When I came up with my 2-ingredient banana donut holes, it made my day (and it made my kids’ breakfast), because it was such an easy, fun, and totally delicious recipe. But then, I thought that the dough I created had to be good for more. A lot more. I love making breakfast bread, like my 3-Ingredient Banana Bread or Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. So, could I combine my passion for banana bread with my newfound love for this ridiculously easy 2-ingredient dough? You bet! The answer was monkey bread.
What is Monkey Bread?
Classic monkey bread is a baked breakfast treat made from balls of dough stacked in a pan and drenched in melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar that creates a moist and sticky coating around the dough, similar to a cinnamon roll.
It’s a very American thing that should really be more popular all around the world because it’s just so very delicious. I take it as my personal quest to make this recipe more visible! The balls of dough make it the perfect shareable breakfast or treat because your whole family can grab one, all at the same time. No need to slice it!
While the classic monkey bread is made in a Bundt pan (like my Vegan Bundt Cake), you can make it in any type of pan. I’ve tried a few, and it was always delicious. Since I wanted to make a banana bread × monkey bread crossover, it only made sense to make this one in a loaf pan.
Tell me in the comments below if you think this should be called Banana Monkey Bread or Monkey Banana Bread!
Ingredients and Subs
You need two ingredients for the dough, and three ingredients for the coating and filling and I’m ready to bet you have them in your pantry right now, so there’s no reason not to make this recipe now.
Self-Rising Flour – Self-rising (or is it self-raising?) flour is a pre-mixed flour made with all-purpose flour and baking powder. If you can’t find it in-store, you can make it yourself. Add 2 teaspoons of baking powder for each cup of flour. Because this dough is so simple, you cannot swap the flour for any other flour, including gluten-free flour. Believe me, I tried. I wish it worked, but it doesn’t. Mashed Bananas – Bananas act as the sweetener and binding agent and bring moisture to the bread. You can play with the sweetness of the dough by just waiting before you bake the recipe (or buying riper bananas). One day of ripening will make the bread a notch sweeter. Sugar – I like to use unrefined, natural coconut sugar because it is (according to science) healthier than white sugar. If you’d rather go for a sugar-free alternative, you can use natural sweeteners like stevia-erythritol or allulose (though they might give you a minty feeling on the palate). Cinnamon – True monkey bread requires a cinnamon sugar mixture to bring out all the traditional flavors of the treat. Avocado Oil – While the classic recipe uses melted dairy butter, my favorite option is to make a coating with avocado oil. It’s one of the healthiest oils and has a high smoke point, which means it doesn’t degrade into dangerous chemicals at higher temperatures.
How To Make Banana Monkey Bread
The detailed steps are in the recipe card below and are fairly easy to follow. I will just include in this section photos of the key steps, so you know what the bread should look like! Scroll below for the full step-by-step video!
Step-By-Step Video
Pro Tips for Perfect Treats
Measure with Precision: Both the flour and the bananas need to be accurately measured. Use ultra-ripe bananas for best flavors and sweetness, the ones with dark skin. Don’t use gluten-free flour: I haven’t yet found a blend that doesn’t make the bread chewy and dense. Knead the dough: The dough must be knead by hands for a few minutes. Even if it’s sticky, keep kneading until it comes together. Then, use oil to rub onto the dough and make it soft, smooth, elastic, instead of adding too much flour that makes the dough dense. Drop the pieces of dough in the loaf pan, don’t press them in the pan. This is essential for the monkey bread to split like it should. Use an oil with low flavor or melted plant-based butter to avoid strong flavors that oil like unrefined coconut oil would bring.
More Ripe Banana Recipes
If you still haven’t used all your ripe bananas, use them in these recipes:
