Are you feeling festive and in need of something sweet yet accessible? Prepare yourself for the best monkey bread recipe…which actually vegan-friendly! 

Try out this homemade vegan monkey bread only with vegan ingredients. You heard right! Monkey bread it’s a popular, classic dish that will fill your home with the smell of fresh-baked goods and light up the atmosphere.

Want to know how to make monkey bread but vegan? Keep reading for the best tips and tricks to enjoying flavorful, tasty monkey bread in the comfort of your home. 

Every time I bake monkey bread using this easy monkey bread recipe, the finished product tastes wonderful, and I never have to worry about left-overs! This vegan healthy monkey bread will lighten up your day.

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What is Monkey Bread?

Monkey Bread might be considered by most a classic American dish. However you can also find it in Canada.

Well, that’s only half right. Monkey bread came from Europe in the twentieth century. It derives from a traditional Hungarian dish called Arany Galuska. 

It became known in America when Hungarian immigrants started selling it in bakeries. 

However, Monkey Bread shouldn’t be confused with the Hungarian dessert as they are slightly different. For Arany Galuska, the balls of dough are only dipped in sugar, not in a cinnamon and sugar mixture. 

The dish really became popular when Nancy Reagan served it in the ’80 at the White House Christmas. 

Things You’ll Need for Vegan Monkey Bread

With this simple monkey bread recipe, you’ll bring merry and joy into your home!

There are many interpretations of the homemade monkey bread recipe, but I always think that simplicity always has the best results. In its simplicity, this recipe is impossible to fail and will guarantee you a yummy, wholesome snack.

Here is what you need for this easy homemade monkey bread recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 ½ (218 g) cups of white flour (a good quality flour will ensure a puffy, elastic dough)
• 2 (7 g)teaspoons of dry yeast (you can use fresh yeast, but I prefer to work with dry yeast)
• 1 (224 g) cup of plant-based milk (I usually use soy milk, but anything that is not rich in flavor works)
• 4 (454 g) sticks of butter replacement (It’s important to choose a good quality plant-based butter)
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) of cinnamon
• 1  and ¼ cup (270 g) of granulated white/brown sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Dried fruits
• Nuts 

How to make Vegan Monkey Bread – Step by Step Guide

1. Prepare your working space. Make sure you have enough room to work.
2. Warm up the plant-based milk with 4 tablespoons of sugar and vanilla extract. (you can do this on the stove or in the microwave). It’s important that the milk is warm, not hot. So, don’t boil it! If the milk is too hot, it will deactivate the properties of the yeast and your dough won’t be puffy and soft. 
3. Put the dry yeast and flour in a bowl big enough to fit all ingredients. 
4. Add the warm milk and mix them together. 
5. Let the yeast, flour, and milk mixture sit for about 5 minutes at room temperature. After some time, you might see bubbles forming on the surface. This means that the yeast is working its magic!
6. It’s time to properly mix the ingredients together. You can use an electric mixer equipped with a kneading tool, or you can do it by hand (it’s not as hard as it sounds).
7. Mix the ingredients until you have a non-sticky dough (it doesn’t stick to your fingers while you mix it). You can add more flour if needed (the quantity of flour needed depends on the quality of the flour, so a good tip is to add the flour gradually and observe the dough’s texture)
8. Melt 2 sticks of butter on the stove or in the microwave ( I find it easier to use the microwave). 
9. Pour the butter gradually into the bowl while mixing it in the dough. This will give your dough a more elastic texture. 
10. Knead the dough with a stretch and fold technique. Kneading is very important and is a crucial step in obtaining a puffy dough. This step should take you at least 10 minutes. You can add more melted butter while kneading if you feel like the dough is still too sticky. You will see that when you are kneading the dough, it becomes more and more elastic, and its texture improves considerably. 
11. After you are done kneading, let the dough rest for 30 minutes in a covered bowl.

