This Apple Fritter Bread captures the magic of crunchy and sweet vegan apple fritters in one easy quick bread. It’s packed with fresh apples, cinnamon, and all kinds of fall goodness!
Who can resist the soft, fluffy, and apple-filled magic of an apple fritter donut? They’re one of the best treats to indulge in during fall (or year-round) and are easy to make, too. This Apple Fritter Bread, however, is just as magical!
It’s the perfect solution for those who want to feed a crowd without having to deep fry a batch of donuts. Every fluffy and sweet bite is packed with fresh apples and cinnamon sugar, then topped with a simple powdered sugar glaze. It’s possibly the best vegan quick bread you’ll try!
Why is this apple fritter bread a must for fall?
- Three words: Cinnamon. Apple. Filling: Just like how real apple fritters are stuffed with fresh chopped apples, you’ll find cinnamon sugar-coated apples in the middle and on top of this quick bread.
- Delightfully soft, warm, and comforting: The classic flavors of fall, like cinnamon, brown sugar, fresh apples, and vanilla, are found in every bite. Pair each slice with a cup of tea or a pumpkin spice latte for an extra dreamy treat.
- A layered bread that’s easy to make: It may look like it came straight from the bakery, but any level of home baker can have success here. Vegan apple fritter bread just as easy to make as my banana bread – all you need are baking staples, a few mixing bowls, and an oven!
How to make apple fritter bread
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
First, stir the soy milk and ground flaxseeds together in a large bowl to make the flax egg. Let the mixture sit while it thickens. After about 2 minutes, add the sugar, melted vegan butter, and vanilla to the same bowl. Whisk to combine.
Sprinkle the flour, baking powder, and salt on top of the wet mixture. Gently stir until the batter has just come together. Pour half into your prepared loaf pan.
Whisk the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. In a separate medium bowl, stir the chopped apples, sugar, and cinnamon together.
Scoop half of the apple filling on top of the batter in the pan. Pour the rest of the batter on top, then top with the remaining apples. You can press them down slightly with your hands to make sure they stick.
Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture on top of the apples, then bake the bread until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
While you wait, stir the powdered sugar and milk together to make the glaze.
Once the apple fritter bread is completely cool, drizzle the glaze on top, then slice and serve. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
- Can it be made gluten free? I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, but replacing the all purpose flour with a gluten free flour blend should work well.
- Can I use a different size pan? Yes, you can bake the apple bread in one 8-inch cake pan instead. Alternatively, double the recipe and bake it in two cake pans.
- Can I make muffins instead? Sure! Make the recipe as normal but layer the batter, apples, and cinnamon sugar in a standard lined muffin pan instead. Bake at 400ºF for 20 to 24 minutes.
- How long does it last? The apple fritter bread is best eaten the day it’s made, otherwise, it will become soggy. However, you can keep any leftovers (preferably without the glaze) wrapped well and in the fridge for about 5 days.
Want more fall recipes with apples?
Apple Fritter Bread
Ingredients
The bread
- 3/4 cup soy milk
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup melted vegan butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Apple filling
- 2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Optional glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a standard loaf pan (9×5 inches). I also like to line the pan with parchment paper for easy removal after baking.
- In a large bowl, combine the soy milk and ground flaxseeds. Stir, then let sit for 2 minutes to thicken a bit. Now add the sugar, melted vegan butter and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
- Add the flour on top of the wet ingredients, then the baking powder and salt. Use a wooden spoon or spatula and mix until just combined. Do not over mix or the bread will be dense.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan, reserving the other half in the bowl.
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the apple filling ingredients. Spoon half of the apples on top of the batter in the pan.
- Pour the rest of the batter on top of the apples, then top with the remaining apples. Push the apples down into the batter a bit with your hands.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar cinnamon on top of the apples.
- Place the bread in the oven with a pan in the rack below in case any apple juices drip. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or a little longer, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- In a small bowl (optional), stir the powdered sugar and milk together to form the glaze. Drizzle over the top of the bread. Slice, serve immediately and enjoy!
Nora you’re a queen! I am always impressed by your recipes, they never fail. This was SO EASY and so dang delicious. I didn’t have brown sugar and was too lazy to make a glaze, and even without the topping and glaze it was awesome (with a side of vegan vanilla ice cream). Thank you for doing what you do!
Hi Penny. Wow – your feedback is so encouraging! I’m thrilled you loved the bread. It sounds delicious with ice cream! Thank you for your stellar review and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
So good! Thank you for the great recipe!
I made this for brunch on Christmas along with Tofu Scramble. Both were a big hit even with the non-vegans!
Hi Carol. I’m glad that the bread was a big hit for your Christmas brunch! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
Wow wow wow! This bread exceeded my expectations. And I am a huge fan of all of your recipes so I knew it would be great. But this bread is sooo yummy and comforting. I made it for my husband to bring to work and here I am at 6:30am eating it in my bed. Haha Thanks for another great one!
Ahh, breakfast in bed! Thank you for your feedback and review! I’m glad you loved the bread!
