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Gluten-Free Apple Bread

Sweet, moist Gluten-Free Apple Bread with delightful chunks of fresh apples, warm spices and an amazing cinnamon swirl. This satisfying comforting treat is ideal for breakfast or snack when you’re craving apple cinnamon flavors! Refined sugar-free, moist, fluffy, and an absolute explosion of fall!

Loaf of apple bread on a cutting board, sliced into individual slices

If the whole season of fall could be summarized in the form of a single quick bread recipe, it would be this moist loaf.

This gluten-free apple cinnamon bread is that warm surprise that makes you take a deep breath and sigh, “Life is good.”

I first shared this recipe back in 2014 and it has been one of my favorite fall treats ever since!

While I typically make my treats lower in sugar and dairy-free, this particular apple bread recipe pulls out all the stops. It’s rich in that iconic buttery bliss and is so nice and sweet that one slice will actually be enough!

In my humble opinion, it is truly the best apple bread recipe (and has been loved by thousands of readers over the years).

This yummy apple bread includes a secret ingredient – Greek yogurt! – which helps leaven the bread and also gives it a moist buttery tang. 

Close up of sliced loaf of apple bread, where you can see the chunks of apple and the cinnamon swirl.

Trust me, you will just want to hide pieces of it in the pockets of your enormous fall scarf and pull them out whenever you feel the need for something remarkable.

It is just the absolute perfect recipe for apple bread. I bet it will become a staple in your household not just during apple harvest season, but regardless of the time of year!

If you’re looking for a lower sugar apple bread, you can make my Healthy Apple Oatmeal Muffins and bake the batter into a loaf. 

The best part is this easy apple bread recipe requires ingredients you likely already have on hand and is just such a blast to make!

Slice of apple bread on a plate with melted butter on top and a fork taking a bite.

Let’s chat about those basic ingredients for this cinnamon apple bread.

Ingredients for Apple Bread:

Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: To make this apple cinnamon quick bread gluten-free, we use a gluten-free flour blend. 

I make this apple cinnamon bread with Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, which makes for a fluffy loaf that you’d never in a million years guess was gluten free. I’ve been raving about this blend because just as the package says, it works perfectly as a 1:1 replacement for regular all-purpose flour.

If you have a favorite brand of gluten-free flour, feel free to use it here! King Arthur and Pamela’s will work great!

If you don’t follow a gluten-free diet, use regular all-purpose flour.

Coconut Sugar: To keep the bread refined sugar-free, I sweeten it using coconut sugar, which is lower on the glycemic index than cane sugar.

If you prefer baking with cane sugar, you can replace the coconut sugar with brown sugar or white sugar – either work! 

If you’d like to keep it added sugar-free (the apple has natural sugar), use your favorite sugar-free sweetener!

Butter: Unsalted butter is the fat portion of this recipe and it makes for such luscious flavor and texture!

Greek Yogurt: Non-fat plain yogurt is added for two main reasons. It brings moisture and creamy tangy flavor to the bread and it helps to leaven it, similar to buttermilk or sourdough. This all star secret ingredient plays a huge role in the deliciousness of the bread.

Eggs: A couple large eggs help fluff up the bread to give it that delicious airy rise. You want the eggs to be at room temperature (same as the butter) so that the wet ingredients mix together easily.

Baking Powder: The leavening agent here, baking powder helps ensure the bread bakes evenly and stays held together nicely once it is sliced.

Cinnamon: A generous amount of cinnamon complements the fresh apple chunks and also gives a hearty fall vibe. For the best result, use a good quality Ceylon cinnamon.

Apples: One large Granny Smith apple goes into this bread to bring all that delicious tart flavor. I find granny smith apples are the best apples for apple recipes because they boast such huge apple flavor.

You can use any kind of apples if you have a favorite, such as honeycrisp apples or pink lady apples. 

Loaf of apple cinnamon bread on a cutting board, cut into slices with fresh apples in the background.

Optional Additions:

Add ⅔ cup of finely chopped pecans or walnuts to the bread if you love a nutty flavor and texture.

