This monkey bread with cream cheese hides a creamy surprise inside each piece of sticky cinnamon-sugar biscuit dough. Refrigerated biscuits keep the prep simple, so the extra effort goes into stuffing the pieces with cream cheese. Like my no yeast cinnamon rolls, this gives you a special breakfast without waiting for dough to rise.
It’s no secret that we’re sweets lovers in this house, although Dan usually lets the rest of us lead the way. My teenage boys go NUTS over this bread! I created it by combining two of my favorite foods, and serving it to unsuspecting people is still my favorite part. They think they’re getting “just” monkey bread, then discover what’s tucked inside.
An indulgent breakfast like this is welcome on occasion, whether it’s a holiday, a leisurely weekend or a weekday that deserves a little something special.
Why This Recipe Works
- The surprise is inside. Each piece of biscuit dough holds a cube of cream cheese. Watching someone discover the filling is almost as fun as eating it yourself.
- The biscuit shortcut keeps it approachable. There’s no dough to mix or knead and no rising time to plan around. Your prep time goes toward filling and assembling the pieces.
- Cream cheese adds balance to the sweetness. Its tanginess pairs so well with the buttery coating, dark brown sugar and cinnamon. You still get all the indulgence of monkey bread, with a creamy center in each bite.
- It’s made for sharing. Turn this stuffed monkey bread onto a platter and let everyone pull off a piece. It’s a fun addition to a holiday brunch or a weekend breakfast with my sweets-loving boys.
Recipe Ingredients
You only need six ingredients to make this monkey bread with cream cheese filling.
- Refrigerated flaky buttermilk biscuits: These are the shortcut that makes this recipe so approachable. I love the flaky buttermilk variety, but another refrigerated biscuit variety can work, too. You’ll need 24 ounces total; check the package weight since tube sizes vary.
- Cream cheese: Use an 8-ounce block, cut into 20 evenly sized cubes. I recommend full-fat cream cheese for a rich, creamy filling. Choose block cream cheese rather than the spreadable kind sold in a tub.
- Dark brown sugar: Adds a deeper molasses flavor to the buttery coating. Light brown sugar works if that’s what you have.
- Granulated sugar: Combines with the brown sugar and cinnamon to sweeten the layers of biscuit dough.
- Cinnamon: A full tablespoon brings that familiar cinnamon-sugar flavor to every layer.
- Butter: I use salted butter here because I love a little salt with all that sweetness. Melt it before assembling so you can pour it evenly over the layers.
How to Make Monkey Bread with Cream Cheese
- Prep the ingredients and fill the dough
Preheat your oven to 350°F and generously coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray, including the center tube.
In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Melt the butter in a separate bowl.
Divide the biscuit dough into 20 roughly equal pieces, gently flattening each into a disc wide enough to wrap around the filling. Cut the cream cheese into 20 evenly sized cubes. Lay the dough on a clean work surface and place a cream cheese cube in the center of each piece.
- Wrap the cream cheese
Bring the edges of each dough disc up and around the cream cheese, leaving the top of the cheese exposed. You’re making little dough cups here, so there’s no need to pinch them completely closed.
- Assemble the layers
Arrange 10 filled dough pieces, cream cheese side up, in the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture, then pour half of the melted butter evenly over the top.
Add the remaining 10 dough pieces, cream cheese side down. Top with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture and melted butter.
- Bake and serve
Bake for about 40 minutes, until the exposed dough is golden brown and the biscuits are cooked through. Gently pull apart a piece near the center to check for raw dough rather than relying on the browned top alone.
Carefully invert the monkey bread onto a serving platter and serve warm, while those cream cheese centers are soft and creamy!
How to Make Monkey Bread Without a Bundt Pan
No Bundt pan? Use a 9×13-inch baking dish. You’ll get a flatter version of this cream cheese monkey bread, with the same cinnamon-sugar coating and creamy filling.
Grease the dish well and spread the filled dough pieces evenly across the pan, distributing the cinnamon-sugar mixture and melted butter throughout. Bake at 350°F, beginning to check for doneness around 30 minutes. The dough should be golden brown and cooked through, especially in the center.
Serve directly from the baking dish rather than turning it onto a platter.
A one-piece tube pan is another option. Avoid an angel food cake pan with a removable bottom unless it’s leakproof, since the melted butter and sugar can escape through the seam.
Recipe Notes
- Use the biscuit weight, not just the tube count. Package sizes vary, so you’ll need 24 ounces of refrigerated biscuit dough total, divided into 20 pieces.
- Grease all the grooves. Coat the Bundt pan thoroughly, including around the center tube, to help the sticky coating release.
- The dough doesn’t need to seal completely. Leave the top of each cream cheese cube exposed, as shown in the process photos. Place the first layer cheese side up and the second layer cheese side down.
- Check the biscuit dough, not the filling. The cream cheese should remain soft and creamy. The dough surrounding it should be fully baked, with no raw spots.
Monkey Bread Variations
The cream cheese filling is already a fun surprise, but here are a few ways to add something extra.
- Add some crunch. Sprinkle chopped pecans or walnuts between the two layers of filled biscuit dough.
- Make it chocolatey. Scatter a handful of chocolate chips between the layers before baking.
- Finish with icing. Drizzle a simple powdered sugar icing over the warm bread just before serving. It’s already sweet, so a little goes a long way!
