This Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread Recipe turns refrigerator cinnamon rolls into pure magic. Fresh apples, sweet honey, a touch of molasses, and warm cinnamon turn basic rolls into a sweet, pull-apart treat. The perfect breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
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Recipe at a glance (TL;DR)
- Prep time: 10 min
- Cook time: 2-3 hours on high
- Main Ingredients: Refrigerated jumbo cinnamon rolls, apples, honey, cinnamon
- Servings: 10
- Best for: Brunch, breakfast, dessert, holidays
I originally created this recipe with apple and honey, as they are the traditional foods for the holiday of Rosh Hashanah. But the combination turned out way too good to save for just one holiday. This apple pull-apart needs to be made all apple season long!
📝Ingredient shopping list
Following are the ingredients you'll need to make this slow cooker monkey bread. Full quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this page
Refrigerated
- Refrigerated jumbo cinnamon rolls - cut in quarters
Produce & Pantry
- Apples - cored and chopped
- Honey
- Ground cinnamon
- Molasses
- Salt
🍎🍏Type of apples to use
For this apple cinnamon monkey bread, I recommend using a crisp, tart apple that will hold up well during cooking. Granny Smith is my first choice because it balances really well with cinnamon rolls and honey.
Honeycrisp seems to be the one I use most often because we almost always have them around. They are crisp and sweet and hold their shape well during cooking. Avoid softer apples as they can become mushy during the longer cooking time.
LAZY TIP
Peeling the apples is optional. I am lazy and rarely peel them. When I am feeling extra lazy, I use a bag of already cut apples for my slow cooker monkey bread.
Have extra apples? Try my Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Pie Filling or Sugar Free Salted Caramel Apple Butter Slow Cooker recipe.
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Step-by-step instructions
- Combine apples, honey, molasses, and cinnamon in a bowl and stir to fully coat apples.
- Cut cinnamon buns into quarters
- Place one layer of cinnamon buns on top of the parchment paper in a greased slow cooker
- Top with the apple mixture.
- Add remaining cinnamon rolls on top of the apple layer. Cover and cook.
- After cooking, use the parchment paper as handles to lift the monkey bread out of the slow cooker, and drizzle with the icing that came with the rolls.
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Storing leftovers
In the unlikely event of leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last for about 3 days.
Reheat gently in the microwave in 10-second intervals. This dish can go from perfect to cardboard very quickly when over-microwaved.
😉 Tips from my kitchen
- Each slow cooker is a little different. Some cook faster than others. In one of mine, this comes out perfectly right at 2 hours on high. In others, it takes closer to three. The first time you make this, I suggest checking in every 10 minutes or so after the 2-hour mark to confirm exactly when the recipe is done.
- Many slow cookers (especially older ones) don't cook evenly. To compensate, halfway through cooking time, lift the ceramic insert carefully out of the heating element. Rotate it 180º and place it back in. This will allow the contents to have equal access to the hotter side of your slow cooker. Be sure to use potholders. The insert will be HOT.
- Place a clean towel under the lid of your slow cooker while cooking to help absorb excess moisture.
- I do not recommend cooking this on the low heat setting.
- To make clean-up easier, line the slow cooker with a slow cooker liner or parchment paper.
- Don't forget to make sure your slow cooker is plugged in and turned on!! 😉
Good to know
When the center of the top layer of cinnamon rolls is cooked through and not completely gooey, it's done.
Turn your slow cooker down to the low setting towards the end of cooking time to slow down the edges but allow the center to finish up. If you know that your slow cooker runs hot around the edges, only put cinnamon bun pieces around the outer areas for the top layer. The middle can remain just the apple/honey mixture. This will allow the bottom and edges to bake more evenly.
Yes! If you don't like cooked apples with their skin, you can peel them.
About halfway through cooking, carefully lift the ceramic insert and rotate it 180 degrees. Place it back into the heating element and continue to cook as usual.
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📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
(Click on the stars to leave a rating)
Print Pin Rate SaveAll nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
Equipment
- apple peeler optional
- knife
Ingredients
- 2 17.5 oz cans jumbo cinnamon rolls cut into quarters
- 2 medium apples* - cored and chopped You can peel them if you prefer.
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon molasses
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Make an "x" in your slow cooker with parchment paper. Make sure the paper is long enough to reach all the way up the sides of the slow cooker.
- Grease your slow cooker with a non-stick agent of your choice
- Line bottom of slow cooker with 1 can of jumbo cinnamon rolls, cut into quarters2 17.5 oz cans jumbo cinnamon rolls
- In a separate bowl, mix 2 medium apples* - cored and chopped ,⅓ cup honey, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon molasses, and pinch salt⅓ cup honey, 2 medium apples* - cored and chopped , ½ teaspoon molasses
- Layer the apple mixture on top of the cinnamon rolls in the pot
- Place remaining cinnamon rolls pieces on top of the apple mixture
- Cook 1 hour on high, rotate pot* and cook another hour on high.
- After cooled, drizzle with the icing that came with the cinnamon buns.
Final Step
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Notes
- You can use any apples you prefer. I am a fan of tart apples in this dish and often use Granny Smith. Honey Crisp is great too!
- See the write-up above for details on rotating the pot.
Nutrition
All nutrition information shown here is automatically generated and should be considered an estimate. If you follow a specific diet, please calculate your own values to ensure accuracy.
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Kaylen says
Looks amazing! Can't wait to make this!
admin says
Thank you!! It is fun, easy and delicious! Great thing to make with kids too!
Patricia says
What do you mean, rotate the pot? This looks amazing!
Susan says
Hi there and thank you! If your slow cooker cooks unevenly (as some of mine do) lifting your slow cooker pot out of the heating element and rotating it 180 degrees before putting it back in will help to even things out. The newer slow cookers don’t seem to have as much of an issue with uneven cooking as some of the older ones do. In my older crockpot, this dish would burn on one side before the other side was finished cooking. Just beware that the pot will be HOT! Pot holders are a must!
If you make this, I would love to hear how it goes!
Miriam says
Looks amazing! Where do I get cinnamon buns dough in a can?
The Lazy Slow Cooker says
It depends where you are from. They sell it in the local super markets in the US.
g. Robert says
amazingly delicious!
Susan says
I couldn't agree more! Thanks for taking the time to come back and share.
Elizabeth says
Can a crockpot liner be used instead of parchment paper?
Susan says
Yes, a slow cooker liner should work in place of parchment paper. The finished monkey bread may be a bit softer becuase the liner will hold in more moisture, but otherwise, it should work just fine.