Apple Cinnamon Bread – Deliciously moist and dense cinnamon-spiced quick bread that is packed full of flavour, and LOADED with juicy apple chunks!
There’s nothing like the smell of freshly baked apple cinnamon bread wafting through the kitchen!
This moist and flavourful loaf is a cosy hug in every bite, bursting with tender apple chunks and the warm spices of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
Perfect for breakfast, a midday snack, or dessert, this recipe will have everyone begging for more.
Get ready to fall in love with the ultimate comfort bake this autumn!
Looking for more apple recipes? Check out my Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies, Apple and Rhubarb Crumble, and my Apple Crumble Bars.
Why you’ll love it
Ingredients you’ll need
- Plain/all-purpose flour: Forms the base of the bread, providing structure and a soft, sturdy crumb.
- Baking powder: The leavening agent that helps the bread rise, giving it a light and fluffy texture.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavour of the spices and apples.
- Ground cinnamon: Brings warm, cosy spice that pairs perfectly with the apples—a signature flavour in any apple bread.
- Ground ginger: Adds a gentle warmth and slight zing that deepens the spice profile without overpowering.
- Ground nutmeg: Offers a subtle earthy sweetness that complements the cinnamon and apple flavours.
- Large eggs: Help bind the ingredients together and add structure and moisture to the loaf.
- Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness and a rich, caramel-like flavour that pairs beautifully with the warm spices and apples.
- Greek-style yogurt: Keeps the bread moist and tender while adding a slight tang and boosting the overall richness.
- Vegetable oil: Provides extra moisture and softness to the bread without weighing it down.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the sweetness and spice with a subtle, warm aroma.
- Apples: The star ingredient—adds natural sweetness, moisture, and bursts of fresh apple flavour throughout the loaf.
Find the measurements and full recipe below!
How to make
Apple Cinnamon Bread
Mix dry ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients: In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until thick and lighter in colour. Add the yogurt, oil, and vanilla, and whisk until combined.
Mix the two together: Add the dry ingredients in thirds and fold in until just combined – do not overmix. Fold in the apple chunks.
Pour into pan: Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan and spread out evenly.
Bake for about 60 – 65 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
The printable recipe card with the full list of ingredients, their measurements, and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.
NOTE: For best results, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup measurements. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough, and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
Substitutions & variations
- Plain/all-purpose flour → whole wheat flour: Swap up to half the flour with whole wheat flour for a heartier loaf. Full whole wheat will be denser but still tasty.
- Greek-style yogurt → sour cream or plain yogurt: Both work well as a substitute, adding moisture and a bit of tang.
- Vegetable oil → melted butter or coconut oil: Melted butter gives a richer flavour; coconut oil adds a slight coconut aroma—great with the warm spices.
- Light brown sugar → granulated sugar or coconut sugar: Granulated sugar will give a slightly lighter flavour; coconut sugar adds a subtle caramel note and is less processed.
- Add nuts: Fold in 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans for added crunch and a nutty contrast to the soft apple pieces.
- Apple chunks + grated apple combo: Use a mix of chopped and grated apple for a loaf that’s both studded with apple bits and extra moist throughout.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Best apples for quick bread
I love my sweet AND tart apples for baking with, so here is a small list of apples I highly recommend for this bread recipe.
- Granny Smith: This tart apple keeps baked goods from being overly sweet.
- Braeburn: A slightly sweeter apple I love using in bread and muffin recipes.
- Golden Delicious: Another sweet and juicy favourite of mine.
- Gala: A deliciously crisp and sweet apple.
You can use any apple you like that you just enjoy eating on its own. It’s entirely up to you! Also, if desired, you can even leave the skin on (like I did for this recipe) instead of peeling them.
Leftovers & storage
This bread stays fresh covered tightly at room temperature for 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week. It also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Recipe FAQs
Firm, slightly tart apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn work best. They hold their shape during baking and balance the sweetness.
You can, especially if you like added texture. However, peeling the apples gives a softer, more uniform texture in the final loaf.
Overmixing or using too much flour can make the bread dense. Be sure to weigh out your flour using a digital scale and mix just until combined.
Applesauce can be used to replace some of the oil or yogurt for extra moisture, but it won’t give the same texture as fresh apple chunks.
Yes! Spoon the batter into a lined muffin pan and bake at the same temperature for about 15 – 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Originally Published: November, 2016 | Updated: February, 2025
Apple Cinnamon Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) plain/all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150g) light brown sugar
- 1 cup (240g) Greek-style yogurt
- ½ cup (120m)l vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into small chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until thick and lighter in colour.
