This cozy recipe for Apple Pie Bread is the perfect way to bring in the season!
What better way to celebrate fall than with steaming mugs of cider, pumpkin spice lattes, and of course, a thick slice of this delicious bread. Apple bread is tender and moist with lots of sweet cinnamon flavor just like a piece of apple pie!
A Fall Bread You Need to Try
- Warm and spicy, sweet and simple to make, this recipe is a winner all the way around!
- Apple pie bread is like the bread version of an apple fritter with lots of cinnamon apple flavor, but it is quicker to prep with no deep fryer required!
- A slice of apple pie bread makes a perfect snack for a lunchbox surprise, a breakfast or even a special Sunday morning french toast.
- It can be made into a dessert with a dollop of whipped cream and a simple drizzle of Easy Caramel Sauce.
What’s in Apple Pie Bread?
APPLES The best apples for baking are tart and firm, crispy and crunchy. Granny Smith always fits the bill, but this recipe works well with a sweeter apple, too, like Honeycrisp or Fuji. Applesauce can be replaced with 1/2 cup butter for an even richer quickbread.
CINNAMON SUGAR Brown sugar and cinnamon are layered into the cake with apples, and also used for the tasty streusel topping. For something more complex tasting, try using Apple Pie Spice instead of plain cinnamon.
DAIRY Butter, eggs, and milk add rich flavor to the bread that makes it taste almost like a brioche, but much more crumbly with a cake-like texture.
ADD-INS In place of the applesauce, try adding leftover Cranberry Sauce or make an apple raisin bread. Mix in pumpkin puree in place of applesauce, either from a can or homemade. Try a mashed banana for a new take on an old fave. Shredded zucchini will taste great as well.
TOPPING Simple brown sugar and cinnamon make a delicious topping, especially when brushed with butter during baking. Add some chopped walnuts or pecans to the streusel for extra crunch, if desired. If you have leftover cinnamon sugar, you can use that too.
How to Make Apple Bread
The only machine needed for this quick bread recipe is a hand mixer. Just chop, mix, and bake:
- Peel & chop apples, prepare the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Cream butter & sugar, add other wet ingredients.
- Mix, then add dry ingredients to the wet mixture.
- Layer batter, apples, & topping in a bread pan.
- Bake as per recipe below.
Best Quick Bread Tips
- One of the best tips for fluffy quick bread is to be sure not to overmix the batter. It might seem wrong to not mix thoroughly—but for quickbread, it really works!
- When adding mix-ins, be sure that the substituted ingredient has the same basic texture/dryness/wetness as the original ingredient. Then add it in the same amount as the recipe calls for. Nobody likes bread to turn out tasting like pudding. (Unless making a delicious Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce, of course!)
Serve this bread with apple butter, cinnamon butter, pumpkin butter, or honey butter.
How to Store
Apple pie bread stores well. Wrap it carefully, or cover it in an airtight container and it will keep on the counter for two days. If it’s not all gone by then, move it to the refrigerator so the apples stay tasting fresh.
Apple bread can be frozen, simply seal the entire loaf in a zippered freezer bag, or wrap and freeze individual slices for a quick grab-and-go snack.
Delicious Apple Dessert Recipes
- Classic Apple Pie – easy to make
- Easy Apple Cake Recipe – perfect for the holidays
- Apple Crisp – freezer friendly
- Apple Cheesecake Pie – sweet & creamy
- Apple Hand Pies – ready in under 30 minutes
Did you make this Warm Apple Bread? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Warm Apple Pie Bread (Apple Bread)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- ⅔ cup brown sugar divided
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup butter softened
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce note: you can use ½ cup butter and skip the applesauce if you prefer
- 2 eggs well beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 large apple (or 2 small), peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8×4 loaf pan
- Combine cinnamon with ⅓ cup of the brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
- With mixer on medium, cream white sugar, remaining brown sugar and butter until fluffy. Mix in applesauce (if using), beaten eggs and vanilla.
- Stir together flour and baking powder. Add flour to egg mixture along with milk and stir just until combined. Do not overmix!
- Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured loaf pan. Sprinkle with ½ of the apples and ½ of the cinnamon mixture.
- Stir the remaining apples into the remaining batter and pour into the pan. Top with remaining cinnamon mixture.
- Bake approximately 40 minutes. Brush topping with melted butter. Continue baking an additional 5-10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Originally published August, 2013
Adapted from Allrecipes
More Quick Bread Recipes You’ll Love
- Zucchini Bread
- Pecan Coconut Banana Bread
- Easy Banana Bread
- Chocolate Pumpkin Bread
- Chocolate Banana Bread
This recipe has been our family favorite for at least 5 years. I make it year round with pretty much any type of apple and turns out fantastic! Gets devoured in a day! Such a simple, yet a wonderful recipe. Thank you so much!!
This was absolutely FANTASTIC! I made two loaves the first day, then made two more. The next day I made four more! Everyone loves this and it’s my husband’s new favorite recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m excited to make this for the 1st time. but I do have a question regarding the applesauce. it doesn’t say whether or not to use unsweetened or sweetened or cinnamon flavored applesauce. Can you share with me which one you use. I also think it would be a great idea to clarify that in the list of ingredients. imo. in case anyone else ask this same question. TIA.
