This easy Cranberry Orange Bread recipe is made with fresh cranberries and a sweet orange glaze. It’s one of our family’s favorite traditions to make each holiday season.
Want more bread recipes? Try this Lemon Poppy Seed Bread, Lemon Blueberry Bread, or Banana Bread!
Why I love this bread recipe:
- Flavor – The combination of cranberry and orange pairs as well together as peanut butter and jelly. It’s bold, sweet, tangy, and incredibly addicting.
- Quick Bread – There’s no rising required for quick breads so they only take minutes to make.
- Freezer Friendly – I love to make a big batch and freeze the extras to enjoy later or share with friends and neighbors all season long.
How to make Cranberry Orange Bread:
Combine Ingredients: Add sugar and orange zest then stir well to combine. Add flour, salt, and baking powder then stir. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined.
Add Cranberries: Cut the fresh cranberries in half and fold them into the batter then pour it into the bread 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 and make the orange glaze, then drizzle over the bread. Cut cranberry bread with orange glaze then serve.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
To Store: Wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temp or in the fridge for 2-3 days.
To Freeze: Cool completely then place in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
More 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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Recipe
Cranberry Orange Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 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
For the orange glaze: (Optional)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons orange juice , fresh
- 1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray two 9×5 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
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Recipe adapted from Two Peas and their Pod.
I originally shared this recipe November 2015. Updated November 2019 and November 2023.
This post contains affiliate links.
Made this cranberry-orange loaf and it was delicious! Shared it with a neighbor and it’s their favorite loaf now too!
Thank you for this delicious recipe!
made these 2 loaves to gift the VA cancer ctr where i’ll go tomorrow for my infusion. to me theyre 1st responders so usually make a bundt for the entire office, but thought this way i’d give the front and the nurses their cake! they turned lovely, halving the berries was a mess so rolled them in some flour before folding them in.
tonight i made the glaze and it was so sick added maybe 4-5 T of OJ b4 it was the right consistence! I’ll ask for a small bite tomorrow so i can rate it, but give you 3 stars now just 4 appearance. thx so much, 🙂 Kelli
JUST TOOK 2 LOAVES OUTTA MY OVEN AND THEY LOOK/SMELL LOVELY. I BAKE FOR 1ST RESPONDERS AND THESE WILL GO TO VA CANCER SPECIALISTS WHERE I’LL GO THUR FOR MY INFUSION; I USUALLY BAKE A BUNDT, BUT DECIDED TO GO WITH 2 LOAFS, 1 FOR EACH SIDE OF THE OFFICE!
ILL TRY AND GET A TASTE WHILE I’M THERE, HAVE BAKED AN ORANGE CRANBERRY BUNDT BEFORE BUT WASN’T IMPRESSED!
DID ADD SOME FLOUR AROUND THE BERRIES, BUT THE RECIPE WAS A BIT CHALLENGING! THX SO MUCH:) KELLI
I tried this recipe and it was amazing! I love the combination of the tart cranberries and the sweet orange glaze. Plus, it was super easy to make which is always a plus in my books.
How would you change baking time for an 8×4 loaf pan? I’m making 6 as gifts and the store was all out of mini loaf pans!
I like it
This recipe is so yummy! I decided on a whim to make 8 mini loaves for my neighbors for Christmas, although I had never made this recipe before. Everyone commented how beautiful AND delicious it was! I doubled the recipe and it was perfect for the 8 mini loaves. Mine needed about 55 mins in the oven. I am going to start making this a yearly gift for neighbors, essential workers, etc!
Made this recipe twice – cranberries all float to the top. Can’t remove from pan – tried both nonstick spray and butter/flour. Decreased milk and added more orange juice to increase the orange flavor (kept liquid quantities the same)
If I remember right , my mother chopped her cranberries a little, maybe that could be the reason they float, I am going to make this for the first time also and I am going to chop my a little.
Coat the cranberries in flour, prevents them from sinking!
Try coating the cranberries with a light dusting of flour before adding them to the batter.
This recipe was so tasty and came out great. I did however find that the cranberries all floated to the top and are not evenly distributed. How can I prevent that in the future?
roll the cranberries in flour so they are evenly dusted with a light coat and then add them in to the wet mix.
This was my first cranberry bread. I made yesterday and was really happy with this recipe. The combination of the tartness of the cranberries and the sweetness of the frosting was delicious. Bread came out of the oven soft and moist. Advised from other reviewers, I dust the cranberries with flour which helped to have the cranberries evenly all over the bread. I will keep this recipe as one of my faves. Thank you very much for this awesome recipe.
The bread came out perfectly. The recipe was very easy to follow. The texture was very good, fluffy not gooey as some breads turn out. The cranberries balanced the sweetness. It’s a perfect bread for breakfast or afternoon snack. My husband loves it!
Came out perfect! I coated the cranberries in flour as was suggested in a comment and they stayed evenly suspended in the loaf during baking. Perfect sweetness, many times sweetbreads are too sweet but this was just right with the tang of the cranberries. Nice hint of orange also as I have had some where the orange takes over the flavor but this was well balanced. Thank you for a great recipe!
Very tasty and moist cake.
Wonderful! Moist and not too sweet. My cranberries rose to the top during baking. Is there a way to achieve more even distribution?
You can toss the cranberries in flour!
