This quick apple pie bread is filled with cozy spice and topped with a crunchy nut streusel. Every bite is packed with sweet shredded apples, just like freshly baked apple pie!
Apple pie bread skips the homemade pie crust and packs all sorts of fall flavor into an easy quick bread recipe instead. Here’s why I can’t get enough:
Cozy fall flavors. This bread is soft, moist, and bursting with sweet fall apples, toasted nuts, and cinnamon spice. I add buttermilk for even more moisture, plus it adds a touch of tanginess like you’ll find in my buttermilk banana bread.
Delicious crunch. I add a nutty streusel topping before baking for even more flavor and crunch. It gives this apple bread serious Dutch apple pie vibes!
Quick and easy batter. The batter comes together in one bowl and takes just a few minutes to mix. Once it’s in the pan, the rest is up to your oven!
What You’ll Need
These are some notes on the ingredients in this quick apple pie bread. For a printable list with the full amounts, scroll down to the recipe card!
Butter – Salted or unsalted, at room temperature.
Sugar – Regular granulated sugar works here, or you can use light brown sugar.
Buttermilk – I love the hint of tang and added moisture that buttermilk brings to this bread. If I don’t have it in the fridge, I’ll make an easy homemade buttermilk substitute with lemon juice (or vinegar) and regular milk.
Vanilla – Make sure to use real vanilla extract (or equal parts vanilla paste) for the best flavor.
Flour – The best flour for this apple pie bread is all-purpose flour. Bread flour does not work in quick bread recipes.
Apples – Any firm, sweet-tart baking apple that you’d use for apple pie filling will work here. My favorite is Granny Smith. Other good options are Honeycrisp and Braeburn apples. Peel the apples and shred them before you start.
Add-ins – Optional, but I like to bake chopped walnuts and raisins into my apple pie bread for extra texture and flavor.
For the Streusel
Brown Sugar – I like to use light or dark brown sugar in the topping. Granulated sugar will work, too.
Flour
Butter – I find that butter is easiest to make into a crumble when it’s cold from the fridge.
Nuts – Chopped walnuts or pecans are my favorite for this recipe.
How to Make Apple Pie Bread
Just like banana bread and other quick bread recipes, there’s no yeast in this recipe so the batter comes together, well, quickly! Here’s a short step-by-step. You’ll find the printable instructions in the recipe card.
Make the streusel topping.Combine the batter ingredients.
Make the streusel. Start by cutting butter into brown sugar and flour to make a crumbly streusel, then fold in the nuts.
Make the batter. Next, cream additional butter and sugar together in a separate bowl. Mix in the buttermilk, baking powder, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly mix in the flour.
Fold in the apples and nuts.Fill the pan and bake!
Add the apples. Finally, stir in your shredded apples. Other mix-ins, like nuts and/or raisins can go in at the same time.
Add the streusel topping. Transfer the bread batter to a lined loaf pan and sprinkle the nut streusel over top.
Bake. Pop your apple pie bread into the oven for about an hour at 350ºF. I usually let the bread cool down in the pan for a bit before I move it out onto a wire rack. This apple pie bread is delicious when it’s still warm, or you can let it cool to room temperature (I admire the self control!).
Recipe Tips and Variations
Line the pan. I like to use a strip of parchment to line the bottom and both ends of my loaf pan. It makes it super easy to lift the bread out after it’s cooled off a little. If you don’t have parchment paper, give the pan a good greasing with butter or shortening instead.
Don’t overmix. As with most baked goods, overmixing quick bread batter will give you a dense, tough loaf that doesn’t rise the way it should. Be careful that you don’t overdo it when bringing the ingredients together.
Make it nut-free. If you’d prefer a nut-free streusel, replace the nuts with quick oats like you’d use in the crumble topping for an apple crisp.
Skip the streusel. You can also leave the streusel off altogether and give your apple pie bread a finishing sprinkle of cinnamon sugar like I do in my cinnamon apple bread.
Add a glaze. Borrow the easy glaze from my apple fritter bread to drizzle over top.
Serving Suggestions
Apple pie bread a la mode, anyone? Slices of apple pie bread are delicious topped with a scoop of homemade ice cream for dessert. If I’m really going all out, I’ll drizzle over apple cider caramel sauce or pumpkin spice caramel sauce. But really, I’ll enjoy a slice of apple pie bread on its own any time of the day. It’s the perfect treat to have in the morning with coffee or tea!
How to Store
This apple pie bread can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days, or you can wrap the loaf and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw the bread at room temperature for serving.
This quick apple pie bread has all the cozy flavors of fresh apple pie baked into a soft and moist loaf topped with a crunchy nut streusel. Every bite is packed with spiced shredded apples!
Streusel Nut Topping
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
For the Bread
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups shredded, peeled Granny Smith apples (about 4 medium)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Prep the Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and flour. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the walnuts or pecans. Set aside.
For the Bread: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Line the pan with a strip of parchment paper fitted to the bottom and up the two ends of the pan. This will make the bread easy to remove. Set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1 minute. Add in the buttermilk, baking powder, eggs, and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth and combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until just combined. Stir in the apples, nuts, and raisins.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly on top of the batter.
Bake for 60 to 65 minutes until the center is set and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes and then remove from the pan. Cool completely on the wire rack.
Serve warm or at room temperature OR wrap and store overnight before slicing.
Notes
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze airtight for up to 2 months for best freshness. Thaw at room temperature.
