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Breakfast, Eat, Sweets

Vegan Monkey Bread

vegan monkey bread with almond butter caramel & cinnamon sugar #vegan #glutenfree #recipe

I’m so excited to be sharing with you one of my favorite sweet breakfasts ever: monkey bread! If you’ve never had monkey bread before, it’s basically a sticky, gooey pull-apart bread coated in cinnamon sugar and rich caramel. It all started when I made soft baked pretzel bites that tasted like Auntie Anne’s, which I shared on Instagram and had so many requests for the recipe that I knew I needed to share it here. They’re completely vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and oil-free. These pretzel bites taste delicious on their own, but I wanted to go one step further and turn them into something. I was having trouble deciding between sweet or savory. Not surprisingly, I finally settled on sweet with this vegan monkey bread!

vegan pretzel bites #vegan #glutenfree #recipe

We used to have monkey bread for breakfast on special occasions, like holidays or birthdays since it’s a pull-apart bread meaning it’s easy to share. Also, it’s on the sweeter end of the spectrum, so it’s definitely a special treat. This monkey bread oozes with a warm almond butter date caramel and cinnamon sugar just like the traditional version, except it’s free of refined sugar and dairy.

vegan monkey bread with almond butter caramel & cinnamon sugar #vegan #glutenfree #recipe
Cinnamon sugar

I have to admit, once you make the pretzel bites it’s smooth sailing from there. The pretzel bites themselves are a little more involved, but if you’re patient it’s totally worth it! After that, you just have to coat them in an easy, 3-ingredient vegan caramel and roll them in a mixture of cinnamon and coconut sugar. Throw the pretzel bites back in the oven and they carmelize, turning them into a sticky monkey bread!

vegan monkey bread with almond butter caramel & cinnamon sugar #vegan #glutenfree #recipe

As a kid, I’d pick up Auntie Anne’s pretzel nuggets as a snack whenever we went to the mall.

I grew up in the 90’s, when Nutrigrain bars and SunChips were considered “healthy” snacks. Looking back at it, we’ve come such a long way since then. I’ve said bye bye to packaged & processed foods for the most part, now opting for nutritious whole foods instead. But just because they’re better for you doesn’t mean they’re lacking in flavor or taste!

vegan monkey bread with almond butter caramel & cinnamon sugar #vegan #glutenfree #recipe

I love recreating healthier versions of my childhood favorites.

I’ve made blueberry pop-tarts, almond butter stuffed Oreos, and peanut butter rice krispie treat balls. Monkey bread was another to add to the list, making me one happy camper. I’ve been baking up a storm lately, probably because I’ve found myself with more downtime. I find baking to be a good stress reliever. When the finished product turns out the way I wanted, it’s so rewarding. I was definitely nervous about these pretzel bites, but they came out of the oven looking super tasty!

vegan pretzel bites #vegan #glutenfree #recipe

I hope you enjoy this monkey bread recipe. Please message me on Instagram if you do try it. Also, I’m open to recipe requests since I don’t have anything big planned for the next couple of weeks. I hope everyone’s having a lovely end of the summer and start to the school year. 

vegan monkey bread with almond butter caramel & cinnamon sugar #vegan #glutenfree #recipe

Vegan Monkey Bread

Soft, baked pretzel bites coated in almond butter caramel and cinnamon sugar. A healthier take on the traditional monkey bread. Free of gluten, dairy, and refined sugar!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: breakfast, vegan

Ingredients

For the pretzel bites

  • 2 tsp dried yeast
  • 2 tbsp warm water
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 1 tbsp psyllium husk powder
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
  • 2 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 3 cups boiling water + 1 tbsp baking soda

For the almond butter caramel

  • 2 tbsp oat milk or other non-dairy milk
  • 1 tsp almond butter
  • 1/2 cup Medjool dates pitted

For the cinnamon sugar

  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

For the pretzel bites

  • Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
  • In a small bowl, mix together yeast and 2 tbsp warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, mix together ground flaxseed, psyllium husk, warm water, and pumpkin puree until smooth.
  • Once the yeast/water mixture starts to bubble, add it to the rest of the wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
  • Add in the flour, coconut sugar, and baking powder and mix with a spoon until crumbly.
  • Knead the dough together with your hands for 3 minutes until smooth and stretchy.
  • Scoop out bite-sized pieces with a spoon and roll into balls between your hands. You may need to wet your hands so the dough doesn’t stick to them. You should have about 2 dozen pretzel bites.
  • Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Boil water and 1 tbsp baking soda in a medium pan over high heat.
  • Once the water is boiling, add in half of the pretzel bites and leave them in there for 1 minute. They will grow in size at this point.
  • Remove pretzel bites from the boiling water with a slotted spoon so they drain and place them back on the baking sheet.
  • Repeat with the other half of the pretzel bites.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. The longer you bake the pretzel bites, the crispier they will be.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

For the almond butter caramel

  • Process all ingredients in a small blender or food processor until smooth.
  • Transfer to a small bowl.
  • For the cinnamon sugar
  • Mix the coconut sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.

For the monkey bread

  • Reduce heat of the oven to 100 degrees Celcius.
  • One by one, roll each pretzel bite in the almond butter caramel until evenly coated.
  • Then, roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Don’t be shy with the cinnamon sugar!
  • Layer the coated pretzel bites in a small loaf pan.
  • Sprinkle remaining cinnamon sugar, if any, on top.
  • Place back in the oven for 10 minutes to allow it to carmelize.
  • Remove from the oven and enjoy immediately!
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