Meanwhile, you can prepare your ingredients for the next steps for this easy healthy monkey bread!

12. Prepare a pan for baking. You can use a simple or fluted tube pan. If you don’t have a tube pan, don’t worry! A regular pan will work just as well. Coat the pan with plant-based butter. This will make your cleaning easier and will keep the dough from sticking to the pan.
13. Preheat the oven at 400℉ (200℃).
14. Mix the rest of the sugar with the cinnamon in a bowl. You can make the mixture according to your preferences. Add more sugar and less cinnamon if you are not into a very aromatic dessert, or add more cinnamon for a boost of flavor. Keep in mind that cinnamon flavor is very aromatic, so a little goes a long way.
15. Melt the remaining butter in another bowl.
16. Keep both bowls at hand and prepare to assemble the monkey bread. 
17. After you’ve left the dough rest for 30 minutes, cut it into small pieces, about the size of a walnut. The pieces will increase in size while baking.
18. Dip every piece of dough in melted butter, then roll it in the cinnamon and sugar mixture.

12. Place the pieces into the butter-coated pan. Optionally, you can add dried fruits and nuts when placing the dough into the pan. Personally, I like walnuts and raisins, but there are many options to choose from. This will give your monkey bread a plus of taste (I think of them as small gems waiting to be found with each bite).
13. Once everything is in the pan, add any left butter and put the pan in the oven. It’s a good idea to use the oven fan (if you have one) so you avoid burning. 
14. Let the monkey bread sit in the oven for about 30 minutes, until it has a golden color. 
15. Take it out of the pan and let it cool for 10 minutes.

Enjoy while warm!

Substitution of ingredients

Now that you know how to make this easy recipe for monkey bread, here are some replacements for the ingredients.

If you feel like making the dough for this homemade monkey bread recipe

is too difficult, you can always buy a pre-made one and save some time!

There are many alternatives for replacing the homemade dough, but these are some accessible premade doughs that I have tried and been satisfied with. 

Firstly, you can make Pillsbury monkey bread by using an easy monkey bread recipe with 1 can of biscuits. For this easy Monkey Bread with premade Pillsbury Dough, you’ll only need to do the assembling part, and will save you a lot of time!

Some other good alternatives are to use frozen monkey bread dough or frozen bread dough. Have a look at my monkey bread with frozen bread dough here.

Another good idea is to add caramel syrup (or other syrup that you like) for serving the monkey bread. 

Try new combinations and add different kinds of nuts and dried fruits.

For a gluten-free alternative, replace the ingredients which contain gluten (flour, for example) with gluten-free ingredients and voilà! You have gluten-free monkey bread.

The simplicity of this recipe allows you to try out new things and never go wrong! 

There are many reinterpretations of this recipe, some even transforming it from a dessert into a snack or main course. Some ideas worth noting would be pizza monkey bread, monkey bread with crescent rolls, monkey bread with Rhodes Rolls, Banana monkey bread.

Tips on Serving Vegan Monkey Bread

Many think that some desserts are made only for festive, fancy events. Nothing could ever be further from the truth! 

Monkey bread can be a wonderful festive dessert for Christmas, or it can be a sweet pull-apart bread to share with your dear ones on a special occasion.

On the other hand, you can serve a delicious snack in front of the TV, like I like to do sometimes. Breakfast monkey bread on a lazy Sunday sounds to me like the best way to relax and treat myself. 

Another good idea is to eat it with ice cream. My mouth is already watering only at the thought of it!

The best monkey bread with vegan ingredients has no rules for when or where to be served and that’s exactly what makes it so special! 

How to store Vegan Monkey Bread

The monkey bread loaf can be stored for up to 4 days. Of course, it will lose its flavor with time, but it makes a great quick snack. 

Wondering what to do with the leftover, if there will be any? I recommend you keep them covered, so the dough won’t harden. 

Recipe Card: Vegan Monkey Bread