Enjoy the combination of chocolate and apples? Add up to 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Now that we’ve covered the simple ingredients list, let’s make a loaf of this Life is Good Bread, shall we?

How to Make Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Bread:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly oil a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan  with nonstick cooking spray (or line a loaf pan with parchment paper).

In a small bowl, add the ingredients for the apple cinnamon mixture. Stir well, and set aside.

Mixing bowl with apples and cinnamon for the apple cinnamon layer of the bread

In a stand mixer or a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract (wet ingredients) with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Note: if you don’t own a stand mixer, you can use a large bowl and a hand mixer.

Mixing bowl with paddle attachment with butter and sugar inside.

Add the eggs one at a time and continue mixing on medium speed until well combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Stand mixer with butter and sugar mixed together and eggs being mixed in.

In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt (dry ingredients).

large bowl with dry ingredients for apple bread.

Pour the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet mixture and mix just until combined (avoid over mixing).

Mixer with wet ingredients mixed together and dry ingredients just poured in.
Mixer with apple bread dough inside.

Add the Greek yogurt and mix until smooth and well combined. If need be, use a rubber spatula to gently fold the bread dough together.

Mixer with apple bread dough and yogurt being mixed in.

Spread half of the bread dough in the prepared loaf pan.

Loaf pan with half of the bread dough spread in it and the apple cinnamon mixture to the side.

Spread about 2/3 of the apple cinnamon mixture over the dough evenly.

Apple cinnamon chunks on top of the bread dough.

Spread the remaining bread dough on top, followed by the remaining apple cinnamon mixture.

Apple bread dough with apple cinnamon on top, ready to go into the oven.

Bake the loaf for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it tests clean. The bread will be very dark because of the cinnamon. I assure you, it isn’t burned. This is just due to the darkness of the cinnamon.

Freshly baked apple cinnamon bread, fresh out of the oven.

Remove the apple bread from the oven and let the bread cool for at least 20 minutes before transferring it to a cutting board. Cut thick pieces of this healthy gluten-free apple bread and serve it warm with butter and honey.

Loaf of apple cinnamon bread on a cutting board, cut into slices with fresh apples in the background.

Store any leftover apple bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. If you’d like, you can cover the bread pan in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for the first two days. You can also freeze it in a zip lock bag for up to 3 months. 

White plate with a slice of apple bread on top, ready to be eaten.

And that’s it!

This delicious cinnamon swirl apple bread is the perfect breakfast or snack for apple season and beyond. We also enjoy it as dessert!

If you’re really wanting to get genius, you could add pecans or chopped walnuts to the bread batter. You can even drizzle the whole thing with a powdered sugar glaze or homemade caramel or serve it with apple butter. Just throw your sails to the wind. Grab life by the Moist Breads.

Close up image of apple bread slices on a cutting board.

If you love sweet quick breads, also check out these gems!

More Healthy Gluten-Free Bread Recipes:

May all your loaves be moist!

Loaf of apple bread on a cutting board, sliced into individual slices

Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Bread

Deliciously moist and fluffy apple cinnamon bread made gluten-free and sweetened with coconut sugar
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
1 loaf of bread

Ingredients

Apple Cinnamon Mixture:

For the Gluten Free Bread:

