Recipes » Breakfast » Muffins/Baked Goods

Apple Bread

Yumna Jawad

Updated Sep 18, 2026

5 from 61 votes

Apple bread made with fresh apples, cinnamon, and applesauce, baked into a loaf. An easy quick bread for breakfast, snacking, or dessert.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Servings 12 slices

Comments

42

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This apple bread is not shy on the apples!!! I use a full two cups of chopped fresh apples, plus applesauce in the batter, so there’s apple all through the loaf instead of a few random pieces here and there. I like to toss my apples with cinnamon first to get that apple-cinnamon flavor without turning the whole batter into cinnamon bread, which can quickly overpower and bury the apple flavor.

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I think of this apple quick bread recipe as somewhere between a cinnamon apple bread and an apple loaf cake. My kids will eat it as dessert, but I usually cut myself a slice with coffee.

 Recipe testing notes

For the past 10 years, I’ve tested every recipe multiple times before sharing it! These notes give you a peek into my process of developing and testing.

I tested the apple in a couple different sizes, and the smaller dice worked much better. When I left the pieces bigger, I ended up with wetter pockets around the apple and the loaf didn’t bake as evenly. A small dice gave me apple throughout the bread without throwing off the texture.

I also played around with the balance of applesauce and oil. Too much applesauce made the apple loaf heavier and almost a little gummy once it cooled, but I didn’t want to lose it completely because it adds moisture and more apple flavor. Using ½ cup each of applesauce and avocado oil gave me the soft texture I was looking for without making the apple bread too wet.

Happy Cooking!
– Yumna

Cinnamon Apple Bread Ingredients

• Apples: Honeycrisp works well for this apple bread, but you can also use Granny Smith or Fuji. Peel and dice the apples small, then measure out about 2 cups. Apple sizes vary, so you may need more than one.
• Applesauce: I like to use unsweetened applesauce so I can control the amount of sugar in the recipe, but you can use sweetened applesauce. You can also make your own applesauce.
• Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Cinnamon is classic, but you can substitute another spice like nutmeg, cardamom, or pumpkin pie spice. Make sure your baking powder is aluminum-free to avoid any chance of an off-taste.
• Wet ingredients: Eggs, oil, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Use room-temperature eggs so they incorporate into the batter easily. I like avocado oil for this apple loaf cake because it has a neutral flavor, but olive oil works too.

How to Make Apple Bread

These step-by-step photos walk you through how to make Cinnamon Apple Bread. For the full ingredient list and detailed instructions, head to the recipe card below, or skip straight to the → Cinnamon Apple Bread recipe below

1. Coat the apples

Toss the peeled, finely diced apple with the cinnamon until the pieces are evenly coated, then set the bowl aside.

2. Whisk the wet ingredients

Add the sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla to a large bowl. Whisk until everything is combined and there are no streaks of egg.

3. Fold in the dry ingredients

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, then add them to the wet mixture. Use a spatula to fold gently until just combined.

4. Add the apples

Scatter the cinnamon-coated pieces over the batter and gently fold them through, scraping along the bottom of the bowl to evenly distribute them.

5. Fill the loaf pan

Scrape the batter into a prepared loaf pan and spread it into the corners. Leave parchment hanging over the sides so you can lift the loaf out after baking.

6. Bake the apple bread

Bake until golden, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the loaf cool in the pan on a wire rack, then lift it out with the parchment and cool to room temperature before slicing.

Full Cinnamon Apple Bread Recipe

Apple Bread Recipe

Author: Yumna Jawad

5 from 61 votes

Moist apple bread made with chopped apples, applesauce, and cinnamon. This easy apple loaf stays soft for days and doesn’t require a mixer.

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Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings12 slices

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Ingredients

  

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• ▢ 1 large apple peeled and small diced (about 2 cups)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ cup avocado oil
• ▢ ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ▢ 2 large eggs at room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on each side to use as a sling to remove the bread once baked.
• Toss the chopped apple with cinnamon and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla to combine.
• Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in the cinnamon-coated apple pieces.
• Scrape batter into the prepared pan. Bake 55-60 minutes until golden and well risen or until a cake-tester inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
• Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before removing from the pan with the parchment sling. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.

Equipment

• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Aluminized Steel Loaf Pan
• Balloon Whisk
• Cooling Rack Wire Baking Rack

Notes

My Top Tips: Dice the apples small and evenly. Aim for pieces about ¼ inch across so they soften during baking and spread throughout each slice.

Storage: Store the apple bread at room temperature in a sealed container or wrapped in foil for up to 4 days. If you want to keep it longer, you can store it in the fridge. To reheat, you can pop a slice in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. If you’re reheating the whole loaf, I recommend warming it in a 350˚F oven, since the microwave tends to dry things out.

Freezing: Wrap the cooled apple bread tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe bag. It’ll last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring it to room temperature before serving.

This recipe was updated in September 2025, but if you like the original version, you can still find it here:

Ingredients
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup avocado oil
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup apple, grated, from about 1 large apple

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on each side to use as a sling to remove the bread once baked.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate large bowl, add sugar, applesauce, and oil, then whisk until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until combined.
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the grated apple until it is evenly incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and fold by hand until no streaks of flour remain.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until golden and well risen, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 50–60 minutes.
Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before removing from the pan with the parchment sling. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 238kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.003g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 131mg, Potassium: 61mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 55IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 54mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Did You Make This Recipe?

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Recipe Variations

• Add chopped nuts. For a little crunch, fold in ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans with the apples. For extra flavor, toast the nuts first!
• Make a cinnamon-sugar topping. Mix together 1 tablespoon sugar with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon until combined. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top of the bread before baking. The flavor reminds me of an apple fritter!
• Make a quick glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup confectioners’ sugar with ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1-2 tablespoons of milk (non-dairy milk is fine) to make a glaze. Drizzle the glaze all over the top of the bread after cooking!

Recipe Tips

1. Make a parchment paper sling. Not only will this prevent the bread from sticking to the pan, but you’ll be able to easily lift the apple bread out!
2. Don’t overmix the batter. You want to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until you can’t see any more streaks of flour. If you overmix it, the bread could turn out dense.
3. Check the center, not just the top. A golden crust doesn’t always mean the middle is baked. If the top is getting dark while the center still has wet batter, loosely cover the loaf with foil and continue baking.
4. Let it cool before slicing. Even a fully baked, moist apple bread can seem gummy if you cut into it while it’s hot. Give the center time to cool and set so the slices hold together.

Troubleshooting

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