Apple Bread
A quick and easy Apple Bread recipe that’s loaded with shredded apples! Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, this moist apple bread is perfect for fall!
Looking for more apple recipes? Try my old fashioned apple crisp!
Grandma’s Homemade Apple Bread
Around here, we call this Grandma Barb’s Apple Bread. Because my mom has been making this apple bread for as long as our daughters can remember.
This apple bread recipe is an especially wonderful treat during the fall, when the trees of local apple orchards are hanging heavy with crisp, sweet fruit. And the bread’s even better when made with apples from your very own backyard trees (right?!).
Mom has always liked to bake with apples, and this is one recipe I can count on her making every single fall. I even placed an order for a loaf when I knew she was due for a visit!
FEATURED COMMENT:
“Beautiful color and the whole house smelled liked apple pie baking. It’s absolutely DELISH, this recipe totally surpasses others! It’s moist and has such good flavor!”
-Susan
Why Are the Apples Shredded for this Bread?
At the very core of this apple quick bread is a mess of shredded apples. I recommend using an apple variety that is firm and has some tartness, such as Granny Smith, Haralson, or the sweeter Honeycrisp. Shredding the apples infuses each bite of bread with rich apple flavor. It also avoids any potential issues with diced apples, which can sometimes sink to the bottom of your bread.
If you’re wondering exactly how to shred apples, all you need is a box grater. Simply peel the apples and grate them using the largest holes on the grater. It’s super easy and doesn’t take much time at all.
A few more awesome apple recipes for you: my favorite apple crisp is an easy and super delicious treat, Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats is a great way to get your day started, and how about a cocktail? This Apple Sangria with Bourbon and Thyme is perfect for sitting around an autumn fire or entertaining for Thanksgiving!
How to Make Apple Bread
I love how easily this quick bread recipe comes together. Here’s how to make it. You can find ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
- Prep your tools: Preheat your oven and grease two 8×4 loaf pans.
- Shred the apples: I use the large holes on a box grater for this. Just peel the apples and then shred them, discarding the cores.
- Add sugar: In a large bowl, mix the shredded apples with sugar and let them sit for a bit. This will infuse each piece of apple with extra sweetness. Don’t worry about the liquid that will accumulate, that’s supposed to happen!
- Add remaining wet ingredients: In the same bowl as your apples, add the oil, eggs, vanilla, nuts and raisins. Stir well.
- Mix dry ingredients: In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix well. There’s a good amount of cinnamon in the batter, which plays so fabulously with the apples and raisins.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients: Slowly add the dry ingredients to your wet ingredients, mixing just until you don’t see any dry bits of batter anymore.
- Bake: Pour the batter into your prepared pans and bake until the bread is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool & Eat: Let your apple bread rest in the pan for about ten minutes. Then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling. Once the bread has cooled, slice it up and dig in!
This recipe works perfectly with two 8″ x 4″ loaf pans. Here’s my favorite pans – they’re heavy duty and always release breads perfectly. I like their slightly smaller size, just a touch smaller than a more common 1-pound loaf pan.
Tips for the Best Apple Bread
- As I’ve mentioned before, shred your apples. This is actually less work than dicing, the method that many apple bread recipes call for. Plus, this method distributes the apples all throughout the bread.
- Don’t skip any steps. It will probably be tempting to skip the step where the apples and sugar sit for a bit. It does add prep time, but trust me, it’s worth it!
- Don’t over mix your batter. Just mix it enough so that all the dry ingredients are worked in and you don’t see any bits of flour.
The house smells so cozy while this bread is baking. It’s like a big apple-cinnamon hug.
This apple bread is a loaf of fall, packed with shredded apples. I think it’s truly the best apple bread recipe, with a variety of flavor and texture in every single bite.
Can I Leave Out the Nuts and Raisins?
There are very few recipes where I can get away with “sneaking in” raisins, as our daughters are not the biggest fans. And this apple bread is one of those exceptions.
However, if you or anyone in your family is opposed to either nuts or raisins, just leave them out. The bread will turn out just fine. :)
Can I Freeze Apple Bread?
The bread freezes extremely well. So I like to stash one loaf away for later. This makes for an easy baked treat with only the minimal effort of taking it out to thaw.
To freeze your apple bread, let it come to room temperature. Then wrap it in a couple layers of plastic saran wrap and place it in a freezer safe ziploc bag. This bread will keep for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to eat it, defrost the apple bread in the fridge overnight.
Like this apple recipe? Save it to Pinterest!
Apple Bread
Ingredients
- 4 large Granny Smith Haralson, or Honeycrisp apples (or your favorite firm, tart apple variety), peeled
- 2 c. sugar
- ½ c. vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 c. chopped roasted pecans or walnuts optional
- 1 c. raisins Craisins, or chopped dates
- 3 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 T. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 T. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 8" x 4" loaf pans. Set aside.
