This soft and tender applesauce pumpkin bread is full of comforting fall spices. They are also fantastic as pumpkin muffins, and can even be frozen for an easy make-ahead breakfast!
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Applesauce pumpkin bread is my favorite thing for a crisp fall morning! There is something spectacular about the tender, moist bread, with warm spices in every bite. It is the perfect fall treat!
My original pumpkin bread recipe used an entire cup of oil—that is a lot! So I replaced half of the oil with applesauce. Making that substitution, we cut out almost half of the fat and a lot of unnecessary calories. The result was incredible, and now this version is our favorite recipe!
If you are like me and love easy breakfast recipes with warm fall spices, check out these Buttermilk Spice Muffins and Banana Bread recipes! They are both delicious! These Air Fryer Pumpkin Donut Holes are also a treat!
I made these today, and they are fantastic. I am cutting out Starbucks and, therefore, the pumpkin bread that my son and daughter are obsessed with, so I was desperate to find a substitute. This more than fit the bill, and I think it is actually better.
- Sam
Ingredients
- Pumpkin - This recipe uses canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. The difference is that pie filling has sugar and spices already added to it. We just want plain pumpkin for this recipe.
- Oil - Canola, vegetable, or coconut oil can be used with equal success. I do not recommend olive oil as it will impact the flavor of the bread.
- Applesauce - Unsweetened applesauce add moisture to the bread, and is used in place of some of the oil.
- Flour - Using all-purpose flour results in a tender loaf. You can substitute half of the flour with whole wheat. The bread will be a little denser but is still delicious.
- Spices - Adding the spices individually allows us to customize the proportions to get just the right warm spice flavors. Though you could also use 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice, instead of the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One: Mix Dry Ingredients
For the right amount of flour, you can either weigh your flour or spoon the flour into your measuring cup. Do not scoop the flour out of the bag with your measuring cup or you will end up with too much flour, making your bread dry.
Add the spices and salt to the flour, and mix well. Then set aside until it is time to add the flour into the wet ingredients.
Step Two: In a Separate Bowl, Beat Eggs and Sugar
One of the secrets to soft and tender pumpkin bread is beating the eggs extra long. They would be really fluffy and pale yellow in color.
Next, add the sugar and beat the mixture for an additional minute, to allow the sugar to dissolve into the eggs.
Step Three: Mix in Pumpkin & Wet Ingredients
The pumpkin is added along with the oil, applesauce, and water.
Step Four: Stir in Dry Ingredients
Once the dry ingredients are added, you want to be careful not to overmix. Mix on low speed or you can even mix the flour in by hand.
You just want to stir until you no longer see the flour.
Step Five Bake
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared loaf pans and bake for 50-60 minutes.
To check doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the bread. When you remove the toothpick it should be clean.
Pro Tip: If the outside of the pumpkin bread is brown before the inside is fully cooked then you can cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil for the remainder of the bake time. This will help prevent burning.
Variations
- Mini-Muffins: My favorite breakfast hack is to bake this recipe in mini-muffin pans then freeze them! When it is time for breakfast just take a few out of the freezer and put them in the microwave for about 30 seconds and breakfast is ready!
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread: Before pouring the batter into loaf pans, stir in 1 ½ cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Bake according to recipe directions.
- Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bread: In a small bowl, beat together 8 ounces of cream cheese, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, and 2 eggs. Pour half of the pumpkin batter into the loaf pans. Top with dollops of the cream cheese mixture, then pour the remaining batter over the cream cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil and store at room temperature for 3-4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. The bread will stay freshest if you wait to cut it until you are ready to serve.
Wrap the whole loaf or individual slices in plastic wrap and then wrap in aluminum foil or place inside a freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the counter before serving. The bread will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
We enjoy pumpkin bread with eggs and sausage. If you are serving this to guests then it would be a delicious accompaniment to a sausage and egg breakfast casserole! Though sometimes I love to keep it simple and serve it by itself, warmed, and topped with some butter or cream cheese.
If you prefer an even lower fat recipe then all of the oil can be replaced with applesauce. However, the bread will have a much spongier texture.
