Gluten Free Applesauce Bread

The star of this gluten free applesauce bread recipe is, of course, applesauce! In addition to bringing loads of flavor, applesauce brings delicious moisture and natural sweetness. This lovely cinnamon and nutmeg-spiced bread is naturally dairy-free and not too sweet. And, to really play up the apple flavor, you'll love spreading warm slices of applesauce bread with homemade apple jelly!

This applesauce bread recipe was inspired by my gluten free apple cinnamon bread, and it's wonderful on the fall table along with a warm basket of gluten free apple muffins or gluten free apple bread.

Why You'll Love This Tender Gluten Free Applesauce Bread

Soft and tender slices of gluten free applesauce bread alongside a cup of coffee will instantly turn even the gloomiest of mornings warm and cozy. A few recipe highlights include:

• You just need one bowl to make it! I LOVE a one-bowl recipe, and this one is seriously the easiest to make. In five minutes or less you can stir up the batter, making this recipe a great choice for an after-school snack.
• Not too sweet. I also love a recipe that's not overly sweet. You need less than a cup of sugar for the whole loaf, which means applesauce bread is a great snack because it won't leave you with a sugar crash.
• Adaptable. I've outlined some ways to adjust this recipe to suit your taste (add nuts!). Spoiler: you can fancy it up however you like.
• Kid-friendly - I don't know about your kids, but mine absolutely love apples. This bread is a dream to pack in their school lunches because it's sturdy, not overly sweet, and gives them a little treat without being too much.

Ingredient Notes

Here's a rundown of what goes into this applesauce bread. See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.

• Applesauce - I like using unsweetened, pure applesauce so that you can really taste the apples. If you do use sweetened applesauce, that's fine, though you may want to adjust the amount of added sugar.
• Oil - Use a neutral oil such as vegetable or avocado oil.  
• Eggs - As with all of my baking recipes, I tested this applesauce bread using large eggs, which is what I recommend you use as well!
• Sugar - You can use your choice of brown sugar or granulated sugar.
• Oat flour - Learn how to make oat flour easily or buy a package of oat flour. Substitute brown rice flour or sorghum flour if you can't eat oats.
• Baking powder
• Salt - I use fine sea salt, table salt will also work.
• Ground spices - A combination of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Variations on Gluten Free Applesauce Bread

See a few easy variations below if you want to play around with this applesauce bread recipe:

• Nuts - Add 1 cup of chopped walnuts to this bread for some crunch.
• Pear bread - Love pears? Easily swap in the same amount of pear sauce for the applesauce for a slightly different flavor.
• Coconut - Add 1 cup of sweetened or unsweetened flaked or shredded coconut to the batter for a tropical touch.

For a cake-y version of applesauce bread, make my gluten free spiced applesauce cake recipe!

Tips & Substitution Suggestions

• Rest the batter - Let the batter rest for 20 minutes, or at least as long as the oven preheats. This allows the gluten free flour to hydrate, which will create a fluffier crumb after the bread has baked.
• Oat flour substitute - Nice choices for an oat flour substitute include sorghum flour or brown rice flour.
• Or just use gluten free four - Swap in 2 ½ cups of gluten free all-purpose flour of your choice (or make my homemade gluten free flour blend) and use it in place of the oat flour.
• Use unrefined sugar - Substitute the sugar for coconut sugar or maple syrup if you wish to use a natural sweetener.
• Make mini loaves - If you want to enjoy a loaf now and save one for later, bake this recipe into mini loaves. You'll get about 2 smaller loaves from the batter.

How to Serve Gluten Free Applesauce Bread

• Cold and straight from the fridge
• Lightly toasted
• With butter
• Add a swipe of cream cheese

Storage

• Counter - Keep applesauce bread on the counter in a sealable plastic bag for up to 3 days.
• Fridge - Place the bread in a plastic bag or an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer - Wrap the bread in plastic and a layer of foil and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also cut it into slices, wrap each slice in plastic, and place them in a freezer-safe bag for easy portioning. Defrost in the fridge before serving.