Soft & Buttery Vegan Apple Bread | Easy Fall Baking Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes

This vegan apple bread is soft, buttery, and bursting with warm cinnamon flavor — the kind of cozy fall bake that makes your kitchen smell like the season itself. Made in just one bowl with simple ingredients, it’s perfect for a relaxed weekend breakfast or a comforting dairy-free dessert to share during the holidays.

Fresh apples keep this loaf moist without eggs or butter, while a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon gives it that classic autumn flavor. You can enjoy it warm from the oven with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or slice it up for meal-prep breakfasts all week.

This simple fall baking recipe feels like home - and everyone will love it!

Ingredients

• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour

• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup neutral cooking oil, like canola or grapeseed

• 1 medium-sized apple, peeled and grated

• 3/4 to 1 cup white sugar (I change the sugar amount based on how sweet the apple is - I generally use only 3/4 cup but if you like a sweeter bread use up to 1 cup)

• Egg eplacer to replace 1 egg - for this recipe I use Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer - see notes and adjustments for other options

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

• Powdered sugar for topping, about 1/4 cup

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

• In a large mixing bowl mix the following dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

• Whisk the dry ingredients to make sure they are well-combined.

• Mix up your “fake egg” in a small bowl or cup and let sit aside for about 1 to 2 minutes.

• Peel and grate one apple, you should end up with about 1 cup of shredded apple.

• Add the grated apple to your dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl.

• Add the cooking oil to the large mixing bowl.

• Add the fake egg to to the mixing bowl and mix the ingredients with a metal spoon for about two minutes until everything is well-combined and you don’t see any more flour that is not mixed in.

• *If your batter looks too dry you can add in an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil or an unflavored unsweetened plant-based milk. The batter should be thick but moist.

• Grease and flour a 4 x 9 inch rectangular baking pan.

• Pour the mixed batter into the pan and use a spatula to make sure it is evenly distributed.

• Bake for 55 minutes at 350 degrees. It is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

• Cool for around 45 minutes, or until completely cool.

• Carefully remove the cake from the cake pan - go around the edges of the cake pan with a butter knife to be sure it is not sticking to the pan, and then turn upside down on your hand to release the cake.

• Top with powdered sugar - and enjoy!

Notes and Adjustments!

There are many kinds of egg replacer you can use in vegan baked goods and they all work a bit differently. I like Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer for this recipe because it binds the cake well and helps it rise nicely.

A quick Google search will give you lots of ideas for how to replace eggs. For this recipe I would avoid using bananas or applesauce as egg replacers. Both of those were staples in early vegan baking but they absolutely will change the flavor of the cake. Other than Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, my second option for this cake would be to use arrowroot powder to replace the egg. To do that mix 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder with 3 tablespoons of water - combine very well and let sit for about a minute before mixing into your batter.

I think the powdered sugar topping is perfect for this cake, but you could also make a simple maple glaze that would go quite well. To make a maple glaze you would mix 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. After it’s cool, drizzle the glaze over the cake before serving. You could also top with a chocolate glaze for a more decadent version of this cake.