Some readers have reported success with using Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour, though I have not personally tested this flour in the pumpkin bread.
Recommended Recipes
Let me know how you like this recipe by leaving a review! And follow along on Instagram @stateofdinner for behind-the-scenes and to be among the first to know when new recipes post!
Recipe
Applesauce Pumpkin Bread
Recipe by:Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups (455 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons (3 grams) cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon (1 grams) clove
- ¼ teaspoon (0.5 gram) ginger
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) salt
- 4 (4) eggs
- 2 ½ cups (500 grams) sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- ½ cup (118 ml) unsweetened applesauce
- ⅔ cup (157 ml) water
- 15 ounces (425 grams) pumpkin puree
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray two 9x5-inch loaf pans with nonstick spray.
- Mix flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon clove, ¼ teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon salt
- Beat eggs on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, until light-colored and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat on high for an additional minute.4 eggs, 2 ½ cups sugar
- Add the oil, applesauce, water, and pumpkin to the egg mixture and stir on low speed until combined. Stir in dry ingredients on low speed until just combined and no flour is visible.½ cup canola or vegetable oil, ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, ⅔ cup water, 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- Divide the batter equally between the two loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow bread to cool completely before removing and slicing.
Notes
For miniature muffins bake for 12-15 minutes. Yield: 84 mini-muffins How to Store: Store in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil and store at room temperature for 3-4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. The bread will stay freshest if you wait to cut it until you are ready to serve. How to Freeze: Wrap the whole loaf or individual slices in plastic wrap and then wrap in aluminum foil or place inside a freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the counter before serving. The bread will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Equipment
Nutrition
The nutritional facts provided are only estimates. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Dee says
I added chocolate chips and followed high altitude changes and the bread didn't cook in the middle. Baked at 375 per high altitude directions from King Arthur and ended up baking it 15 minutes longer than stated. The ends and sides taste great! What did I do wrong?
Erin says
Hi Dee! Did you cook in 2 loaves? I live in Texas, so I have not tried baking this bread at a high altitude. Next time, test the bread's doneness with a toothpick (it should come out clean). If it starts to brown too much before the center is fully cooked, cover it with aluminum foil to prevent further browning.
Sharon says
How many slices to the loaf for your nutrition information?
Erin says
12 slices per loaf, so 24 slices in total between both loaves.
Debra says
Can I use regular sweeten applesauce. I have everything else but the unsweetened applesauce. You probably won’t answer me going to try it anyway
Erin says
Sure, you can but you'll want to reduce the sugar a little bit so it's not too sweet. 2 to 2 1/2 cups of sugar should be good.
Laura Bossart says
I made this recipe with only 2 cups sugar, and it was just the right amount of sweetness for me! Thanks for sharing, this was amazing!
Erin says
Thanks for leaving a review, Laurie! Enjoy!
Natasha says
Finally a really good recipe for Pumpkin Apple bread. I made a few minor alterations.
Decreased sugar to 300gm. and used 200gm white and 100gm brown
Increased applesauce to 1 cup
Decreased the water to 1/2 cup of Earl Grey tea
Added 1 1/2 Apples Granny Smith and Pink Lady
I am not much of a cook, but this came out beautifully. Thank you so much
Lauren says
Just made this yesterday and it came out so great! I didn’t find it overly sweet or spicy. I added chocolate chips to one loaf and sunflower seeds, sliced almonds and hemp seeds on top of the other and love both. Saving this recipe for next year
Erin says
Thanks, Lauren! Those sound like delicious additions!
Liette says
I was looking for something to bake with my pumpkin flesh I had in the freezer. I only hope this will work once I cook and mash the pumpkin. It simply looks amazing and cannot wait to make it. You did mention honey can be used instead of sugar???
Tks for the wonderful recipe.
Erin says
Yes, honey can be used. But if you use honey then leave out the water, as the honey will add enough moisture.
Liette says
Hi Erin! Just made the recipe as muffins and they were the best muffins I ever made. Used the honey instead of sugar and it turned out perfect. I even put less than the requirement. This will be a repeat for me on a regular basis.
Tks again for uch an awesome recipe.
