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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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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.
Love, love, love this recipe!!!! I have made and shared with family and friends.
I have to say after the reviews I read I am really disappointed with how it turned out. I bake a lot, but my loaves hardly had any orange flavor to it, and I even added extra zest and juice to it. I am going to add the glaze on (which I originally had not planned on doing) to see if that will help. The texture is fantastic, and the tart cranberries are pleasant, but instead of there being an orange flavor I get this odd aftertaste. Maybe my oranges are more on the tart than sweet side and can’t be distinguished between the cranberries? Do you squeeze the juice you need from the oranges you zest, or do you use orange juice with a more potent flavor? I think it would be valuable to mention that unless your oranges taste fantastic, it would be better to use storebought juice.
I had to add one more cup of flour and 1 to 2 teaspoons of baking soda to get the bread to rise. Came out perfect. Delicious
My family’s “traditional” cranberry orange bread recipe uses frozen condensed orange juice and canned cranberries. I wanted to try something a little more fresh, plus I had a LOT of citrus fruit this year. This is the most delicious thing I’ve ever baked. Please tell me you have a recipe for banana nut bread, too!
Very moist and easy to make. Nice crumb. It tasted very sweet so I’d reduce the sugar by 1/3-1/2 and use at least 3C cranberries if I made it again.
Loved the finish product and got a lot of positive feedback!!
I doubled this recupe and then I realized it makes two loaves to begin with. Oops. Presents for the neighbors!
I just made a half batch to test this before making it for Christmas. I made it gluten and dairy free and it turned out amazing. I also used frozen cranberries. My family devoured it! Awesome recipe!
Hi Lynn,
I just saw your comment on making this bread gluten and dairy free. Could you tell me what replacement ingredients you used.
Would love to make this for a friend who is vegan.
Thank you!
Thank you tossed cranberries in part flour (couple of TBLS)
helps. Also tried dried cranberries and soaking them in Grand Marnier and drained the excess liquid before tossing them in flour also worked well. But the fresh cranberries are the best
I made two batches of mini loaves (six in a batch), baked in porcelain, mini bread pans to include as holiday gifts. Everyone LOVED them—so much that I think this may become a Christmas tradition to give friends and neighbors. I think a light dusting of flour on the cranberries before golfing them may help distribute them more evenly in the loaf. A five star yummy!