I call this quick bread harvest spice bread because it combines some of the best flavors of the fall season including apple, pumpkin, and cinnamon spice. This loaf is infinitely adaptable, freezes well, and can be made into muffins, too!
I call this harvest spice bread because “apple pumpkin carrot cinnamon brown sugar spice bread” was a tad too long. 😉
What’s harvest spice bread, you ask? Imagine everything you love about fall. Warm spices, pumpkin, fresh apples, cozy sweaters… well, what if we took all of those incredible components of this beautiful autumn season and packed them into a simple bread?
Um, except for the sweater. But go ahead and wear your warmest cable knit while eating a slice!
Why You’ll Love Harvest Spice Bread
- No mixer required
- Infinitely adaptable—more on that next!
- Incredibly moist
- Super flavorful and soft
- Brown sugared
- Quick & easy—pour into a loaf pan and bake
- You can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here. (See recipe Note.)
Part apple cinnamon bread, pumpkin bread, spice cake, and carrot cake, this harvest spice bread is loaded with flavor. When you decide to bake a loaf, do yourself a favor and double the recipe. You’ll want two loaves of this orange beauty and even then, it’s hard to share.
Let’s Talk Add-Ins
I use shredded apple, shredded carrot, pumpkin puree, and walnuts in this quick bread. These add-ins are completely customizable and you can make substitutions based on what you have or what you’re craving.
- Apples: Not sure why that apple in the corner above looks weirdly shiny and plastic—that was a pink lady apple, one of my favorite varieties! You can use your favorite such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Fuji. If you enjoy a certain variety in your apple pie, you’ll love it in this bread, too. Instead of apple, you can swap in zucchini or more shredded carrot.
- Pumpkin: Just like when we make pumpkin muffins, I prefer canned pumpkin puree in this bread (I like Libby’s brand), but you can use homemade pumpkin puree if you have it. Instead of pumpkin puree, try unsweetened applesauce or even mashed banana.
- Carrot: Slightly sweet and mega moist shredded carrot pairs wonderfully with these flavors. In fact, this tastes like a quick bread version of carrot cake. Instead of carrots, however, you can use more shredded apple or even shredded zucchini (it’s great in this apple zucchini bread, too!)
- Walnuts: Feel free to substitute pecans, raisins, or dried cranberries.
Baking Tip: It’s important that the apple and carrot are shredded, not chopped. Shredding each with a box grater creates a lot of juicy moisture which is carried over into the quick bread. Just like in these healthy apple muffins, when shredded, they act like a wet ingredient in the batter. This makes a difference in the final taste and texture of the loaf!
Behind the Harvest Spice Bread Recipe
When testing this recipe, I started with my pumpkin bread as the base. Use the same ingredients here including all-purpose flour as the base, baking soda as the leavener, seasonal spices, a mix of granulated and brown sugars, and oil to keep the bread extra moist. I decreased the amount of sugar since apple and carrot sweeten the bread and I swapped milk for the orange juice. (Orange juice brightens the flavor of my pumpkin bread, it’s so good!) I also decreased the amount of liquid since the batter was already pretty wet.
Whisk the dry ingredients in 1 bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine the two, then pour into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. You can use this batter for harvest spice muffins, too! See recipe note.
How to Freeze Quick Bread
If you know how to freeze cakes, you can also freeze quick bread! Same method goes. Here are all of my quick bread recipes if you’re looking for more inspiration. Favorites include Banana Bread, Pumpkin Bread, Orange Cranberry Bread, & Zucchini Bread.
- Step 1: Bake and completely cool quick bread.
- Step 2: Once the bread cools completely, wrap it in Press & Seal or plastic wrap. From one baker to another– Press & Seal is the best product for wrapping baked goods. I find regular plastic wrap too thin, clingy, and frustrating. It definitely works, but Press & Seal is easier to use and I’ve honestly found that it keeps my food fresher. (Not working with this brand, just really love it.)
- Step 3: Write the type of bread and use-by date on a large piece of aluminum foil. For best taste and texture, don’t freeze quick bread for longer than 3 months. You could stretch it to 4 or 5 months, but the sooner you serve it, the fresher it tastes.
- Step 4: Wrap the bread in the aluminum foil and place in the freezer. You could place the wrapped bread in a freezer container or freezer-friendly zipped top bag, but I often just freeze it after wrapping in aluminum foil.
- Step 5: Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer the frozen bread to the refrigerator one day before serving. Sometimes I forget and just let the bread thaw at room temperature for several hours, but it’s better to thaw at a slower rate in the refrigerator. Make sure you thaw bread while it’s still in the wrapping. Don’t unwrap before thawing.
