Cinnamon Applesauce Bread

By: Rachel TiemeyerPosted: 8/24/23Updated: 10/5/23

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Prepare to “fall” in love with this healthy, whole wheat Cinnamon Applesauce Bread recipe. Using mostly pantry staples, you can prepare this mouth-watering quick bread in no time.

Applesauce bread that's been sliced on a cutting board.

Table of Contents

Why I Love This Recipe

Flavor Pairing: The cinnamon and apple combo gets me every time. Whether it’s Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal, Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats, or Cinnamon Apple French Toast, I find it hard to resist this classic fall pairing in recipes.

Healthy & Delicious: Although this sweet bread is made with 100% whole wheat, it is still light, moist, and flavorful. I serve it to my kids as an after school snack or for breakfast in the fall and it goes fast! Check out our list with more Healthy Snacks, too.
Easy Ingredients: The good news is that you might have all the recognizable ingredients in your kitchen right now for this low-guilt sweet treat.

Ingredient Notes

You’ll find all the ingredients in the full recipe at the bottom of this article, but here are a few notes about my preferred ingredients.

Ingredients for applesauce bread laid out on a table.

Whole wheat flour – I highly recommend using white whole wheat flour, like King Arthur or Prairie Gold. It makes the bread turn out much lighter than the usual whole wheat flour (made with red wheat). If you can’t find this variety, then you may want to use half whole wheat and half all purpose flour instead.
Unsweetened applesauce – Adds apple flavor, a little natural sweetness, and moisture. Make sure to check the label to see that it doesn’t have added sugar. If you end up using sweetened applesauce or our Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce, then pull back some on the sugar (and perhaps the cinnamon too) in the recipe.
Sugar – You can use white sugar (it isn’t a huge amount), but if you want something slightly healthier, try Coconut Palm Sugar. It’s less refined, retains many of the nutrients found in coconut palm, and has inulin fiber in it.

How to Make Applesauce Bread

Prep for Baking

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan (I like and use this metal pan) with cooking spray.

Make the Batter

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar.
Stir until combined. Do not over mix. Add mix to the greased loaf pan.

Dry ingredients for applesauce bread in a glass bowl with a whisk.

Wet ingredients for applesauce bread in a glass bowl with a whisk.

Batter for applesauce bread in a loaf pan.

Bake and Serve

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle, about 40-45 minutes in a metal loaf pan (add another 10 minutes or so for a glass pan).

Serve the bread slices warm with a little butter on top. You can always just add a little sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar over it as well, for more fall-flavored sweetness.

Applesauce bread sliced on a cutting board.

What to Serve with Applesauce Bread

While this recipe can stand alone and leave you feeling full, here are some recipes that would complement it well.

ham and cheese egg cups on a white serving platter with sliced green onions on top

Storage and Freezing Instructions

Once the loaf is fully cooled, wrap it tightly or place a lid on top of the loaf pan. Store on the counter for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Or, you can freeze it for later using these instructions…

To Freeze:

Option 1: Fully bake, fully cool, and remove the loaf from the pan. Then wrap the loaf in several layers of plastic wrap and then in a layer of foil. Label it with the recipe name and date and freeze.

Option 2: Alternately, you can wrap individual slices in a piece of plastic wrap or foil and place them in a freezer bag. This is an easy way to grab one slice from the freezer at a time.

To Thaw Frozen Bread: When you’re ready to enjoy your frozen bread, let it thaw on the counter, in the fridge, or using the defrost setting on your microwave. Warm a slice in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds in the microwave.

Other FAQs

What variations of applesauce bread can I try?

Some variations to applesauce bread could be using different types of applesauce (chunky, smooth, spiced), adding in nuts like chopped pecans or walnuts, or making it into muffins instead of a loaf. To make muffins instead, bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Can I make gluten-free applesauce bread?

Yes. Replace the whole wheat flour with 1:1 gluten-free baking flour for a gluten-free version.

How should applesauce bread be stored?

After the bread was cooled, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or foil. It can be stored on the counter for 1-2 days, in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, and in the freezer for 3 months (if packaged well).

Three slices of applesauce bread stacked on a cutting board.

More Sweet Bread Recipes

We mentioned we love making delicious apple recipes like our Crockpot Baked Apples and Apple Cranberry Sauce above. But, if you like this healthy, moist quick bread, then we’d love for you to try some of our other top sweet breads:

Rachel Tiemeyer

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Rachel dreams about creating recipes (literally) and uses her husband, her 3 kids, and even the neighbors as guinea pigs several nights a week. She believes that good food has the power to bring families and friends closer together and continues to wake up excited about her job each day, even after 10+ years!