to enjoy!
Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread (Pull Apart Pizza Bread)
Ingredients
- 2 cans biscuits, cut into quarters (I use 16.3oz cans of Grands Original Flaky Layer Biscuits)
- 4 tablespoon salted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 6 oz pepperoni, cut in half
- 2 C shredded Italian cheese blend
- pizza sauce for dipping
- optional: sprinkle parmesan cheese and/or red pepper flakes for topping
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Generously spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray, then set it aside for later.
- Toss the biscuit pieces and melted butter together in a large mixing bowl.. Use your hands to toss the ingredients together, pulling biscuit pieces apart as needed, to ensure all biscuit pieces are fully coated in the butter.
- Add the Italian seasoning to the large mixing bowl and toss again until the biscuits are evenly coated with seasoning.
- Add the cheese and pepperonis to the biscuit mixture. Continue mixing until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Pour the biscuit mixture into the prepared bundt pan. Rearrange the biscuits so they’re evenly distributed throughout the pan and not clumped together.
- Cover the pizza monkey bread with tin foil and bake it in your preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown on top.
- Let the monkey bread cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before turning it onto a serving plate.
- Serve the bread with warm pizza sauce for dipping, and enjoy!
Marge says
Was a big hit for our game day party, thanks! Will make again.
Meredith says
Glad to hear this pizza monkey bread was a hit!
Laura says
Loved this recipe! Perfect amount of flavor and a crowd favorite. Will make again for next game day!
Meredith says
So happy to hear you loved this pizza monkey bread too Laura!
David says
Really easy to make, and the kiddo loved pulling off her own pieces 🙂
Meredith says
So happy to hear this!! Glad everyone enjoyed it 🙂