Our apple bread recipe is crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. Our healthy apple bread uses applesauce instead of oil, gluten-free flour, and is flavored with almond extract along with apple pie spice.
Never compromising flavor, our version is lower in calories yet higher in fiber! The fresh apples, a kid favorite, are added for a boost of sweetness. Enjoy for breakfast, as a snack, or warmed for an evening treat.
Created with kids in mind, this is a recipe that they can make all on their own. They follow step-by-step instructions learning how to make homemade bread along the way.
For other kid cooking recipes, check out Kids Protein Shake, Mini Corn Dogs, Easy Pretzel Bites and Mango Slushie.
Gather the equipment and ingredients needed for the recipe. Check out the ingredient swaps throughout to save you a trip to the store! A kid-friendly recipe card is at the end with simplified instructions for kid chefs.
Equipment
- bread pan
- large mixing bowl
- medium-sized mixing bowl
- whisk
- stir spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
- nonstick cooking spray
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 medium apple, peeled and diced
How To Make
Start by preheating the oven to 425°F. Then, spray the bread pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine the wet ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, applesauce, eggs, and almond extract.
Try making a batch of No Sugar Applesauce to use in this recipe then enjoy the leftovers as a snack until it’s gone. You can also use any store-bought variety of applesauce to save time.
Ingredient Swap: 1 teaspoon almond extract can be replaced with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Whisk the dry ingredients together
Set the bowl of wet ingredients aside as you whisk together the flour, baking soda, apple pie spice, and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
Ingredient Swap: 1 teaspoon cinnamon can be used instead of apple pie spice.
Combine wet and dry ingredients
Once both the wet and dry ingredients have been mixed separately, pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. Stir until almost blended.
Add the diced apples and stir into the batter until just blended. Carefully pour the batter into the bread pan and top with a few diced apples.
Mix It Up: Add dried apricots, cherries, cranberries, raisins or nuts (pecans, walnuts) as the diced apples are added and stir until blended.
Bake
Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes then turn down to 350°F and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
Apple Muffins
Turn this apple bread into muffins by pouring the batter into a muffin tin. Then, bake at 425° for 8 minutes, turning down to 350°F and baking for an additional 7 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
You will want to select a baking apple such as a Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn or Pink Lady. These apple varieties hold their texture during baking without turning to mush.
Overmixing can result in bread that is tough and chewy. If your kids are tackling this recipe, provide a number for the amount you want them to stir. Telling kids to stir the batter 5 times before adding the diced apples then 3 times once the apples are added is a kid-friendly way to prevent overmixing.
Warmed with a dab of butter. As the butter melts on top of the warm bread, you are sure to enjoy every last crumb. Nut butter or whipped cream cheese are other great options to spread on top. Turn this apple spice bread into a dessert by adding Almond Buttercream Frosting or Whipped Cream on the top.
The bread can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or placed in the freezer for up to 3 months. The entire loaf can be frozen or sliced into individual slices for grab-n-go portions. To prevent the slices from sticking, freeze in individual bags or place parchment paper between each slice. To reheat, microwave for 15 second intervals until warm.
More Healthy Quick Bread Recipes
- Banana Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
- Banana Bread Recipe For Kids
- Spinach Muffins with Banana and Blueberries
- Healthy Muffins For Kids
- Cranberry Orange Almond Quick Bread
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Apple Bread Recipe
Equipment
- bread pan
- large mixing bowl
- nonstick cooking spray
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract ✅
- 2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda ✅
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice ✅may substitute cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 medium apple, peeled and diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray the bread pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, applesauce, eggs, and almond extract.1 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Whisk the dry ingredients together. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, apple pie spice, and salt.2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon apple pie spice, 1 teaspoon salt
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients stirring until almost blended. Add the diced apples and stir until just blended. Pour into the bread pan.1 medium apple, peeled and diced
- ⭐️Bake. Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes then turn down to 350°F and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
Notes
For Muffins
Bake at 425° for 8 minutes. Turn down to 350°F and bake for an additional 7 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.Recipe Variations
- Use 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in place of apple pie spice
- Swap 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for the almond extract
- Mix dried apricots, cherries, cranberries, raisins, or nuts into the batter with the diced apples
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Nutrition
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Cherri says
I found your recipe today and tried to tweak to make as healthy as possible. I am not familiar with gluten free all purpose flour so subbed 1c whole wheat flour and 1 c oat flour which is what I had on hand. Instead of 2 eggs because of cholesterol I used 1/3 c egg whites with 1/4 c olive oil. Instead of 1 c applesauce used 4 oz unsweetened applesauce and 4 oz plain fat free Greek yogurt. Used 2 tsp vanilla in place of 1 tsp walnut as I put 1/2 c chopped walnuts in it. Used 1/2 c sugar and 1/4 c honey which made it have a sweetness but not overpowering to taste the chopped apples. Cinnamon and cloves to taste and enough water to make it quick bread consistency (because of oat flour). It turned out FABULOUS, moist and delicious!!! Thank you so much for this recipe!!! : )