If you’re looking for the ultimate sweet breakfast treat for the holidays, brunch, or cozy weekends at home, this cranberry orange monkey bread is guaranteed to steal the show. It’s soft, gooey, citrusy, sweet, and loaded with bursts of tart cranberry flavor in every bite.
Made with buttery biscuit dough, homemade cranberry filling, fresh orange zest, and a sweet orange glaze, this pull-apart monkey bread is both incredibly easy and unbelievably delicious. It’s one of those recipes that looks impressive sitting on the table, but secretly takes very little effort to make.
If you love sweet breakfast and brunch options like this, you’ll enjoy our blueberry sweet rolls, this rich pancake cup recipe, or this delicious cherry coffee cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Sweet and tart flavor combination
- Soft pull-apart texture
- Perfect holiday breakfast recipe
- Easy shortcut using biscuit dough
- Loaded with fresh orange flavor
- Great for brunches and gatherings
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients and exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Homestyle Grands Biscuits: The shortcut magic here. They bake up soft, fluffy, and buttery, which gives the monkey bread its pull-apart texture.
- Cranberries: The tart cranberry filling keeps the dessert from being overly sweet and adds a bright pop of flavor in every bite.
- Orange Juice & Zest: The orange flavor pairs perfectly with cranberries, adding a fresh, citrusy brightness that makes everything taste lighter and more festive.
- Butter: Melted butter soaks into the biscuit layers, creating those rich, gooey edges everyone fights over.
Variations
- Cream Cheese Monkey Bread: Add small cubes of cream cheese between the biscuit layers.
- Pecan Cranberry Monkey Bread: Sprinkle chopped pecans between layers for crunch.
- Vanilla Orange Glaze: Add vanilla extract to the glaze for extra sweetness.
- Mixed Berry Version: Swap some of the cranberries for raspberries or blueberries.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Monkey Bread
Step 1: Cook the filling ingredients until the cranberries burst, and the filling thickens slightly. Set aside to cool.
Step 2: Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Then, toss the biscuit pieces in a large ziploc bag with a mix of sugar and fresh orange zest.
Step 3: Add a layer of biscuit pieces to a prepared pan. Then, add half the cranberry filling.
Step 4: Repeat with the remaining filling and biscuit pieces. Mix melted butter and remaining ingredients and pour evenly over the monkey bread. Bake until golden brown, and the center is fully cooked.
Step 5: Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, invert onto a plate. Whisk the glaze ingredients. Pour the glaze over the monkey bread. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Fresh zest gives the monkey bread incredible citrus flavor and aroma.
- Springform pans can sometimes leak butter during baking, so the foil-lined baking sheet helps avoid a mess.
- If your monkey bread is getting too brown, loosely tent it with foil.
- Cool the monkey bread slightly so it holds its shape when removed from the pan.
- Monkey bread tastes best while still slightly warm and gooey.
Cranberry Orange Monkey Bread FAQs
Yes. Frozen cranberries work perfectly in fillings. There’s no need to thaw them first. Just cook them with the sugar and orange juice as directed.
Absolutely. You can fully assemble the monkey bread the night before, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it overnight. Bake fresh the next morning for an easy holiday breakfast or brunch.
Homestyle refrigerated biscuit dough works best because it creates a soft, fluffy pull-apart texture. Grand-style biscuits are ideal for larger, gooier layers.
Fresh orange juice gives the best flavor, especially in the glaze, but bottled orange juice will still work if needed. Remember to use juice with no sugar added.
The top should be golden brown and the center should no longer look doughy. If needed, loosely tent the top with foil during the last few minutes of baking to prevent over-browning.
Store leftovers tightly covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer freshness, refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Yes. Allow it to cool completely, then wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm before serving.
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Cranberry Orange Monkey Bread
Ingredients
- 2 containers homestyle grand biscuits
- 1 ½ cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 orange, 3 tablespoons juice plus orange zest
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¾ cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9-inch spring form pan with non-stick cooking spray right before filling.
- Place the pan on a foil lined baking sheet or wrap the foil around the bottom and sides of the pan to prevent any leakage.
Cranberry Filling
- In a medium saucepot add cranberries, 3⁄4 cup of sugar, cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon of orange juice. Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Cook for about 7-10 minutes or until all berries have popped and the filling has started to thicken.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Biscuits
- Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces.
- In a large ziplock bag, add the remaining sugar and zest from the orange.
- In batches, place biscuit pieces into the ziplock bag. Shake to coat each piece of dough.
- Remove coated pieces and place a layer of dough pieces in the bottom of the pan.
- Spoon 1⁄2 of the cranberry filling over the dough balls.
- Repeat the process by adding batches of dough to the baggie. Shake to coat, and place an additional layer on top of the cranberry filling to create another layer.
- Add the remaining cranberry mix over the dough again.
- Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough and cover the cranberries.
- In a small bowl add the butter and microwave until just melted.
- Add the remaining sugar from the bag and stir to combine.
- Pour the melted butter over the top of the prepared monkey bread.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before inverting on a serving platter or plate.
- Set on a cooling rack to continue to cool for about 15 minutes.
Glaze Drizzle
- While monkey bread is cooling, in a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Drizzle over monkey bread and serve.
Notes
- Fresh zest gives the monkey bread incredible citrus flavor and aroma.
- Springform pans can sometimes leak butter during baking, so the foil-lined baking sheet helps avoid a mess.
- If your monkey bread is getting too brown, loosely tent it with foil.
- Cool the monkey bread slightly so it holds its shape when removed from the pan.
- Monkey bread tastes best while still slightly warm and gooey.
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