Healthy Oatmeal Apple Bread

Healthy Oatmeal Apple Bread made with all wholesome ingredients! Made flourless with rolled oats, dairy-free and refined sugar-free. Lower in sweetener and fat for a healthier treat!

Once the weather begins cooling off and fall approaches, I find myself in a deep craving for apple treats.

While I’m all about my Healthy Apple Crisp or Paleo Apple Pie Bars, I also enjoy apple treats that are less sweet or decadent.

Enter: This apple bread recipe!

Contrary to many bread recipes, this healthier apple bread contains less added sweetener for a slice of apple heaven that won’t leave you in a sugar coma. 

Rather than using regular flour, we blend up oats in the blender to create a whole grain oat flour. This is used as the base of the recipe for a healthy oatmeal bread that we delicately stud with fresh apples.

Oats are a great source of complex carbohydrates and cause less of an increase in blood sugar than white flour.

All in all, this simple apple bread recipe is flourless, refined sugar-free, dairy-free and lower in fat and sugar than most quick bread recipes. Plus, there is no need for a stand mixer or any fancy equipment. 

Don’t let the fact that this easy apple bread recipe is nutritious fool you! We ate the whole loaf in less than 24 hours because we found it so enjoyable. 

If you prefer baking muffins over bread, make my Healthy Apple Oatmeal Muffins recipe, which is nearly identical to this one, but in muffin form instead of bread form. 

Also, if you’re looking for a sweeter, more decadent apple bread recipe, make my Gluten-Free Apple Bread, which calls for gluten-free all-purpose flour, butter, and regular sugar.

Let’s dive deeper into the healthy ingredients for this amazing gluten-free apple cinnamon bread.

Ingredients for Healthy Apple Oatmeal Bread:

Rolled Oats: In place of all-purpose flour, we blend up some rolled oats to create oat flour for this healthy apple bread recipe.

You can use old-fashioned oats, quick oats or instant oats. I use gluten-free sprouted oats for a gluten-free apple bread. 

Make the recipe grain-free by replacing the oats with 2 cups of almond flour or cassava flour. You can also use 1 2/3 cups of gluten-free all-purpose flour.

Unsweetened Applesauce: Applesauce plays a big role in this bread! First and foremost, it replaces some of the sweetener and oil, as it adds natural sweetness and moisture to this easy bread recipe.

It also brings bigger apple flavor so that this bread is infused with cozy fall flavors. a great placement for homemade applesauce, this applesauce oatmeal bread is one of my favorite ways of enjoying apple season. 

You can replace the applesauce with two large ripe bananas if you don’t have applesauce on hand but you do have bananas.

Simply mash up the bananas in a large bowl and continue with the recipe as normal. I love making this adjustment because the bananas also bring added sweetness and moisture to the bread.

Fresh Apples: We peel and chop one large apple and mix it into the bread batter to create little bursts of apple flavor and texture.

You can use any kind of apples you like here! I use Granny Smith or Fuji apples, but pink lady apples, gala apples and golden delicious are also great.

Tart apples like granny smith apples will result in more apple flavor.

Eggs: Large eggs help generate that fluffy texture and brings rise to the bread. I haven’t tested the recipe with an egg-replacer such as flax eggs or a powdered egg replacer yet.

In my experience, egg-free oatmeal baked goods tend to turn out very dense and have an almost raw or undercooked consistency in the center.

If you’re okay with this, you can try using ground flax seed to make two flax eggs, or chia seeds to make chia eggs, etc. 

Avocado Oil: Adding richness and moisture, avocado brings some much needed fat content to the bread to optimize the flavor and texture.

I intentionally use a small amount so that the bread is lower in fat, but you can add another 1-2 tablespoons for added richness and moisture to make moist apple bread.

You can replace the avocado oil with melted coconut oil, butter, or even olive oil if you’d like. Even canola oil works.

Pure Maple Syrup: To boost the sweetness of the bread without making it taste too sugary, I use pure maple syrup. Similar to the oil content, you can increase the amount of pure maple syrup if you prefer a sweeter treat.

You can also add 1 to 4 tablespoons of brown sugar, coconut sugar, or regular white sugar in addition to the pure maple syrup if you love a sweeter treat.

Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla brings warm flavor to this gluten-free apple bread recipe. If you don’t have any on hand, you can skip it.

Baking Powder: Used as the leavening agent, baking powder helps the bread rise and gives it some airiness. 

Ground Cinnamon and Sea Salt: Cinnamon is paramount in creating that apple cinnamon flavor we all love so much in apple baked goods. Sea salt enhances the flavors and makes the bread taste sweeter without the need for excess sugar. 

If you have pumpkin spice on hand, you can replace the cinnamon with pumpkin spice for an apple spice bread effect. 

Optional Additions:

Mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl to create a cinnamon sugar mixture to sprinkle on top of the batter for a perfect way to celebrate a cinnamon-sugar obsession. F

Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, let’s bake a loaf of apple bread!

How to Make Healthy Oatmeal Apple Bread:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper on hand, you can lightly oil with loaf pan with cooking spray.

Peel and core the apple and chop it into small chunks. If you’d prefer, you can use a box grater to make shredded apples rather than apple chunks.