- Add cream cheese frosting. For an optional topping, beat together 4 ounces of softened cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of softened butter, ½ cup powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Spread or drizzle over the warm monkey bread, adding a splash of milk if you prefer a thinner icing. With cream cheese inside and on top, this is an extra-indulgent variation!
FAQ About Monkey Bread
What is monkey bread?
Monkey bread is a pull-apart bread made from small pieces of dough baked together with butter, sugar and usually cinnamon. This version uses refrigerated biscuits with cream cheese tucked inside each piece.
How do you know when monkey bread is done?
The exposed biscuit dough should be golden brown, but check the interior, too. Gently pull apart a piece near the center of the pan. The dough should be baked through with no raw, doughy spots. The cream cheese filling will stay soft, so check the surrounding biscuit dough.
Does monkey bread with cream cheese need to be refrigerated?
Yes. Because this monkey bread contains cream cheese filling, store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Refrigerate within 2 hours of baking. In my house, the bigger challenge is having any leftovers!
Can you freeze monkey bread with cream cheese?
Yes! Let it cool completely, then wrap tightly and place in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months for the best quality. You can freeze the whole bread or individual portions. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
How do you reheat monkey bread?
Place the monkey bread in an oven-safe dish and loosely cover with foil. Warm at 250°F until heated through, starting to check smaller portions after about 10 minutes. A larger portion will take longer.
For a quick individual serving, microwave in 15-second intervals until the biscuit dough and cream cheese center are warm.
What to Serve With Monkey Bread
When this monkey bread is the sweet centerpiece of breakfast, I like to keep the rest of the meal simple. Scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage and fresh fruit round out the table.
For brunch, pair it with broccoli and eggs and a homemade vanilla iced latte.
More Sweet Breakfast Recipes
If your house is full of sweets lovers like mine, here are a few more breakfast treats to try!
- Slow Cooker Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
- No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
- Apple Coffee Cake
- Banana Crumb Muffins
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Monkey Bread with Cream Cheese Filling
Equipment
- 12-cup Bundt pan
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 24 oz refrigerated flaky buttermilk biscuit dough
- 8 oz full-fat block cream cheese cut into 20 evenly sized cubes
- 3/4 cup salted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 12-cup Bundt pan, including the grooves and center tube. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon.2/3 cup dark brown sugar, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- Divide the biscuit dough into 20 roughly equal pieces. Gently flatten each into a disc and place a cube of cream cheese in the center. Fold the dough edges up around the sides of the cream cheese, leaving the top exposed.24 oz refrigerated flaky buttermilk biscuit dough, 8 oz full-fat block cream cheese
- Arrange 10 filled dough pieces, cream cheese side up, in the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and pour half of the melted butter over the top.3/4 cup salted butter
- Arrange the remaining 10 filled dough pieces over the first layer, cream cheese side down. Top with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture and melted butter.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until the exposed biscuit dough is golden brown and the interior dough is cooked through. Gently pull apart a piece near the center to check for raw dough; the cream cheese filling should remain soft.
- Carefully invert onto a serving platter using oven mitts to handle the hot pan. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Biscuit package sizes vary. Use 24 ounces total rather than relying on a particular number of tubes.
- Use full-fat block cream cheese rather than spreadable cream cheese from a tub.
- Light brown sugar can replace dark brown sugar. Unsalted butter can replace salted butter.
- The dough does not need to seal completely around the filling. Place the first layer cream cheese side up and the second layer cream cheese side down.
- Check the biscuit dough near the center for doneness. A browned top alone does not mean the interior is fully baked.
- No Bundt pan? Use a greased 9×13-inch baking dish and begin checking for doneness around 30 minutes. Serve directly from the dish.
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Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze tightly wrapped portions for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.Check the biscuit dough in the center, not the cream cheese, to judge doneness.
Nutrition
Megan Porta is a comfort food recipe creator who specializes in easy family meals and Instant Pot desserts, and the founder of Pip and Ebby. She has been cooking for three decades and developing recipes for over fifteen years, helping home cooks make reliable, cozy recipes for real life.
This looks so good. Can you substitute 1/2 sugar and 1/2 splenda?
There is a 1:1 ratio when substituting splenda with sugar, so this will work just fine!
Megan
I use splenda instead of sugar, but only 1/4 cup. Splenda is twice as sweet as sugar.
אני רוצה להכין את לחם הקופים – לא מוצאת מתכון לבצק השמרים לא הבנתי בכתבה איך מכינים או משיגים את הבצק את המילוי הבנתי בערך מישהו יכול לעזור לשלוח במייל הוראות ברורות יותר
Hi Darlene! Are you referring to something along the lines of bisquick? I'm not sure if that would work, but you could certainly try! Please report back and let me know how it goes!
Megan
Hi I'am from Canada and I'am not sure what is flaky bisquit, we have bisquit but it comes in a box, is that ok
Hi Sam! Yikes, I don't know what to recommend if refrigerated biscuits aren't available. I would think canned croissants would be delicious! Will you let me know how it turns out if you give that a try? Good luck!
Megan
I really love the look of these but living in the uk we don't have canned biscuits, what could I use instead for this recipe and how much? Would canned croissants do? As that's the closest we come to such products.
you could use frozen bread loaf, thaw or, pick it apart, put your cheese into, it actually is better then biscuits.
Great suggestion, Brenda! Thank you.
Good
OH MY Yumminess! This looks like serious yumminess and needs to be used for a very special occasion…if it makes it to the occasion! Lol!