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Bake a Mini Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread! Savor the pull-apart delight, loaded with your favorite pizza flavors, perfect for a snack or party.
Monkey Bread, a treat that’s as fun to eat as it is to say, is an American classic known for its sticky, pull-apart sweetness. However, this recipe turns the tables, offering you a savory version that combines the joy of eating monkey bread with the flavors of pepperoni pizza.
Table of Contents
What Is Monkey Bread?
Monkey Bread, traditionally a sweet pull-apart pastry, takes a delicious twist in this recipe to become Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread. This version brings together the interactive, pull-apart fun of Monkey Bread with the savory, cheesy flavors of a classic pepperoni pizza. The result is a delightful pastry loaded with tomato sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese that you pull apart and enjoy.
Why This Recipe Works
- Interactive: This pull-apart bread makes for an engaging and fun eating experience.
- Versatile: It’s an excellent choice for small parties, snacks, or even a casual dinner.
- Adaptable: The ingredients can easily be modified to accommodate different tastes.
- Easy to prepare: The use of ready-made dough simplifies the cooking process significantly.
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Refrigerator biscuits: Tubes of refrigerated biscuit dough can be found in the refrigerated bread section of many grocery stores. You can also use a tube of pizza dough or crescent rolls instead.
- Pepperoni: For vegetarians, replace pepperoni with a vegetarian substitute or omit it.
- Mozzarella cheese: Feel free to swap mozzarella with other types of cheese like cheddar or Monterey Jack.
- Tomato sauce: Use your favorite brand or use our homemade tomato sauce recipe.
- Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this pizza monkey bread recipe as well as in every other recipe on One Dish Kitchen that calls for olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It’s my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use a lighter olive oil instead.
- Parmesan cheese and dried basil: For tons of flavor.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I used them. For the full recipe please scroll down to the recipe box at the bottom of the post.
How To Make Pizza Monkey Bread
These step-by-step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make monkey bread. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Open up the tube of refrigerator biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters. Place each biscuit quarter into either a zip-topped bag or a large mixing bowl. I find it easier to use a zip-topped bag, but you can certainly use a bowl or large dish. Add the olive oil, parmesan cheese, and dried basil to the bag (or bowl), zip up the top, and shake or mix the ingredients together.
- Create a single layer of the seasoned dough in a small baking dish.
- Top the layer of seasoned dough with tomato sauce and chopped pepperoni.
- Next, add a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Top the cheese with another layer of seasoned dough.
- Finish with additional sauce and mozzarella cheese and place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes.
Expert Tips
- It’s important to coat each piece of the biscuit completely with olive oil, cheese, and basil. I have found the fastest, easiest way to do this is to put the biscuit rolls, the parmesan, and the dried basil in a ziplock bag and shake it up until everything is well coated.
- Be sure to spray your baking dish with oil or oil spray to prevent sticking.
- This monkey bread recipe is easily adaptable. Feel free to add more pepperoni and cheese or use cooked ground sausage and another type of cheese instead.
- Chop your pepperoni into quarters so that it’s easier to get a piece of pepperoni in every single bite.
Frequently Asked Questions
The success of this recipe depends on the size of the baking dish you use. We recommend using a 5×5-inch baking dish. If you would like to double the recipe, use either two 5×5-inch baking dishes or use one 6.5×6.5-inch baking dish, or one 6×8-inch baking dish. These dishes can be found on our Store page.
Yes, you absolutely can! Add cooked and crumbled sausage along with pepperoni for a double meat version. Or add mushrooms, sliced olives, or sautéed onions. Feel free to let your creativity shine!
This Monkey Bread is best served fresh from the oven but can be assembled ahead of time and baked just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this Mini Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread fresh out of the oven with a side of marinara sauce for dipping. It makes a great appetizer for gatherings, a fun twist on pizza night, or a snack for watching your favorite show.
