Apple Carrot 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 Carrot Bread Recipe
This is carrot cake that’s been infused with apples and baked as a loaf. So it’s not cake anymore. It’s bread. Therefore you can have more and definitely can have it for breakfast.
Baking with both carrots and apples not only adds chewy texture and natural sweetness, but they also add so much moisture that it’s impossible to have a dry loaf. I adapted the basic ratios from my Cream Cheese-Filled Pumpkin Bread, a personal and fan favorite, to make way for grated carrots and apples.
I grated the carrot and apple by hand using the coarsest blade on a box grater. It literally takes two minutes and I’d spend much more time washing food processor parts than quickly doing it the old-fashioned way.
It’s an easy, no mixer recipe that goes from bowl to oven in minutes. The batter is very thick and that’s by design. The carrots and apples release juices while baking and if you start with a thin batter, it’ll turn too soupy during baking.
It’s soft, tender, uber-moist, dense enough to be satisfying, but still light. The cinnamon and nutmeg really shine and add so much wonderful, rich, depth of flavor to the carrots and apples. The carrots dominate and the bread has a more pronounced ‘carrot cake’ taste than apple.
It was so flavorful and moist that I didn’t even need butter. Although a browned butter glaze can do no wrong if you’re so inclined.
What’s in Apple Carrot Bread?
For this carrot apple bread recipe, you’ll need:
- Egg
- Light brown sugar
- Coconut oil
- Granulated sugar
- Sour cream
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Gound nutmeg
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
- Grated apples
- Grated carrots
Can I Substitute the Coconut Oil?
I used melted coconut oil so there’s no butter to cream and no mixer to dirty. Oil keeps bread softer and springier than butter, and I prefer the taste.
Coconut oil adds a nearly imperceptible undertone that’s sweeter and more fragrant than canola or vegetable oil, but substitute with them if you’d like.
What Are the Best Apples for Apple Bread?
Any apple will work for this carrot apple bread recipe! I used a large Fuji apple, but Gala and Honeycrisp would work as well.
How to Make Carrot Apple Bread
This carrot apple cinnamon bread couldn’t be easier to make! Simply whisk together the egg, sugars, melted coconut oil, sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then fold in the remaining ingredients.
Turn the batter into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan and bake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Once the bread is out of the oven, let it rest in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing it to finish cooling on a wire rack.
Can I Make This in a Smaller Loaf Pan?
I baked the bread in a 9×5-inch pan because I was concerned that the moisture-heavy ingredients crammed into an 8×4-inch pan would take forever to cook through and a larger pan felt safer. In retrospect, an 8×4-inch would probably have been fine. The shorter height of the bread didn’t effect our inhaling of it in one day.
Can I Double This Recipe?
Yes, simply double the ingredients and bake in two loaf pans. I’ve also had readers report success doubling the recipe and baking it in a metal 9×13-inch pan or a metal bundt pan.
Can I Freeze Carrot Quick Bread?
Absolutely! This apple carrot bread recipe is great for freezing. Wrap in a few layers of plastic wrap and a layer of foil, then freeze for up to three months.
Tips for Making Carrot Loaf Bread
When mixing together the batter, make sure the sour cream and egg are at room temperature. If they’re both still cold, the melted coconut oil will partially resolidify and you’ll wind up with chunks of oil running through the batter.
When baking the bread, you may need to tent the pan with a sheet of foil draped loosely over it at the 35-minute mark if you feel the tops and sides will become too browned before center cooks through.
Baking times will vary based on moisture content of carrots, apples, climate, and oven variances. You need to bake the carrot bread until done; watch your bread, not the clock and don’t worry if it takes longer to bake than the baking estimates provided.
When serving this apple cinnamon bread, I highly recommend slathering it with Homemade Honey Butter or Cinnamon-Sugar Butter, or drizzling it with a Vanilla Bean Browned Butter Glaze. It’s delicious as is, of course, but these extra toppings really take it up a notch.
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Carrot Apple Bread
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup liquid-state coconut oil, canola or vegetable may be substituted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cup sour cream, lite is okay; or Greek yogurt may be substituted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- ¾ cup grated carrots, about 1 large peeled and trimmed carrot
- ¾ cup grated apples, I used 1 medium unpeeled Fuji; try Gala, Honeycrisp or similar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray one 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside. (I haven’t tried the recipe in an 8×4-inch pan and cannot comment on how long it will take to bake, but use an 8×4 pan if you prefer a taller loaf.)
- In a large bowl, add the the first eight ingredients, through nutmeg, and whisk to combine.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, optional salt, and fold with spatula or stir gently with a spoon until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Add the carrots, apples, and fold gently to combine.
- Turn batter (it’s very thick, this is what you want) out into the prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Bake for about 45 to 52 minutes (I baked 50 minutes) or until the top is golden, the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.*
- Allow bread to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.**
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Quick Bread Recipes:
Cinnamon Spice Applesauce Bread with Honey Butter — Applesauce keeps this bread so soft & moist! It’s like apple spice cake, disguised as ‘bread’ so you can have extra!
Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato Bread — Eating your vegetables via soft, moist bread is the best way! My favorite way to eat sweet potatoes!
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.
