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This Apple Bread is buttery, tender and cake-like. Loaded up with Fall flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg and bursting with apple in every bite. Sweetened with light brown sugar and a combination of fresh apples and apple sauce, this bread is perfect when served as a breakfast, snack or dessert. Enjoy all the flavors of Fall with this easy to make quick bread.
All about this apple bread…
This apple bread recipe is one of my all time favorite things to bake every Fall. Growing up we had an apple tree in our backyard. My mom would bake this bread every year. The smell of this bread baking, with the apples and cinnamon fills the house with a heavenly Fall scent, that is truer than any candle money can buy.
- Quick and Easy: this is a quick bread recipe, meaning no yeast is needed, this bread rises with baking powder and baking soda. Meaning this recipe can be ready to serve in 1 hour.
- Flavoring: the luscious combination of butter, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and apple give this bread a light richness that is sure to please.
- Texture: Soft and tender, yet sturdy enough to hold up to a nice smear of butter!
Ingredients Needed:
Notes on some ingredients:
- Apples: use a fresh apple, granny smiths give great flavor. Other options would include: Pink Lady, Gala or Fuji.
- Applesauce: use a non-sweetened version to avoid making the bread too sweet. This gives more wonderful apple flavoring, plus makes this bread extra moist and cake-like.
- Butter: using melted butter as the fat in this baked bread gives a smooth buttery taste to the bread. You of course can substitute with a non-dairy fat of choice if needed.
- Sugar: a combination of light brown and white sugar gives a nice balance of flavoring to the bread.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: wonderful Fall flavors that pair perfectly with the fresh, tart apple flavorings.
How to make (step-by-step):
- Combine Wet Ingredients: Stir together the melted butter, eggs, vanilla, apple sauce and sugars.
- Add in Shredded Apple: Stir the shredded apples into the wet ingredients.
- Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients: Combine wet and dry together to form a batter. Pour this into a prepared loaf pan.
- Bake: Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 50-60 minutes until golden brown on top and baked through.
Expert Tips:
- Apple Choices: My favorite apples to use in this recipe are Granny Smith. They have a wonderful tart flavor and hold up well when baking. You can use other types of apples such as Pink Lady, Gala or Fuji. Any large, firm apple will work. Avoid any soft apples since they will turn to mush.
- Cover with Foil if Needed: Due to the long baking time of the bread, if you notice that the top is becoming too browned, and the bread isn’t finished baking, create a tent of foil for the last 10 minutes or so. Check the bread using toothpicks or a 6 inch skewer, once it comes out clean then the bread is fully cooked.
- Baking Pan: I always use a non stick 8×4 loaf pan (affiliate link) These are the exact ones that I have in my kitchen. You can either line the pans with parchment paper, or spray with a non stick baking spray. If you’re using a different type of pan, such as glass, baking time may vary.
- Time: The best part is that this bread gets better over time. If you have some left over after the day it’s baked, wrap it up in some foil or other food safe wrapping, and leave it at room temperature. The next day the moisture of the bread makes it even more tender and enjoyable. Add a pad of melted butter and enjoy.
FAQS: Apple Bread
Yes, this apple bread freezes wonderfully. Cool the bread loaf completely, then wrap in foil and place in a large freezer plastic bag. Thaw completely at room temperature when ready to eat.
This bread can be made with either chopped or shredded apples. Peel and chop the two apples. Fold this into the bread batter instead of the shredded apples. The shredded apples blend into the bread, making it a smoother texture when baked, the chopped apples give you bites of juicy baked apple when eating the bread.
Granny Smiths are a great option when baking apple bread. They have a tart flavor which balances nicely with the sweetness of the bread making the bread not overly sweet. They also keep a great texture when baking, they hold their shape and don’t turn to mush.
Other recipes to try:
Apple Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups green apple peeled & shredded
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup melted butter melted and cooled
- ¾ cup applesauce unsweetened
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl add the eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter and applesauce. Stir until completely combined. Mix in the sugars. Stir until combined.
- In a large mixing bowl add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir with a fork to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add in the shredded apple and stir.
- Pour dough into prepared loaf pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes, top will be golden brown. Check that it's cooked by inserting a toothpick in the center, once it's done cooking the toothpick will come out clean, no dough will be stuck on it.
