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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 this recipe, and so do my friends and family. Thanks for sharing. I toss in a couple handfuls of dried cranberries with the fresh, and another couple of handfuls of walnuts. I cut the sugar by 1\2 cup since the dried berries are sweet. You can also substitute eggnog for the buttermilk, but add about a tablespoon of Apple cider vinegar and let it sit for at least 1\2 hour before using in the recipe. Enjoy!!
I’ve made twice, LOVE IT, as do my neighbors ❤️ A little labor intensive BUT absolutely worth it!
I made this recipe last night. Turn out beautifully. Although I lightly tossed the cranberries with flour, before adding to mixture they still rose to the top. Not sure how to prevent.
I have this recipie twice, very easy and absolutely delicious, highly recommend!!!!!
This is, by far, the absolutely most delicious cranberry orange bread i have ever had! This recipe is perfection, and although it needs NO changes, as always, I did make just 2. I doubled the zest in the bread, and I doubled the vanilla. This recipe is MOIST, but not falling apart. The tart cranberries combined with the sweetness of the orange and the vanilla is a match made in heaven. After cooling my loaves I poked them all over with a skewer, because the glaze needed to immerse itself into this bread, not just sit atop. I made this recipe for Thanksgiving 2021 dinner and we devoured it like our lives depended on it. And of course, leave it to me to suggest turning the second load into French toast the following morning. Dear God was it good. Moral of the story: MAKE THIS BREAD!!!
Love this recipe!! Used 1 1/4c buttermilk
And 1/4 cup orange juice for more orange.
Used frozen cranberries-halved.
This is a moist batter- bread is moist and not as dense as breads with less fluids but more dense than cakes. I love the structure❣️
hi I am interested in making this recipe but I wan to make them in a muffin cardboard cup they are not for muffins but they look so pretty and festive also how much batter should I put into the cups also can I lessen the amt of and sugar ? Thanks
Made for Thanksgiving dinner everybody loved it did not make it to dinner time. Made one loaf with glaze and one without both tasted good.
I saw a photo of cranberry orange bread on instagram and decided on a whim to make it for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I was happy to find a recipe that made two loaves because I wanted to try one before bringing the other to my mother in law’s house (just in case). And WOW. What a hit. It has been 15 minutes and the first loaf is already gone. Even my husband, who fully expected to hate it because cranberry and orange wouldn’t normally be his thing, said it might be the best thing I have ever made. Ever. That is high praise. This one will be on regular holiday rotation from now on!
I must have done something wrong. These breads turned out like dense rocks, could have used them as a doorstop. I’ve been a chef for 25 years and this is a first. I wonder what went wrong? Looks beautiful in the photo though!