Hi LuAnn, we use unsweetened apple sauce but you can use whatever you prefer when baking. I think a cinnamon one would add a nice flavor to it.
Fabulous recipe! I’ve made it multiple times in the past 2 weeks to share with family and friends – everyone wants the recipe. It’s easy to make and keeps well. A definite keeper! Thanks for sharing, Holly.
Just found your site. Can hardly wait to venture with you and your fantastic recipes etc.
Absolutely amazing, everyone loved loved loved this delicious bread . Thank you.
absolutely amazing a winner a keeper such great flavors and moist thanks for the recipe
Absolutely incredible
This was a big hit
Thank you for the recipe
Moist and delicious with a crunchytop
Could I use a Fiji apple instead of the Granny Smith?
That should work just fine! If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out Elizabeth!
I made this for the first time down to the T
Turned out so awesome, everybody in my family loved it especially my 88 year old mother, had a piece every morning w her coffee & breakfast instead of a piece of toast
It’s especially good warmed a little with butter, makes all the flavors pop
Definitely a keeper! Thank you
Can I make this as muffins? If so, what would I need to change?
I have not tried this apple pie bread as muffins, so I can’t say for sure. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out Gail!
Well, the good news is that it didn’t fall on the floor! Mine certainly does not look like your photo. Everything seemed fine until I tried to take it out of the pan. I greased it with butter and dusted ii with flour. The toothpick came out clean after total baking time of 47 minutes. I waited 10 minutes for it to cool (although the pan seemed pretty warm still). In taking it out, only the top half came out and landed on the cooling rack. The bottom half remained in the pan. I valianatly tried to reassemble it on a plate, but it looks like I dropped the whole thing in the parking lot! Any suggestions on what went wrong? I’ve made banana bread in the same pan and it came out fine, Anyway, I’m still going to take it to the get together tomorrow and bring bowls and spoons. :-)
I haven’t had this issue so I can’t say for sure what happened Bob. Next time you could try lining with parchment paper to get it out a little easier.
Thanks. That’s a great idea. I will let it cool a little longer also. As an update: The “bread” was a huge hit and tasted terrific. We decided to call my version apple crumble cake.
Simply delicious!! It needed more like 65-70 minutes in the oven. I rotated the pan and skipped the melted butter at the end. Served it slightly warm out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Really a gorgeous quick bread and everyone raved.
I loved this recipe!!!! I did add some chopped pecans to the apples.
My husband & friends loved this too!!!
I liked it better than apple pie. I will make this alot!!!!
This is amazing bread, my husband absolutely loved it and he’s picky.
Super yummy, light bread. I made using homemade applesauce (super yummy & easy) recipe also from this site. https://www.spendwithpennies.com/homemade-applesauce. I really like the apple chunks baked into the bread. Made using fuji apples since that’s what I had on hand & it was still super good. A nice, light dessert!
I was wondering, can I use Apple Pie Filling in this recipe instead of the apples?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Cynthia. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
This is one of my VERY Favorite recipes for Fall (actually good anytime of the year)! It is simply DELISH and super quick and easy. Love it!!
Very yummy! I made some mistakes and thought I would share with readers not do a Sandi. They were minor.
First of all as my kids and later my grands were small I only baked cookies, carrot cake, cupcakes … Basic things. I suddenly have this huge sweet tooth after being ill and dropping 30 pounds so I’m baking my way back to some of those pounds. Baking at home is so much better and super cheap. This was easy to make from ingredients I already had. Mistakes I made: I didn’t read carefully the last layer instructions and failed to mix the apple mixture into the batter. I ended up pushing them in a bit. Small error . I used a dark 9×5 loaf pan non stick. I should have used 8×4 glass Pyrex type blue which I actually have. Again, not a biggie.
I overcooked a bit.I rented a small studio 2 blocks from beach so even though my oven is new its small I am not what I’m familiar with it and its quirky. Also, with the moisture from the ocean my baking powder was a bit crunchy ( its Argo in the plastic container). I used the flat side of the measuring spoon on a plate to smash the pumps ( box of salt won’t last a day so I have to dump it into quart mason jars)
It is super tasty and easy to follow. Simple ingredients. I added just a pinch or two of allspice and bit of extra cinnamon. I had butter, eggs and milk at room temp I will make this again! I will try it with light brown sugar and less of it. I used 1/2 cup butter variation. Perhaps next time I will use applesauce. Or toss in some frozen cranberries for some tart flavor.
Thank you Holly! And thank you posters for tips! Next up one of your awesome shrimp recipes. Happy New Year!
Thank you for sharing your tips, Sandi! I am glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Followed recipe to a T using 2 Granny Smith apples. Excellent!
Everyone loved it. Freezes great so I will be making a few loaves & freezing for Christmas gifts.
95% of my recipes are from spend with pennies. Thank you Holly
So glad you loved it Marilyn!