Cranberry Orange Bread

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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Cranberry Orange Bread

Cranberry orange bread made with fresh cranberries and a sweet orange glaze.  This is one of our families favorite traditions during the holidays.

5 from 12 votes

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Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 2 regular loaves

Calories: 2252kcal

Author: Lauren Allen

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

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 ziplock or container.  Freeze for up to 3 months.  Thaw at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 24g | Calories: 2252kcal | Carbohydrates: 461g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 442mg | Sodium: 1526mg | Potassium: 1157mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 304g | Vitamin A: 1037IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 480mg | Iron: 11mg

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Recipe adapted from Two Peas and their Pod.

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I originally shared this recipe November 2015. Updated November 2019.