Moist Gluten-Free Apple Bread With Cinnamon Streusel

Tantalizing Gluten-Free Apple Bread recipe has juicy apple chunks and salty chopped nuts held together in a fluffy loaf cake topped with cinnamon streusel and gooey vanilla glaze.

deceptively gluten-free apple cinnamon bread 

Invite fall in with the taste and smells of warm cinnamon apple loaf with this easy gluten-free apple quick bread recipe. It’s perfect to welcome a neighbor, nosh on for an after-school snack, or enjoy with piping mug of breakfast coffee.

This recipe takes the yummiest elements of applesauce muffins and gluten-free apple muffins with a crumb topping and gooey vanilla glaze, but in an easy apple loaf cake form. The batter is as easy as mix and dump, but the bread is decadently irresistible!

Ingredients notes 

We generally have apples stocked, so our family enjoys this bread year round, just like our favorite gluten-free banana bread recipe. Besides the apples, the remaining ingredients are kitchen staples you should have on hand!

• Gluten-Free Flour – I use and recommend Cup4Cup gluten-free flour which contains xanthan gum already. I find it to have the best taste and texture for quick breads and yeast breads like gluten-free bread and gluten-free rolls. See this article for alternative recommended gluten-free flours and brand comparisons.
• Butter – Using butter, instead of oil, in this quick bread recipe makes the crumb lighter, fluffier, and homogenizes well with the gluten-free flour. If you would like a dairy-free recipe, I suggest substituting vegan butter sticks and omit the salt in the recipe.
• Sugars – A combination of brown sugar and white sugar gives a caramel flavor and added structure. For a low sugar recipe, cut up to half the sugar. Although I haven’t tried it with this recipe, coconut sugar generally makes a great unrefined sugar substitute in baking.
• Apples – I used honeycrisp for the this recipe, but there are many apples are great for baking, such as golden delicious, granny smith, and gala. Avoid using red delicious, which becomes mushy when baking.

How To Make gluten-free apple bread

(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

1. First make the crumb streusel topping by combining melted butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For best results line a 9X5 pan with parchment so there is an overhang on two sides. This allows easy lifting from the pan, so the topping doesn’t fall off when releasing from the loaf pan.
3. In a large bowl cream together the softened butter with both sugars until light and fluffy. This generally takes 2-3 minutes on high speed.
4. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
5. To avoid using a second bowl for dry ingredients, I first mix in the smaller amounts of dry ingredients – baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt on low speed. Add the gluten-free flour and mix on low until well combined. Stir in the apples and walnuts.
6. Increase the speed to high and mix for one minute. This softens and relaxes the gluten-free starches, while hydrating them with the wet ingredients.
7. Pour in the prepared bread pan and sprinkle the streusel topping on. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in past the topping comes out without wet dough.
8. Lift the bread out of the pan and cool on a wire rack. After about 20 minutes, mix together the glaze ingredients and drizzle on. Let cool completely before slicing.

optional add-ins

Similar to flourless apple cake, you can these enhance the flavor with any of this optional add-ins, making an out-of-this-world apple cinnamon bread recipe!

• Omit the nuts or substitute pecans, almonds, or macadamia nuts
• Mini chocolate chips, which do a better job of not sinking down to the bottom of the bread
• White chocolate or cinnamon chips (read label for gluten-free)
• Dried cranberries or raisins
• Shredded coconut

Dairy-free modification

If you would like a dairy-free recipe, I suggest substituting vegan butter sticks and omit the salt in the recipe. The recommended flour, Cup4Cup, does contain milk powder. For dairy-free gluten-free apple bread use King Arthur Measure-for-Measure.

storing / freezing tips

For an unsliced loaf, store cooled bread wrapped in foil at room temperature. Be sure the bread has had several hours to completely cool, otherwise the residual heat will make the bread soggy.

It can also be sliced once cooled, and stored in a ziplock freezer bag, up to 3 months. Pull slices as needed to thaw at room temperature or defrost on low power in the microwave.

Best type of apples to use

There are many apples good for baking, which I cover more in this gluten-free apple cobbler recipe. Honeycrisp, Jonagold, golden delicious, granny smith, or pink ladies work well for baking or with gluten-free pie dough in pies. Be sure to peel the apples first and dice in small pieces.

Omitting crumb topping or glaze

To make a healthy apple bread recipe, omit the streusel, glaze, and optionally reduce the sugar up to half the amount.

Recommended loaf pan

I’ve tested the recipe with a 9X5 and 8X4 pan, with the 9X5 loaf pan winning out for even, faster baking, without a fallen center. I found the 8X4 loaf took too long to bake and the bread didn’t rise as evenly.

Issues with bread sinking in middle

There are many tips for baking quick breads, because although easy, ingredients and leavening agents can lead to unpredictability. It could be your oven temperature isn’t calibrated correctly, too high or low, which affects leavening.

Also the baking soda or powder may be past its prime. Using too small a pan weighs the batter down, especially a heavier one like this apple bread recipe, leading the middle to sink.

If the bread isn’t fully baked in the center, it could fall. This is especially likely when working with gluten-free bread recipes. Often golden brown exteriors can be deceptive, while the inside is undercooked and gummy.

Therefore, I also use an instant read thermometer to take out any guesswork. When inserted in the middle it should read 190-200ºF. This works for anything from gluten-free breadsticks to quick breads.

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