Almond Flour Applesauce Bread

This almond flour applesauce bread is a delicious snack any time of the day! It’s naturally sweetened, made in one bowl, and filled with good-for-you ingredients!

This almond flour bread is everything I wanted it to be. Soft, naturally sweetened, studded with chocolate chips, and full of healthy fats. It comes together in one bowl, bakes in under an hour, and tastes like something between a banana bread and a soft chocolate chip cookie in loaf form. And while my 5-year-old is a very selective eater, this is one of his favorite snacks.

I’ve been making variations of this bread for a while, and after a few rounds of testing, I landed on a version that bakes up beautifully every time.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Applesauce: This adds moisture and natural sweetness. Use unsweetened applesauce so the bread isn’t too sweet.
• Eggs: The eggs provide structure. I haven’t tested this with flax eggs, but if you do, let me know how it turns out!
• Honey: This is the main sweetener. Maple syrup works as a one-to-one swap if that’s what you have.
• Vanilla extract: This adds an extra layer of flavor.
• Almond flour: I recommend using blanched, finely ground almond flour, not almond meal. Almond meal is coarser and made from whole almonds (skin included), which makes for a denser, grittier loaf. The fine, blanched stuff bakes much better.
• Apple cider vinegar: This might seem random, but it reacts with the baking soda to give the bread lift. You won’t taste it. White vinegar works in a pinch.
• Baking powder and baking soda: The leavening duo. The amounts in this recipe are dialed in specifically for a loaf format. More than this and the bread can rise too fast and sink in the middle.
• Salt: Don’t skip this! Salt makes everything taste like more of itself.
• Chocolate chips: Use whatever you like. Mini chips distribute more evenly throughout the bread; regular chips give you bigger chocolate moments. You can use a low sugar version like these if you prefer.

Tips for Perfect Almond Flour Bread

• Use the right pan size. An 8×4 pan gives you a taller, more dramatic loaf and may need closer to 50 minutes. A 9×5 pan bakes a flatter, faster loaf, usually around 45 minutes. Either works, just adjust your time and start checking around 40 minutes.
• Don’t open the oven too early. Almond flour breads are more sensitive to temperature drops than wheat breads because they don’t have gluten holding everything together. Resist checking until at least 35 minutes in. I highly recommend an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is preheated to the correct temperature.
• The toothpick test can lie. Almond flour bakes look moist even when they’re done because the flour is so high in fat. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the inside should hit 200 to 205 degrees. If you don’t, the top should spring back when you press it gently, and the edges should pull away slightly from the pan.
• Tent with foil if needed. If the top is getting too brown but there is still some baking time left, you can gently cover with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking, to avoid it getting to dark.
• Cool fully before slicing, really. This is the most common reason almond flour breads come out crumbly. Even 30 extra minutes of patience makes a huge difference in clean, sliceable pieces.
• If your loaf sinks, don’t stress. (It’ll still taste delicious!) The most common culprits are too much leavening, opening the oven too early, or pulling it out before the structure is fully set.

How to Store This Bread

This bread keeps well, and it stays moist even at room temperature. Here are a few tips for storage:

• Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
• Refrigerator: Wrapped tightly, it should keep for up to 5 days. The texture firms up a bit when cold, but warms back up beautifully.
• Freezer: Slice the loaf and freeze in a zip-top bag with parchment between slices. Keeps for up to 3 months. Toast slices straight from frozen for an instant breakfast.

Other Almond Flour Recipes

If you enjoy this bread, be sure to try some of my other almond flour recipes!

• Almond Flour Zucchini Bread– This almond flour bread is an easy way to sneak in some vegetables!
• Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies– These soft and chewy almond flour oatmeal cookies are the perfect treat! They’re easy to make, studded with chocolate chips, and have the best oatmeal cookie texture!
• Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins– These almond flour pumpkin muffins are a deliciously sweet treat! They’re low in sugar but full of flavor. The almond flour gives these muffins a uniquely light and tender texture!

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