Cranberry Orange Bread (2024)

Sweet and tangy, this orange cranberry bread comes together quickly and easily without the use of a mixer. Cranberries are in season during fall, so it’s the perfect easy quick bread recipe for this time of year during the holiday season. The combination of orange and cranberries makes for a festive-looking and tasting bread. Made without yeast, there’s no need to wait for the bread to rise, so you can make this loaf for last-minute visitors without any stress. For another quick bread recipe, try my easy pumpkin bread or classic banana bread.

What You Need to Make This Recipe

Flour — all-purpose flour is perfect for this cranberry and orange bread. Since cranberries are heavy, you want to use a sturdy flour.

Baking powder — to help lift your bread, you’ll need baking powder. Make sure the baking powder is fresh and hasn’t expired.

Milk — I recommend using milk instead of water for more flavor. Milk also adds sweetness and a creamy texture to the bread.

Vegetable oil — the secret to a soft, tender, and moist loaf of orange cranberry bread is using vegetable oil. If you don’t have vegetable oil, use canola oil instead.

Orange — you’ll need the zest from an orange as well as the fresh orange juice for that bright citrus flavor. While you can use bottled orange juice, you don’t want to skip the orange zest as it adds so much flavor to your loaf of bread.

Vanilla — use real vanilla extract whenever possible as it yields a tastier result than artificial vanilla.

Cranberries — don’t have fresh cranberries? You’re in luck because just like my Cranberry Orange Muffins this recipe is developed for both fresh tart cranberries and frozen cranberries!

How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

2. In another large bowl, combine milk, oil, orange zest and juice, egg, and vanilla until well combined.

3. Whisk the wet ingredients together.

4. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

5. Fold in the cranberries.

6. Pour the batter into a 9×5-inch parchment paper prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

7. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, orange juice, and vanilla until smooth and desired consistency.

8. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cranberry orange bread on a wire rack. Garnish with orange zest before slicing, if desired.

Pro Tips for Making This Recipe

• Don’t use an electric mixer, or you could over-mix the batter, resulting in a dense loaf or large holes in the crumb. Just use a spatula and mix until everything is just combined.
• It is much easier to zest the orange before juicing.
• Bring your eggs and milk to room temperature so they incorporate fully into the batter.
• Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour will lead to the cranberry bread ending up dense. The best and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
• For a smooth glaze, sift the powdered sugar before whisking it together.
• If the top of the loaf is browning too quickly, cover the pan with some tin foil.
• To get more juice out of an orange, roll it under your palm on the countertop to loosen the juices.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I swap for frozen cranberries?

When using frozen cranberries, do not thaw them before adding them to the cranberry bread batter. It’ll bleed into the batter and not hold its shape. The final bake time may increase by a minute or two since the fruit is starting cold.

How do I keep the cranberries from sinking?

If you are concerned about the cranberries sinking to the bottom of your cranberry quick bread, sprinkle a spoonful of flour onto the cranberries and toss to coat.

Why does my cranberry bread sink in the middle?

If your bread sinks in the middle, the usual culprit is too much moisture in the bread, or the baking powder has expired. Always make sure to measure your ingredients and check for the freshness of the ingredients for the best results.

How do I store leftover bread?

This cranberry and orange bread will keep well in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. I would keep them in the fridge to keep the cranberries tasting fresh.

Can I freeze this quick bread?

Wrap the entire loaf of bread or in individual slices in plastic wrap once cooled. Freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat the bread, you can thaw overnight in the fridge and warm up in the microwave or defrost in the microwave.

If you’ve tried this Cranberry Orange Bread recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!