This vegan apple bread is incredibly moist and easy to make in just one bowl. It's delightfully sweet with a beautiful cinnamon swirl-ideal for fall, a holiday treat, or whenever you have a few apples on hand.
You might have noticed my love for sweet bread if you’ve been exploring the blog.
Like my banana strawberry bread and orange cranberry bread, this one is refined sugar-free and oil-free.
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Why you’ll love it
- It tastes like apple pie! Minus the butter and oil, this delicious apple cake has all the apple and cinnamon flavours with a healthier final product.
- Low in fat. Unsweetened apple sauce increases the apple flavour and replaces the oil, keeping this vegan apple bread wholesome.
- Easy to make! With just one bowl required, and common, simple ingredients, you can whip this up any day the mood strikes.
- Refined sugar-free. I’m using unrefined coconut sugar, apples and applesauce to deliver a perfectly sweet, but wholesome dessert!
- Allergen friendly. No eggs, no dairy and no nuts. Plus, this is easily made soy-free by swapping the milk.
Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this delicious vegan apple bread recipe.
Which apples should I use?
You may use any apples you’d like for this apple loaf cake, so choose your favourite variety!
For a sweeter flavour, choose sweet apples like Gala, Fuji or Ambrosia.
If you prefer a tart apple, try Granny Smith. Or for a mix of sweet and tart, Honey Crisp or Golden Delicious are great options.
Instructions
(This is a summary with step-by-step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. (photo 1)
Then add the applesauce and non-dairy milk and stir. (photo 2)
NOTE: Do not overmix the batter, just stir until it is combined.
Gently fold in the apples, reserving a small handful for sprinkling on top. (photo 3)
Add half the batter to the loaf pan and sprinkle with the optional sugar + cinnamon. (photo 4)
NOTE: If skipping the sweet cinnamon swirl, pour the entire batter into your loaf pan and sprinkle with some reserved apple pieces before baking.
Add the remaining batter and the reserved apples on top. (photo 5)
Bake your vegan apple bread and let it cool on a wire rack before slicing. (photo 6)
Once cooled, slice your vegan apple cinnamon bread and serve it with a drizzle of maple syrup and a spread of butter, or enjoy it as is.
Substitutions
- If you want to switch up your vegan apple bread with another flavour, try using blueberries, raisins or fresh or dried cranberries.
- For soy-free, swap the soy milk for another plant-based milk such as almond milk, cashew or coconut milk (not the canned type).
- For the apples, choose any variety you enjoy. I use Gala for their sweetness.
- If you don’t have coconut sugar, you may use brown sugar in its place.
- I have not tested this one with gluten-free flour. For a gluten-free sweetbread, try our buckwheat banana bread, oat flour chocolate zucchini bread, or lemon loaf.
What if I don’t have apple sauce?
Apple sauce makes this bread extra moist and of course, adds more apple flavour.
While you may sub for mashed banana, this will change the overall flavour of the cake.
If you don’t have apple sauce, and it’s not a common ingredient where you live, you can easily make some. Try this recipe to make homemade applesauce or use my apple butter recipe.
Storage
Keep the loaf at room temperature for 1-2 days in a sealed container or tightly wrapped to retain its moisture.
Refrigerating your apple bread will help it keep longer, for 4-5 days.
Alternatively, you may freeze your loaf. Freeze it whole or in slices for easy snacks. Make sure the loaf is COMPLETELY cooled before freezing. Use an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Expert Tips
- Weigh your flour for the best results. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level with a flat knife. Never scoop the flour from the bag.
- Prepare and cut your apples AFTER preparing the rest of your ingredients so they don’t brown. Or sprinkle them with lemon juice if you’re working ahead.
- Dice the apples very small. Small pieces are distributed more evenly.
- Like most baked goods, do not over-mix your batter. When adding the wet ingredients to the dry, stir until no floury bits remain and gently fold in the apple pieces.
- This bread is very moist and individual ovens will vary. Bake your vegan apple bread until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly dry. That may take a little less or a little more time, depending on your oven. Start checking around doneness around the 45-minute mark.
