Moist, flavorful, and loaded with autumnal flavor, my best apple bread recipe is a must-try this apple season! Not only is it incredibly easy to make— the batter simply stirs together with common pantry staple ingredients— it also keeps for several days and is freezer-friendly. When updating this post, I re-tested the recipe and made the quick bread with chopped apples and grated apples to compare the different textures. In this post, I break down how chopped apples and grated apples bake up and the differences in the resulting apple bread. Both turned out incredible, so you can decide which option you prefer!
A reader, Stacy, says: “Delicious and easy! Followed recipe as written. I did omit nuts and added vanilla. Reminded me of carrot cake in a way. Everyone loved it! Oh for an extra treat I drizzled caramel over it! Super! Definitely a keeper!” ★★★★★
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
These are the main ingredients you need to make homemade apple bread. You can find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.
Apple — you need 1 large baking apple, peeled and cored. See the section just below for the best apples for apple bread.
Sugar — this apple bread recipe calls for two types of sugar, white sugar and light brown sugar. Both add sweetness, with the brown sugar also helping to keep the quick bread moist for days. More granulated sugar can be sprinkled on top of the batter before baking to produce a delicious, crackly crust.
Spices — cinnamon and nutmeg make for a flavorful, fragrant loaf, with lots of cozy autumn vibes.
Leavening — baking soda and baking powder help the apple bread rise in the oven for fluffy, tender results.
Eggs — use room temperature eggs as they incorporate evenly and quickly into the batter. If you forgot to set the eggs out in advance, put the cold eggs in a large bowl and cover them with warm tap water. Soak for 5-10 minutes and proceed with the recipe.
Nuts — while I love the crunch and textural interest that chopped walnuts or toasted pecans add, you can simply leave them out if you prefer a nut-free apple bread recipe. Or you can swap them for an equal amount (½ cup) of chocolate chips or chopped dried fruit. See the Recipe Variations section for even more swaps and additions you can try!
What Are The Best Apples To Use?
My favorite fresh apples to use in apple bread are sweet-tart Honeycrisp or tart Granny Smith apples. Pink Lady, Cortland, Fuji, Gala, and Braeburn apples are also good options, as they hold up fairly well when baked. Some other varieties, like Macintosh or Golden Delicious, can turn mushy or grainy in the oven and are not ideal for this recipe. This bread is loaded with apple flavor, so ultimately, choose an apple you love!
Using Chopped Apples Versus Grated Apples
When I first developed this recipe, I couldn’t decide which apple preparation I preferred, so I made them both an option! Which one you choose is largely a matter of personal preference.
Chopped apple will give you chunks of apple dispersed throughout the loaf. The apple cubes will stay firmer when baked, so you get chunks of tender but still slightly firm apple bits in every bite. This is a good option if you want varying textures in your apple bread.
Grated apple will bake into the bread similarly to the fruit and veggies in zucchini bread, banana bread, and carrot cake, resulting in a tender and more uniform texture without the chunky bits in every bite.
You can see in the image below how the chopped apples hold their shape and are sprinkled throughout the loaf, whereas the grated apple becomes part of the crumb texture in the bread and doesn’t stand out as much. Both taste wonderful, and the loaves have plenty of fresh apple flavor, so choose whichever option works best for you!
Recipe Variations
If you want to customize your apple bread, the recipe is very adaptable! Try one of these toppings or mix-ins:
- Sprinkle the top of the apple bread with cinnamon sugar instead of plain sugar.
- Add a buttery streusel topping before baking. Tent the loaf loosely with foil after 40 minutes if the streusel is browning a lot already.
- Add up to ½ cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips, caramel chips, or golden raisins to the batter and fold until just distributed.
- Use chopped or grated pears instead of apples for a twist!
- Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract for a mouthwatering aroma and deep flavor.
- Drizzle the baked loaf with caramel sauce for a caramel-apple flavor.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
Weigh the ingredients, especially the flour. Use a scale to measure your ingredients, flour in particular. If you use too much flour, you will end up with dry, dense apple bread. A scale accurately measures the flour every time, without the risk of packing the flour into a volume measuring cup. If you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon in its container and then spoon it into your measuring cup before leveling it off with a knife. This method aerates the flour and prevents overpacking the measuring cup.
Different loaf pans conduct heat differently. I do not suggest swapping the standard metal loaf pan for a ceramic or glass pan. Glass and ceramic insulate the batter, making it take longer to bake and forming a less sturdy crust on the sides and bottom. If you do use one of those materials, you’ll have to keep an eye on the loaf and may need to increase the cooking time by about 10 minutes.
Line the loaf pan with parchment paper and allow the excess to hang over the sides. The parchment paper helps prevent the bread from sticking to the pan, and the overhang makes it easier to lift the loaf out of the pan.