- Using the large holes on a box grater, shred the apples (discard the cores). You should have 4 cups of grated apple.
- In a large bowl, fold together shredded apples and sugar, and let sit for 15 minutes until sugar dissolves. There will be alot of liquid.
- Add oil, eggs, vanilla extract, pecans, and raisins, and stir to incorporate.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir dry ingredients into the apple mixture, just until mixed. Pour into prepared loaf pans.
- Bake 55 minutes, or until golden and center tests done with a toothpick. Remove pans from oven to cooling rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Then turn breads out of pan onto rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
This post was originally published in 2010. I updated some of the photographs and text in September 2019.
Autumn on the farm is such a special time. To see the fruits of farm labor harvested is one of my favorite things. And I love to share the experience with our daughters, to show them how I grew up. The following photos were taken in 2010, when I had originally shared this apple bread recipe.
I didn’t have the apples listed on the recipe so I used some small sweet red apples. They were very juicy and I guessed how much liquid should be in it. The bread was delicious and my family wanted me to make it again. So I did and used Granny Smith which has a lot less moisture than what mine had. This was a dud! All the work and measuring, etc. and no flavor!
I have made this bread 4 different ways this week after a nice Granny Smith and Pink Lady harvest, and it is my absolute new favorite! I have 6 loaves in the freezer so far for breakfasts this winter!!Â
I ended up getting so many comments on this apple bread! I used an assortment of apples from apple picking this fall and grated them all up (I might try putting them in a food processor next time). I skipped the nuts and raisins since we weren’t keen on them. Both loaves gave out moist and delicious with a great apple spice taste. I shared gem with extended family and everyone loved it! Definitely saving this recipe for future use.
I made this today . Â Wonderful bread, so moist and tasty. Â I got three 8 x4 loaves and delivered two to the neighbors.
I didn’t read all of the reviews, but I seem to be the only one who didn’t love this. Believe me I like things sweet, but this was too sweet.Also, I love cinnamon, but that was a lot! The grated apples were lost in a loaf of dry bread. I like to bite into juicy little chunks of apple but they were non existent. I feel like it needed more oil. I spread some butter on to add some moisture. I left the raisins and nuts out only b/c I didn’t have any on hand.
Made this recipe yesterday and it is absolutely delicious. Will keep it as the apple bread to make. Shredding and letting the apple/sugar combo sit makes all the difference! Thank you for your recipe.
This was easy and excellent. I substituted King Arthur Gluten Free flour, but otherwise made it as written.
OMG the best most moist apple bread recipe!!!!!! I used toasted sliced almonds, dates, and a dash of almond extract. It wasn’t even out of the oven 10/minutes when I had to try a slice. Perfect! Thank you! Now I have to follow for your other amazing recipes!
I made 1/2 the recipe and added Carmel instead of nuts and raisin it made such a moist and Carmel apple taste. Thank you for the recipeÂ
Hi,Â
I followed as per your instructions,  the  measurements & ingredients.Â
The taste was perfect but the bottom was burned & broken down.
What seems to be the problem ?
Thank you for sharing your recipe, I’ve made this apple bread twice and it comes out perfect every time, everyone loves it. I make one with nuts and one without for people who can’t or don’t want. You can make this the next day with a french bread batter and top with some saute apples in brown sugar and nuts and cream.
I subbed in maple syrup in place of the sugar, it came out so moist and flavorful. Thank you!
Can I use almond or coconut flour?
This recipe was very easy to follow.  I’ve never shredded apples before it just gave the bread a perfect texture and so moist.  I will definitely make it again the only change I might make us add more walnuts.  YumÂ
Two thumbs up recipe! My house was smelling like fall. For those who are interested in egg substitutes, I successfully used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free egg replacer in place of eggs. Other than that followed it to the T!
This recipe is the bomb! Made it, shared the final product and all my friends want the recipe Thank you for sharing with us!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! This was a big apple year, so it was great to use tree apples (paradise) in this moist, satisfying bread! Â We gobbled it up with coffee and as snacks. Â
Can applesauce be used instead of eggs to make this vegan?
Love this recipe! Â Thank you, Brenda! I did not peel the apples and used a food processor to shred, and also used apple butter (that I just made) in lieu of the oil. Fantastic! Â
Great recipe AS IS! Bread has great flavor! I did not alter the ingredients, but halved their quantities as I wanted to experiment with some mini loaf pans I was gifted. This will surely become a staple in our household. The grated apples provide great moisture and texture.
I do think next time I will experiment with replacing some of the white sugar with brown to get a more carmel-y flavor.