Cinnamon Applesauce Bread – 🍎🍞😍 This applesauce bread is packed with fall flavors and comes together quickly! I serve mine with homemade honey butter, because why not?
Table of Contents
Spiced Applesauce Quick Bread Recipe
You won’t need scented candles ever again. Just make this applesauce bread! The scent of apples, cinnamon, and bread baking makes your house smell absolutely heavenly.
The bread is supremely moist and soft, with just enough cinnamon to complement the applesauce, without being overpowering.
It’s actually more like an apple spice cake that happens to baked in a loaf pan, so we’ll call it bread. You know, because bread is healthier than cake so you can have extra.
I used every softening and moistening trick in the book to keep this applesauce quick bread supple and tender. Applesauce, coconut oil, and sour cream all lend moisture to the bread. I loathe dry bread and cake, and this is anything but.
The crust is slightly firmer and chewier, while the interior is soft, fluffy, and springy.
It’s great zapped in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it with a big dollop of honey butter or toast it.
Applesauce Bread Ingredients
To make the applesauce quick bread, you’ll need:
- Eggs
- Cinnamon applesauce
- Granulated sugar
- Melted coconut oil
- Light brown sugar
- Sour cream
- Vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon and nutmeg
- Salt
- All-purpose flour – if you need to keep this recipe gluten-free, feel free to substitute a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour
- Baking soda and baking powder
And for the cinnamon honey butter, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Honey
- Cinnamon
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Applesauce Bread
This homemade applesauce bread recipe is so quick and easy to prepare! Here are the basic steps for this fall quick bread recipe:
- Whisk together everything but the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Once the mixture is well combined, stir in the remaining dry ingredients.
- Turn the batter into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. Bake for roughly an hour or until the top is set and firm and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- In the last 15 minutes of cooking, tent your bread with a sheet of foil if it’s looking a bit darker before you anticipate the center to cook through fully.
- Let the applesauce quick bread cool for 30 minutes in its pan before slicing and serving it. It needs that extra bit of time to set up.
- Cinnamon honey butter: Stir together the softened butter, honey, and cinnamon. You can add as much or as little cinnamon as you’d like, it’s up to you! You can also serve your applesauce bread with a simple butter and confectioners’ sugar glaze, a vanilla cream cheese glaze, or just eat it plain.
Recipe FAQs
I love baking with coconut oil in place of other cooking oils, especially for quick breads, muffins, and cookies, and far prefer it to melted butter. Oil in general keeps things softer, springier, and bouncier than butter.
I didn’t notice any overt coconut flavor. However, if you’re concerned you can use another oil (such as vegetable or canola). Between the applesauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla, any coconut flavor is masked though.
Yes, plain Greek yogurt can be used in place of the sour cream. That said, you don’t want to use regular yogurt here as it’s much runnier than Greek yogurt.
I used store-bought cinnamon applesauce. If you use plain applesauce, you may want to bump up the cinnamon in the batter. I haven’t tried using reduced-sugar applesauce, and while I’m sure the recipe works, it won’t be as sweet. I love the bread as is and wouldn’t make the sacrifice.
I don’t see why not! You’ll want to use smooth applesauce for this recipe though, not chunky.
Theoretically, yes. However, fresh apple chunks will release moisture into the batter and will likely increase the bake time. I’ve only made this recipe as written, so I can’t say for sure whether adding apples to the the batter will work.
If you’re looking for a more chunky apple bread recipe, make my Apple Fritter Bread.
You could definitely add a dry mix-ins, like chopped pecans, walnuts, or even chocolate chips! Or, add even more flavor with warm spices like ginger and allspice.
Probably, but you’d need to drastically shorten the cook time to about 20 minutes. Baking this as a loaf is easier though than making individual muffins, in my opinion, so definitely try this recipe as written first!
No, you need to use a 9×5-inch loaf pan for this recipe. The batter will overflow if you use a smaller pan such as an 8×4-inch loaf pan and you’ll wind up making a huge mess.
This is the one exception to a smaller loaf pan: 5x3x2-inch loaf pans will work! You’ll need to adjust the bake time according to the size of your mini loaf pans. But I’d say about 25 to 30 minutes but again, check for doneness with the toothpick test to know for sure.
Storage
Store leftover applesauce quick bread in an airtight container at room temperature. It will last up to 5 days. The cinnamon honey butter will last up to 1 month in the fridge and can also be frozen.
Freeze leftover bread for up to 6 months!
Simply wrap the cinnamon applesauce bread in a few layers of plastic wrap or store it in a freezer-safe bag. When you’re ready to eat it, set it out on the counter to thaw.
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Applesauce Bread with Honey Butter
Equipment
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 Wire Rack
- 1 Small Bowl
Ingredients
Bread
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup cinnamon applesauce, plain may be substituted, consider adding more cinnamon
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup melted coconut oil, canola or vegetable oil or melted butter may be substituted
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup sour cream, lite okay; Greek yogurt may be substituted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon, not teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Honey Butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter, extremely soft
- ¼ cup honey, or to taste
- pinch cinnamon, optional and to taste
Instructions
Make the Bread
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside (don’t use an 8-by-4-inch pan; it’s too small)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the first 7 ingredients, through optional salt.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix. Batter will be thick and with a few lumps. Don’t try to stir the lumps smooth.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the surface lightly with a spatula.
