Cranberry Orange Bread is incredibly moist, dense, and full of orange and cranberry in every bite. It’s even topped with a sweet orange glaze that puts it over the top. We think it’s the best cranberry orange bread around!
It’s taken three years of trial and error to get this cranberry orange bread recipe perfected. Not that I’ve worked on it for three years straight.
Cranberries are only in season from around October through December. You get what I’m saying, though. Three years of recipe testing during cranberry season. This moist cranberry orange bread is sweet, a little tart, and wonderfully dense. It’s the perfect dessert for any holiday dinner table.
Of course we’re also partial to our apple crisp and cherry crisp, too! We’ve even turned this bread recipe into cranberry orange muffins with streusel topping, so it’s ok to enjoy it for breakfast and dessert!
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A Few Things to Know About This Cranberry Orange Bread:
- This is bread, not cake. The texture of the finished bread is not going to feel like a light, fluffy cake. It’s moist and dense. The closest it comes to cake is maybe a pound cake.
- The glaze is optional. The orange glaze is optional, but it does add some sweetness to the finished bread.
- Fresh cranberries work best. The recipe was developed for fresh cranberries, so those are recommended.
- Comments: Our readers have provided some great feedback about their experiences with this bread. It’s all listed in the comment section.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a small bowl, use a spoon to combine the granulated sugar and orange zest. The sugar should turn light orange in color. Set aside.
- Take a third bowl, and whisk together the buttermilk, orange juice, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture and orange sugar to the wet ingredients, and whisk to combine. The batter should be fairly smooth and similar to muffin batter. Don’t overmix or the bread will be tough in texture.
- Fold in the cranberries, and transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
- Place the loaf pan on a baking sheet, and bake for 65 to 75 minutes or until a skewer or knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (See Tips section below for more information.)
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the bread cools, make the orange glaze by combining powdered sugar and orange juice. Add additional orange juice until the desired consistency is reached.
- Drizzle the cooled cranberry orange bread with the glaze, slice, and serve.
Tips and Variations for Cranberry Orange Bread:
- This cranberry orange bread bakes differently depending on elevation, oven type, pan type, etc. I’ve baked this bread at 1,300 feet elevation and at 160 feet elevation, and the results were slightly different. Gas ovens versus electric oven and glass pans versus metal pans will change the outcome slightly. Check out this article for high altitude baking and this article for how to use metal pans versus glass pans to achieve the best outcome.
- This recipe will work in a smaller 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan, but the cook time will need to be adjusted a bit. It will dome a little better in a smaller pan.
- Toss some toasted pecans or walnuts to the batter for some added taste and texture.
- If the bread begins to brown too quickly, make a tent out of aluminum foil and loosely drape it over to the top to prevent over browning.
- Make a vanilla by omitting the orange juice and using milk instead. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla for a different flavor variation.
- Use a microplane to finely zest the orange and bring out all the natural oils. The zest will flavor the sugar beautifully and add a ton of orange flavor.
- Not a fan of canola or vegetable oil? Swap it out with another neutral tasting oil of your choice.
In the bread portion of the recipe, substitute the orange juice for equal parts of buttermilk. Then add 1 to 2 teaspoons of orange extract. For the glaze, use a 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of orange or vanilla extract, depending on taste. Substitute the orange juice with equal parts of milk.
Add half a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup, and add enough milk until it measures 1/2 cup. Stir, and let sit for five to ten minutes before adding to the other ingredients.
Yes, our readers have been successful with this substitution. The dried or frozen cranberries will not float to the top of the bread. We like to add them to a little hot water and allow them to soak for 10 minutes or so. The cranberries plump up a bit and have a tad more volume.
Toss the cranberries in flour before adding them to the batter or chop them into pieces. Both of those work to keep the cranberries from floating to the top of cranberry bread.
Yes! We’ve had readers report good success by swapping out the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 substitute like Bob’s Red Mill Baking Flour, Measure for Measure, or Cup 4 Cup. You’ll want to make sure the other ingredients are also gluten free, too.
