Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Moist, tender crumb.
Taste: Subtly sweet apple with hints of cinnamon & nutmeg.
Ease: 100% easy-to-make with everyday ingredients.
Top Tips: Use a standard loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans — either way it will be gone in a flash!
Recommended GF Flour: Make sure to use a high-quality flour that contains xanthan gum. I like King Arthur Flour and Bob’s Red Mill. I also like adding a little almond flour in to make the perfect texture.
Would I make these again? Definitely! This bread is such a family favorite — it doesn’t last long in my house. Plus it fills the kitchen with delicious fall aromas!
xoxo erin
This post was originally published in October 2017. It was updated with new photos and instructions in August 2024.
This simple gluten-free applesauce bread will fill your home with the most amazing cinnamon-spiced aroma as it bakes. My family particularly likes it for an afternoon snack or in packed lunches.
Looking for more apple inspiration? Check out these tried-and-true recipes: baked apples, gluten-free applesauce cake, and gluten-free apple cider donuts.
Featured Comment
From Madison: “We love this recipe. This bread is so moist with a perfect texture. It’s a fall favorite at our house.“
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this gluten-free applesauce bread. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: For the best texture, use a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that includes xanthan gum. King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-for-Measure Flour works well with this recipe! Bob’s Red Mill is another great choice!
- Almond flour: I like to add a little almond flour to enhance the bread’s texture and create a soft, tender crumb.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon and nutmeg pair so well with the applesauce for the perfect warm, fall flavor!
- Unsweetened applesauce: Using the unsweetened kind adds a mildly fruity flavor to the bread without overwhelming it with too much sweetness.
- Sugar: A mix of granulated and brown sugar helps to achieve the ideal level of sweetness.
- Neutral oil: I like to use oil instead of butter in this recipe. It helps the overall texture and keeps the bread moist without overpowering the mild applesauce flavor.
- Milk: Since the recipe doesn’t contain butter, it’s easy to make it dairy-free! Just switch out the milk with a dairy-free milk of your choice.
How to Make Gluten-Free Applesauce Bread
Here’s an overview of how to make this bread. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
- In a medium bowl: Add in all the dry ingredients, except the two kinds of sugar, and whisk.
- In a large bowl: Whisk together all of the wet ingredients and sugar.
- Combine: Add the dry mix to the wet ingredients. I like to use a rubber spatula to mix until fully combined.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan or mini loaf pans and bake. It typically takes 50-60 minutes on 350°F. Use a toothpick to see if it’s done. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.
Make-Ahead/Storage/Freezing:
To Make-Ahead: You can make the batter up to 1 day in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge, then bake according to the recipe instructions.
To Store: Store leftovers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. It will keep for 2-3 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the fridge.
To Freeze: This bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer bag or airtight container. Thaw at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
Can this gluten-free applesauce bread be made dairy-free?
Absolutely! Switch out the milk with unsweetened dairy-free milk of your choice.
Can this gluten-free applesauce bread be made nut-free?
Yes! Swap out the almond flour with an additional 1/2 cup of gluten-free measure-for-measure flour.
More Gluten-Free Quick Breads:
Gluten-Free Applesauce Bread
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups (225g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- 1/2 cup (50g) almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup (240g) unsweetened applesauce at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80ml) neutral oil
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk of choice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (106g) brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. You can also use three 5¾x3-inch mini loaf pans.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the applesauce, oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula, until fully combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Loved this! Moist and flavorful. Easy to make.
We’re so pleased you enjoyed the recipe, Karen! Thank you for your positive feedback!
Omg!! Thank you sooooo much for this recipe my house smells so good and my bread turned out beautiful!!!
Yay! We’re so pleased to hear how much you enjoyed the recipe, Debi! Thank you for your kind feedback. Happy baking!
I made this today using King Arthur gluten-free bread flour blend.
Your recipe makes 12 muffins baked for 30-35 minutes.
I added raisins and apple pie spice.
They are absolutely pillow soft and so moist!
Hubby ate 2 as soon as they cooled.
I’ve tried many GF recipes which have ended up a waste of money.
Yours are a hit!
Thank you!
We’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed the recipe, Valerie! Thank you for sharing with us!
Hello!Can I use honey substitute instead of sugar?
Hi Judy, thank you for your question! We haven’t tried sugar substitutions with this bread. Using honey in place of the granulated and brown sugar may impact the bread’s structure/texture. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
I just made this with King Arthur’s GF flour and it was absolutely delicious! I also added almost a cup of walnuts and made it with butter. Coconut sugar, and 1/4 c brown sugar, total 3/4 sugar. For spices I added 2 t chai spice (my own mix) instead. It took about 40 minutes for 3 mini loaves. So good! Thank you! When I run out of GF flour, I’m going to try your gf flour recipe.
I’m so glad it turned out for you! Great to know it worked with those modifications. Thanks for the comment!
I am going to make your gluten free flour (300 grams each of Almond, Buckwheat and Potato starch plus 100 grams of arrowroot powder. My question is: how many grams of each for the applesauce bread recipe?
Made these mini loaves for Christmas tonight and my kids couldn’t eat it fast enough, my family is full of picky eaters and I have 6 children. I have to make more now!! I followed the directions exactly and had to add about 10-15 minutes of bake time. Definitely love this recipe!! Thank you!!
Made this using applesauce we made where we overdid the cloves so no one was really eating it.. I also substituted almond eggnog for the almond milk, and butter instead of coconut oil.. My son hates paleo, but loved this so much that I am making it right now for his birthday cake. Thank you. (Wondering if I should do a carrot cake frosting to give it the illusion of bday cake 😉
Hi Erin
Could I replace the eggs with something else? Thanks
Can I use oat flour instead of the regular flour and stevia instead of brown sugar?
I don’t think that would work! The bread wouldn’t have the same structure.
I made this by substituting 2 bananas for applesauce since we didn’t have any. I cut out the white sugar too. Made into muffins and baked for 20 minutes and they were delicious! My picky kids ate 2! It was recently recommended we reduce/cut out grains and sugar so I’m loving your mix. My kids love the pancake mix too! (we cut out the applesauce & sugar). Looking forward to the zucchini bread! Quick question do you think I’ll also be able to reduce the sugar in that recipe in 1/2 ? I’m not sure if I’ve just gotten ‘lucky’ by doing it so far. Also, I was told to try subbing maple syrup for sugar since it’s more natural. Do you think that work work? Thank you so much! You have made the transition into gluten/grain free bearable!
We love this recipe. This bread is so moist with a perfect texture. Its a fall favorite at our house.
I made mini loaves of this yesterday to go with Easter dinner. I followed the recipe exactly using the King Arthur flour, and it was delicious!
I’m so glad they turned out for you! 🙂
Do you happen to have the nutritional information for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi!
I was wondering if I could replace your flour blend with bob’s red mill 1 to 1 baking flour? Or should I add less flour or more ingredients?
Thank you
Use 1 3/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill Flour and keep everything else the same. That should work!