Cranberry Orange Bread made with fresh cranberries and a sweet orange glaze is one of our families favorite. It’s a tradition to make this easy recipe each holiday season.
I love sweet bread’s, especially when I can use fresh produce to make them like this Lemon Blueberry Bread, Lemon Zucchini Bread, and Easy Banana Bread.
I also love making holiday sweet breads for neighbors and friends. I always make a dozen mini loaves of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread in October, and I love to give this Cranberry Orange Bread around Thanksgiving and Christmas and Lemon Almond Bread all year long! And if you’re in a holiday breakfast kind of mood, don’t miss my Gingerbread Waffles!
The cranberry/orange combination is the perfect blend of sweet and tangy, and the glaze takes it over the top. It’s beautiful and completely delicious!
Easy Cranberry Bread in 6 steps:
1. Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl add sugar and orange zest and stir well to combine. Add flour, salt, and baking powder and stir.
2. Combine wet ingredients: In a separate bowl combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.
3. Fold in cranberries. Cut the fresh cranberries in half and fold them into the batter.
4. Add to bread pan. Spray two 9×5 loaf pans with cooking spray and pour batter into pan(s).
5. Bake. For regular loaf pans, bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For mini loaves, bake for 35-45 minutes. If your loaf starts to get too brown during cooking, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top to finish baking.
6. Cool and top with glaze. While the bread is cooling, make the orange glaze. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the bread. Cut and serve.
Storing and freezing cranberry orange bread:
To store: Wrap the fresh cranberry bread in plastic wrap and store it for 2-3 days at room temperature.
To freeze: This cranberry bread freezes beautifully. Allow it to cool completely and place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Consider trying these holiday recipes:
- Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake
- Rocky Road Fudge
- Caramel and Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
- Peppermint Candy Cane Brownies
- Brownie Truffles
- Christmas Cornflake Wreaths
- Homemade Caramels
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Recipe
Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- Zest of 2 large oranges
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
- 4 large eggs slightly beaten
- 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh cranberries halved
For the orange glaze: (Optional)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray two 9x5 loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl add sugar and orange zest and stir well to combine. Add flour, salt, and baking powder and stir. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. Fold in the halved cranberries. Pour batter into prepared pans.
- For regular loaf pans, bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For mini loaves, bake for 35-45 minutes. If your loaf starts to get too brown during cooking, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top to finish baking.
- Remove from oven and set on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides of the bread with a knife. Carefully remove loaf from pan. Let cool completely on wire rack.
- While the bread is cooling, make the orange glaze. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the bread. Cut and serve. Wrap bread well and store for 2-3 days at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
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Recipe adapted from Two Peas and their Pod.
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe November 2015. Updated November 2019.
can you make this into muffins instead?
Yes! That would be delicious!
I don’t often leave recipe reviews but wanted to say thanks for this one! It tastes just like Kneader’s cranberry orange bread and is an absolutely delicous sweet and tart combination. My family loved it and it was gone within 2 days 😀. Next time we’ll have to share with neighbors so we aren’t tempted
FIRST TIME I HAVE MADE THIS RECIPE. IWANTED TO USE DRIED CRANBERRIES. MY STORE WAS OUT. I FOUND SALAD TOPPINGS OF CRANBERRIES WITH PECANS. i SEPERATED THE PECANS FROM THE CRANBERRIES. i ANDDED THE CRANBERRIES TO WARM WATER TO PLUMP THEM UP SO THE WERE NOT HARD. DISCARD WATER. ADDED BOTH NUTS AND CRANBERRIES TO BATTER AND BAKED. I BAKED MY BREAD IN MINI LOAF PANS THAT ARE THROW AWAY AND BREAD CAN STAY IN PAN FOR DELIVERING. MADE 6 SMALL LOAFS. THEY WERE GREAT. THANKS SO MUCH.
Hello I made the recipe and it came out absolutely fantastic, only thing is, the bottom was a little over cooked. I put the racks of the oven higher above the heat and even placed the pans on a cookie sheet and still the bottom came out dark.
Is there something else I could do?
I have made this bread three times this month for the holidays. Everyone loves it and I know I will be making it year after year! It’s easy to make and tastes so good. It’s also very pretty when put on a serving tray. Thank you!