Rhubarb Apple Bread
Updated March 26, 2019
We have four rhubarb plants and I was worried they wouldn’t survive all of the snow we received in April. Yesterday I went outside to inspect our plants and was pleasantly surprised. They are still going strong. One rhubarb plant is flourishing with red stalks already. I was so excited! I picked a few stalks and made Rhubarb Apple Bread.
I chopped up the rhubarb stalks and an apple to go into my quick bread. I added cinnamon and a pinch of all spice to the batter. I was trying to keep the loaf somewhat healthy, so I used applesauce and canola oil instead of butter. Josh loves cinnamon and sugar, so I added a cinnamon sugar topping for my love.
The loaf smelled heavenly while baking. I couldn’t wait to enjoy a slice. The rhubarb and apple keep the loaf moist and add a nice tart flavor. The cinnamon sugar topping balances out the tartness. This loaf has the perfect tart to sweet balance.
Rhubarb apple bread is great for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or even dessert.
This quick bread would also be a great addition to your Mother’s Day brunch menu. Don’t ask mom to make it though-she deserves a break:) I promise this rhubarb apple bread is easy to make, anyone can do it!
Rhubarb Apple Bread
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon all spice
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped rhubarb
- 1 cup chopped apples skin removed (I used Granny Smith)
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 4 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and all spice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs and beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add in canola oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add sugars and beat until smooth.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Gently fold in rhubarb and apple chunks. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle evenly over the batter. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until loaf is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool bread in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen sides and remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Have you tried this recipe?
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Love the sound of this bread. I wish we had rhubarb plants!
This looks delicious! What a great combo 🙂
Maria what a spectacular flavor combo! The bread looks perfect 🙂
Happy almost a mama’s day to you 🙂 This would be perfect for brunch. The cinnamon in sugar on top makes it look extra tasty. I’ve only baked with rhubarb once but really liked it. So cool that you have rhubarb plants. Happy weekend
Thank you! Happy almost mama’s day to you too! I hope you have a good weekend!
i adore apple bread and have never actually had fresh rhubarb before…it sounds divine!
Sounds wonderful! Dying to bake with ‘barb!
This looks GREAT! book marking this one! i have always wanted to bake with rhubard but have never!
I can’t believe you have your own rhubarb plant! I love that you paired the rhubarb with apples for a change. This bread sounds delicious!
You have rhubarb plants! Lucky you! I have a soft spot for rhubarb and it’s so hard to find good stalks at the market sometimes.
I totally need to experiment w/ Rhubarb. I’m kind of afraid of it, lol!
What a fabulous looking bread! And I’m SO jealous that you have rhubarb plants 🙂
This winter was anything but nice.. Glad your rhubarb survived and inspired this yummy bread! Delish! 🙂
How yummy! I totally agree with you- bread baking {no matter what kind} is pretty heavenly!
Yum! If you like this, you should try this Fine Cooking recipe for strawberry rhubarb muffins. It has a cinnamon sugar struesel topping and they’re delicious! I had no idea that rhubarb + cinnamon could be so good, you wouldn’t think tart and cinnamon would go together but it totally does!
Happy new mama’s day! 🙂
I will have to look up that recipe. Thanks for the suggestion!
so jealous you have rhubarb plants!!! I finally got the first bunch last weekend at our farmer’s market and already made a pie, but I have a little bit left – I think I need to try this! I love the idea of the cinnamon sugar topping 🙂
I’m so jealous you actually have a rhubarb plant!!
Hi
I do not like rhubarb, is there something else I can use with the apple.
No rhubarb here but I could probably get some from a friend. She will probably give me a start too. It looks tasty.
I haven’t baked w ith rhubarb… this bread looks like a great way to start!
How beautiful is this bread?! Have a great weekend Maria 🙂
Oh my goodness, with fresh rhubarb and apples, I don’t think this could be a better flavor combination… These are just the warm, cozy, fall-inspired flavors I’ve been craving! Thanks for sharing, Maria. I hope your little bun in the oven is doing well! 🙂
Looks amazing! Love the sugar and cinnamon sprinkles on top! 😉
I love the cinnamon and sugar on the top. I used to always overload my muffins with cinnamon and sugar on the top when I was a kid; it sure made them less nutritious but they were always delicious. And rubarb and apple. I never thought to pair those together, but it sounds fantastic.
This looks devine! I want some right now!
The sweet apples sound like they compliment the rhubarb so well! I am so jealous of your rhubarb plants but I’m super glad they survived the cold!
I love baking with rhubarb and this recipe is definitely on my “to bake” list now.
I also have about 5 or 6 rhubarb plants and they survive our Alaskan winters just fine every year. We’ve been in our house for 5 years now but some of these plants look VERY established, probably 10 years easily. So I guess that helps them to be hardy. My plants are even near the eaves of the house and often get 2-3 feet of snow piled up on them from Jan to Mar. I never do anything special for them and they come back every year. I think our climate here is really good for rhubarb actually because wild rhubarb is pretty common in this area. I personally think rhubarb can handle a harsh winter much better than a harsh summer.
Enjoy your future baking with your fresh rhubarb this spring and summer. I know I will.
Rhubarb and apples sound like yummy additions in your quick bread!
Everytime I see rhubarb I think of you! That cruty topping looks delish too.
Hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day Maria!
How lovely, especially since you are so lucky to have rhubarb plants!!! Hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day! xo
i would kill for a slice of this right now!! love rhubarb 🙂
I’ve never baked with rhubarb, but this looks fabulous!
My grandma has a huge rhubarb patch! Usually we do rhubarb crisp, but this bread looks scrumptious!