More delicious vegan sweet breads
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Buon appetito
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 270 grams whole wheat flour approx 2 ¼ cups (use weight for most accuracy)
- ½ cup unrefined coconut sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1.5 cups diced apples (dice them very small)
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup soy milk
Optional Sweet Cinnamon Swirl
- 2 tablespoons unrefined coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/176℃ and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk. Then add the applesauce and soy milk and stir until no dry bits remain, without overmixing. Then, fold in the diced apples, reserving a small handful for sprinkling on top.
- OPTIONAL: If using the cinnamon swirl, mix the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Then pour half of the apple bread batter into your loaf pan and sprinkle the sweet cinnamon mixture on top in an even layer. (You may reserve a small amount of the mixture to sprinkle on top of the second half of the batter if you'd like.) Then pour the remaining half of the batter on top of the swirl, doing your best to evenly spread it across, without mixing the swirl into the batter. If you've reserved some apple pieces, sprinkle those on top, gently press them down and sprinkle any remaining sugar/cinnamon mixture on top of the apples.
- If skipping the cinnamon swirl, pour the entire batter into your prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the reserved apple pieces on top.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of your loaf comes out mostly clean, or with a few crumbs. Then remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack before transferring the loaf to a cutting board. Continue cooling for another 5-10 minutes if you can wait (it makes slicing easier). Then slice your loaf and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Weigh your flour for the best results. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level with a flat knife. Never scoop the flour from the bag.
- Like most baked goods, do not over-mix your batter. When adding the wet ingredients to the dry, stir until no floury bits remain and gently fold in the apple pieces.
- Dice the apples very small. Small pieces are distributed more evenly.
- Prepare and cut your apples AFTER preparing the rest of your ingredients so they don’t brown. Or sprinkle them with lemon juice if you’re working ahead.
- This bread is very moist and individual ovens will vary. Bake your vegan apple bread until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly dry. That may take a little less or a little more time, depending on your oven. Start checking around doneness around the 45-minute mark.
Ginnis says
I substituted a flour that was about 1 3/4 cup spelt and 3/4 oat flour – it was awesome!!
Rosa says
Thanks for sharing your process with us. So glad you enjoyed!
Kristina says
I want to give this a go! Looks like I won’t be disappointed. But has anyone tried gluten free all purpose flour? Just curious. Thanks for the great recipe!
Rosa says
I haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure, but I believe it would work. Hope you enjoy Kristina.
Sharan says
This was excellent! I used whole wheat pastry flour and organic brown sugar because I was out of coconut sugar. I also sprinkled cinnamon/brown sugar in middle and top. This is a keeper! Thank you!
Rosa says
Wonderful, thrilled you enjoyed, and thanks for the review!
Kathy says
Any baking tips for making these into muffins?
Rosa says
Hi Kathy, follow the same instructions but baking time would be reduced to somewhere around 22-26 minutes. Just do the toothpick test to make sure the center is cooked. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
LouAnn says
Could I use date paste in place of the coconut sugar?
Rosa says
Hi LouAnn, it might work but not 100% sure as it hasn’t been tested that way. I do believe date sugar would be a straight swap.
Betty says
I absolutely love this recipe. I have made it 4-5 times now. I found this recipe in a WFPB Facebook group. It is so delicious, moist and easy to make. Since it’s just me, I slice and freeze this for later and it freezes well. ❤️❤️❤️
Rosa says
Thank you so much for the review Betty! I’m so happy you’re loving it so much. 🙂
Robyn says
Simple recipe. Very yummy. I used maple sugar instead of coconut sugar. Worked well.
Rosa says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed Robyn. 🙂
Natália says
Wonderful recipe, enjoyed making it, instruction were very clear and helpful and the result was loved by the whole family. (A slovak one I might add 😊)
Have a great day and good luck with this blog and everything you’ll feel like you need it with.
Thank you and I’m sending some extra love from a little town far away.
Natalia
Rosa says
Thanks so much Natalia! So happy your family loves the recipe. 🙂 Thanks for the love, stay safe and well. 🙂
Terry K. says
Yummy, yummy recipe. All my customers that i cook for love it too.
Rosa says
Aww thanks so much for sharing Terry. So glad! 🙂
Sophie says
This recipe is a huge winner for me! It’s a go-to now for when I have too many apples. I used brown sugar and reduced to about 1/4 cup, and it was just sweet enough for me. Delicious on its own or with peanut butter on top!
Rosa says
Thanks so much Sophie! So glad you’re enjoying. 🙂