Name: Tropical Monkey Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 830 min
Ingredients: 1 box (3.4 oz) Cook n' Serve Coconut Cream Pudding; 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar; 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes; 20 frozen bread dough dinner rolls ((I use Rhodes brand)); 1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits (drained well); 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts; 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter ((cut into small cubes))

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This easy-to-make Tropical Monkey Bread is loaded with all the delicious tropical Hawaiian flavors! Flaky, buttery rolls covered in coconut pudding, macadamia nuts, coconut flakes, and pineapple. Prepare this easy monkey bread the night before for an easy overnight sweet treat in the morning.

For more yummy monkey bread recipes – be sure and make Cinnamon Monkey Bread Muffins and Apple Butterscotch Monkey Bread.

Overhead pic of the tropical monkey bread with pineapple and macadamia nuts on the side.

Tropical Monkey Bread Recipe (With Frozen Rhodes Rolls)

Monkey bread is a sweet, pull-apart bread made from small pieces of dough, which are usually coated in butter, sugar, and cinnamon, and then baked in a bundt pan. It gets it’s name for how it’s eaten – by pulling off little pieces, similar to how monkeys eat. Most people describe it as tasting like a giant cinnamon roll!

This tropical version uses a coconut and sugar mixture combined with coconut cream pudding, which coats the frozen bread dough. With delicious tropical add-ins such as pineapple tidbits and macadamia nuts, this is a delicious twist to classic monkey bread and one that everyone LOVES.

Side view of the gooey monkey bread with tropical flavors.

All the ingredients are easy and read-to-use, and the best part is that the recipe starts with frozen bread dough rolls – which means no yeast and no stress wondering if the dough will rise.

Prepare it the night before, put it in the fridge overnight, and then bake it up in the morning. Your house will smell like macadamia nut cookies baking on the beach… is that even a thing?! It needs to be, because that is what I always think when I smell this tropical monkey bread baking in the oven.

Ingredients Needed

Cook n’ Serve Coconut Cream Pudding : Make sure you are using the cook n’ serve pudding mix. It looks similar to instant pudding mix but it will say ‘cook n’ serve’ in large lettering on the front of the box.
Light Brown Sugar
Sweetened Coconut Flakes
Frozen Bread Dough Dinner Rolls : I use the Rhodes brand. These are the small ball-shaped frozen rolls. No need to thaw them first. We are putting the frozen rolls into the bundt pan.
Pineapple Tidbits : I have also used crushed pineapple when making this recipe. Either one works fine, just make sure you drain it well.
Chopped Macadamia Nuts
Butter : I use salted butter, however, if you prefer unsalted butter then that can be used instead.

How To Make Tropical Hawaiian Monkey Bread (Printable Recipe Card)

In a small bowl, whisk together the cook n’ serve coconut cream pudding mix, light brown sugar, and coconut flakes until combined. Set aside.

Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lay 10 frozen dinner rolls in the bottom of the bundt pan.

Sprinkle half of the pudding coconut mixture (set aside from earlier) over the frozen rolls. Then layer with half of the pineapple tidbits, half of the macadamia nuts, and half of the cubed butter.

Repeat the layers one more time – 10 frozen dinner rolls, remaining half of the pudding coconut mixture, remaining half of the pineapple, macadamia nuts, and remaining butter cubes.

Cover the bundt pan with plastic wrap and let it refrigerate overnight (I find 12 hours works best). I also recommend spraying the side of the plastic wrap that touches the monkey bread with cookie spray, to avoid it sticking.

In the morning, remove the bundt pan from the fridge, and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour to rise in a warm spot until the rolls have risen to the top of the bundt pan.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap from the bundt pan and cook for 35-40 minutes. If needed, loosely lay a piece of tin foil over top the bundt pan for the last 15 minutes or so of the bake time to avoid the rolls getting too browned.

Remove the bundt pan from the oven, and let the monkey bread cool in the bundt pan for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate.

How To Store Leftovers

Monkey bread is best eaten warm after baking. However, if you have extras you want to save, you can cover it or transfer the monkey bread pieces to an airtight container, at store at room temperature for up to 1-2 days.

Leftovers can also be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. I would recommend heating up chilled leftovers in the microwave before eating.

The monkey bread with pieces pulled out of it

Pieces of the monkey bread on a white plate

Recipe Tips

Don’t Thaw The Frozen Dinner Rolls : No need to thaw the rolls first! Simply use the frozen rolls from the package when layering the monkey bread the night before. The rolls will thaw in the fridge overnight.
Fridge Time Tip : I have found that 12 hours is adequate time for the rolls to thaw in the fridge overnight. When only refrigerating them for 8 hours, the rolls aren’t fully thawed yet. I always plan on letting the bundt pan refrigerate for 12 hours so there is plenty of time for the frozen rolls to thaw. This way, they also rise in the 1 hour time because they’re completely thawed.
Pineapple : I have used pineapple tidbits and crushed pineapple in this recipe with great results. Make sure that the pineapple is drained well.
Coconut Flakes : This is optional, but I like to put the coconut flakes in a mini food chopper to get them in finer, smaller pieces. My kids don’t love the long and stringy texture of coconut flakes so I try to ground it up into smaller pieces.

More Hawaiian Tropical Recipes To Try