Best Orange Cranberry Bread

Name: Best Orange Cranberry Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 120 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon orange zest; ½ cup buttermilk; ½ cup canola oil (or other neutral tasting oil); ½ cup orange juice; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries; 1 cup powdered sugar; 2 to 3 tablespoons orange juice

By:Kimberly Vargo Last updated on:November 13, 2025

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Our orange cranberry bread recipe has real cranberries, orange zest, and a simple glaze for a moist, flavorful loaf. It’s perfect for breakfast or gift giving.

You may also love my banana bread and pumpkin bread recipes.

Baked and sliced loaf of orange cranberry bread drizzled with orange glaze.

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This orange cranberry bread always disappears fast at our house. It’s full of fresh cranberries, a bright orange flavor, and a sweet glaze that soaks into every bite.

This bread uses simple pantry staples and comes together fast. If you love quick bread recipes like cinnamon bread, this one fits right in for the fall season and holiday baking.

How to Make Orange Cranberry Bread

Here’s an overview explaining how I make this bread recipe. The full list of ingredients and instructions is further down the page.

Start by whisking the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a medium bowl. In a separate small bowl, stir the sugar and orange zest together until it looks light orange in color.

Top down view of flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

Top down view or orange sugar in a bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil, orange juice, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and orange sugar to the wet ingredients, mixing just until the batter comes together. Make sure not to overmix.

Top down view of buttermilk, oil, and eggs in a bowl.

Top down view of flour and orange sugar on top of egg mixture.

Next, fold in the cranberries. You can toss them in a little flour or cut them in half if you want to keep them from floating to the top of the loaf.

Transfer the batter to a greased 9×5-inch pan and bake at 350°F until the center tests clean with a toothpick. If the top browns too quickly, tent it loosely with foil.

Top down view of bread batter with fresh cranberries.

Top down view of unbaked bread batter in a pan.

Cool the loaf in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then move it to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

Orange Cranberry Bread Tips and Notes

This is a dense, moist quick bread. It’s not a fluffy cake.
I recommend using a microplane to create a super fine orange zest that blends easily into the sugar.
Use the correct pan size; a smaller loaf may rise a bit higher, but it may also cause the batter to overflow.
If your oven runs hot, cover the pan loosely with foil so the loaf doesn’t brown too fast.
Make sure the bread cools completely before adding the glaze.
Use parchment paper for easy cleanup.

Stack of quick cranberry orange bread with fresh cranberries.

Variations

Add nuts! Pecans or walnuts add extra texture and pair well with the citrus flavor.
Make mini loaves! Readers have made this into 3–5 mini loaves. You’ll need to shorten the bake time and watch closely for doneness.
Make it gluten-free. A 1:1 gluten-free blend like Cup4Cup or Measure for Measure works well.
Out of buttermilk? Mix regular milk with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for 5–10 minutes instead.
Swap the oil. Any neutral tasting oil works if you don’t want to use canola or vegetable oil.
Baking info: This bread bakes differently depending on elevation, oven type, pan type, etc. Check out this article for high altitude baking or this article for metal pans vs glass pans to achieve the best outcome!

Can I use dried or frozen cranberries?

Yes! If using dried, soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes so they soften up. Frozen cranberries can be added right into the batter. No need to thaw them!

Orange cranberry bread 4 best orange cranberry bread

How do I keep the cranberries from floating to the top?

Toss them in a spoonful of flour before folding them into the batter, or chop them slightly. Either method helps keep them evenly distributed.

How to Store Leftovers

Room Temperature:

Keep the loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days. It will continue to soften as it sits because of the moisture in the cranberries. If you’ve used milk in the glaze, you’ll need to refrigerate the bread.

Refrigerator:

Store in the refrigerator for 4–5 days in a sealed container.

Freezer:

For longer storage, wrap the whole loaf or the slices tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Freeze the bread without the glaze when possible, then add it after thawing.

Thawing and Reheating:

Thaw the bread in the refrigerator overnight. Warm individual slices in the microwave for 10–15 seconds if you prefer them slightly warm.

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