So jealous of your rhubarb plants, I need to talk my husband into getting me a few so I can just walk outside when I want to bake with it!
I just love rhubarb… But, my hubby hates it. I bought some at the market last week and still have quite a bit left. I think I might make this bread because I know that I will have it all to myself to snack on 🙂
Oh, my mom would give an arm and leg for a rhubarb plant! She loves rhubarb, but it’s usually only available for about a month. I’m hoping to snatch some at the farmer’s market tomorrow morning. Maybe I’ll try this bread – looks great, Maria!
I am determined to grow rhubarb next year. What a pretty bread, Maria, and the cinnamon sugar topping really adds something special.
Yum! This look tasty! I’ve never actually had rhubarb anything (it’s too hot to grow) but maybe I will try find some!
Wonderful bread. Isn’t rhubarb just the best?!
Mmm, this looks fabulous and so perfect for spring!
This looks amazing!
Amazing bread with two of my favorite fruits! (Is rhubarb a fruit? I use it like one anyway, haha).
Looks great! Can’t wait to make it!
Good ol’ rhubarb! I love that stuff. This bread looks incredible. I like that you used apple.
What a great combination! My dad has always grown rhubarb, but I had never really baked much with it until last year. That is partly due to your inspiring recipes here! Now I really enjoy it in baked goods and sauces.
i had my first taste of strawberry-rhubarb the other day and fell in love. now i’m anxious to see how apple pairs with it–lovely bread!
This sounds wonderful, I love the idea of rhubarb and apple together!
Just made it, and it is delicious. Thanks for the great recipe!
You are welcome! Glad you enjoyed the bread!
This looks fabulous – I’m always looking for new things to do with rhubarb. Although I’m very jealous of your four plants … the one I have is scrawny, so for my most recent recipe I bought some from the Farmer’s Market and showed my plant what REAL RHUBARB is supposed to look like before I brought it inside to cook with! I’m hoping my little plant will now be inspired. 🙂
I made these and have a few notes:
-the recipe works well in large muffin tins, just make sure you grease well.
-I omitted the eggs since I was making them for my vegan boyfriend, and they still tasted fabulous and had a great texture!
-THEY TASTE SOOOO GOOD!
Thanks for the notes! I will have to try a vegan version next time!
This is probably a strange question, is there a way to make it without using the applesauce/canola sub? I’ve just not cared for the way some things turn out using it, although this does look really good. Thanks!
You can try making the bread with butter, but I haven’t. I think it is great with the applesauce/canola oil:)
Made a Gluten Free / lower sugar (1/3 c each) version this AM and it was wonderful. Thanks for a great recipe!
We made this last night and substituted blueberries for rhubarb and loved it! Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing. Have a Happy Mother’s Day
I don’t usually leave comments for recipes because I just think everyone has different tastes and opinions, BUT I just have to comment here. I have made this bread dozens of times and it always comes out great! In my oven 50 minutes is just right. Everything about this bread is perfect. Perfect tart to sweet ratio… Perfect amount of rhubarb and apple… Perfect texture.. Perfect little sprinke of sugar and cinnamon on top… I am sort of obsessed with this bread! Haha.. Thanks for the amazing recipe!!
Hi Julie-thanks for leaving a comment. I am so glad you like the bread!
I could hardly taste the rhubarb which had been frozen so I’m adding a second cup which will make it even tastier!
I know there is applesauce in the recipe, but it does not state if it is sweetened or unsweetened. I make my own applesauce & wondering if I can incorporate my sweetened applesauce into the recipe. This recipe sounds delicious , just waiting for the rhubarb!
You can use your homemade applesauce! Enjoy!
Has anyone out there been successful making this gluten free? Would appreciate feedback on this before I experiment. Thanks.
I haven’t tried it, but I like to use Cup4Cup flour. You can use the same amount as the regular flour.
This recipe sounds great, pairing the rhubarb with apple. If I don’t have the applesauce, & wish to use butter instead of the oil & applesauce, what is the amount I would use? Thank you in advance!
Use 1/2 cup of butter, but I haven’t tried it!
Can u use frozen rhubarb?
Yes!
I’m gluten free, so I substituted Gf flour, and used all applesauce instead of half applesauce, half oil. I also used demarara sugar in place of the white and brown sugars, and added extra rhubarb ’cause we had it! Oh, my, goodness, was it delicious! Thank you for posting this recipe!
I first made these (adding powdered ginger to the batter) for a bake sale and they were a big hit! I’ve made them several more times as muffins and in a bundt pan – all good.
I’m always looking for a new rhubarb recipe, I think I hit the jackpot it here! The bread was easy, quick to put together. It is delicious!! I’ll definitely be making it again. Next time I plan to use a heaping cup of rhubarb and chop the apples a little smaller. In fact I’m going to do that today! Thanks for a new “go to”recipe
Where do I find nutritional values?
So happy to have found this recipe. We live in WA and just so happen to have a box of fresh picked apples and two bags of rhubarb from the garden. I doubled the recipe and it’s a hit with the whole family. Delicious!
Very delicious loaf. I used 1/3 c oil and 1/4 c yogurt (didn’t have any applesauce) ; and half whole wheat flour. For the apple I used an unpeeled Ambrosia. Baked in a loaf pan with parchment paper, no sticking. This is great for using rhubarb as I don’t think you can taste it much. So if someone doesn’t like rhubarb they may not even know.
Do you know how many calories per slice?
I’m dying to try your recipe. I’ve just begun growing rhubarb and got a great crop this year. Do you by chance know how many calories are in a slice of this rhubarb apple bread?
Yum! Most and delicious. I altered the topping by adding butter and oats and it turned out amazing. Thank you!