Yes, it sure can! Several of our readers have made the recipe into 3 mini loaves and 5 mini loaves depending on the pan size. The bake time varies, of course, so we suggest watching the loaves closely so they don’t overbake.
Storage and Freezing
Room Temperature: Cranberry orange bread can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days. It does begin to get slightly gummy after a couple of days, so be mindful of that. We don’t recommend storing at room temperature if you’ve used dairy in the glaze in place of orange juice.
Refrigerator: This bread stores well in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Freezer: Cranberry orange bread freezes well as a loaf or individual slices. Wrap the cooled loaf or individual slice well in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh for about 2 months.
Thawing and Reheating: To thaw frozen bread, place it in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat the bread by heating it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds or until the desired temperature is reached. This bread is best served slightly warm or at room temperature.
Other Quick Bread recipes you may love:
Cranberry Orange Bread
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Equipment
Ingredients
Bread
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and grease a 9 x 5 – inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- In a separate small bowl, use a spoon to mix the sugar and orange zest until the sugar becomes light orange in color. Set aside.1 cup granulated sugar1 tablespoon orange zest
- Take a third large bowl and whisk the buttermilk, oil, orange juice, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and the orange zest/sugar mixture, and whisk until just combined. Don’t overmix!1/2 cup buttermilk1/2 cup canola oil1/2 cup orange juice2 large eggs1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Next, add the cranberries and use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir until well incorporated.1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
- Transfer the batter to the greased loaf pan. Place in the oven and baked for 65-75 minutes. If the bread begins to brown too quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil loosely over the top to prevent burning.
- The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a very light crumb. Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before transferring from the pan to a cooling rack.
Glaze
- While the bread cools, make the glaze.
- In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar and orange juice.1 cup powdered sugar2-3 tablespoons orange juice
- Whisk or use a hand mixer on low until the glaze is smooth and creamy. Adjust the amount of orange juice to reach desired consistency.
- After the bread cools completely, drizzle the glaze over the top, slice, and serve.
- See post for tips, frequently asked questions, and storage options.
Laura
Sunday 27th of November 2022
This is a very pretty bread. Nice flavor, however, I found this recipe to be too "cranberry forward". If I make this again, I might chop the cranberries or reduce the amount. I added real orange extract to the orange juice/powdered sugar to better cover the taste of the starch in the powdered sugar. (My pet peeve).
Maryanne
Saturday 26th of November 2022
I’ve made this bread so many times, I can’t remember. It is always a favorite of everyone that tastes it. Flavors are right on , love the orange glaze and the texture is perfect . A real keeeper .
John
Sunday 27th of November 2022
Thank you Maryanne! We happy to hear that and appreciate the comment and recipe rating. Have a lovely day :)
Leighann Forbes
Monday 21st of November 2022
This has now become an absolute family tradition after making it for the past 3 years at Thanksgiving time. This is one of our all-time favorite breads! Love the tartness of the cranberries coupled with the sweet of the orange - simply delicious!
John
Tuesday 22nd of November 2022
Thank you Leighann, that means a lot. We appreciate your kind words and the recipe rating. Kim and I hope you and your family have a lovely holiday week :)
Ei
Sunday 20th of November 2022
I love this recipe. Very moist and just the right amount of sweetness. I used frozen cranberries that I defrosted before adding to batter. My cranberries ended up in the top of the loaf. Any suggestions on how to get them blended thru out.
Plsherratt
Tuesday 22nd of November 2022
@Ei, keep the cranberries frozen...then toss in flour.
Kimberly
Sunday 20th of November 2022
Hi Ei!
We're happy to hear to that you love the recipe! Next time, cut the cranberries in half and see if that helps. Tossing them in flour may do the trick, too! Have a fantastic week! :)
Ali
Friday 18th of November 2022
THANK YOU for listing ingredient amounts under the instruction steps. Genius!!! Can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving!
Kimberly
Friday 18th of November 2022
Hi, Ali! We're glad the ingredient amounts listed under the instruction steps is helpful. We hope you enjoy the bread. Happy Thanksgiving! :)