This is a variation of our whole wheat quick bread base recipe. Apple streusel bread is a perfect breakfast for crisp fall mornings. Packed with fresh apples, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, and a sweet streusel sprinkle, this apple streusel bread will fill your body with nutrition and your tastebuds with delight!
Must-Know Cooking Skills
For recipe success, learn how to:
Culinary Tips for the Best Apple Streusel Bread
If you have young kids or picky eaters in your home, dice the apples into smaller pieces for easier eating. Alternatively, you can shred them in a food processor or on a box grater.
Don’t peel the apples! Not only does it make the bread more nutritious, but it also cuts down the number of steps – less work for you!
Measure the flour properly to prevent dense bread. Fluff, spoon, and level; don’t scoop and pack!
Whisking the dry ingredients together mimics sifting and evenly distributes the ingredients, so don’t substitute another utensil.
Why add the diced apple to the dry ingredients? It helps to evenly distribute them throughout the bread, although we have found it might not make as big of a difference in this recipe.
Don’t overmix the batter! Watch our muffin method culinary technique video to learn how to mix the batter just enough so that you end up with light and fluffy bread.
When measuring brown sugar, pack it in the cup. If you are trying to reduce your sugar consumption or prefer less sweet bread, reduce the sugar to ½ cup. The recipe will still come out great!
If your oven runs hot, check the bread for doneness after 45 minutes.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Old Fashioned Oats: substitute quick oats. Do not use steel cut oats.
- Butter: real butter works best in the streusel, but you can substitute virgin coconut oil or even canola oil in a pinch. Note that streusel made with liquid oils doesn’t have the same texture.
- Whole Wheat Flour: use white whole flour or whole wheat pastry flour for a lighter taste, color, and texture. To make this apple cinnamon bread gluten-free, use a gluten-free flour mix. We have had good success with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour or King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Flour.
- Cinnamon: substitute pumpkin spice or apple pie spice.
- Apples: use any variety of apple. If you don’t have apples, diced fresh pears would make a great substitution.
- Brown Sugar: substitute cane sugar, but note that the flavor will be slightly different.
- Greek Yogurt: substitute regular yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, or sour cream. You can make your own buttermilk by mixing ½ cup milk with ½ Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice.
- Canola Oil: substitute avocado oil. Do not substitute extra virgin olive oil, as this has a strong flavor. Do not substitute vegetable oil, as this is not a heart-healthy oil.
- Eggs: to make this apple cinnamon streusel bread vegan, substitute the eggs with flax eggs. To make one flax egg, mix 1 Tablespoon of ground flaxseeds with 3 Tablespoons of water and let it rest for 10 minutes. Eggs help leaven the bread, so this vegan version might not be quite as fluffy.
- Vanilla Extract: substitute ½ teaspoon almond extract or simply leave it out!
Apple Bread Recipe Variations
Turn this into a high fiber cinnamon streusel bread by adding ¼ cup ground flaxseeds (flaxseed mill) to the dry ingredients. You can also add toasted pumpkin seeds, toasted walnut or pecan pieces, dried cranberries, and/or raisins for added nutrition, texture, and flavor. Add these ingredients in with the diced apples.
Want to make mini apple crumb bread loaves? Prepare mini bread loaves with parchment paper or non-stick spray and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
This batter works for muffins too! To make apple cinnamon muffins, prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners or non-stick spray. Use a portion scoop to divide out the batter, then sprinkle and gently press the streusel on top. Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The diced apples will stay firmer in muffins because muffins take less time to cook. If you enjoy a softer apple bite, dice the apple into smaller pieces so they cook faster, or simmer them in a saucepan with a little water before using. Refer to our whole wheat muffins base recipe as a guide.
Want some more quick bread recipe inspiration?
Use our whole wheat quick bread base recipe as a guide to make it your own, or try out these tasty variations!
Equipment Recommendations
You just need a few pieces of kitchen equipment to make this healthy recipe come together!
- Nested Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Spatula
- Apple Slicer or Chef’s Knife
- Loaf Pan
Is this apple streusel bread healthy?
This bread is certainly a better alternative than store bought quick breads. The key ingredients that make this apple cinnamon bread recipe healthier are whole wheat flour, fresh apples, and less sugar than leading brands.
Whole Wheat Flour
Whole wheat flour is a good source of fiber, B vitamins, Vitamin E, trace minerals, and phytonutrients. Replacing refined grains (i.e. white flour) with whole grains (i.e. whole wheat flour) may reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
Apples
Does an apple a day keep the doctor away? It certainly can help! Apples contain prebiotic fibers that support gut health. Apples also contain phytonutrients such as quercetin and catechin which may play roles in cancer and cardiovascular disease prevention. For the most nutrition, leave the peel on.
Less Added Sugar
High sugar consumption is not good for health, and in general, most Americans eat way too much. Men should aim to consume less than 9 teaspoons (~36 grams) of added sugar per day, and women should aim to consume less than 6 teaspoons (~24 grams) of added sugar per day. Each slice of apple cinnamon bread in this recipe has 3 teaspoons (12 grams) of added sugar. Reducing the brown sugar to ½ cup would result in 2 teaspoons (8 grams) of added sugar per slice. Enjoy the sweet flavors of the bread while staying portion conscientious. Because this is a satiating bread, one slice is really all you need!
Apple Bread Serving Suggestions
We doubt you’ll be able to resist slicing a warm piece of this cinnamon bread when it’s fresh out of the oven! Enjoy on its own for a satisfying snack, as a tasty treat after lunch, or topped with almond butter for a balanced breakfast.
Storage Tips
Because this is a moist apple bread with streusel topping, it will spoil more quickly at room temperature. Store the bread in a bag or container at room temperature for a couple of days or in the refrigerator for up to one week. Make sure the bread is entirely cool before storing.
Want to make a batch or two of this healthy apple bread for later? This bread is great for the freezer! Once cooked, cool completely, wrap, then store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. You can also freeze in slices for a quick grab-and-go single-serve option. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator or microwave from frozen in the morning.
Want more recipes like this easy apple bread recipe?
Check out some of our other whole grain favorites!
Whole Grain Pancakes Base Recipe
Apple Cinnamon Granola Clusters
Baked Oatmeal Cups Base Recipe
Apple Streusel Bread
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 2 Tablespoons old fashioned oats
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tablespoon white whole wheat flour
- Dash salt
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, diced ½"
Apple Bread
- 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour*
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 medium or 1 large apple, diced ½" (~2 cups)
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare a 9×5 bread loaf pan with nonstick spray or parchment paper.
- Prepare streusel topping. In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon flour, and salt. Add butter. Using a fork or fingers, work the butter into the oat mixture. Mix until clumpy and crumbly but not pasty.
- In a large bowl, gently whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add diced apples to flour mixture. Toss to evenly coat.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture. Using a spatula, fold ingredients just until moistened. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into the prepared bread loaf pan. Top evenly with streusel. Bake 50-55 minutes or until slightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Enjoy!