I’m guilty of enjoying absolutely all of your recipes but never leaving reviews. Made this today and as always, it’s a keeper! It’s called apple fritter bread and I thought that was maybe just a catchy recipe title to get clicks, but no—this somehow actually tastes like apple fritters. Blows my mind. Followed the recipe exactly and it came out incredible. Thanks for all the work you do to keep churning out amazing vegan recipes, you are a staple in our household.
Hi Dea. I am thrilled that you love the bread, as well as my other recipes! Thank you for taking time to share your feedback! Your positive and kind words make me happy! I appreciate you acknowledging the work that goes into creating recipes! I love creating them!
Do you recommend using a certain type of apple?
Honey crisp is my favorite apple type to use.
Nora, do you think I can freeze this?
It can be frozen, but may become soggy after it’s thawed. That’s why I prefer to eat it the day it’s made.
Amazing
Very yummy
This was SO good and made my house smell amazing. My batter was a bit thick, and I’m not sure why. Maybe my flour. I also messed up a bit and put all the apples in the middle and none on top. Didn’t matter at all, it still turned out well!
Hi Christina. The smell of baking apple bread is wonderful! I’m glad you loved the bread, and that it turned out well for you! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and review!
Hi can I use apple sauce instead of flaxseed please and if yes do I still mix with the milk
Thanks
Hi Chanti. I haven’t tried it, but 1/2 cup of applesauce should work in place of the flaxseed (note: the bread may not turn out as light or fluffy). No, you wouldn’t need the milk because it’s used to make the flax eggs. I hope this helps!
Hi Nora!! Thank you so much for always providing the BEST vegan recipes (: I just tried this one and did it in a decorative loaf pan … since the decorations are on the bottom and I will be flipping it over – is there anyway of reversing the recipe so the brown sugar / cinnamon coats the decorative part? That may sound confusing – I was also confused when using the decorative loaf pan ??♀️
Hi there! I think that might work but I’m not totally sure. If you try it, let me know how it goes. The decorative pan sounds really festive and fun. 🙂
Could I substitute another fruit for the apple? I have lots of fresh pineapple & peaches I would like to use up.
I haven’t tried it, but you should be able to use pineapple and peaches instead! Sounds delicious 🙂
Any idea how you might adjust this to make a Bundt cake? I assume it would need to be doubled, maybe?
Yes, you should need to double the recipe for a bundt pan.
I have enjoyed SO many of your recipes but this is the first one I have ever commented on. I HAD to because it was, by far, the best ever. Don’t just take my word for it. I bring vegan treats to my class of college students each week and they all RAVED! None left, first time that has happened and I always bring extra. I followed the recipe with two swaps – applesauce for butter and banana for 2/3rds of the sugar. This will definitely be a regular, particularly in the fall! Thanks Nora – and thanks for making my transition to vegan so yummy.
Hi Jennifer. I appreciate your encouraging words about my recipes and this bread recipe! How fun that you take vegan treats to your students! Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful feedback and review. May you enjoy this fall and baking delicious fall treats!
Perfectly sweet (did not do the glaze), good spice level and plenty of apple. I baked mine 1h and 5 mins and will do shorter next time, it came out a little dry. And absolutely use the tip of lining with paper, the topping will go everywhere if you try to turn it out by flipping it (duh!). I learned the hard way 😀
Soooo good!!
Thank you for your wonderful feedback and review!
Wow!! This bread is so good! I didn’t have oil so I subbed apple sauce and it was still so moist. My whole family loved it, especially the topping.
Can I use white cake and pastry flour instead of All purpose
I haven’t tried it but it will likely work fine.
Is there any replacement for the flax seed?
Yes, you can use chia seeds instead.
This Bread is AMAZING! Or as my 4 year old said “it’s the best, it’s more than the best, it’s amazing. The bottom got a little harder than I would have liked but I still can’t stop eating it. I added Cinnamon into the dough for extra flavor.
Hi Amanda. I’m so thrilled you guys loved the bread! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and review!
Is this 1/2 of butter after melting or a full stick?
I made this yesterday as soon as you posted it because it looked so good, and it was absolutely delicious. I didn’t do the glaze, it was sweet enough with just the brown sugar topping. Thank you for this wonderful fall recipe!
Hi, do you measure the
Butter (1/2 cup), before or after melting?
Hi Christine. Either way works. I use 1 stick, which is 1/2 cup. If using butter from a tub, I recommend melting it because it’s too hard to measure from the tub, it won’t be exact. I hope this helps!
Omg I only saw this 2 minutes ago and I want to make it right now! Do you think I can use just egg instead of the day milk and flaxseed?
Hi Christina. I haven’t tried using JUST egg, however it would probably work well. Enjoy!
Could you report back if the Just Egg worked? Thanks!
This looks great! In addition to being vegan, I now need to give up gluten. Do you think this would work with one of the 1:1 substitutes?
Hi Lynne. A quality gluten free flour mix will work, however, it will change the texture somewhat. Happy baking!
Thank you Nora, this looks wonderful. I’m going to make it this week; can’t wait to try it.
Your banana bread and apple fritter bread are amazing, and sooo easy to make! I love your vegan recipes! I am new to veganism , but you have made it easy for me to make healthy yummy dishes! Thank You for all your delicious recipes Nam?