The Best Cranberry Orange Bread
on Nov 21, 2017, Updated Jun 30, 2024
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The Best Cranberry Orange Bread is sweet, gorgeous, and perfect for giving as a gift! Made with tangy orange zest, melted butter, and fresh cranberries – it is the perfect winter treat.
There’s something magical about the bright little pops of tart cranberry mixed in with all that sweet bread that makes Cranberry Orange Bread special. Adding a little orange glaze to the mix really puts this bread over the top.
Whether you are giving it as a gift or serving it at breakfast, it pairs well with Banana Bread. You could also make a Crustless Quiche or a Bacon and Cheese Egg Bake, some Sweet Potato Hash, cut up some fruit and you have a sweet little brunch.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Super easy to make with simple ingredients
- Makes a wonderful Christmas gift.
- It’s delicious in the morning with a cup of tea or coffee.
Recipe Ingredients
- Sugar
- Oranges: Used for zest and juice.
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Buttermilk: You can use store bought or make a buttermilk substitute.
- Butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Cranberries
- Powdered sugar: For making the glaze.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread
Step #1. Put the sugar and orange zest in a bowl and mix together until the sugar turns a bit orange and is fragrant. Then add the dry ingredients.
Step #2. In a separate bowl, put all of the wet ingredients and whisk to combine well. Then combine the wet and dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.
Step #3. Add the cranberries and gently fold them in.
Step #4. Pour the batter into a greased pan and bake at 350F until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Recipe FAQs
I used this tea loaf pan to make the bread pictured here but I have also made it in a traditional bread loaf pan, as muffins, and in mini loaf pans. The pan you use will change your baking time so be sure to check the recipe notes.
Yes. You can use frozen cranberries instead of fresh cranberries – let them thaw for about 10 minutes while you’re mixing up the bread and then they will be thawed enough that you can chop them.
Dried cranberries would work in this recipes but they are usually sweetened so I wouldn’t recommend it because the finished product will be overly sweet. If you can find unsweetened dried cranberries, that would work the best.
Yes! It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure that the bread is fully cool before wrapping it in plastic wrap and then putting it in an airtight container or freezer zip-top bag.
Expert Tips
- Mixing the orange zest with the sugar before you add anything is the secret of this bread. The sugar pulls the oils out of the zest and you are making orange-infused sugar which really makes the orange flavor carry throughout the bread.
- While baking, if the top is starting to brown too quickly, cover the bread with foil for the 10 minutes or so of baking.
- Plan on buying a few extra cranberries for your cranberry sauce recipe for Thanksgiving. When they are hanging out in the fridge after the holiday, you’ll be all set to make this bread.
- Feel free to double this recipe; it works great and makes it easier to give a loaf away or freeze it for later.
- If you freeze this bread, you can make and add the glaze after it thaws.
How long do I bake Cranberry Orange Bread based on pan size?
- Bake in a 9×5 inch loaf pan at 350F for about 70 minutes (1 hour and 10 minutes).
- Bake in a tea loaf pan at 350F for around 50 minutes.
- Bake 12 muffins in a standard size muffin pan at 350F for 18-20 minutes.
- Bake mini loaf pans at 350F for 30-35 minutes (depending on the size of your pan).
Video on Making Cranberry Orange Bread
More Quick Bread Recipes to Consider
Breakfast Recipes
Homemade Biscuits and Gravy
From Scratch Recipes
Overnight Sourdough Muffins
Homemade Bread
Pineapple Zucchini Bread Recipe
From Scratch Recipes
The Best Banana Bread Recipe
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Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- zest of 1 large orange
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, (here's how to make your own buttermilk)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
For the orange glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×5 bread pan or a tea loaf pan well.
- In a large bowl, add the granulated sugar and the orange zest. Stir the mixture together until the sugar starts to turn a bit orange and is fragrant. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder to the sugar mixture and whisk to combine well.
- In a separate bowl add the buttermilk, butter, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine well.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the cranberries and then place the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean about 1 hour and 10 minutes for a traditional 9×5 bread loaf pan (and about 50 minutes for the tea loaf pictured). If the top starts to brown too quickly, you might want to cover the bread with foil for the last 10 or so minutes of baking.
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes before removing the bread from the pan. Run a knife along the edges of the pan before you turn it upside down to remove it from the pan.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the warm bread and then slice to serve.
Video
Notes
- This recipe doubles well if you want to make 2 loaves.
- Bake in a 9×5 inch loaf pan at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour and 10 minutes (70 minutes)
- Bake in a tea loaf pan at 350 degree F for around 50 minutes.
- Bake 12 muffins in a standard size muffin tin at 350 degrees F for 18-20 minutes.
- Bake mini loaf pans at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes (depending on the size of your pan).
- If you would rather use frozen cranberries in this recipe, let them thaw while you’re making the batter (about 10 minutes). Then chop the cranberries and add them to the batter.
- This bread freezes great. Just cool fully, wrap up well, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe lists prep time as 10 minutes??? Is that after preparing the ingredients … zesting the orange, making the buttermilk, melting the butter, beating the eggs, juicing the orange, and chopping the cranberries??? (I used craisins … simmered for a couple of minutes to plump them … did not chop … worked great.) I’ve recently gifted this bread twice … rave reviews and requests for the recipe. … will definitely be making it again and again. Thank you!
I updated the time to 20 minutes, does that feel more accurate for your experience?
Hi! I LOVE this recipe and have made it for Christmas the past few years. Last year, I was gifted a Christmas bundt pan. Could this recipe work for that size pan?
It should work great!
Can I use dried cranberries?
Yep, it’ll be a little different but they’ll work!
This has always been my go to cranberry orange bread which never fails with compliments. I love infusing the sugar with the grated orange zest which is great since the zest is evenly through the batter!!
Just another greatbless this mess please recipe
Just made this for Thanksgiving tomorrow and it’s very good. The only change I made was omitting the sweet glaze. I have the same King Arthur pan and followed the directions to the letter. The texture of my loaf is more like a poundcake than a quick bread and my cranberries rose to the top😕I’m an experience baker so wondering why my loaf differs from the recipe. The taste is rich and delicious!
I made 4 mini loaves with the recipe. My daughter who is a teacher wanted something to slice up for her morning break. I didn’t have an orange so used 3 clementines. I always have frozen cranberries and I made the buttermilk by adding lemon juice to regular milk. Because the cranberries were frozen I tossed then in a little flour and sugar to stop them sinking. I’m also going to have a go at using blueberries and lemon zest and juice as a different flavour.
What can I substitute the buttermilk with?
There’s lots you can do instead of buttermilk or you can make your own! Here’s a whole article I wrote about buttermilk and what you can substitute for buttermilk.
I finally baked this recipe this morning…delicious! I baked three small loaves, one so I could taste it and the other two to share.
I made this bread when my daughter was home for Thanksgiving and it was delicious! I am making it again now for a get together with friends. Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe
Easy recipe to follow and glad I watched the video before I made this. So delicious, even my fussiest eater enjoyed it. Made several mini loaves for Christmas gifts for neighbors, and shared recipe on FB.