This post may include affiliate links; for details, see our disclosure policy.
These quick bread and sweet bread recipes will make everyone come running! Try zucchini, pumpkin, apple, banana bread and more.
Looking for a baking project that’s fast, easy, and high return on investment? Think quick breads! A quick bread is any bread made without yeast, usually relying on baking powder or baking soda to help them rise. Many of these types of breads are popular sweet breads like banana bread, pumpkin bread, and zucchini bread. But of course, there are many more variations to try!
Here’s a collection of our top quick bread and sweet bread recipes: you can make most of them in under 30 minutes of hands on time, and they bake up in just 1 hour! Let us know your favorites in this list below.
And now…our top quick bread & sweet bread recipes!
Here’s a fun quick sweet bread to make any time of the year: try this Apple Bread recipe! It’s got a moist, tender crumb, and is bursting with tangy fruit, warm spices, and a brown sugar cinnamon swirl. It’s a total crowd pleaser! Everyone loves this spiced bread, and it makes the kitchen smell incredible.
Banana bread is a kitchen staple, and we’re confident this one needs to make its way into your recipe rotation. This easy banana bread recipe uses just one bowl and common pantry ingredients to make the very best loaf. It bakes up golden, moist, perfectly sweet and scented with a hint of cinnamon. There’s no need for secret ingredients: just ripe bananas and 15 minutes.
Here’s a bright, zingy quick bread that will make friends and family come running: this Lemon Blueberry Bread! This one is beautifully moist and lemon-scented, thanks to a secret ingredient. Drizzle it with a cream cheese glaze, which makes a festive look and another pop of sweet to each bite.
There’s zucchini bread for the summer and pumpkin bread for the fall…but here’s a cozy quick bread that works for anytime. This spiced and iced Applesauce Bread recipe! This one is perfectly spiced with cinnamon, allspice and cloves, and studded with oats. It’s so tasty and perfect for special occasions! Take it over the top with an easy icing drizzle.
This nostalgic sweet bread recipe is a total classic: sweet, moist, and scented with cinnamon and brown sugar. What could be more comforting, cut into a thick slice and slathered with salted butter? Here’s our favorite base recipe for this popular quick bread.
Here’s a fun sweet bread that’s nearly impossible for anyone to resist: Strawberry Bread! This sweet quick bread is sweet and moist, studded with ripe red berries and scented with vanilla. Each bite will have you coming back for more! It’s fantastic as is, but drizzle it with a quick lemon icing to finish with a pop of zingy sweet.
A good pumpkin bread recipe is an essential quick bread. The scent of this one wafting through your kitchen transports you to an autumn paradise, and the loaf falls just so into deliciously cozy-spiced slices. It’s tender and moist, but not too fluffy or too dense. The best part? It’s simple to whip up: one bowl, no special equipment; just dump and stir!
If there are two fruits that go hand in hand, it’s tart blueberries and fruity sweet banana. They meet in perfect harmony in this Blueberry Banana Bread recipe! Any kind of banana bread always hits the spot, but this one is a favorite around here. It’s moist, sweet, and punctuated by bursts of tangy purple berries. This quick bread is the ideal use for those brown bananas sitting on your counter.
There are tasty recipes and then there are family favorites, and this one will make you a legend in your circles: Chocolate Zucchini Bread! It’s beautifully moist, dark chocolaty and sprinkled with a generous helping of chips, making pools of melty chocolate if it’s warm and satisfying chunks when it’s cooled. We’re picky when it comes to chocolate breads and this one is truly sublime.
When the season rolls around, it’s all we can do to hold ourselves back from making all the rhubarb recipes: pies, muffins, and more. This irresistible Rhubarb Streusel Bread is light and fluffy, made with buttermilk to make an impossibly tender crumb. It’s flecked with just the right amount of sweet tart rhubarb, then sprinkled with a crunchy streusel topping.
Here’s a surprise favorite in our house when it comes to quick bread recipes: Lemon Zucchini Bread! We’ll make this instead of classic zucchini bread every time. This loaf is incredibly moist, super zingy from the lemon zest and topped with a flavor-popping sweet glaze. Cut it into thick slices and it’s extremely irresistible.
