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Apple and pumpkin are a lovely combination in this easy apple pumpkin bread recipe. The loaf has a moist, soft crumb with tender apple pieces and a light vanilla glaze over the cracked top. Pumpkin and apple give the bread mellow fall flavors although it’s a tasty treat for brunch or a sweet snack any time of the year.
Why You’ll Love It
Apple pumpkin bread is a spiced loaf with apples and a simple vanilla glaze. A quick and easy bread with warm flavors and a soft, moist texture.
A delicious choice: This pumpkin apple bread is perfectly moist, with small apple pieces and optional nuts breaking up the texture. The mellow autumn flavor with a touch of spice makes it stand out.
Sweet glazed top: The light vanilla glaze catches in the cracks and drips lightly down the sides. Although you could omit it, the glaze is so good with the bread, I definitely recommend adding it.
Easy to make: There’s no yeast or rising involved. Simply combine the ingredients, transfer the batter into a loaf pan and bake until your kitchen smells incredible and your mouth is watering!
If you enjoy homemade loaves, you may also like my Starbucks copycat lemon loaf, this hummingbird loaf cake, apple cinnamon loaf and chocolate loaf bread.
Apple Pumpkin Bread Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Pumpkin puree: Pumpkin puree adds moisture, color and a mellow pumpkin flavor. Use a plain puree, either homemade or canned pumpkin puree. Don’t use pumpkin pie filling, as that’s got added sugar and spices.
Fresh apples: Peel and dice the apples into small pieces so they soften evenly in the loaf. Granny Smith apples add tartness, while Honeycrisp and Fuji apples are sweeter choices, so you can just pick your favorite kind. I always look for firm apples with smooth skin and no bruised or soft areas.
Buttermilk: This is cultured milk with a slightly tangy flavor and thicker texture. It helps create a tender crumb.
Vegetable oil: Adds moisture to the batter. You can use another oil if preferred.
Brown sugar and granulated sugar: To sweeten the loaf. Brown sugar adds a mild caramel note.
Eggs: These bind the batter and support the loaf structure.
All-purpose flour: Gives the quick bread its structure.
Baking soda and baking powder: To help the loaf rise.
Ground cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger: Aromatic spices to give the loaf its warm pumpkin spice flavor.
Walnuts or pecans: Optional chopped nuts add crunch. I’ve tried both walnuts and pecans and both are good, but you can omit the nuts if you prefer.
Powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract: These combine to make the light glaze for the top.
How to Make Apple Pumpkin Bread
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Prepare a loaf pan: Grease it or line with parchment paper.
Mix the wet ingredients: Whisk the oil and both sugars in a large bowl. Add the eggs, pumpkin puree, buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt in a separate bowl.
Finish the batter: Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the diced apples and chopped nuts if using.
Fill the pan: Spread the batter evenly in the prepared loaf pan.
Bake the loaf: Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
Cool the bread: Leave the loaf in the pan briefly and transfer it to a wire cooling rack. Let the pumpkin apple bread cool completely.
Add the glaze: Whisk the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Drizzle the glaze over the loaf and leave it to dry.
Substitutions and Variations
Homemade buttermilk: If I’m out of buttermilk, I love how easy it is to make my own! Combine ½ cup milk with 1 ½ teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and leave it for 5 to 10 minutes until slightly thickened and curdled.
Gluten-free version: Replace whole wheat flour with a 1:1 gluten free flour blend.
Dairy-free option: Mix dairy-free milk with vinegar or lemon juice for the buttermilk. Use dairy-free milk in the glaze.
Apple sauce swap: Replace ¼ cup of the vegetable oil with ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
Different chopped apples: Use Granny Smith for a tart flavor or choose Honeycrisp or Fuji for a sweeter loaf. You can also mix and match depending what you have.
Add crunch: Include chopped walnuts or pecans, or a mix of the two.
Nut-free loaf: Omit the nuts.
Make apple pumpkin muffins: Divide the batter between muffin cups and bake at 350°F for 18 to 22 minutes.
No glaze: Omit the glaze for a simpler loaf of pumpkin and apple bread.
Streusel topping: Mix ½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup packed brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and 3 tablespoons cold butter until crumbly. Add ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans if liked. Scatter the streusel over the batter before baking.
Glaze and streusel finish: The glaze can still be added after the streusel-topped loaf cools. I would use a light drizzle so the topping doesn’t get soggy.
Serving Suggestions
With brunch: Serve this delicious bread on your brunch table with other dishes, such as a hash brown casserole, warm savory muffins or something more unusual like a spirulina smoothie bowl or breakfast lasagna.
As a mid-afternoon treat: Enjoy a slice of apple pumpkin bread with warmed apple cider or apple juice, a pistachio latte or cinnamon dolce latte.
How to Store
Store: Keep the covered loaf at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate it for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Freeze the unglazed loaf for up to 2 months.
Thaw: Thaw the loaf completely. Add the glaze when the bread reaches room temperature.
Top Tips
Dice the apples small: Large chunks can leave damp patches around the fruit and make the crumb bake unevenly.
Mix briefly: Stir the batter only until the flour disappears. I found that too much mixing makes quick bread dense.
Measure the flour carefully: Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level the top. Scooping directly from the bag can pack in too much flour.
Watch the crust: Cover the loaf loosely with foil if the top browns before the center is baked.
Cool fully before glazing: Glaze runs off a warm loaf and collects around the base.
Add milk slowly: Start with 2 tablespoons and add more a little at a time. The glaze can get too thin quickly.
Pumpkin Apple Bread FAQs
Too much flour or excessive mixing can make the loaf dense. Measure the flour carefully and stop stirring when the batter is combined.
Insert a toothpick into the center. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Wet batter means the loaf needs more time.
The loaf may have been too warm or the glaze may have contained too much milk. Let the bread cool fully and add the milk gradually.
Apple Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Apple Pumpkin Bread
Equipment
- Loaf Pan 9 x 5-Inch
Ingredients
For the Bread
- ½ Cup vegetable oil
- ½ Cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ Cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, large
- 1 Cup pumpkin puree
- ½ Cup buttermilk
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ Cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Teaspoon baking soda
- ½ Teaspoon baking powder
- 1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ Teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ Teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ Cups apple, peeled, cored and diced
- ½ Cup walnuts, or pecans, chopped, optional
For the Glaze
- 1 Cup powdered sugar, sifted to remove lumps
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons milk, I used whole milk
- ½ Teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper.
Prepare the Batter
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth.
- Add the eggs, pumpkin puree, buttermilk and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Fold in the diced apples and optional nuts if using.
Bake the Loaf
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Add the Vanilla Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled bread and let it set before slicing.
Notes
Mix briefly: Stir the batter only until the flour disappears. I found that too much mixing makes quick bread dense.
Measure the flour carefully: Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level the top. Scooping directly from the bag can pack in too much flour.
Watch the crust: Cover the loaf loosely with foil if the top browns before the center is baked.
Cool fully before glazing: Glaze runs off a warm loaf and collects around the base.
Add milk slowly: Start with 2 tablespoons and add more a little at a time. The glaze can get too thin quickly.
Nutrition
Apple pumpkin bread has a moist crumb, warm pumpkin pie spice flavor and small apple chunks. The glaze adds a light, sweet coating over the cracked top and around the edges of the bread. The fruit softens in the oven and gives the bread a slightly uneven homemade texture, which is possibly my favorite part. Those bits nearest the crust are especially good because they catch some of the glaze. This is one of the best pumpkin bread recipes I’ve tried and it’s a great pick for brunch or as a sweet snack.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
