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!

My mom’s homemade Apple Bread recipe is a favorite around here. 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 moist and perfectly spiced, with tons of fresh apple flavor in every single bite!
Why We ❤️ this Apple Bread Recipe
My mom has been making this apple bread for as long as our daughters can remember – they affectionately call it “Grandma Barb’s Apple Bread”. 🥰 Here’s why my family requests it:
- BEST apple flavor. Really. I’ve never tasted an apple bread with this much apple flavor in every bite. And that’s because this recipe calls for shredded apples. The moist, flavorful apple shreds get distributed evenly throughout the batter, making this hands-down the BEST apple bread recipe!
- Quick & easy. I can have two pans of apple bread in the oven in just 20 minutes!
- Awesome flavor & texture. I adore warmly spiced fall baked treats, and this apple cinnamon bread is top of list. It’s fabulously moist and packed with flavor!
“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. Find ingredients and exact measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prep: 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.
- Add sugar: Mix the shredded apples with sugar and let them sit for a bit. This will infuse each piece of apple with extra sweetness.
- Add remaining wet ingredients: Then stir in the oil, eggs, vanilla, nuts, and raisins (if using).
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until you don’t see any dry bits of batter.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake until the bread is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool & enjoy: Let the 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!
Tips for the Best Apple Bread
- Shred the 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.
- Let shredded apple and sugar mingle. It might be tempting to skip the step where the apples and sugar sit for a bit. It does add prep time, but trust me, this makes the apple bread really moist and extra delicious!
- Use 8×4 pans. I highly recommend using two light-colored 8″ x 4″ loaf pans for this recipe, as they’re the perfect size. They are just a touch smaller than a 1-pound loaf pan.
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 wrap and place it in a freezer-safe baggie. It will keep really well for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat it, defrost the apple bread in the fridge overnight.
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, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, etc.)
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped roasted pecans or walnuts, optional (I love the ones from Trader Joe's!)
- 1 cup raisins, Craisins, or 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 8" x 4" bread pans and set aside.
- 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, 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 mixed. Divide evenly amongst 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.
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?
I left out the nuts and raisins and added some frozen cherries , chopped. Had only a 9*13 and a 5*9. I doubled the recipe and adjusted baking time for each.