My mom’s homemade apple bread recipe is a favorite around here, loaded with fresh shredded apples that make it incredibly moist and tender. I especially like to bake this in the fall, using just-picked apples from my parents’ trees or ones from a local orchard. The bread is perfectly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla, and has tons of fresh apple flavor in every single bite!
Mom’s Apple Bread IS LIke A Big Apple-Cinnamon Hug!
My mom has been making this apple bread for as long as our family can remember — our daughters affectionately call it “Grandma Barb’s Apple Bread”. When my parents stay with us for a fall weekend, Mom usually brings us a fresh-baked loaf of this bread and a couple jars of chunky homemade applesauce, which is such a treat. Growing up on the farm with apple trees and my mom’s baking, there’s simply nothing better this time of year!
“This apple bread has the BEST apple flavor.” This is the #1 thing I hear from family, friends, and reader comments. And the secret to its fresh apple goodness in every bite? A mess of shredded apples (unlike diced apples, which can sink to the bottom of your bread)! The shreds are packed with the apple’s natural sweet juices and are small and thin, which allows them to be distributed very evenly throughout the bread. This guarantees that each bite of bread is exceptionally moist + infused with maximum apple flavor. Simply use a box grater to shred the apple, a method I use in my apple bundt cake too, which has become a reader favorite.
Mom is a big fan of cinnamon, and that definitely comes through in each slice, as well as just a touch of nutmeg. The house smells so cozy while this bread is baking; it’s like a big apple-cinnamon hug.
It’s also quick and easy to make. I can have two pans of apple bread in the oven in just 20 minutes!
“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
make sure to choose a flavorful apple
This can make or break your bread. If you use a variety with weak apple flavor, your bread simply can’t muster up its best fresh apple flavor. I especially like ones that have at least some tartness, as this adds a little contrast to the bread’s sweetness. Also choose an apple that is firm and doesn’t turn to absolute mush when it’s baked; this lends a beautiful, fine texture to the loaf. My favorite baking apples are Haralson (very crisp and firm, famously tart, yet not as widely available) and Honeycrisp (juicier yet still very firm, with a more balanced sweet-tart flavor, very widely available). Granny Smith apples also work well.
Let the shredded apple and sugar mixture sit and mingle for 15 minutes before proceeding. It might be tempting to rush through this step, but this is key to letting the apples’ natural juices collect and the sugar to break down, ensuring fabulous moistness in the finished bread.
I highly recommend using light-colored 8″ x 4″ loaf pans.
I’ve never been a fan of dark-colored baking pans, as they absorb more heat and give the bread’s exterior a darkened color and flavor. Bonus: 8″ x 4″ pans are my favorite because the finished loaf shape is slightly more compact and rises taller (rather than wider).
Can I Leave Out the Nuts and Raisins?
There are very few recipes where I can get away with “sneaking in” raisins and nuts, as our daughters are not the biggest fans. And this apple bread is one of those exceptions. With all the glorious apple-y flavor and texture, they’ve never asked me to omit these two ingredients.
However, if you or anyone in your family is opposed to either nuts or raisins, just leave them out. Your bread will still be great!
Grandma Barb’s Shredded Apple Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded fresh apple, from approximately 4 large peeled apples (Use apples that are flavorful and firm, and hold their shape when baking, such as Haralson, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, etc.)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped roasted pecans or walnuts, optional (I love the roasted, salted pecans from Trader Joe's!)
- 1 cup raisins, optional (or substitute chopped dates)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two light-colored 4" x 8" loaf pans and set aside. (You could also use 5" x 9" loaf pans, the bread just won't be as tall – start checking the doneness of your bread at 40 minutes.)
- Using the large holes on a box grater, shred peeled apples down to the cores; discard the cores, until you have 4 cups of shredded apple.
- In a large bowl, fold together shredded apples and sugar, and let sit for 15 minutes until sugar dissolves. There will be a lot of liquid.
- Add oil, eggs, vanilla, pecans, and raisins to the apple mixture and stir to incorporate.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Fold dry ingredients into the apple mixture, just until combined. Divide batter evenly amongst prepared loaf pans.
- Bake 55 minutes, or until golden and center tests done, with a toothpick coming out clean. Remove pans from oven to a cooling rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Then turn breads out of pan onto rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Autumn 2010 on the Farm, when I Originally Shared this Recipe
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.
This is a great recipe and two loaves is a plus I cored the apples, but I didn’t peel them….and, I finely chopped them in the food processor. The loaves turned out great!