If you only have a 9×5-inch loaf pan, you can use it. Just keep in mind the loaf will bake up a bit shorter and faster, so check for doneness after 45 minutes.
Don’t overmix the batter. Doing so will overdevelop the gluten in the bread and make the loaf tough, chewy, and dense. Stir everything together until it is combined, stopping just after the final bits of flour are incorporated. To also help prevent overmixing, use a spatula to combine the wet and dry ingredients by hand instead of an electric hand mixer.
How To Make Apple Bread
Below, I’ve highlighted portions of the recipe in step-by-step process images along with instructions for making apple bread. You can find the full set of instructions in the recipe card below.
1. Either grate the peeled, cored apple using the large holes of a box grater or chop it into small cubes. Set aside for the moment.
2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, both kinds of sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
3. Then add the beaten eggs and melted butter to the dry ingredients.
4. Stir together the dry and wet ingredients with a silicone spatula to form a thick batter. Don’t worry about incorporating everything perfectly; it is normal for a few dry streaks of flour to remain.
5. Add the prepared apple and nuts (if using).
6. Stir together. By this point, all the flour should be incorporated into the apple bread batter.
7. Pour the batter into a greased 8½x4½-inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Smooth out the top.
8. You can sprinkle with additional granulated sugar for a slightly crunchy topping and additional sweetness. Bake the apple bread at 350°F until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. (This usually takes about an hour, depending on your oven.) Place the pan on a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the loaf from the pan and allow it to cool for another 30 minutes before slicing.
Apple Bread Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 8×4″ Loaf pan
- Parchment paper
- Cheese grater (optional)
- mixing bowl
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 large apple peeled and cored (such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (180g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling (100g)
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar (110g)
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 2 large eggs beaten and room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted (113g)
- ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts or toasted pecans, optional (60g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8½x4½-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper, allowing excess to hang over the long sides of the pan.
- You can prepare the apple in one of two ways: Grate it, using the largest holes on a cheese grater. Or, chop the apple into small pieces (about ½-inch cubes). Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add the beaten eggs and melted butter to the flour mixture, and stir together with a silicone spatula until just a few dry streaks of flour remain. (The batter will be very thick.)
- Add the grated or chopped apple and nuts (if using)to the batter and stir together until evenly combined and all of the flour has been incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle with additional granulated sugar, if desired.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and let cool for about 30 minutes more. Slice and serve warm. Any leftovers should be tightly wrapped and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Tent the loaf with aluminum foil during baking if the top of the bread starts to brown too quickly. Check it after 40 minutes and tent it if needed.
- Add a glaze! For a sweeter finish, whisk together 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or water (adding more or less depending on how thick you want the glaze). Drizzle the glaze over the cooled loaf and let it sit for 15 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
How To Store And Freeze
Storage: Wrap leftover apple bread tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Freezing: Once it has cooled completely, you can freeze the whole loaf or individual slices. To freeze the entire loaf, wrap it well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and store it in a large freezer bag. My preference, however, is to freeze individual slices so that I can grab a couple at a time as I need them. To do this, wrap each slice tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and store them in a freezer bag. Apple bread will freeze well for up to 3 months. Allow the loaf to defrost overnight in the fridge, and individual slices to thaw for a few hours at room temperature before reheating.
Reheating: To quickly reheat slices of apple bread, unwrap and pop them into the microwave or toaster oven. To reheat a loaf, unwrap it, set it on a lined baking sheet, and place it in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Can I Make This Recipe As Muffins?
Yes! Line a muffin pan with paper liners and fill them three-quarters full with batter. Follow the baking instructions in my apple muffins recipe. You should be able to make about 10 muffins with this batter.
More Apple Recipes To Try
Here are more simple apple recipes to try!
Fluffy apple pancakes are perfect for a fall breakfast or brunch. Ground cinnamon adds a cozy fall flavor.
My apple galette is rustic, easy, and fuss-free thanks to a no-cook fresh apple filling! It’s a wonderful option if you want the flavors of apple pie with much less effort.
Fried apples are a Southern classic that’s ready in under 30 minutes! They’re a delicious way to elevate savory dishes, and also immediately jazz up your morning waffles or oatmeal.
Warm apple turnovers are always a welcome treat. Simply fill puff pastry squares with a brown sugar and cinnamon-scented apple filling, assemble, bake, and enjoy!
Want to make apple fritters without the oil? Then my air fryer apple fritters are a must-try! So crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and they’re ready in a flash!
If you’ve tried this apple bread recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Janet J. says
Very delicious and so easy! Love your recipes!
I used what I consider a large apple – by any chance do you have a weight in grams for the amount of apple?
Thank you!
Sarah Ward (Executive Editor, Preppy Kitchen) says
Glad you enjoyed this apple bread! The apples used in testing were about 10 ounces/280g (whole).