- Allow bread to cool in pan for about 5-10 minutes. Turn upside down and remove bread loaf from pan and allow to continue cooling on wire rack.
- Store covered at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Video
Equipment
Notes
- Apples: use a fresh apple, granny smiths give great flavor. Other options would include: Pink Lady, Gala or Fuji.
- Applesauce: use a non-sweetened version to avoid making the bread too sweet. This gives more wonderful apple flavoring, plus makes this bread extra moist and cake-like.
- Butter: using melted butter as the fat in this baked bread gives a smooth buttery taste to the bread. You of course can substitute with a non-dairy fat of choice if needed.
- Sugar: a combination of light brown and white sugar gives a nice balance of flavoring to the bread.
- Leftovers: store in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: bake & cool loaf, then wrap up and store in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight. If desired, bring to room temperature before serving, or heat in microwave briefly to reheat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe first published September 13, 2018. Updated September 9, 2022 with new images and information. Recipe is unchanged.
Photography by the talented @KJandCompany.co
Great taste, very easy to make and well worth it
I put raisins in and it was great, I didn’t use nuts, but the raisins really enhanced the taste
I definitely recommend this bread
I don’t have clove can I still make this with out it
Absolutely! It’s just a spice. It will still taste good without it as long as you have and use the other spices.
Is there a recipe for Apple bread without all the sugar? There are many who cannot consume all the sugar, and others who are trying to reduce their sugar intake.
I used a sweeter type of apple and cut the sugar in half (1/4 c white + 1/4 c brown) and it tasted great. To be honest, I think you could make this recipe exactly as written but completely eliminate the sugar. You’ll have more of a “bread” than a sweet bread but it would be delicious. The apples lend plenty of sweetness. Top toasted slices with butter, cream cheese, or peanut butter for a pretty healthy breakfast bread w/o sugar.
Hi, Serene, hope you’re well!
I just loved this recipe and I’m excited to try it! But here in Brazil, we don’t have apple sauce. Is there any substitute for it?
Thanks and keep on cooking! I love your recipes and wait for your newsletters anxiously!
Hi Cristina! Thank you so much for your sweet comment. You can still make this recipe without the apple sauce, but if you want, you can always make a homemade applesauce to use also. There are some recipes online that show how easy it is to make. But if you just want an easy sub, you can use an oil instead. Either a vegetable oil, a coconut oil, or you can sub with a yogurt, full fat plain greek yogurt would work also.
Is there any substitute for unsweetened apple sauce? I don’t think we have that in the supermarkets where I come from.
You can use regular applesauce if needed and cut back on the sugar in the recipe. Maybe cut back to 1/4 cup of each. Let me know how it goes!
Really good and very moist. Makes a very large loaf. I used a jar of Trade joes chunky applesauce in place of chopped apples and applesauce, made sure it measured the same. Really an excellent recipe , the chucky apples make the bread delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Molly!! This is an old family recipe that I have always loved 🙂
That’s a great idea, using the apple sauce !
Yes!! It keeps extra moisture and adds even more apple flavor 🙂
Does it matter what size loaf pan I use? I have a 9′” x 5″ and an 8″ x 4″” pan.
Hi Serene,
This apple bread looks delicious. I love making fruit breads. Will this freeze well and for how long? I plan to bake in early Nov. for Christmas gifts.
Thanks so much June! And yes, you can freeze it. Baking in Nov for Christmas would be just fine. I would recommend not freezing them for more than 3 months. Best of luck!
I added the ingredients following the recipe and then when I got to the end I realized the directions never called for adding the sugars. If I added them the batter would have been really dry. Without the sugars I needed to add more applesauce to get it to a consistence that would spread into the pan. We’ll see how it turns out.
Hi Jess, I am so sorry! I already went back and updated the directions specifying where the sugars are added. The batter is definitely thick when you put it in the pan. Not adding any sugars though will leave the bread without any sweeteners in it. I apologize again for leaving that step out of the directions. Best of luck with the bread. Let me know if you need any additional assistance.
I have been using your apple bread recipe and baking it in wide mouth jars, it’s great for having it in the winter!