Cranberry Orange Bread

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A combination of sweet oranges and tart cranberries make the perfect flavor in this Cranberry Orange Bread. Use fresh orange juice and zest for the sweet orange glaze. 

Tart cranberries and sweet oranges just go together, right? Cranberry orange muffinspunchJello and cranberry sauce…there are so many options for this flavor combination and today we’re adding one more.

If you’re looking for a breakfast bread to serve during the holiday season, this Cranberry Orange Bread recipe is for you. It’s sweet and bursting with orange flavor, but also has a touch tart from the cranberries. The bright berries give the bread a festive look. It’s beautiful for Christmas morning and even for giving as a hostess gift.

a loaf of cranberry orange bread on a plate

Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

In our area, we can only find fresh whole cranberries during the holiday season. Other times of the year we have to buy frozen cranberries. And actually, fresh cranberries freeze really well, so I stock up on them during cranberry season.

If you use fresh cranberries, wash them, toss them with flour, then add them to the batter and fold them in gently.

I’ve not tried this specific recipe with dried cranberries, but if you have some to use up, try our pecan cranberry loaf

Ingredients

ingredients for cranberry orange bread on a table

A few notes about the ingredients:

  • Fresh oranges. This orange cranberry bread is best if you use fresh oranges. You’ll squeeze out the fresh juice, but also use fresh orange zest (grated orange peel) for sweet orange flavor in both the bread and the glaze. 
  • Oil. Canola or vegetable oil works well. For a hint of coconut, try melted coconut oil. It’s delicious in easy quick breads!
  • Vanilla extract. This adds a warm familiar flavor. You could use another flavor extract if you’d like, such as rum extract.

How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread

To prepare, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8 1/2″x 4 1/2″ non-stick bread pan with cooking spray. For the easiest removal, line the baking pan with parchment paper. Buy my favorite loaf pan.

I’ve also baked this cranberry orange loaf in a 9×5″ loaf pan. Different sizes work, but it may change the baking time by a few minutes, so check the bread to ensure it is done.

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In another large bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk, orange juice, zest, oil, eggs and vanilla.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
quick bread batter in a glass bowl with a spatula
  1. In a small bowl, toss the frozen cranberries with a tablespoon of flour to coat. Gently fold the cranberries into the batter.
floured cranberries in a bowl with a spatula
  1. Pour the bread batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the bread is getting too brown on top, cover loosely with aluminum foil while it finishes baking.
a loaf of cranberry orange bread in a pan
  1. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.

Orange Glaze for Sweet Bread

Powdered sugar glaze is simple to make for any easy quick bread recipe. 

For this bread, whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar, freshly squeezed orange juice and the zest of an orange. Add a touch of vanilla, then use a whisk until the glaze is smooth.

For the smoothest results, run the powdered sugar through a sifter first to get any lumps out.

a slice of cranberry orange bread on a plate with a fork

Storage Instructions

  • This orange-glazed cranberry bread is best served at room temperature
  • Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 48 hours.
  • Refrigerate the loaf for up to 4 days.
  • This bread freezes well, but is best if you freeze it without the glaze. Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.
  • To thaw, let the bread sit in the packaging at room temperature. Unwrap and serve when it is fully thawed.
a sliced loaf of cranberry orange bread with glaze
a sliced loaf of cranberry orange bread with glaze

Cranberry Orange Bread

4.67 from 269 votes
A combination of sweet oranges and tart cranberries make the perfect flavor in this Cranberry Orange Bread. Use freshly squeezed orange juice and zest for the glaze. 
Servings 10
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

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Ingredients
 

For the Bread:

For the Glaze:

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8 1/2″x 4 1/2″ non-stick bread pan with cooking spray. For the easiest removal, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In another large bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk, orange juice, zest, oil, eggs and vanilla.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not over mix.
  • In a small bowl, toss the frozen cranberries with a tablespoon of flour to coat. Gently fold the cranberries into the batter.
  • Pour the bread batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes. The top of the loaf will be golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  • Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, orange juice and zest, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Mix until it is smooth. Once the bread is cool, spread the glaze on top of the bread.

Video

Notes

See the recipe article for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the bread being cut into 10 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of bread. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 84IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 306
Keyword cranberry bread, cranberry orange, orange bread, quick bread recipe

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About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Sarah L
4 years ago

5 stars
I made this using fresh cranberries, and it was wonderful! I cut 1 cup of the cranberries in half and left the other half whole, and it turned out nicely. I also substituted almond milk and it was still great. After reading some comments, I also wrapped my loaf in saran wrap shortly after taking it out of the oven to retain the moisture, and I feel like that really helped it. It is also a lot better without the frosting!

I will definitely be saving this recipe! 10/10 would recommend making this.

Sherry Scott
5 years ago

5 stars
Used frozen huckleberries in place of cranberries! AMAZING!

mrs.dowler
1 year ago

5 stars
my only change was using melted butter in place of the oil, simply because the oil i have on hand is pretty cheap and tends to have a weird fishy taste?? anyways, the butter substitution still worked out fabulously. i would like to try this with dried cranberries next time!

does anyone have any suggestions on how long to cook these in muffin form? i was thinking about just eyeballing it but would love to know if anyone has already done this!

ALY
3 years ago

5 stars
I added about 2 tab. of sugar in with the cranberries and coarse chopped them in the food processor. I don’t like biting into large berries. Then stirred into the batter and made 12 muffins. Baked for 22 minutes until the edges were browned.
These were excellent and full of cranberry and orange flavor and they rose nicely.

Nell
2 years ago

5 stars
This bread is absolutely delicious. I bake it into mini loaves to give as Christmas gifts every year. Don’t make more work for yourself; the cranberries DO NOT need to be chopped!! they literally burst open in the bread and are DELICIOUS!!! I did not alter the recipe, I only tripled it to make 24 mini loaves.

Dalrene Thahir
3 years ago

Instead of Oil & Milk, I used melted butter and plain yogurt. Turned out good.

patricia Capozza
4 years ago

My bread fell in the middle. What happened? I used frozen cranberries

Karla
4 years ago

5 stars
If I could give this recipe a star rating of 50 , I would ! We love it and my husband requests it at least three times a month ! It is just delicious in every way!

So on a scale of 1-10 – we’re giving it a “50”

Val
4 years ago

5 stars
I made this. Although it called for reg milk, I used buttermilk. I also chopped the cranberries in my food processor. I did not have oranges on hand, but had small clementines. This bread was beautiful and literally melted in your mouth. I will definitely be making this again and again!!

Thank you for this recipe!

Shayna
4 years ago

Can you use dried cranberries instead?

Tobin Cynthia
4 years ago

5 stars
Very good. I put a teaspoon of sugar and mix my orange zest in before adding to batter.

Colette
3 years ago

Hi Julie, I am a private chef and I cook for 12 people 3 times a week. I made this bread and everyone in my office raved and raved about it. Thank you so much for posting such an incredible recipe.

Bryan
4 years ago

5 stars
Made the bread for my wife and her family. It was excellent..I added chopped walnuts. Delish…

Glenda Kelly
4 years ago

I wonder why my brad took longer to cook. I know my oven is slow but it took 1/12 hrs.
I haven’t cut it yet. Hope it isn’t dry. Smells great.

Kay Loewen
4 years ago

I need this recipe but can’t see a print off sign. Please recipe to