French onion monkey bread is a savory twist on a sweet classic

Monkey bread is one of those brilliant culinary concoctions that brings together bold flavors with the can’t-stop-eating-it quality of finger foods. Most of the time, monkey bread has a reputation as a sweet treat that gets its flavor from sugar, cinnamon and decadent syrup or frosting. (We’ve even shared a recipe for an Oreo monkey bread that could make an ideal Christmas morning breakfast.)

But monkey bread is more than just a sugar rush. The biscuit base of the dish is the perfect blank canvas for a variety of savory flavors, as well. We’ve shared garlic parmesan monkey bread as a yummy appetizer, and even pull-apart pigs in a blanket for a fun way to serve a snack or starter to a meal.

What would you think about replicating French onion soup in a monkey bread recipe? Sounds like a perfect combination to us!

You don’t have to spend hours getting that classic, rich onion flavor in a soup when monkey bread can satisfy the craving much quicker. Here are a couple of French onion monkey bread recipes we found in our search to add a unique new dish to your cooking collection, each with its own twist.

Mini French Onion Monkey Breads

While this recipe from Pillsbury for mini French onion monkey breads may seem more like a biscuit or a muffin, it still has the quality of monkey bread. Each refrigerated biscuit in this recipe is cut into four pieces and combined with the onions and cheese to make a mini pull-apart bread. Using Pillsbury Grands biscuits as a shortcut allows busy cooks to put together these mini monkey breads in just under an hour.

Including the refrigerated biscuits, the ingredients include beef broth, Gruyere cheese and onion (duh). It’s a real time-saving recipe while keeping the classic flavor of French onion.

Check the full recipe at Pillsbury’s website.

French Onion Pull-Apart Bread

Williams Sonoma may not call this particular recipe monkey bread, but what’s in a name, anyway? The cookware seller’s recipe for French Onion Pull-Apart Bread has all the essential elements of French onion soup: from the homemade bread and the cooked-down onions with butter to the Gruyere cheese.

This from-scratch recipe takes a few hours to allow for the rising dough, kneading and baking, meaning it’s not exactly for anyone on a time crunch. The final result, however, will be a feast for the eyes and the taste buds. One five-star review from someone who prepared it said the bread pairs well with prime rib.

Find the full directions here from Williams Sonoma.

Whether you serve either of these French onion monkey bread recipes as an appetizer, snack or entree, they should be a crowd-pleaser.