Thanks for posting
So glad you liked the apple bread – thanks for coming back to let me know, and to share your changes. Enjoy! :)
Enjoyed the day making this apple bread. My nine year granddaughter spent the time helping Make it.
Some changes: we used bread flour as were out of AP flour- added an extra egg yolk ( we got a double Yolker) probably a good thing as bread flour uses more moisture. Then we added yummy frozen raspberries.
This apple bread is outstanding. I used 2 large Bradbury & 3 small Granny Smith. Made four 5×3 loafs. Will have to make the 8×4 because my husband almost ate one in one sitting. Thank you.
Wonderful to hear! Thanks for coming back, Eileen. Enjoy!
I have a Johnathan apple tree that’s over 40 yrs old. This year we’ve a huge bumper crop. So I used these as a double batch. Wonderful results. Next time, I’ll probably add a tad bit of citric acid ( sour salt) for a bit of tartness. But I’m frugal and use what I have on hand. I’ll give my neighbors a small loaf tin as a holiday treat.
Wonderful!!! Thanks for coming back to let me know. :)
This recipe turned out amazing! I used smaller apples and added a couple extra. Also kept out a few tablespoons of sugar to add on the top before I baked for a crispy crunch. My only request would be to have the ingredients in metrics, but I suppose that’s something I can do myself. Don’t wait – make this ASAP!
Hi
I was wondering about other ingredients you can mix with the apple instead of nuts or raisins. Today I’m trying it without raisin but I was wondering if chocolate chip would be ok or other items. Also with using the same recipe what other fruits or ingredients can I substitute the apples?
Thanks for sharing this recipes
Can you omit the nuts and raisins?
I love this recipe. It is my now go to recipe . I am making several loaves as gift for the elderly ladies l take care of . Thank you for sharing .
This is a 5 star bread for sure!!! Made the loaves this morning (sans raisins) and one loaf is already completely gone – even our dog tried to get in on this action (and he hates apples LOL). The grating process is genius, our house smells amazing and we officially have a new family fave. THANK YOU!!!
Your comment makes me laugh – I often wonder this myself, because SO MANY people love this recipe!! I’m so glad you like it. :)
Great recipe. I used half the sugar and didn’t peel the apples to have higher fiber content. When grating, the skin pieces are so tiny, they disappear in the finished bread. Threw in flax seeds & wheat germ and half my flour was white whole wheat. The loaves were delicious.
Thank you for sharing your alteration – so glad you liked this!!
This apple bread is delicious and I can’t seem to make enough. It gets eaten with a couple of days.
I’m so happy to hear you like this recipe, Martine. Thank you! And ENJOY! :)
Came back from an apple orchard with more apples than I could eat. I researched different recipes for what I could make with some of my apples. I luckily stumbled across this recipe and the apple bread was incredible. Definitely going to make another batch soon and will bring to the next family gathering. Thanks a bunch.
Question, Can you use Whole Wheat flour instead of regular All-purpose flour?
What changes in the measurements would need adjusting?
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Hi Linda – I haven’t tried this, but I think it’s definitely worth a try. The batter has a lot of moistness, so I’d just try the recipe as-is – but keep watch on the time, it might be done quicker.
So good!!! It is great for a snack, or for dessert. I made a mistake and reversed the baking soda and powder, adding 1T baking soda, and 1/2 tsp the baking powder! (I shouldn’t talk on the phone and try to follow a recipe at the same time). It still came out very good! The cinnamon is perfect, and shredding the apples is a great idea. I can’t wait to share it with company tomorrow! I will be making this again. Thank you for this recipe.
So happy to hear this, Lynn. I love the shredded apples, too!!
I had a bunch of apples I needed to use and made a few varieties of apple bread – this was far and away the best recipe.
I used Braeburn apples, half white sugar and half coconut palm sugar, chopped walnuts, and golden raisins. The bread is extremely moist and the perfect balance of sweet and nutty.
This will be a go-to. Absolute stunner of a recipe! Thank you!
Wonderful!! Thank you for coming back to let me know. :)
I typically soak the dried fruit in a bit of golden or dark rum , brandy or orange juice.
YUM!!!!
Simple and delicious! Perfect use for apples from the garden. It did end up a bit sweet for my taste, but still great so this recipe is a keeper. Hot tip is so fry the slices in butter on the stove, the golden crust is INCREDIBLE.
Super fun variation!!! So glad you liked this recipe, Jessica. :)
are these freezer friendly
I only made one change. I used pure cane sugar. It was so delicious! My daughter-in-law said it was to die for. I enjoy it for breakfast as well as dessert. So good!!
Do you peel the apples first?