This Apple Cinnamon Bread recipe is made with two fresh apples. It is easy to make and a perfect fall treat!
If you love this recipe, you'll love these recipes using apples: air fryer baked apples, apple mug cake, and apple waffles recipe!
Why You'll Love This Apple Bread
I was looking for a way to pack more apples into a loaf of apple bread without making it fall apart. I found that using only diced apples made the bread too crumbly. So instead, I use a mix of grated and chopped apples—grated apples melt into the batter for extra moisture, while the chopped pieces add juicy bursts of texture in every bite.
The result is a soft, tender slice that holds together beautifully—almost like the apple cake. And to finish it off, a crackly cinnamon-sugar topping adds the perfect sweet crunch, making it as beautiful as it is delicious!
If you love cozy fall baking as much as I do, you’ll definitely want to try some of my other favorite fall baking recipes!
-maria doss
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Ingredients you'll need to make apple bread
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Apples – You’ll need two fresh apples for this quick bread recipe. I recommend Gala, Honeycrisp, or Golden Delicious varieties — they’re naturally sweet with a touch of tartness and hold their shape well when baked, giving the apple loaf great flavor and texture without turning mushy.
- Eggs – Use room temperature eggs if possible, as they incorporate more smoothly into the batter, helping the loaf bake evenly and rise properly.
- Butter – Melted butter adds richness, moisture, and depth of flavor. It also helps create a tender crumb while complementing the warm cinnamon notes in the bread.
- Leavening – A mix of baking powder and baking soda ensures a light, well-risen apple loaf. Baking soda reacts with the acidity from the apples, while baking powder gives an extra lift for a tall, fluffy crumb.
- Flavorings – Ground cinnamon brings that classic warm spice associated with fall baking, while a splash of vanilla enhances the sweetness and adds a subtle, cake-like aroma.
- Sugar – I use a mix of brown and white sugar for balance. Brown sugar adds moisture and a rich, caramel-like flavor that pairs beautifully with cinnamon, while white sugar gives the loaf structure and sweetness.
- Flour – Regular all-purpose flour works perfectly here. It provides the right amount of structure without making the bread too dense.
Tips for Success
- Choose the right apples: Opt for firm apples with a sweet-tart flavor, like Golden delicious, Honeycrisp, Fuji or Granny smith. These varieties hold their shape well when cooked.
- No need to peel the apples - It adds texture, flavor and nutrition.
- Remove any large pieces of skin after grating.
Apple Bread FAQ'S
I usually skip peeling! The apple skin adds a bit of texture and color—and saves time. Just be sure to remove any large bits of the skin after grating to keep the texture smooth.
The best apples for quick bread are firm, slightly sweet varieties like Honeycrisp, Gala, or Fuji. They grate easily, hold their texture when baked, and release just enough juice to keep the loaf moist—without making the batter too wet.
I don’t recommend using Red Delicious, as their soft, mealy texture tends to break down too much in the oven. And if you're using tart Granny Smith apples, consider adding a little extra brown sugar to balance the flavor.
More apple isn’t always better! Apples add both flavor and moisture, so you need to find the right balance—especially when deciding between chopped and grated apples.
Too much chopped apple can make the loaf fragile and difficult to slice neatly, while too much grated apple can leave it overly moist or gummy. That’s why I found the sweet spot is using a combination of both. The grated apple blends into the batter, adding moisture and tenderness, while the chopped apple gives you juicy bursts of apple in every bite.
For me, 2 apples in one standard loaf is just the right amount—plenty of fresh apple without compromising the texture.
More Quick Breads To Try
Apple Cinnamon Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
- 2 apples (one medium size for chopping and one large for grating)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sugar, white
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (not packed)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter melted but not hot
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon sugar
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a standard loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients. Add all ingredients listed under "dry ingredients" into a small bowl and whisk until combined.
- Prep apples. Cut the medium apple into ¼-inch cubes and measure out 1 cup. Grate the large apple using the coarse side of a box grater and measure 1½ cups of grated apple.There’s no need to peel the apples first. Just pick out any larger pieces of skin after grating.
- Mix wet ingredients. Add the eggs and both sugars to a large bowl and whisk for about 90 seconds. Add the melted butter and vanilla, then whisk for another 30 seconds until smooth.👉 If you’re using tart apples like Granny Smith, make sure to pack the brown sugar when measuring.
- Finish batter. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the dry ingredients just until combined—the batter will be quite thick at this point. Fold in the grated and chopped apples; their natural moisture will loosen the batter.Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar generously over the top.👉 To make cinnamon sugar, stir together white sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Bake. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes clean. Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
How to make apple cinnamon bread?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
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🧑🍳To make cinnamon sugar, stir together 1 tablespoon white sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
🍎 Looking for more cozy apple recipes this fall? Try my apple cinnamon muffins, apple hand pies, or quick and easy apple mug cake!
How to store?
Like the persimmon bread, allow the apple quick bread to cool completely before storing it. This prevents condensation from forming inside the storage container, which can make the bread soggy.
- Room temperature - Apple cinnamon loaf can be stored for up to 2-3 days, in a sealed container to preserve freshness.
- Freezer - For extended storage, wrap the bread in plastic wrap and then in an airtight freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature. It makes a great make ahead Mother's day brunch recipe.
More fall bread recipes
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is incredibly soft and tender, loaded with gooey chocolate chips that stay perfectly distributed throughout.
- Heavenly Persimmon Bread with Coconut Oil smells and tastes divine! It is soft and moist, healthier made using Greek yogurt and grated Fuyu persimmons.
- Eggless Banana Bread recipe is soft, moist, and perfectly tender—made without eggs or butter! Prepped in under 10 minutes, it’s an easy banana loaf without eggs!
MADE THIS RECIPE AND LOVED IT? 💚 Please leave a ⭐️STAR rating and COMMENT below- I love to hear your feedback! Tag me with your creations on Instagram and find me on Facebook.
Hi, I’m Maria! I share easy, flavor-packed dinners, high-protein meals, and irresistible baking ideas. If you’ve ever asked, “Don’t know what to cook tonight?” you’re in the right place. And yes—there’s plenty here for breakfast, snacks, and dessert too. More about maria ->
richard schmidt
may I add 1/2 cup chocolate chips ???
Maria Doss
Absolutely! Although I’m not entirely convinced about the apple and chocolate chip combination - Maria