Applesauce Bread
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This homemade applesauce bread is an easy, delicious recipe featuring pantry items. It’s the perfect treat for an after-school snack.
I always like to have homemade baked goods on hand for an afternoon snack. They typically feature some sort of produce, as in my Instant Pot banana bread, gluten-free zucchini bread, and cranberry orange muffins.
Sometimes, though, my produce drawers are empty and I need to turn to my pantry instead. Since I usually have applesauce on hand, this homemade applesauce bread is something I can easily make on a moment’s notice.
My family loves the texture and flavor of applesauce bread. It’s so tender, and even though it’s full of fall flavor, it’s a great bread to make any time of year.
Applesauce Bread Tips
This bread bakes well in a standard loaf pan. Start checking the bread after 50 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the loaf. If it comes out clean, the bread is done.
You can also make this recipe into muffins if you’re in a hurry. They take about 20 minutes to bake at 350 degrees.
For a variation on this applesauce bread recipe, you can substitute a half cup of pumpkin puree for a half cup of applesauce. This will give the bread more of an orange color, and the flavors of apple and pumpkin are great for fall.
If you have extra applesauce after making this recipe, here are some other applesauce recipes that you can make to use up the rest of the jar. You could also make a small batch of homemade applesauce to use in this recipe.
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/4 cups applesauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a standard loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.
- In a large bowl, mix together the egg, coconut oil, maple syrup, and applesauce. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Keep an eye on it starting at 50 minutes, because it’ll be dry if you let it bake for too long.
- Cool on a wire rack in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan and cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for later.
Approximate Nutrition Info
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Price Breakdown
This recipe costs a total of $4.73 to make, or $.39 per serving. Enjoy this easy applesauce bread the next time you turn to your pantry for a homemade snack.
Note: This post was originally published in 2014, and it was updated in 2019.
I think it needed more sugar, honestly. 1/2 cup of maple syrup didn’t really sweeten it enough. Otherwise it was good. I added walnuts, unsweetened coconut and raisins. The texture was very much cake-like. I also used vegetable oil and it didn’t seem to affect it negatively. I’d just suggest adding some sugar or baking truvia blend. It would make excellent muffins as the texture is not really that of a quick bread. .
This looks wonderful! I have both quinoa flour and oat flour on hand. Can I use either one of those instead of the gluten-free flour mix? Thanks!
Rebecca, I haven’t tried this recipe with either of those flours, so I can’t be sure. Please let me know if you try it.
How much GF flour does the recipe call for? My computer is doing something weird and it just shows 1 with “a square next to it” cups. Sadly, I only added 1 cup, not thinking about it, and it’s goey inside. 🙁
Oh no, Jenny! Sorry to hear that. It’s 1 2/3 cups. What browser are you using?
Thanks for your quick reply AnneMarie! I will definitely be trying it again. It smelled amazing! I salvaged it by slicing and baking the individual pieces. Not ideal, but my 3 year old still thought it was awesome. 🙂 I am using Google Chrome.
Hi Annemarie! I don’t have coconut oil. What would be a good substitute for it?
Janet, you can always sub melted butter for coconut oil. I hope everyone likes it! 🙂
Nice accident! My recipe issues are also usually lack of eggs in the fridge. Sometimes you’re just too into the idea that you forget to check for ingredients! Anyway, this bread looks super simple and easy. I can only imagine how it tastes … would be a great Fall dessert too!
Thanks, Kate! I agree, this would be a great fall treat, too. I’m glad I’m not the only one with empty egg carton issues. 🙂
Yum. I happened to have a happy accident of my own. Squash/banana/coconut soup that is super thick. I’ll add it as my puree and see how it goes!
I’m sure that will work, Anna! And the soup sounds intriguing. I’ve never thought about putting banana in a soup, even though I put it in everything else. . .
I love how this was an accident. So many of my creations are “accidents” too. lol. Pinning and can’t wait to make this. Would you mind if I add this recipe to my meal plan next week?
Thanks, Kristin! I’d love to see this on your meal plan. I can’t wait to hear how everyone likes it. 🙂
Annemarie,
I love happy accidents, too. This looks terrific–and I’d like to see it in a muffin!
Thanks!
Thanks, Kirsten. Yes, this would be fabulous as a muffin too.
Do you think you could use all applesauce if you don’t have the purée on hand? Sounds yummy!
Yes, AJ, I’m sure you could. Let me know if you try it!
I can’t wait to try this. Did you mean 3/8 cup maple syrup?? I can make it work…but that’s kind of an odd measurement… 🙂
I know it’s random! My pumpkin bread recipe makes 2 loaves and it uses 3/4 cup maple syrup, so I just cut it in half. I thought about tweaking it to make it 1/3 cup or 1/2 cup, but I think it tastes perfect at 3/8 cup. You could use 1/3 cup if that’s easier to measure, though. 🙂
Sounds good! At least I know it’s not a typo. Really excited to try this one. 🙂 Thank you!
I was going to make these ‘as-is’ today, but at the last second I changed my mind and decided to make donuts! I’ve been wanting to make donuts again soon…so this worked out well. The donuts were awesome and I loved them! Thanks again for the recipe! I will probably share the donuts on my blog soon…with FULL credit and links pointing towards your blog, of course! 🙂
Great idea, LeAnn! I love how bread recipes can be turned into so many different shapes and sizes. I’m glad you liked them.
Happy accidents are a good thing. I’m sure your base recipe will work with most purees. This version looks quite tasty. Kid approved is a big plus.
Good point, Nicky. I’ll have to experiment with other purees.