This almond flour Gluten Free Apple Cider Donut Bread recipe takes inspiration from classic apple cider donuts and transforms its outfit into a basic quick bread! There’s no deep frying or donut mold needed to make this easy cinnamon sugar donut bread!
If you’re a fan of donuts, I have just the bread for you. Hear me out. 😉
This all-new Apple Cider Donut Bread brings the classic flavor and texture of fresh apple cider donuts with a fraction of the work!
The best part is you don’t need to own a donut mold or perform any deep frying to enjoy a hearty slice of donut heaven! No fancy equipment or special instructions required.
This naturally gluten free apple cider bread has that soft and airy texture of traditional apple cider donuts with the amazing cinnamon and sugar topping for a truly magical experience. It is the perfect breakfast for enjoying with friends and family during the holiday season or for any special occasion!
I love that this simple recipe is made with all wholesome ingredients and less added sugar for a perfectly sweet treat that won’t send you into a food coma, yet it satisfies the sweet tooth flawlessly.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for cider bread.
Ingredients for Gluten Free Apple Cider Donut Bread:
Apple Cider: Store-bought or homemade apple cider is reduced down to add concentrated apple cider flavor to the recipe. Apple cider is simply unfiltered apple juice, pressed straight from fresh apples.
Almond Flour and Tapioca Flour: The combination of almond flour and tapioca flour creates a soft texture with a moist crumb, much like regular all-purpose flour. This gluten-free alternative is perfect for those with food allergies, and you’d never guess it isn’t made with regular flour!
Eggs: A couple of eggs help the batter rise to a fluffy texture, which makes this amazing donut bread taste so delicious!
Pure Maple Syrup: The sweetener here! I keep the bread just mildly sweet because that is how I prefer my treats. For a sweeter bread, add 1 to 4 tablespoons of brown sugar.
Avocado Oil: Responsible for the moist crumb, we need to add a little fat for that delectable moist texture. Melted unsalted butter or coconut oil work too.
Pumpkin Pie Spice or Apple Pie Spice: The combination of apple cider and warm spices from pumpkin spice blend is what gives our donut bread all that mouth-watering fall flavor.
If you don’t have pumpkin spice or apple spice on hand, use your own blend of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground cloves.
Pure Vanilla Extract: To tickle your taste buds with warm flavor.
Baking Powder: The leavening agent here, which helps the bread rise to fluffy perfection.
Sea Salt: Salt is a big flavor enhancer, bringing out the warmly-spiced essence and apple flavors. It also makes the bread taste sweeter without the need for excess sugar.
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture:
Regular White Sugar: Use regular cane sugar or substitute for your favorite sugar-free sweetener such as allulose or monk fruit sweetener.
Ground Cinnamon: Gives us that cinnamon sugar donut vibe!
Now that we’ve covered the simple ingredients, let’s bake a loaf of donut bread!
Flour Substitutions:
- Almond Flour – Substitute almond flour for 2 cups of gluten-free all-purpose flour or regular all-purpose flour. You can also try using 2 cups of cassava flour.
- Tapioca Flour – Use 1 cup of arrowroot flour, gluten-free all-purpose flour, or regular all-purpose flour instead of tapioca flour.
Note: Any substitution you make to the flours will result in a change in texture. The recipe as written closely resembles classic apple cider donuts. If, for instance, you use all-purpose flour instead of almond flour, the bread will turn out less airy and fluffier, like cake.
How to Make Apple Cider Donut Bread:
Heat the apple cider in a small saucepan over medium high heat and bring it to a full but controlled boil. Allow it to bubble and steam until it reduces to ⅓ of its original volume (about ⅓ cup worth).
Pour reduced apple cider into a measuring cup and allow it to sit in the refrigerator until chilled.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the reduced cooled cider, eggs, pure maple syrup, and oil.
Stir together the dry ingredients (almond flour, tapioca flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and sea salt) in a separate bowl.
Transfer the dry ingredients to the large mixing bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until a thick batter forms.
Spread the batter into an even layer in the prepared loaf pan.
In a small bowl, combine the cane sugar and cinnamon.
Sprinkle all of the cinnamon sugar coating mixture on top of the batter.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until the bread is baked through. Insert a digital thermometer into the center of the bread to check its internal temperature. It is ready if it is 190 degrees F or higher in the middle of the bread.
Allow the cinnamon cider bread to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.
I recommend enjoying a thick slice warmed up with melted butter and potentially a drizzle of pure maple syrup or honey.