- Bake for about 56 to 63 minutes (I baked exactly 60), or until top is set and firm, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, tent bread with a sheet of foil (lay it loosely over top of pan) if your bread is looking a bit darker before you anticipate the center to cook through fully; I tented mine.
- Allow bread to cool in pan on top a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before turning out onto rack to cool completely.
Honey Butter
- Combine the butter (make sure it’s extremely soft and squishy), honey, and optional cinnamon in a small bowl and whisk vigorously until smooth and fluffy.
- Extra portion will keep airtight in the fridge for at least 1 month.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Apple Quick Bread Recipes:
Apple Pie Bread with Streusel Topping — If you like apple crumble pie, you’re going to love this EASY no-mixer apple pie bread! Soft, tender, moist bread with the contrast of the slightly crunchy crumble topping is PERFECT!
Apple Zucchini Bread with Brown Sugar Frosting — Super soft, moist, and topped with the BEST frosting ever! One bowl, no mixer, EASY recipe for the best apple zucchini bread that everyone LOVES!
Carrot Apple Bread — This apple carrot bread tastes like carrot cake that’s been infused with apples. It’s a no mixer recipe that goes from bowl to oven in minutes!
Apple Fritter Bread — The bread tastes as decadent as the apple fritters of my childhood, no deep frying required and it’s more like cake disguised as bread.
Peanut Butter Apple Banana Bread — Jazz up regular banana bread with peanut butter and apples! A perfect combo that tastes amazing together! Fast, easy, no mixer required, and a hit with everyone!
Originally published August 23, 2019 and republished September 16, 2022 with updated text.
Made as written today, absolutely delicious! I did not have any nutmeg so I went without but will definitely be making this many more times!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Jennifer, and I am glad this was absolutely delicious as written and you’ll make it more!
Hi Averie,
Just wondering if the sour cream in this recipe could be substituted by powdered buttermilk, and what alterations may be necessary thusly. Also, your recipe for sweet potato bread is fantastic.
It probably could, with testing and trial and error.
It would be a closer sub if you use Greek yogurt because you want something thick, not thinner/runnier which is what buttermilk will be, whether you use real or powdered and mixed according to the directions.
I don’t know what to say since I have not tested it. I would stick with the recipe as written. It’s so good!
great
I followed the recipe and made mini muffins. After the first batch I decided it was boring and added some texture. I stirred in apple chunks and pecans. I also topped it with streusel. Thank you for the recipe that I was able to modify to make it to my liking.
I followed the recipe and made mini muffins. After the first batch I decided it was boring and added some texture. I stirred in apple chunks and pecans. I also topped it with streusel. Thank you for the recipe that I was able to modify to make it to my liking.
Great recipe even though I had to change up a few things to account for what I had on hand! I used unsweetened applesauce as that’s all I had, only 1/2 cup white sugar instead of 3/4 cup, upped the cinnamon to 2 T and used 1/4 c oil and 1/4 c applesauce as that’s all I had left of the coconut oil. Used 1 1/4 cup white flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat. Very light and fluffy – delicious!
Great recipe even though I had to change up a few things to account for what I had on hand! I used unsweetened applesauce as that’s all I had, only 1/2 cup white sugar instead of 3/4 cup, upped the cinnamon to 2 T and used 1/4 c oil and 1/4 c applesauce as that’s all I had left of the coconut oil. Used 1 1/4 cup white flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat. Very light and fluffy – delicious!
Glad it was great and that you were able to change things up based on what you had on hand and it all worked out well!
These were amazing ! I made these with GF Bobs 1 to 1 flour ! I also made some slight adjustments : used vegetable oil, vanilla honey Greek yogurt, omitted cinnamon and used 1/2 cinnamon oil instead, added 1/8 tsp of clove and stored in 1/4 cup chopped candied ginger. Sooo delicious ! Thank you for such a great recipe !! I also made them as muffins – 22 minute cooking time.
This bread was easy to make and absolutely delicious. I made it as written, but I did substitute the cocoanut for canola oil. I made the honey butter for on top, and it was great while the bread was still warm. My sister had just made a batch of crab apple butter, and that was also great on the bread. Great!!
This bread was easy to make and absolutely delicious. I made it as written, but I did substitute the cocoanut for canola oil. I made the honey butter for on top, and it was great while the bread was still warm. My sister had just made a batch of crab apple butter, and that was also great on the bread. Great!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that it was absolutely delicious! I love coconut oil and can see where it would be great in this recipe!
Made the cinnamon spice applesause bread this afternoon. Delicious! Super moist! Will definitely make the again. A+!
Made the cinnamon spice applesause bread this afternoon. Delicious! Super moist! Will definitely make the again. A+!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was delicious, super moist, and you’ll definitely make it again!
OM, MY GOODNESS! What a great recipe!! I used melted butter and regular applesauce and added the cinnamon as you suggested . I just made this and it’s GONE! You are such a bad girl!
OM, MY GOODNESS! What a great recipe!! I used melted butter and regular applesauce and added the cinnamon as you suggested . I just made this and it’s GONE! You are such a bad girl!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved this recipe! Glad it was devoured fast!
Very easy, very good. I made In an 8 compartment pan so I had 8 mini loaves. Baking time about 25 minutes