The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread — This pumpkin chocolate chip bread is truly the best homemade pumpkin bread you’ll ever make. It’s moist, packed with chocolate chips, and tastes like fall!
Blueberry Zucchini Bread — This blueberry zucchini bread is a quick, no-mixer recipe that’s sweet, but not too sweet. Each bite is bursting with fresh blueberries!
Pumpkin Banana Bread — Soft, moist, fluffy and so much better than another loaf of plain banana bread.
Snickerdoodle Bread — Between the cinnamon-sugar on top, cinnamon in the batter, and the cinnamon chips, the bread is full of wonderful and prominent cinnamon flavor without being overpowering.
Originally published November 9, 2014 and republished on Friday, March 13, 2020 with updated text.
Hi! This looks so good! I can’t have dairy, any suggestions on what I could use instead of sour cream or Greek yogurt?
You could possibly try a vegan sour cream or even a thick coconut milk based yogurt. There are so many options out there for vegans these days with mock dairy you should be fine.
Just had to drop you a line to let you know what a hit your apple carrot loaf is with my whole family! My little guy is very picky and to be able to add veggies and fruit to something he loves is such a bonus! Thank you! We’ve made it many times and it’s asked for over and over! I do have to tell you we are trying to eat better and cut out some of our white sugar and flour intake so I did replace it with unsweetened applesauce and whole wheat flour but still tastes incredible! Cheers!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And good to know the applesauce and WW flour worked!
Yummy.thanks very much for this receipe.made it today and its delicious and very easy to make with such simple ingredients(and not much dishes to clean after,only 1bowl).I used vegetable oil and baked in a round pan on a baking paper like a cake.it took 45mins to cook and it cooked perfectly in the middle as well( so I didn’t even had to put foil at the 35mins baking).Next time I think I will try adding some sultanas and wallnuts,I think it will taste good.Sure I’ll try it again and again and again ……
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I bet it looks great as a cake shape!
Wow! Spectacular recipe! New favorite that will bein rotation a lot!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
I have made your recipe twice. Once as loaf for art club, it was delicious. I also made it for guests as breakfast muffins. Set timer for 30 minutes than possibly additional time depending on your oven. Makes 11 muffins. Thank you for your easy, yummy recipe.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Both as a loaf and muffins!
I made this today and it is great. It makes a very small loaf however. I only had a jumbo egg and I think it was runnier than intended but it is still delicious. I will definitely make it again. I used half coconut oil and half olive because I didn’t have enough coconut, but it still turned out fine. I will try more of your recipes as it is rare for a recipe to turn out as it is supposed to do. Thank you very much.
Yes a jumbo egg is nearly twice the volume of a large egg so I’m glad it still baked fine for you and you enjoyed it.
Holy smokes! This was so good! I subbed the white flour for 1 cup of spelt flour, and it was still delicious. Will be making this again in the future…and by the future I mean today :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad you’re going to make it again today!
All of my favorite recipes come from from your blog. I love playing around with new recipes and like how I can sub things in if I don’t have 100% of the ingredients. Thanks for being my reliable, go to gal when I need something amazing!
Thanks for the high praise and glad my site has lots of your favorites and that my recipes are reliable and amazing for you!
Hi,so excited to make the carrot apple bread. I don’t have any coconut oil and would prefer to use butter over vegetable oil but how much do you recommend?
I doubled this carrot-apple bread recipe & baked it in a bundt pan (took it back to its cake roots :-D ) and used white whole wheat flour and coconut sugar and honey. It was delicious! Everyone loved it! So flavorful! Thanks for this!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you as a bundt!
Can you make muffins with this recipe or does it need to be in loaf pan so it cooks longer, to cook the carrots ?
I’ve never tried it as muffins so can’t say for sure but I think you’d be fine. However I can’t speak from experience.
I made this tonight. It is fabulous. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Hi, this recipe looks fab. I have recently been making recipes using light white spelt flour, what are your thoughts on using this in your recipe? I can’t seem to source almond flour here in the UK.
I have only just subscribed to your blog. I can’t wait to try out some recipes!
Thanks
This recipe doesn’t call for almond or spelt flour – it calls for all-purpose. I would stick with that for the best results.
I made this loaf this morning…it is so moist & delicious. I was looking for a recipe that my mom would like and I know she will love it. It’s not too sweet.
I will confess to doing something a little different…I added in some orange zest and instead of a loaf I used the square muffin tins. Baked for around 22 minutes. Turned out perfect.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe & I plan to try more on your site!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Orange zest would be great and glad the muffins came out well. LMK what else you make!
I exactly doubled this recipe, but on the second go round, i substituted finely chopped strawberries for the apples, and substituted 1 tsp of lemon extract for 1 tsp of vanilla. Was fantastic!!!
Thanks for trying the bread recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you with the strawberries and lemon extract! Sounds delicious!
When I saw this recipe and then viewed the comments it was a must that I tried it. So as I was eating my daily oatmeal I was baking inbetween bites!! Lol… It’s cooling as we speak and it’s always so difficult to let something cool, I sliced a little corner and blew on it and chomped it down! It is amazingly! It has great flavor, so moist!! Thank you for sharing your greatness. I am a picky foodie! This recipe is on repeat!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And I am a VERY picky person after blogging about food fulltime for 7 years and 2 cookbooks…so I can relate!