RELATED: Single Serving Comfort Food Recipes
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients left over from this pizza monkey bread recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Olive oil: Hummus, Chili, Hashbrown Casserole, Smothered Pork Chops, Shrimp Etouffee
- Parmesan cheese: Parmesan Crisps, Pasta Primavera, Twice Baked Eggplant, Caprese Pasta
- Dried basil: Ratatouille, Meat Sauce, Croutons, Salmon Rice Bowl, Tomato Soup, Spinach and Orzo Salad
- Tomato sauce: Italian Chicken, Pasta with Roasted Vegetables, Butter Chicken, Chicken Parmesan, Baked Ziti
- Pepperoni: French Bread Pizza, Crustless Pizza Quiche, Italian Pasta Salad, Personal Pepperoni Pizza, Detroit Style Pizza, Pizza Bowl
- Mozzarella cheese: Buffalo Chicken, Chicken Caprese, Lasagna, Eggplant Parmesan, Hot Spinach Dip, Stuffed Shells
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
If you’ve tried this pizza monkey bread or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Recipe
Mini Pizza Monkey Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tube refrigerator biscuits (8 small or 5 large)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 6 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 20 slices pepperoni ,chopped
- 3 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Spray the inside of a small baking dish with oil spray. Set aside.
- Open up the tube of refrigerator biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters.
- Place each biscuit quarter into a either a zip-topped bag or a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, parmesan cheese and dried basil to the bag (or bowl), zip up the top and shake or mix the ingredients together.
- Create a single layer of the seasoned dough in a small baking dish.
- Top the layer of seasoned dough with tomato sauce and chopped pepperoni.
- Add a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Top the cheese with another layer of seasoned dough.
- Finish with additional sauce and mozzarella cheese and place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes.
Video
Notes
- It’s important to coat each piece of the biscuit completely with the olive oil, cheese, and basil. I have found the fastest, easiest way to do this is to put the biscuit rolls, the parmesan, and the dried basil in a ziplock bag and shake it up until everything is well coated.
- Be sure to spray your baking dish with oil spray to prevent sticking.
- This recipe is easily adaptable. Feel free to add more pepperoni and cheese or use cooked ground sausage and another type of cheese instead.
- Chop your pepperoni into quarters so that it’s easier to get a piece of pepperoni in every single bite.
- You can use any smaller-sized baking dish and simply adjust the amount of dough you use depending on the size of your dish. For smaller sized dishes, use less dough. For a larger dish, you may only use one layer of dough.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hi love your recipes and cookbook. I live in New Zealand and are unable to buy refrigerator biscuit dough. Can I use pizza dough for the monkey bread recipe
Many thanks jean
Pizza dough should work just fine.
How can I print out the recipe without the pictures (on some of your recipes) I am using too much ink and very costly?
I love all of the recipes that I have tried. They are so convenient and tasty too.
Thank you.
Hi Bettie, I’m so happy you are enjoying our recipes. We give the option to either print out the recipe with photos OR without photos. To print without photos, simply click the PRINT button, UNCHECK the box that says “Recipe Image” and “Instruction Image” and you will be able to print without photos.
Thank you Joanie, I now have a printed copy. Appreciated!!
This sounds yummy! Can this be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator to be baked the next day?
Yes.
I tried the recipe twice. First, I used crescent rolls because there is evidently a shortage of biscuits. I baked it a little longer than what the recipe said. There was uncooked dough.
Desperate to succeed, I found biscuits and tried the recipe again. I had the same issue: raw dough.
Both times I had to throw the monkey bread out and clean my oven.
Someone please tell me where I went wrong.
Hi Kat, I’d encourage you to test the temperature of your oven. It sounds like it might not be running as hot as it should. You can do this by purchasing an inexpensive oven thermometer and keeping it in your oven as it heats up.
If the biscuits rose and overflowed in the baking dish, the dish you used was too small. I use a 5-inch baking dish. This dish holds about 1.5 cups and has an area of 25 square inches. A 4×6-inch dish has an area of 24 square inches and will work as well. You can use any smaller-sized baking dish and simply adjust the amount of dough you use depending on the size of your dish. (Also see our recipe photos to see how we layer the ingredients)
For smaller-sized dishes, use less dough. For a larger dish, you may only use one layer of dough. See our FAQ page for additional information on baking dish sizes.
For examples of the dishes we use, please visit our Store page.
Hi Joanie! I love your site and all the wonderful recipes you offer😊. Thank you very much.
Made it today and loved it. Easy to make and full of flavor.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your feedback.