Sadiaa says
How much honey would you use instead of the sugar?
Erin says
I would use 1 3/4 cups of honey. It won't need the addition of water.
Angela Harrell says
Hi! I’m a new baker and when you said mix all dry ingredients I did just that. So then I didn’t have sugar to mix onto my eggs. Is sugar not considered a dry ingredient?
Erin says
Oh no! When baking sugar is usually considered a wet ingredient since it typically gets mixed in with eggs and butter. But you are right, that is very confusing! I will update the recipe to make it more clear. I appreciate you sharing!
La Rella says
Could I leave out the water and use low-fat milk instead?
Erin says
I have not tested this recipe using milk and cannot guarantee the results. However, I do substitute milk for water in other baked items with good results, so it would probably work fine.
Cari says
So light and amazing! I halved the amount of sugar so it was the perfect amount of sweetness. The applesauce and the pumpkin makes this loaf so moist and delicious
Erin says
Thank you so much for sharing, Cari! I am thrilled that you loved this recipe!
Peggy says
Hi, I was wondering if I can use brown sugar and white sugar in this recipe?
Erin says
Hi Peggy! I haven't tried substituting brown sugar, though I have used honey and it worked great, and I am certain that brown sugar would work just fine also. Because brown sugar has more moisture than granulated sugar you can probably skip adding the extra water.
Agnieszka says
This pumpkin bread is amazing! So glad I found this recipe. Better than Starbucks, for sure! Hubby refused to believe it's made with applesauce.
Rob says
Excited to make this pumpkin bread! It has all the right ingredients for a moist, flavorful bread. The step by step instructions in your post are really helpful too!
Jean says
Excited to bake this pumpkin bread this weekend, I'll make my own applesauce and use this recipe for the pumpkin bread. I just got all my Fall spices and this will be perfect.
Erin says
Oh, homemade applesauce just takes this to the next level! Yum!
Jere Cassidy says
There is nothing better than homemade pumpkin bread filled with lots of spices, and the added applesauce. Glad to find your recipe. Also, thank you for adding the water to the ingredient picture.
Erin says
I am so glad that you found it helpful!
Debra says
Loved how easy this was to make and super tasty too. BONUS: the house smells spectacular.
Erin says
Isn't the smell just amazing?
Joan Sandes says
This was exactly what I was looking for. This recipe is AMAZING! I made regular sized muffins and added chocolate chips. I had to freeze half of the muffins and they freeze very well. Going to make this again - mini muffins next time!
Erin Gierhart says
Chocolate chips are a wonderful addition! YUM!!! I am so glad that you love this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
S. Rupe says
Two and one half cups if sugar Really !!?? I make as well eat lucky charms.
Erin says
This does make 2 loaves of bread. If you are concerned about the sugar you can certainly reduce it, but since this is a comfort food website you'll find that great taste is a priority for my recipes. 😀
Brianna says
This looks like a great fall recipe!
Erin says
It is so delicious! I hope you enjoy it too.
Becca Bartlett says
This was an easy recipe to follow and I loved the option for applesauce instead of some of the oil. My family is gobbling the muffins up.
Erin says
Yay! I am really happy that you found this recipe easy and delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Sam says
I made these today and they are fantastic. I am cutting out Starbucks and therefore the pumpkin bread that my son (2) and daughter (1) are obsessed with so I was desperate to find a substitute. This more than fit the bill and I think it is actually better. I did both regular and mini muffins and the moisture is perfect. I doubled the batch with the plan to freeze them and I am so glad I did! My son literally ate 9 mini muffins and he is NOT a good eater and never even finished his Starbucks pumpkin bread when I did get it for him. Thank you so much for the recipe, it is definitely going into the rotation especially since I can batch bake and freeze for easier mornings.
Erin says
I love this, Sam! Isn't it the best when you find a recipe that your picky child will eat? I have that same struggle with my youngest. I am so glad that he enjoyed the muffins and that this recipe worked well as your Starbucks replacement!
Jeff Albom says
I love the pumpkin spices and the applesauce makes it so moist.
Erin Gierhart says
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for letting me know!