Baker’s Tip: Two layers of wrap is key! The first layer keeps the bread fresh and the aluminum foil ensures no condensation will seep in. Double layer = maximum freshness and no freezer burn. Moisture is the enemy, so don’t be afraid to add another layer of Press & Seal or aluminum foil.
Harvest Spice Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Part apple bread, spice cake, pumpkin bread, and carrot cake, this harvest spice bread is loaded with flavor. This loaf is infinitely adaptable, freezes well, and can be made into muffins, too!
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (115g) pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)*
- 1 heaping cup (140g) peeled and shredded apple*
- 3/4 cup (100g) peeled and shredded carrot*
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk
- 1 cup (130g) chopped walnuts*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. See notes for muffins.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin, shredded apple, shredded carrot, and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently whisk until *just* combined. Fold in the walnuts. Batter will be semi-thick.
- Spread the batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 – 65 minutes. (I like to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent heavy browning on top.) Baking times vary so keep an eye on yours. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out *mostly* clean with zero raw batter. Remove the bread from the oven.
- Cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack before removing and slicing. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to about 10 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: See blog post above for detailed freezing & thawing instructions.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Vegetable Peeler | Box Grater | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Muffins: Grease a 12-count muffin pan or line with liners. Prepare batter in step 2. Spoon the batter evenly into each liner, filling each all the way to the top. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20-22 minutes, give or take. Cool muffins for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Makes 16-18 muffins.
- Spices: Instead of nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, you can use 3/4 – 1 teaspoon of store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice. This is in addition to the 2 teaspoons of cinnamon—you will still add that.
- Pumpkin: I prefer canned pumpkin puree in this bread (I like Libby’s brand), but you can use homemade pumpkin puree. Instead of pumpkin puree, try unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana.
- Apples: Use your favorite apples such as Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Fuji. Instead of apple, you can swap in shredded zucchini or more shredded carrot.
- Carrot: Don’t use pre-shredded carrots found in the produce aisle. They’re on the dry side. Rather, freshly grate 2 small/medium carrots to yield approximately 3/4 cup of moist carrot shreds. Instead of carrots, you can use more shredded apple or even shredded zucchini.
- Walnuts: Feel free to substitute chopped pecans, raisins, or dried cranberries.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Well what can you say except “Oh, this is so yummy”! I made it for my Neice who loves anything…everything…pumpkin! She loves it, of course. Sally – I can always rely on your recipes. Sally’s Baking is one of my go-to websites for tried and true recipes. Your new cookbook is crazy good! Thank you.
Fantastic! Made with raisins and will absolutely make again!
Could
You use pumpkin butter rather than pumpkin puree? I happen to have some
Hi Sue! Pumpkin butter is much sweeter than pumpkin puree, so we’re unsure of the results if you make that swap. Let us know if you try!
Sally, I love your recipes and have become a much better baker with your helpful advice. I’d like to make this for Thanksgiving brunch but my son was recently found to have diabetes. So I’m wondering whether Stevia sugar substitute will work in this, and other baking recipes. I’ve had some disappointing results with sugar-free recipes and was thinking how helpful it would be if recipes came with a “Yes or No” for sugar substitutes. Thanks Sally, you are my most trusted source in baking.
Hi Sally! We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you for making and trusting all of our recipes!
I had some pumpkin to use up and I came across this recipe when I was looking for a way to use it all. I am so glad I found it this recipe is simple to put together an absolutely delicious
So delicious! I have received many compliments and requests for more!
Question: does this bread freeze well? I want to make several and give as holiday gifts.
Hi Barbara, we recommend wrapping cooled quick breads in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil and then freezing for up to 3 months. Hope this helps!
Turned out so good, but took about 120minutes to bake. I did add some dried figs instead of raisins with walnuts and pecans! I will definitely make this again!
Turned out so good!! It took a little longer for mine to bake but it’s delicious. I used some dried figs in mine! I love that you can substitute
This is the best autumn/Thanksgiving season cake! I follow the recipe and it comes out perfectly moist and spiced every time. Always a hit!
I am so excited to make this! I was to use shredded apple, carrots, and zucchini. Do you have a suggestion on the proportions or do you think as long as it all adds up to 240 grams it should be good?
Hi Maya, if you keep the total amount to about 240g, that will work great!
I this bread and substituted dried cranberries for the walnuts. I also used honeycrisp apples. This bread is amazing. I will definitely make it again. Thank you for another fantastic recipe.
Thank you for this recipe. I also have your new book. This is a forgiving recipe. I needed to bake some muffins but didn’t have the pumpkin puree (hard to find) or carrots. Used unsweetened applesauce for the pumpkin and about a cup of shredded sweetened coconut for the carrots. They turned out great. I appreciate that your recipes usually don’t have a 10 minute gap in the recommended baking times. Also, I didn’t know about the trick of baking at a higher temp for the first five minutes. Again, thanks and all our best. Dale and Pat
Hi Sally!