Storage Tips:
- Room Temperature: Cover the bread pan with plastic wrap and store on the counter for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Transfer leftover bread to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: For longer term storage, cut the remaining loaf into slices, wrap the slices together in plastic wrap, and freeze in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Tips For The Perfect Quick Bread Recipe:
- Reduce the apple cider before doing anything else in order to give it plenty of time to cool before adding it to the recipe.
- Don’t try replacing the eggs with any kind of egg replacer. They are needed for the proper texture, as grain-free recipes are difficult to get right without eggs.
- The apple flavor is pretty subtle here, so feel free to add chopped apple chunks to the bread for a more intense apple flavor.
The next time you have a hankering for donuts, whip up some freshly baked apple cider donut bread! Enjoy it throughout the fall season when apple cider flows like rain!
If you love homemade quick bread recipes, also try out some of my other recent favorites.
More Quick Bread Recipes:
- Double Chocolate Sweet Potato Bread
- Yogurt Zucchini Bread
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Cottage Cheese Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bread
- Carrot Apple Oat Bread
- Almond Flour Apple Bread
The bread version of your favorite doughnuts, coming right up!
Apple Cider Donut Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider reduced to ⅓ cup
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup avocado oil*
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups finely ground almond flour **
- 1 cup tapioca flour ***
- 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1.5 Tbsp granulated cane sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat the apple cider in a small saucepan over medium high heat and bring it to a full but controlled boil. Allow it to bubble and steam until it reduces to ⅓ of its original volume (about ⅓ cup worth). Pour reduced apple cider into a measuring cup and allow it to sit in the refrigerator until chilled.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the reduced cooled cider, eggs, pure maple syrup, and oil.
- Stir together the dry ingredients (almond flour, tapioca flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and sea salt) in a separate bowl.
- Transfer the dry ingredients to the large mixing bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until a thick batter forms.
- Spread the batter into an even layer in the prepared loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, combine the cane sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle all of the cinnamon sugar coating mixture on top of the batter.
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until the bread is baked through. Insert a digital thermometer into the center of the bread to check its internal temperature. It is ready if it is 190 degrees F or higher in the middle of the bread.
- Allow the cinnamon cider bread to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving.
- I recommend enjoying a thick slice warmed up with melted butter and potentially a drizzle of pure maple syrup or honey.
This may be a dumb question, but are you referring to Apple Cider Vinegar, or the juice? JW since juice has so much sugar in it.
If juice, is there something that will work with less sugar, I’m thinking more diabetic friendly?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Cheri! As you suspected, I’m referring to actual apple cider, which is unfiltered apple juice. You could run the macros for the bread replacing the pure maple syrup and the granulated sweetener with your favorite sugar-free sweetener (like monk fruit sweetener or allulose) and see if the carb count works out for you. I wouldn’t skip the apple cider, because it is what gives the bread the apple cider donut essence, which is why we’re here 🙂
Another alternative is to prepare my Keto Cinnamon Swirl Bread: https://www.theroastedroot.net/keto-cinnamon-swirl-bread/ It misses the apple cider essence, but achieves that warm flavor we’re going for. Additionally, my Keto Cowboy Cookies are one of my most popular sugar-free recipes: https://www.theroastedroot.net/keto-cowboy-cookies/
I hope all of this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!
I am making this now – it’s baking and the house smells amazing!
Just wanted to alert you that you include vanilla in the ingredients but not in the instructions. (I used it but thought you might want to correct that!)
Thank you so much for catching that, Angelique! I added the vanilla extract to the instructions 🙂 I hope you enjoyed the bread!
We are fans of apple cider donuts from Apple Hill, in the California foothills. I had to make this recipe and we both enjoyed it. The flavor was spot on, but less sweet. I appreciate having a healthier version of a long time favorite.
I’m happy you guys enjoyed it! I found it to be such a lovely little treat. Of course, I’m always a big fan of warming it up with butter 😉
Is there a good substitute for the almond flour? Can I substitute the chicken eggs with duck eggs? I have food sensitivity to both almonds and chicken eggs. Thanks Julie!
Hi Caroline! These are great questions! You could try 2 cups of gluten-free all-purpose flour or cassava flour. The texture won’t be quite as airy, but I imagine the bread will still taste great!
In terms of substituting duck eggs for chicken eggs – You’ll need 1/2 cup worth of egg (chicken eggs are about 1/4 cup each). You can whisk one duck egg in a bowl, then pour it into a measuring cup. If need be, whisk up another duck egg to make up for any difference in the measurement.
Let me know if you have any other questions, and happy baking!