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9" x 5" loaf pan with parchment paper or spray it with cooking oil.
  • Add the ingredients for the apple cinnamon mixture to a small mixing bowl. Stir well, and set aside.
    Mixing bowl with apples and cinnamon for the apple cinnamon layer of the bread
  • In a stand mixer or a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract (wet mixture).
    Mixing bowl with paddle attachment with butter and sugar inside.
  • Add the eggs one at a time and continue mixing until well combined.
    Stand mixer with butter and sugar mixed together and eggs being mixed in.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt (the dry ingredients).
    large bowl with dry ingredients for apple bread.
  • Pour the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet mixture and mix just until combined.
    Mixer with wet ingredients mixed together and dry ingredients just poured in.
  • Add the Greek yogurt and mix until a smooth and well combined. The mixture will be very thick and doughy – this is normal.
    Mixer with apple bread dough and yogurt being mixed in.
  • Spread half of the bread dough in the prepared loaf pan.
    Loaf pan with half of the bread dough spread in it and the apple cinnamon mixture to the side.
  • Add 2/3 of the apple cinnamon mixture and press it into the dough with a spoon.
    Apple cinnamon chunks on top of the bread dough.
  • Spread the remaining bread dough on top, followed by the remaining apple cinnamon mixture.
    Apple bread dough with apple cinnamon on top, ready to go into the oven.
  • Place on the center wrack in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the bread to sit in the oven an additional 5 minutes or until it tests clean.
    Freshly baked apple cinnamon bread, fresh out of the oven.
  • Remove bread from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
  • Serve warm with butter!

Notes

*You can use brown sugar instead of coconut sugar
**You can use white cane sugar instead of coconut sugar

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 12Calories: 238kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 3gFat: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 20g
Course: Breads
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple bread, apple cinnamon bread, apple recipe, coconut sugar, gluten free, quick bread, sweet bread
Servings: 1 loaf of bread
Calories: 238kcal
Author: Julia

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.

This post was originally published on November 7, 2014 and was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.

collage for gluten-free apple bread
Recipe Rating




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Adrianne

Saturday 9th of December 2023

Curious- I make a cinnamon apple twist bread (king arthur baking company recipe) and was curious if your cinnamon apple swirl bread can be used the same way? Is the gf dough "workable" like the dough for cinnamon rolls? Or more like a batter? Thanks!!

Julia

Wednesday 13th of December 2023

Hi Adrianne! The recipe turns out like a batter and isn't workable like cinnamon rolls. So I don't think you'd be able to turn it into twist bread, unfortunately. I'm wondering if adding more flour would do the trick? Might be worth a shot :)

Leora

Sunday 1st of October 2023

This is easy and delicious! It is very moist and tender. And I agree with others who said that you can’t tell that it’s gluten free. It’s a winner!

Julia

Monday 2nd of October 2023

I'm so happy to hear you enjoy it, Leora! Thanks so much for swinging back around to share your experience! xo

Jennifer

Wednesday 14th of December 2022

Hi! Is there a way to make this dairy free? With olive oil?

Julia

Wednesday 14th of December 2022

Hi Jennifer! I haven't tried using anything other than butter in the recipe, so I'm not sure how it would turn out. I would say softened (not melted) coconut oil would be the closest second since you want the fat to be solid when you mix it in the mixer. I imagine vegan butter would also work. As an alternative, you could try my Apple Cake, which is already dairy-free and also grain-free: https://www.theroastedroot.net/healthy-paleo-apple-cake-dairy-free/ Let me know if you have any other questions!

Kaye

Saturday 3rd of December 2022

Absolutely delicious!!!! In my oven however 50 mins would incinerate it. So I give it 10mins @ 200 Celsius and 23 mins @ 160 Celsius and it comes out just perfect.😊

Vickie

Sunday 20th of November 2022

What would happen if I used oat flour or almond flour? Also I use monk fruit, which is a 1:1 with sugar and no blood sugar spikes. Thanks! BTW, I loved your chocolate banana bread!

Julia

Monday 21st of November 2022

Hi Vickie! I'm so thrilled you hear you enjoy my chocolate banana bread! That one is one of my favorites as well. I believe oat flour would work as a 1:1 replacement for this bread, but you may end up needing to add slightly more. Almond flour will likely work as well, but I think you may end up needing 1/2 to 1 cup more, as it isn't quite as absorbent as a gluten-free flour blend. That said, I think the oat flour version may turn out pretty dense, but will still have good flavor. I think an almond flour version may turn out better, but I'm not positive. As a side note, I shared an apple muffins recipe that calls for almond flour a few years ago and it has been a pretty well-loved recipe: https://www.theroastedroot.net/healthy-apple-muffins-paleo-no-added-sweetener/ You may want to give that a shot! Let me know what you end up trying! xo

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