Spiced Applesauce Bread Recipe
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One try and you’ll start looking for excuses to bake another loaf of this applesauce bread! It’s incredibly moist with a tender crumb, with hints of warm cinnamon and vanilla. Perfect with your morning coffee or tea, it’s an easy, from-scratch recipe that makes your home smell like the best of fall.
When fall rolls around, you can expect me to be in my kitchen making a big batch of my slow cooker applesauce, which some of it I use to make applesauce cake and this delicious applesauce bread. This loaf is definitely one of my family’s favorite apple desserts for fall! It’s sweet but not too sweet, tender enough to melt in your mouth, and ridiculously easy to make. Perfect for busy days!
Enjoy it as a filling breakfast, pack it into lunchboxes, or serve it fresh from the oven for a mid-afternoon treat. Whether you’re baking for family, friends, or just to treat yourself, this fall treat is the kind of easy, feel-good recipe you’ll want on repeat all season, or all year long.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 10-minute prep
- Warm, cozy flavors
- All-day treat: Great for breakfast, brunch, as an afternoon snack, or after-dinner dessert.
- Great for sharing: Bring it to gatherings, give it as a thoughtful gift, or enjoy it with friends over coffee.
- Make ahead friendly: Stays fresh for several days and freezes beautifully.
- Customizable: Add a glaze, mix-ins, or toppings to suit your mood or the occasion.
How to Make Applesauce Bread
This is the perfect recipe to try if you haven’t made a loaf from scratch before. Just 10 minutes of hands-on prep and you can walk away and relax as applesauce bread bakes in the oven. In an hour, you’ll have the most delicious fall-inspired loaf to share and enjoy!
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a printable recipe card with a full list of ingredients, measurements, and step-by-step instructions.
Ingredients You Need
- All-purpose flour and baking powder: For the structure and rise of the bread.
- Ground cinnamon: Freshly ground cinnamon from sticks gives a more vibrant aroma and flavor.
- Salt
- White and brown sugar: Granulated sugar brings a neutral sweetness, while brown sugar adds a hint of caramel flavor and extra moisture to keep the loaf soft.
- Greek yogurt: Use full-fat yogurt for the best texture.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter because we will be adding salt to the batter separately.
- Eggs
- Applesauce: I recommend using unsweetened applesauce so you can control the sweetness of the bread.
- Vanilla extract
Step-By-Step Instructions
You’ll be surprised at how easy applesauce bread comes together! This recipe is a simple mix, bake, cool, and serve. Follow along with the instructions below and you can’t go wrong.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Step 2: Make the batter
Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl.
Mix the sugars, yogurt, butter, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla in a second bowl. Add this into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Step 3: Bake
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step 4: Cool and serve
Leave to cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving.
Substitutions
This applesauce bread recipe can be easily adapted to ingredients you love or have on hand. Here are my suggested substitutions:
- All-purpose flour: Try whole wheat flour or a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Baking powder: Make a homemade version by combining 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice for every teaspoon of baking powder needed.
- Ground cinnamon: Replace with pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice.
- Sugar: Substitute with brown, coconut, or maple sugar.
- Brown sugar: Use coconut or regular white sugar if brown sugar is unavailable.
- Greek yogurt: Replace with regular yogurt or sour cream.
- Butter: Swap out with coconut or vegetable oil.
- Applesauce: Use pumpkin puree, mashed bananas, or pear puree
- Vanilla extract: Substitute with almond extract or vanilla bean paste.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients: Make sure that your ingredients are at room temperature for a smoother batter and better incorporation of ingredients.
- Warm your spices: Optional, but you can lightly toast your cinnamon in a dry pan for 30 to 60 seconds before adding to the batter. This blooms the oils and makes the spice flavor richer.
- Don’t overmix: Mix the batter just until the flour is incorporated. Overmixing leads to a dense or tough cake.
- Go for toppings: Sprinkle sugar or chopped nuts on top before baking for a lightly crunchy finish. Alternatively, you can add frosting or a glaze once the loaf is cool.
- Add a flavor twist: Fold in dried cranberries, raisins, or mini chocolate chips to change up the flavor and make it feel like a new treat every time.
- Cool before slicing: Rest the loaf and cool completely before slicing. If you cut too early, the center can turn out dense and overly moist.
How to Store This Recipe
To store applesauce bread, keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. For longer storage, freeze individual slices wrapped in plastic and foil for up to 1 month.
When you’re ready to enjoy, reheat slices in a 300 F oven for 5 to 7 minutes to bring back that fresh-from-the-oven goodness.
What to Serve with Applesauce Bread
There are so many ways to enjoy applesauce bread. Enjoy it simply with a spread of salted butter or tangy cream cheese, or indulge with a drizzle of warm honey, maple syrup, caramel sauce, or a scoop of chai ice cream.
Pair it with your favorite fall coffee, a simple cold brew, or a warm cup of spiced tea. I especially enjoy a slice with pumpkin spice chai latte or a dirty chai tea latte.
More Easy Breakfast Treats To Try
Easy From-Scratch Applesauce Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ½ cup butter melted
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F . Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl.
- Mix the sugars, yogurt, butter, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla in a second bowl. Add this into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Leave to cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients for a smoother batter and better incorporation of ingredients.
- Optional, but you can lightly toast your cinnamon in a dry pan for 30 to 60 seconds before adding to the batter for a richer flavor.
- Mix the batter just until the flour is incorporated. Overmixing leads to a dense or tough cake.
- Sprinkle sugar or chopped nuts on top before baking or add frosting or a glaze once the loaf is cool.
- Fold in dried cranberries, raisins, or mini chocolate chips to change up the flavor.
- Rest the loaf and cool completely before slicing. If you cut too early, the center can turn out dense and overly moist.
