Gluten Free Monkey Bread

If you’ve never had monkey bread before, it’s basically a pull-apart bread made from small balls of dough coated in cinnamon sugar and baked in a bundt pan with caramel. It’s sweet, gooey, and incredibly fun to eat.

This version is completely gluten free, and I promise you won’t miss the gluten at all. The texture is soft and pillowy, and the caramel glaze ties everything together perfectly.

I know that a lot of gluten free baked goods can feel dry or crumbly. That’s definitely not the case here. The dough stays moist thanks to the butter and eggs, and the caramel keeps things nice and sticky.

It’s a great recipe for holidays, brunch, or honestly just a random Saturday when you want something special. Everyone can enjoy it, whether they eat gluten free or not.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s Gluten Free and Actually Pulls Apart – One of the hardest things about gluten free baking is getting that soft, stretchy texture, but this monkey bread nails it with the right combo of gluten free flour, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum so every piece pulls apart just like the classic version.

Homemade Caramel Glaze Takes It Over the Top – The buttery brown sugar caramel glaze soaks into every single dough ball as it bakes, giving you that sticky, gooey, irresistible coating that makes monkey bread so addictive in the first place.

Perfect for Sharing – Since you just pull apart the cinnamon sugar coated pieces with your hands, this is the kind of treat that brings everyone together around the table, and nobody will even guess it’s gluten free.

Every Bite Is Coated in Cinnamon Sugar – Each little dough ball gets dipped in melted butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking, so you’re not just getting flavor on the outside but all the way through every layer of the bundt pan.

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 2 1/4 cups Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Blend
• 1/4 cup Tapioca Starch
• 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) Instant Yeast
• 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
• 1 tsp Xanthan Gum (omit if flour blend already contains it)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3/4 cup Warm Whole Milk (110 degrees F)
• 2 Eggs
• 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter (melted)
• 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter (melted)

For the Caramel Glaze

• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar (packed)
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Pinch of Salt

How to Make

Step 1

In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, tapioca starch, instant yeast, granulated sugar, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the warm milk, eggs, melted butter, and apple cider vinegar. Mix with a spatula or hand mixer until a soft, sticky dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Step 2

Grease a bundt pan generously with butter or nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the coating.

Step 3

Scoop tablespoon-sized pieces of dough and roll into balls with lightly oiled hands. Dip each ball into the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture until coated. Place the coated balls into the prepared bundt pan, layering them evenly.

Step 4

Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough balls rise for 30 minutes until slightly puffy. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F during this time.

Step 5

While the dough rises, make the caramel glaze. Combine the butter, brown sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 2 minutes. Pour the glaze evenly over the dough balls.

Step 6

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden brown and the monkey bread sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

Step 7

Place a serving plate upside down on top of the bundt pan, then carefully invert the monkey bread onto the plate. Serve warm and pull apart.

Helpful Tips

Check Your Flour Blend for Xanthan Gum

Before you start, read the ingredients on your gluten free flour blend. Some brands like Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 already have xanthan gum in them, and if you add more on top of that, the dough gets gummy and almost rubbery.

If your blend does not contain xanthan gum, definitely add the 1 teaspoon listed in the recipe. It is what helps the dough hold together and gives it stretch since there is no gluten doing that job.

Getting this step wrong is one of the most common reasons gluten free baked goods turn out with a weird texture, so it is worth the 10 seconds it takes to check the label.

Get the Milk Temperature Right

The warm milk needs to be around 110 degrees F, which feels warm to the touch but not hot. If you do not have a thermometer, think of it like comfortable bath water. You should be able to dip your finger in and hold it there without pulling away.

If the milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast and your dough will not rise at all. If it is too cool, the yeast will be sluggish and the rise will take forever or barely happen.

This matters even more with gluten free dough because you are already working without gluten to give it structure, so you really need the yeast to do its full job.

Oil Your Hands When Rolling the Dough Balls

Gluten free dough is sticky, way stickier than regular dough. If you try to roll the balls with dry hands, the dough will stick to your fingers and you will end up with a mess instead of neat little balls.

Put a small amount of vegetable oil or coconut oil on your palms and rub them together before you start scooping and rolling. Re-oil your hands every few balls as needed.

You do not need perfectly round balls here. Just get them roughly the same size, about a tablespoon each, so they bake evenly. If some are big and some are small, the small ones will overbake before the big ones are done.

You Might Also Like

• Gluten Free Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls
• Gluten Free Cinnamon Swirl Loaf
• Gluten Free Cinnamon Crumb Cake
• Gluten Free Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
• Gluten Free Churro Bites

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a regular muffin pan instead of a bundt pan?

You can, but a bundt pan is really ideal here because it gives the monkey bread its classic ring shape and lets the caramel glaze pool around the dough balls evenly. If you use a muffin pan, you’ll end up with individual portions, which can actually be fun, but reduce the bake time by about 8-10 minutes since smaller portions cook faster.

Just make sure to grease whatever pan you use really well so the caramel doesn’t stick and make it impossible to get out.