Transfer the oats to a high powered blender and blend for 30 seconds or until a flour forms. Add the baking powder, sea salt, and ground cinnamon to the blender and blend for a few seconds until all of the dry ingredients are combined (Note: you can also stir the remaining dry ingredients into the flour). Set aside until ready to use.

Transfer the applesauce, eggs, avocado oil, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract and cider vinegar to a large mixing bowl and mix well until the wet ingredients are combined.

Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir well until a thick batter forms. Stir in the chopped apples until they are well-distributed throughout the batter.

Pour the apple bread batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. If you’d like to sprinkle more oats on top of the batter for looks, feel free to do so.

Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil and bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the bread tests clean and the top is slightly golden brown.

Quick breads are fully baked once they reach an internal temperature of 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You can insert a digital thermometer into the center of the bread to verify the internal temperature for doneness for the best results.

Allow the bread to cool to room temperature before slicing into individual slices and serving.

I love eating the bread warm with some butter on top and a drizzle of honey.

This delicious apple oatmeal bread recipe is even more flavorful the next day.

Store leftover bread in an airtight container or zip lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the bread in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

You can store the loaf pan covered in plastic wrap on the counter for up to 2 days if you live in an area that isn’t very humid. 

And that’s it! A healthy apple bread recipe that is tasty enough to call a treat but wholesome enough to enjoy daily.

We keep healthy oatmeal bread recipes like this on constant rotation so that we can warm up a slice any time the sweet tooth calls.

This sweet treat features a great texture with delicious cinnamony apple chunks and requires minimal effort.

If you enjoy a healthy quick bread recipe like this, also try some of these reader favorites!

More Healthy Quick Bread Recipes:

• Healthy Morning Glory Quick Bread  
• Double Chocolate Oatmeal Zucchini Bread  
• Almond Flour Banana Bread
• Healthy Oatmeal Strawberry Banana Bread  
• Almond Flour Lemon Poppy Seed Bread  
• Oatmeal Blueberry Banana Bread  

Bake a loaf of this apple cinnamon oatmeal bread for a great breakfast, snack, or even dessert!

Healthy Oatmeal Apple Bread

Moist and fluffy flourless Oatmeal Apple Bread made with whole-grain oats instead of flour! This delicious apple oatmeal bread recipe is dairy-free and refined sugar-free but you can add some sugar for a sweeter treat if you'd like!

Pin Print Rate SaveSaved!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

10 Slices (1 loaf)

Equipment

• ▢
  1 Loaf Pan
• ▢
  Parchment Paper

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups rolled oats, *
• ▢ 2 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp sea salt
• ▢ 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce, **
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 4 Tbsp avocado oil
• ▢ 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup, ***
• ▢ 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract, optional
• ▢ 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped (about 1.5 cups)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper on hand, you can lightly oil with loaf pan with cooking spray.
• Peel and core the apple and chop it into small chunks. If you’d prefer, you can use a box grater to make shredded apples rather than apple chunks.
• Transfer the oats to a high powered blender and blend for 30 seconds or until a flour forms. Add the baking powder, sea salt, and ground cinnamon to the blender and blend for a few seconds until all of the dry ingredients are combined (Note: you can also stir the remaining dry ingredients into the flour). Set aside until ready to use.
• Transfer the applesauce, eggs, avocado oil, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl and mix well until the wet ingredients are combined.
• Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir well until a thick batter forms. Stir in the chopped apples until they are well-distributed throughout the batter.
• Pour the apple bread batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. If you’d like to sprinkle more oats on top of the batter for looks, feel free to do so.
• Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil and bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the bread tests clean and the top is slightly golden brown. Quick breads are fully baked once they reach an internal temperature of 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You can insert a digital thermometer into the center of the bread to verify the internal temperature for doneness for the best results.
• Allow the bread to cool to room temperature before slicing into individual slices and serving.

Notes

*You can also use 2 cups of almond flour or 1 ⅔ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour.

**You can replace the applesauce with 2 large ripe mashed bananas if you’d like for a sweeter bread

***The recipe as written does not turn out very sweet. This is out of personal preference and to serve those who love a baked good without a whole lot of sugar. If you prefer your baked goods sweeter, I recommend adding 1 to 5 tablespoons of brown sugar, according to your personal preference.

I love eating the bread warm with some butter on top and a drizzle of honey, and this delicious apple oatmeal bread recipe is even more flavorful the next day.

Store leftover bread in an airtight container or zip lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the bread in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. You can store the loaf pan covered in plastic wrap on the counter for up to 2 days if you live in an area that isn’t very humid.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Slice (of 10) – Calories: 173kcal – Carbohydrates: 22g – Protein: 4g – Fat: 8g – Saturated Fat: 1g – Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g – Monounsaturated Fat: 4g – Cholesterol: 27mg – Sodium: 288mg – Fiber: 1g – Sugar: 7g

Course: Breads, Quick Breads

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple oatmeal bread, gluten free recipes, healthy apple bread, healthy breakfast, healthy quick breads, healthy snack, oatmeal apple bread

Servings: 10 Slices (1 loaf)

Calories: 173kcal

Author: Julia

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