What’s better than pumpkin bread? Pumpkin banana bread. We’re all about simplicity, so adding another ingredient to pumpkin bread is not our usual our style. But! The ripe banana makes this fall bread incredibly moist, with a nuance in sweetness that makes it impossible not to take another bite.
Here’s a quick bread that’s begging to be part of your fall baking repertoire: Sweet Potato Bread! This alterative to pumpkin bread is even more fun than the classic, we think. Why? It’s incredibly moist and sweetly spiced, with cinnamon and a beautiful nuance from the sweet potato. This recipe makes a tall, fluffy loaf that looks and tastes impressive.
Got ripe bananas ripening on the counter? Here’s a decadent way to use them: this Chocolate Chip Banana Bread! This sweet bread recipe takes the standard up a notch by using browned butter, infusing a rich, nutty flavor into the entire loaf. It’s perfectly moist, studded with semi-sweet bits of chocolate and scented with just the right hint of cinnamon.
What’s tastier than a good Cranberry Orange Bread? This cozy quick bread has everything going for it: it’s moist and citrusy, studded with orange zest and pops of tangy berries. It’s simple and sweet, drizzled with a tasty sweet orange glaze. Every time we make this, it goes over incredibly well!
Here's another winning sweet bread recipe: Chocolate Banana Bread! It's a sweet, moist, dark chocolatey bread that really should be consumed as a dessert! Add even more chocolaty flavor by folding chocolate chips into the batter.
This quick bread recipe is so moist, so cozy spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, you’ll hardly notice that’s made purely of oats…no flour at all. If you're looking for a treat that's not too decadent, try this one: It's full of heart-healthy oats and tastes incredible!
There are so many ways to make a good banana bread, but this one has stolen our hearts. Try this Sour Cream Banana Bread recipe! Adding a bit of this rich, creamy dairy product makes a lusciously moist, tender texture to this popular sweet bread. It’s great for using up the bottom of a sour cream container, or adding a lift to the loaf you’ve got planned for those bananas browning on your counter.
Got zucchini? Here’s a tasty, simple sweet bread recipe to use up this abundant green vegetable: chocolate chip zucchini bread! The loaf is soft and moist, with just the right cinnamon spiced sweetness. The best part is a generous sprinkling of chocolate chips so you get one in every bite!
What’s better: banana bread or zucchini bread? Now you don’t have to choose! Make this banana zucchini bread, the perfect mashup of everyone’s favorite loaves. It’s ultra moist and fluffy, with just the right fruity banana-meets-cinnamon flavor. Use up those past-ripe bananas on your counter right along with that seasonal green veggie.
20 Quick Sweet Bread Recipes
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
This apple bread recipe is cozy and sweet, with a tender crumb and brown sugar cinnamon swirl. A great baking project for apple season!
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
- 2 cups sweet tart apples, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 pound)
- 2 cups [280 g] all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup buttermilk*
- 5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup neutral oil (grapeseed, canola, or vegetable oil)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Mix the brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a small bowl and reserve it.
- Peel and chop the apples into 1/4-inch pieces. Butter a 9 x 5-inch aluminum loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Make a well in the center.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, buttermilk, melted butter, neutral oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients from the batter into the well in the dry ingredients. Mix gently until just combined and there are no longer streaks of flour.
- Add the apples and fold them in with a spatula, taking care not to overwork the batter.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with ½ of the brown sugar mixture. Add the remaining batter on top and sprinkle the remaining brown sugar mixture on top. Insert a butter knife into the batter and draw a few S shapes through the pan to swirl.
- Place the pan in the oven. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs, rotating the pan halfway through baking, about 55 to 65 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edge and invert the loaf onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool fully to room temperature (about 1 hour) before slicing into pieces. This bread is best the day it’s made, but you can store refrigerated for up to 1 week: make sure to bring to room temperature before enjoying. Alternatively, store frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
*Buttermilk is the magic ingredient which makes the most consistent texture and rise! Don’t be tempted to leave it out or use a buttermilk substitute. It’s worth it (we promise).
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Quick Bread
- Diet: Vegetarian