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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
I followed the recipe exactly. The loaf came out very dry. I had to bake it longer (in 5 minute increments for a total of 15 minutes longer ) in order for it to get done in the inside. The edges were much darker than I prefer. I did double the recipe and baked two loaves together.
Hi Janet, it sounds as though the adjustments you made to the baking time resulted in the bread being dry, and darker than preferred.
Does this recipe if you substitute gluten free flour
If you use a one to one it should turn out just fine!
Followed exactly. Burning on the outside an not cooked on the inside.?
Hi Tanya, it might have to do with the position of the racks in your oven, is the bread cooking too close to the heating element? For best results place the bread on the middle rack. IF needed, place farther away from the heating element.
Great taste. I used Granny Smith, about 7 ounces chopped and grated on large grate . Did peel. Added 1\4 tsp ginger and 1\4 tsp nutmeg. Super easy recipe. I also used mayonnaise instead of the butter.
Absolutely delicious! I bought a ton of apples from a local orchard last week and used homemade applesauce + a couple half-peeled apples for this recipe. I was not motivated to do much peeling and left the apples in larger pieces that the photos, but the apples were still perfect here. The only other modification I made at all was including ginger and nutmeg in addition to the cinnamon and cloves– just for a little extra winter spice. I cannot rave about this recipe enough. My husband and I each ate two large slices within a couple hours of the loaf being done and he’s already requested that I make more this weekend to take to family for the holidays (and an extra one just for us)!
Made it today and added some sliced almonds, tasted amazing!
Hi what can I use in place of applesauce if I don’t any?
Hi! You could sub vegetable oil. It would help with adding in the extra moisture.
In order to calculate calories, how many slices in a loaf?
I just made it, and its ok. I made my own applesauce, and used a mixture of apples in the entire bread. It wasn’t as great as I expected, but its just ok
Thank you so very much for this family apple bread recipe, Serene! Truly the best I have ever made…simple yet divine in texture and flavor. Recently, I misplaced your recipe and about cried. Luckily, I found you again! 🙂 It was the ingredients and proportions you use that let me know, this is THE RECIPE! It is truly my favorite apple bread. TY again!