- Add the yogurt, oil, and vanilla, and whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients in thirds and fold in until just combined – do not overmix. Fold in the apple chunks.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread out evenly.
- Bake for about 60 – 65 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you double this recipe?
Of course! 🙂
What does it mean if the cake comes out rubbery (opposite of fluffly). I tried making it with one eggs. Perhaps that was the reason.
Yummy!!!! Followed the recipe exactly and it yielded a nice, large, delicious loaf of bread that smelled heavenly! Will be making again! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Marsha, Thank you for this lovely Apple Cinnamon recipe. I can hardly wait to eat it it looks so wonderful.
I followed your recipe as written and it cooked in the hour.
I will be sharing it tomorrow with a group of friends. Wait till they see it!!
Dawn
Made this loaf twice and tastes great. My only issue is that it is so big. Both times took quite a bit longer to cook and the batter rose and hung over the sides. The second time, the side broke off and fell into the oven because it overflowed so much. May have to try 2 small loaves or a 10 or 11 inch pan.
Hi Cara, it does fill a 9×5-inch loaf pan almost to the top, and bakes up nicely without overflowing. But if you are having problems with the batter, I would certainly recommend using two smaller loaf pans. I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I love the idea of an apple loaf, looking forward to trying it. I was wondering if I could cut down on the sugar though? Or would it change the texture?
Hi Reem! I wouldn’t go under 3/4 cup of sugar, but that may be plenty sweet for some anyway. 🙂 Enjoy!
Don’t know what I did wrong, but mine took 20 extra minutes to bake till done in the middle. I may divide it between 2 pans next time.
Hi Jan, you can definitely use two pans next time – this is quite a big loaf. I always recommend covering the pan with foil halfway through baking to avoid excess browning on top.
Can I freeze this??!
This bread freezes well for up to 3 months 🙂 Enjoy!
What varieties of apples would you suggest for flavor and baking?
I usually just grab whatever apples are available in my local shop, but I do have a few favourites – (Gala, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, and Bramley). Enjoy! 🙂
Have you ever weighed the amount of cubed apples you add? There is often a big difference in the size of the apples. Since I am going to be weighing the other ingredients, it won’t be much trouble to also measure the apples.
I have not. I just use my favourite apples or whatever apples are available to me at that time. Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you end up using more or less apple chunks. I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
I made this last night and it was delicious!!
This was so good. My family are Celiac’s, so made it with gluten free flour and vanilla soya yoghurt. It was delicious!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Do you pack the brown sugar when measuring?
I weigh out my ingredients, but yes, pack if using measuring cups.
Making this bread for the 2nd time (last week and this week). It is seriously that good! I will have family over for Thanksgiving, I think this will be on our breakfast menu. I have added 2 different types of apples for more appley-goodness!!! Had to mention that this recipe is super quick to prep and requires only 2 bowls and no hand mixers or stand mixers- which is a huge plus in my book.
THANK YOU
Thank you for the lovely comment, Shawna! I’m so glad you enjoy it! 🙂
I’m going to second Shawna here! It’s a very easy, mess-free recipe and it turned out beautiful and delicious! The whole house smelled incredibly. At first I thought it was a lot for my 30cm loaf tin (as I finished pouring the battle there was nearly no room left to grow) but it didn’t spill and grew nicely. Congratulations Marsha on this amazing recipe!
Thank you for the lovely comment, Bruna! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hi Marsha – I’m going to try this as it looks delicious, but could you tell me if I absolutely have to use greek style yogurt, or can I use greek yogurt? There’s more fat and calories in greek style – so I’m just wondering if substituting will cause problems with the recipe?
Hi Catherine! You can use 0% fat Greek yogurt if you want 🙂 Enjoy!
Thanks Marsha – I’ve just made it using the greek style as per your recipe. It’s utterly delicious – and tastes of Christmas! I’ll be making it again for the freezer so will use 0% Greek yogurt then. I also used brown sugar with stevia for this one, so it cuts the sugar calories by half. Husband and I both love it…perhaps a little bit too much!
PS – I’m in the UK, so our tin sizes are different. For the benefit of anyone else from UK wishing to make it – the batter makes two loaves; use one 2lb and one 1lb tin.
Hi Catherine – I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for trying my recipe 😀
I’m looking forward to trying this this weekend. Bit apprehensive over the amount of oil but I like to trust the recipe in the first making- I’m sure it’ll be gorgeous 😀
I hope you enjoy! 🙂