My favorite bread of the holiday season is this Cranberry Orange Bread recipe bursting with fresh cranberries and orange. It's sweet, tangy, and topped with a delicious orange glaze.
Cranberry Orange Bread: My Holiday Obsession
Cranberry Orange Bread: My Holiday ObsessionThere isn't a year that goes by without making fresh Cranberry Orange Bread, especially because this recipe makes 2 loaves, perfect for gifting to a neighbor (or freezing for another day).
And if you love the cranberry and orange combo you should definitely check out my Cranberry Orange Muffins and Cranberry Orange Scones, too. Or, some of my other quick bread recipes, like Carrot Cake Loaf, Lemon Poppy Seed Bread, or Banana Bread.
How to make Cranberry Orange Bread:
Combine: Stir sugar and orange zest together then mix in flour, salt, and baking powder. In another bowl, mix buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla. Slowly pour the wet ingredients in the flour mixture, mixing until combined. Slice each cranberry in half and gently fold into the batter.
Bake: Pour batter into loaf pans and bake at 350°F for 60-75 minutes. For mini loaves, adjust baking time to 35-45 minutes. Drizzle glaze over cooled bread.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Store leftovers cranberry orange bread wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
To Freeze: Let the cranberry bread cool completely then transfer to a freezer safe bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Holiday Recipes:
- Hot Cocoa Cookies
- Turtle Cookies
- Orange Olive Oil Cake
- Peppermint Sandwich Cookies
- Cranberry Fluff Salad
- Gingerbread Cake
- Peppermint Brownies
- Pepper Jelly
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Recipe
Cranberry Orange Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- orange zest , from 2 large oranges
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
- 4 large eggs slightly beaten
- 2 Tablespoons orange juice , fresh
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh cranberries halved
Orange Glaze (optional):
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray two 9×5 loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
- Dry ingredients: In a large bowl add sugar and orange zest and stir well to combine. Add flour, salt, and baking powder and stir. Set aside.
- Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla.
- Combine: Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. Fold in the halved cranberries. Pour batter into prepared pans.
- 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.
- Cool: 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.
- 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. 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.
I originally shared this recipe November 2015. Updated November 2019, November 2023 and November 2024.
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Excellent recipe, but I had the same problem as another reviewer: all of the cranberries floated to the top. Is there a reason they did this and/or a way to prevent that in the future? (I folded the berries into the batter before baking, yet they still rose to the top.) Thank you!
Cranberries float because they have air pockets inside that make them less dense than the batter. Even halving them doesn’t eliminate all the air. Toss cranberries in 1-2 Tbsp flour before folding in—this helps weigh them down or you can chop smaller (quick pulse in food processor) to reduce air pockets The flour coating trick works best! Still tastes great either way though.
I made the two loafs that the recipe said it made. Elieve it or not my breads were both the same size, they were done in 75 minutes like it said. I used your tip to sprinkle the cranberries in flour to keep them from plunging to the bottom of the bread and they were actually all at the top of my bread. I am so proud of myself!!!! I followed the instructions and everyone who ate it wanted the recipe! Thank you for your delicious recipe! You made me look like a rock star baker! Thank you sooo much. Cheryl
ONE BIG thing with this is that cranberries float to the top and there are none inside the slices. I cut them in half but there are still too many air pockets in those little berries. SO either chop them up in a food processor OR don’t put berries in batter, layer batter then berries, then batter, etc. The taste is good but definitely needs to get those berries blended!
We made these the other day, and I decided to try a Bundt cake, and some muffins. The muffins turned out splendid, the Bundt cake stuck a lot in spite of greasing the pan well. Still delicious and will make again.
Can use this recipe and make muffins instead? I made the bread and it turned out great. I’m just looking to make muffins now.
We love those too so much Lauren made a post just for them. Find it here
This was SO GOOD. Very moist. If you like cranberry orange bread, make this!! I made it without the glaze and it turned out just fine.
Would I freeze with or without the glaze ?
It’s best to freeze it without the glaze. The glaze can become sticky or absorb into the bread when thawed, which changes the texture.
Instead, freeze the cooled loaves plain, and add the fresh glaze after thawing—just before serving—for the best flavor and presentation.