This vegan apple bread is sweetened without refined sugar and full of delicious apple flavor, with chunks of apples and diced nuts. Thanks to the addition of applesauce, it’s extra moist and tender, creating a sweet bread that is a must-make autumn recipe.
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Although the apple, cinnamon, and maple flavors in this delicious bread make it the perfect choice for fall, you can make it any time of year. I find myself making it throughout the year because different varieties of apples come into season at various times of the year. I choose whichever apple is freshest from the tree!
I also love to make this recipe because it uses applesauce. Applesauce adds moisture to baked goods, making them more tender and giving them a wonderful crumb. It’s great for sweet recipes like coffee cake, banana bread, and, of course, this apple bread.
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Why You’ll Love This Vegan Apple Bread
- Simple Ingredients: This bread only uses apples, nuts, and basic kitchen staples.
- Easy to Make: It only takes a little mixing and baking to make this delicious bread.
- Perfect for Everyone: This recipe is already dairy-free, and with one tweak, it can also be gluten-free.
- A Classic Fall Treat: This is the perfect fall quick bread, with the flavors of apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chopped nuts.
Ingredients
- Spices: Ground cinnamon and nutmeg pair perfectly with apples for a fantastic fall flavor.
- Coconut Sugar and Maple Syrup: These ingredients give the bread its sweetness without using refined sugar.
- Neutral Oil: A neutral oil, such as avocado or coconut oil, adds the fat necessary to make this bread tender and moist without adding unwanted flavor.
- Unsweetened Applesauce: Applesauce adds more apple flavor and moisture to the bread.
- Dairy-Free Milk: Dairy-free milk adds moisture to the bread.
- Finely Chopped Apples: Finely chopped apples add more apple flavor and texture to the bread.
- Chopped Nuts: Your choice of chopped walnuts or pecans adds an earthy flavor and a nice crunch to every bite!
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Substitutions
- Use 1:1 gluten-free baking flour to make a gluten-free version of this bread.
- Although chopped pecans or walnuts are the classic pairing, you can get creative and try any of your favorite nuts.
- Feel free to substitute the ground cinnamon and nutmeg for pumpkin pie spice.
- Any apple variety will work for this recipe. Choose your favorite, or use a mix of apples. I prefer to use a sturdy apple such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith.
How to Make Vegan Apple Bread
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease or line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk the dry batter ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together in another bowl.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix! Then, fold in the chopped apples and nuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake the bread for 50 to 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
FAQ
Most bakes tend to use Granny Smith for baking. Their tart flavor balances the sweetness in the other ingredients, and their firm texture means they get soft without becoming mushy.
Strictly speaking, you can make baked goods with any apples, although some are more suitable for baking than others. Overall, the best apples for baking are Granny Smith, Braeburn, Cortland, Honey Gold, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, Haralson, and Newtown Pippin.
While most people prefer their apples peeled for baking, it’s not required. Baked peeled apples have a softer texture, while baked apples with the peel on have a chewier, heartier texture.
When you mix any kind of baked good, it’s important to mix the wet and dry ingredients until just combined. This reduces the formation of gluten, a protein found in flour that contracts as it bakes and makes baked goods dense and tough.
Just combined is a term that means mixing wet and dry ingredients until the wet ingredients are moistened. This generally means that the batter will be lumpy. That’s okay! It all smooths out as it bakes.
Expert Tips
- Loosely spoon your flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife for the perfect measurement. Scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour compacts it and causes you to use too much.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients until just combined to limit the formation of gluten in the batter.
- Fold your apples and nuts into the batter. Don’t mix it. This also limits the formation of gluten.
- If you feel your bread is getting too dark on top, cover it with foil to slow down the browning process.
- Leave an overhang of parchment paper on each end of the loaf pan when you line it. You can use this overhang as a handle to easily lift the bread out of the pan.
- Use a sharp, serrated knife to cut your bread, and use as little downward pressure as possible. This keeps the bread from squishing as you cut it and makes clean cuts.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this bread as a sweet start to the morning or an afternoon snack with a glass of non-dairy milk or a cup of coffee or tea.
You can make it part of a sweet and savory breakfast by pairing it with dishes like cornmeal porridge, vegan breakfast burritos, or quiche.
The apple, cinnamon, and nut flavors in this bread also make it an excellent dessert after a meal of crispy baked polenta, vegan mushroom carbonara, or vegan corned beef.
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Storage
Room Temperature: Store this vegan apple bread in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in foil for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Wrap the bread in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil and store for up to 3 months.
Defrost: Defrost on the counter before serving.
More Vegan Apple Recipes!
Recipe
Vegan Apple Bread
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup avocado oil or other neutral oil
- ¼ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup apples peeled, cored, and finely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped nuts pecans or almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease or line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, maple syrup, oil, vanilla extract, applesauce, and non-dairy milk.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chopped apples and nuts (if using).
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the apple bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Video
Notes
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- If you feel your bread is getting too dark on top, cover it with foil to slow down the browning process.
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- Leave an overhang of parchment paper on each end of the loaf pan when you line it. You can use this overhang as a handle to easily lift the bread out of the pan.
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- Use a sharp, serrated knife to cut your bread, and use as little downward pressure as possible. This keeps the bread from squishing as you cut it and makes clean cuts.
- Store this vegan apple bread in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in foil for up to 4 days.
- Double wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 2-3 months.
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