Applesauce Pumpkin Bread bakes up soft and tender with warm fall spices and classic pumpkin flavor. The applesauce keeps the loaf moist without feeling heavy, making it the version my family asks for every autumn.
This pumpkin quick bread is all about comfort, turning simple pantry ingredients into something special. The warm scent of spice fills the kitchen as it bakes, and makes it hard to wait for the first slice.
Note from Erin
I originally made this pumpkin loaf with a full cup of oil, but once I tried replacing half with applesauce, it made it even more moist and flavorful. That simple tweak turned into our go-to recipe, and now it’s the version I always make.
For more cozy bakes with warm spice, check out these Buttermilk Spice Muffins and Banana Bread recipes! And if you want something fun, these Air Fryer Pumpkin Donut Holes are always a hit!
★★★★★
"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
Key Ingredient Info
The recipe card at the bottom of this post includes the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
- Pumpkin: Use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling already has sugar and spices mixed in, which would throw off the recipe.
- Applesauce: Unsweetened applesauce takes the place of some of the oil and keeps the loaf moist.
- Sugar: The amount here gives the bread a balanced sweetness that lets the pumpkin and spice shine with a bakery-style flavor. You can reduce the sugar by up to ½ cup if you prefer it less sweet, but cutting more than that will change the texture and moisture.
Step-by-Step Tips for the Best Pumpkin Bread
Mix the Dry Ingredients
- When measuring flour, fluff, spoon, and level it, or weigh it. Scooping compacts the flour, which can dry out the loaf.
Beat Eggs and Sugar
- Use room-temperature eggs and beat them until they’re pale, thick, and fluffy.
- Then add the sugar and mix just until it starts to dissolve. The mixture should look lighter in color and slightly glossy.
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Blend in Pumpkin and Liquids
- Mix in pumpkin, oil, applesauce, and water on low so you don’t deflate the eggs.
- Scrape the bowl and beater; pumpkin likes to hide at the bottom.
Fold in the Flour
- Add the flour mixture in two additions and stop as soon as the last streak disappears.
- Tap the bowl once on the counter to pop large air bubbles before portioning.
Bake the Bread
- If the top browns early, tent the pan loosely with foil.
Top Tip!
Don’t rush the eggs. Beating them until they’re pale and fluffy adds air into the batter, which is what keeps this bread soft and tender. This makes all the difference in the final texture.
Mini Muffin Hack
This batter also works great for mini muffins! When my kids were little, I always kept a bag of mini muffins in the freezer. A quick 20 seconds in the microwave makes them warm and ready for an easy breakfast or afternoon snack.
Make It Special✨
Top the batter with a quick streusel before baking for a bakery-style touch. Mix ½ cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 4 tablespoons cold butter until crumbly, then sprinkle evenly over the loaves.
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 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 Substitutions:
- Replace the individual spices with 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
- If you don't have applesauce, use a full cup of oil.
Equipment
Nutrition
The nutritional facts provided are only estimates. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nancy Seiler says
Haven’t tried it you. Looks delicious, and am going to make it soon!!!
Erin Gierhart says
Thanks, Nancy! Let me know how you like it!
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!
Rhonda says
Love this recipe! My grandkids literally inhale it even though I cut back 1/2 cup on the sugar and have used honey instead. I bake for 2 people on low salt diets so have cut the baking soda and salt to less than 1/2 for them. This recipe is very easy to modify for different dietary needs and still turns out GREAT!
Erin Gierhart says
Rhonda, that's wonderful to hear! I love that you've made it work for your family's needs, and even better that your grandkids love it!. It really is such a forgiving recipe. Thank you for sharing your tweaks!
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!