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 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
- 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:
- Applesauce bread: Whisk together everything but the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Once the mixture is well combined, stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Turn the batter into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- This quick bread will need to 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!
Recipe FAQs
I love baking with coconut oil in place of other cooking oils especially for quick breads, muffins, 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, but 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. You don’t want to use regular yogurt here though, 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 or walnuts!
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.
Tips for Making Applesauce Bread
Spices: I didn’t add ginger and allspice so it’s not quite as spicy as spice cake, but you can always add them if you want.
Serving the bread: I served this applesauce bread with cinnamon honey butter, but you could also try a simple butter and confectioners’ sugar glaze, a vanilla cream cheese glaze, or just eat it plain. It’s soft, moist, and flavorful enough that it doesn’t ‘need’ anything. But you know.
Leftovers: I’m sure this apple bread with applesauce would make great French toast, but this loaf never made it long enough to turn into French toast. It was gone in just over a day. That drippy, glistening honey butter gets me every time.
Storage Instructions
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.
Can I Freeze Applesauce Bread?
Yes, you can freeze this loaf for up to 6 months.
Simply wrap the cinnamon applesauce bread in a few layers of plastic wrap or store 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
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.
This bread looks amazing! I may be making it tomorrow!
Those 4 things — baking bread, coconut, cinnamon, and apples — are literally my 4 favorite scents! (Plus vanilla buttercream, for candles. They make me happy while sitting at my desk all day.) And yes, it’s basically a rule that we’re allowed to have seconds and thirds of bread without needing to run any extra miles, but if it’s cake… Totally different story. I’d feel like I needed to lace up my shoes and take another lap around the neighborhood!
I really hope your bread makes spring show up faster… The storms these past few weeks haven’t been fun!
This last one has been going on and on and on….like day 4? I think of almost un-workable photography. But ‘we need the rain’. Or something like that.
I tried making a deal with the “Rain Gods” after the last 4-5 day storm we had. It could rain for basically 22 out of the 24 hours in a day, just as long as it took a break and turned sunny for when I wanted to photograph and run. Seems like I need to sweeten the deal a little more this time around… They just aren’t cooperating! Fingers crossed for photography sunshine soon!
Just made this. Amazing recipe. The honey butter really makes it. Your recipes are just superb Averie. Thank you! I used homemade applesauce and it tastes divine. Cheers!
Glad you loved it, that homemade applesauce worked, and yes I agree the honey butter just makes it :)
Everything about this just sounds wonderful, but the honey butter especially!
I’m baking this bread as I type this message. The aroma is simply wonderful. After peanut butter desserts, cinnamon is my second favorite flavor. I can’t wait to try if after it cools off.
Yes it smells so good! Enjoy it :)
This bread is so good! It’s not dry in any way, and taste so good with the honey butter. I will definitely make this bread again, because it was easy and the results were wonderful. Tenting the bread in the last 15 minutes is what makes the bread the perfect color and did work perfectly! I thought it made a good sized loaf and it was baked through so evenly ! Love this bread!, thanks again :)
Glad that tenting in the last 15 mins gave you the perfect color and yes, I was happy with the size of the loaf too. Pretty good sized and unlike most 9×5 loaves that sometimes don’t cook through evenly or they get way too dark on the sides and bottom, not at all with this one and I found it to cook through beautifully as well (sometimes banana bread can be finnicky but not this one!). Glad you loved it Julie! Thanks for the field report, as always!
Any suggestions on what you can substitute for eggs?
Egg replacer that you can buy at Whole Foods or similar stores….omit. I honestly think this bread will be fine without them. Now, I don’t know because I haven’t tested it, but I have a feeling it will still work. It may not rise as well, and won’t be as light, and you’ll likely need to reduce the flour some. Also I would double both the baking soda & baking powder. Play around with it. LMK how it goes.
A nice spice with a little applesauce sounds like a real crowd pleaser!
Apple cinnamon candles are my favorite and this sounds like a perfect start to a lazy saturday morning! Could I use a bundt cake pan if I increased the batter or 8×8? I don’t have a loaf pan but I’m hoping it works in a bundt pan for presentation purposes :)
I think you could bake it in a smaller bundt pan as is…and if you wanted to double the recipe, and/or 1.5 times the recipe rather than doubling it, I think it would be fine in a bigger bundt. If you want to bake it as a cake/flat, I think either an 8×8 or 9×9 would work. You’ll have to watch the baking times based on your oven and what you do.
So wish I had this for breakfast! I’m imagining how good it makes the house smell right now!
I’d much rather have the smell of this baking in my house than a scented candle. And then I’d devour the ENTIRE thing!
oooooh I BET this bread smells SO amazing! and tastes just as good. :D
Wow, this bread does look heavenly!! I can’t wait to try this recipe! Can this also be made in a breadmaker?
I don’t have a bread maker but no, I don’t think you probably should. Just bake it in the oven since it’s not a yeast-based bread.
This looks delicious!
Love your opening line! What a hook!! I definitely need to make this— it’s all the cozy flavors of fall year round :)
You need to teach me the tricks of taking pictures of bread :). I hate it but yours always look gorgeous!
If you can teach me yours for just about everything, deal! :) Girl I have learned things over the years to make it pass-able, but I am never usually fully satisfied with the images. I do like most of these in this post but as a general rule, my bread pics are not my faves. It’s so hard to manage that big loaf + slices. Nothing ever seems right!