I would like to make these into either apple spice muffins or spice cake muffins!
I am going to replace the pumpkin puree with applesauce, and leave out the nuts as well as carrots.
Can I just use oil, shredded carrots, and applesauce in place of the puree? Or will that mess the moisture level up?
Thanks:)
Hi Kate, you can use applesauce or mashed banana in place of the pumpkin puree. Instead of the carrots, you can use more shredded apple or zucchini. You might also enjoy these healthy apple muffins instead. Hope this helps!
Can you make this bread with part whole wheat flour?
Whole wheat flour will produce a pretty heavy texture. Instead, you may enjoy these morning glory muffins.
I made this as muffins with 100% whole wheat flour and apple chunks (to break up the denseness) instead of walnuts and added some baking powder (a teaspoon to help them rise), and kept the rest of the recipe the same. While I was not impressed with them warm from the oven, after they cooled overnight I thought they were wonderful and my colleagues loved them. That said, they were hearty, one-muffin-is-your-entire-breakfast kind of muffins!
Hey! I just made this bread with 100% whole wheat pastry flour. I get my pastry flour at Whole Foods. Or you can sometimes find it on Amazon. Bob’s Redmill makes some. And it turned out absolutely moist, light, and delicious! Whole wheat pastry flour, for breads and muffins, can usually be substituted one to one for many of Sally’s baking recipes. I do it all the time with great success.
This Harvest bread is AMAZING. I doubled it. It was moist and had so much flavour. It’s definitely a keeper!
Could you tell me if I can add maybe 3/4 c. of raisins without taking any of the other ingredients out? Just baked recipe per your instructions & smell heavenly .
Hi Pat! You could substitute raisins for some of the walnuts.
Why don’t you offer a way to pin the recipes anymore? Frustrating to want to add to my boards but can’t.
Hi Jan, there are two options. You can hover over the image for the pin button to appear, or use the Pinterest button after the recipe. Let me know if you are having trouble with either option.
All your bakes are just plain GREAT
I never leave comments but I made an exception with this recipe. It’s delicious!! I made muffins and they came out moist and perfectly spiced
I just made this harvest spice bread this morning! Followed directions exactly as written! It’s delicious and I’ll have trouble not eating the whole loaf today!
*used honeycrisp apples
*used apple pie spice/cinnamon
Next I’m going to bake the Apple Cinnamon Bread!
I made this last year as a loaf, and now made as muffins and I think the muffins baked even more perfectly. They are moist, flavourful and taste like fall. You can taste all the flavours of apple and carrot and pumpkin and none are overpowering just work well together. Muffins for me took the full recommended baking time (22 min total) as the cups were quite full. I used the spices listed in the recipe and it’s a perfect balance. I used vegetable oil and 2% milk. The only change I made was pecans as I always prefer to walnuts. Such a great recipe for fall.
I have made this tons of times. I use Krusteaz gluten free flour.
This last time I used my gluten free flour, half the sugar and swapped half the oil for Greek yogurt.
It is still moist and delicious!
I will say listen to the other reviews and double the spices and add some vanilla extract if you long a strong spice cake.
One of the reasons I Love Sally is her recipes tend to be forgiving for substitutions .
I’ve made it into cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, bread with a glaze and now this slightly healthier option. Not a single one has been bad. Favorite Fall Recipe
Just baked my second batch into muffins. I added 1 cup pumpkin seeds and about 1 cup chopped up dried cherries with the cup of walnuts. The muffins turned out perfectly. This is such a great recipe.
This recipe is super easy to
pull together and is delicious.
This recipe is perfect. Delicious and festive.
A perfect start to fall. This loaf was so moist and light, certainly the best yet!
Definitely a keeper. Thankyou for the recipe.
Thank you for including metric measurements in all of your recipes. It makes it so easy for those of us outside the US.
We didn’t use nuts but it is a delicious loaf! I have sliced and toasted it with some butter spread on it. Definitely keeping this recipe for another bake day!
Can I sub avocado oil or olive oil for the vegetable or coconut oil? Thanks!
Hi Paula, yes, that will work in a pinch. Enjoy!
This bread is absolutely ridiculously tasty!! I did make with apple pie and pumpkin pie spice and swapped the walnuts with pecans. I also added regular and golden raisins and a few dried cranberries. Family loved it and it didn’t make it through Sunday breakfast!! I will be making this all year long!!
Can I make mini muffins with this recipe? What would the time and temperature be?
Hi Susan, sure can! Bake at 350°F (177°C) the entire time (skip the initial high temperature) for 11–13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
I’d Ike to make this but sub white whole wheat flour for the white flour. Will this work?
Hi Judith, Whole wheat flour will produce a pretty heavy texture. Instead, you may enjoy these morning glory muffins.