The bread tasted absolutely delicious! Tart, moist and the perfect texture. My only complaint is that I wish the bread had risen just a bit more. Could I possibly add baking soda to get a little more height to the bread? And if so, how much would you recommend?
These turned out soooo good. 5/5. Only ch ages I made was I put 1/2 cup less sugar and substituted 2 tbs orange juice for oj from concentrate (which I felt intensified the orange flavor which I love.
Could you use dried cranberries
Yes, sure!
Can I use dried cranberries. If yes do I soak them for how long and drain out juice from cranberries \ do I cut back on sugar?
Can I use a substitute for the milk? Something dairy-free? Almond, coconut, cashew milk? Just curious!
Yes, those should work!
can you make this into muffins instead?
Yes! That would be delicious!
I don’t often leave recipe reviews but wanted to say thanks for this one! It tastes just like Kneader’s cranberry orange bread and is an absolutely delicous sweet and tart combination. My family loved it and it was gone within 2 days 😀. Next time we’ll have to share with neighbors so we aren’t tempted
FIRST TIME I HAVE MADE THIS RECIPE. IWANTED TO USE DRIED CRANBERRIES. MY STORE WAS OUT. I FOUND SALAD TOPPINGS OF CRANBERRIES WITH PECANS. i SEPERATED THE PECANS FROM THE CRANBERRIES. i ANDDED THE CRANBERRIES TO WARM WATER TO PLUMP THEM UP SO THE WERE NOT HARD. DISCARD WATER. ADDED BOTH NUTS AND CRANBERRIES TO BATTER AND BAKED. I BAKED MY BREAD IN MINI LOAF PANS THAT ARE THROW AWAY AND BREAD CAN STAY IN PAN FOR DELIVERING. MADE 6 SMALL LOAFS. THEY WERE GREAT. THANKS SO MUCH.
Hello I made the recipe and it came out absolutely fantastic, only thing is, the bottom was a little over cooked. I put the racks of the oven higher above the heat and even placed the pans on a cookie sheet and still the bottom came out dark.
Is there something else I could do?
I line the bottom only if my bread tins with parchment paper
I use double wall airbake loaf pans and they always come out perfect. A little spendy but they last forever.
I have made this bread three times this month for the holidays. Everyone loves it and I know I will be making it year after year! It’s easy to make and tastes so good. It’s also very pretty when put on a serving tray. Thank you!
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!
I have made two batches back-to-back: one with the cranberries halved and one with the them run through my food processor with the chopping blade. Both are very good, but I prefer the coarse-chopped berries as they incorporate into the batter and bake throughout.
I LOVE this bread! I made it for work at the hospital. We are celebrating cranberries this month for our superfood. What a hit.
Very good! Made for my Bible Study group and it was loved by all. Very moist and full of flavor. Thank you for sharing.
going to make this for Thanksgiving like the fact it will stay for 3 to 4 days so I can make it ahead of time
Simply the best recipe! Moist and flavorful. Everybody loved it. Thank you so much!
Absolutely delicious! It was my husbands first time eating cranberry bread and he loved it! I will definitely be making this again. It’s good without the glaze but the glaze definitely puts it over the top. Also THANK YOU for putting the cooking time for the mini loaf pans. I was able to make one regular size loaf and 3 mini ones to give out. My neighbors and family loved it!
This is the best cranberry bread our family has ever had!
Love this recipe! I made for a church breakfast and it was gone. When I stirred in cranberries I realized I had forgot to slice them, but the final product was great anyway. It was so moist and the orange flavor really came through.
I love that it makes two loaves. So I can freeze for another occasion. And…. it has calculations for up to six loaves for holiday neighbor gifts. How great is that. I love it. Thank you so much.
This bread was moist and delicious. Much cheaper and yummier than what I paid for at the farmers market. Did not use the sugar glaze as hubby is diabetic and this already has two cups of sugar.
How do I half fresh cranberries?
Use a sharp knife and cut the right in half.
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!
This recipe is absolutely wonderful. I made them for my husband to test out before presenting them to my family for Christmas next week. He and I loved them so much that I will be making these every holiday season from here on out. I ended up putting them into a muffin pan to cut down on the baking time and 30 minutes worked perfectly. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
Love your recipes. The bread loaves are absolutely
Yummy.So happy I found you.
This sounds so good, will difently try it. I was wondering if I could use if you could use frozen cranberries?
Yes, that would be fine. Enjoy!
Great cranberry bread my cranberries didn’t mix throughout the bread wondering if I needed to toss the cranberries in a little flour but great recipe and flavor. Love it
Thanks so much for sharing
Delish! For some reason most of the cranberries were on the top of the loaf. And I think I would use more of them.
I’ve heard tossing them in flour can help with that, but haven’t tried it myself
Yes it definitely helps
This was very good and so moist! I will add a little extra sugar next time just because we like a more sweet bread. Great recipe!
This was a beautiful, delicious tart-sweet bread! I didn’t change anything in the recipe, except for coarsely chopping the cranberries in my food processor. I got one regular loaf, and 3 mini loafs from one batch. Will be making this again. Thanks for the recipe!
Delicious and light. Unexpectedly successful given there was no butter. I substituted plain yogurt for the buttermilk and it was perfect. Sending this recipe to family members.
So delicious! Excellent recipe!
Great recipe, my whole family loved it.
Hi Can I add walnuts to the recipe” and can I use whole milk instead of butter milk. As in London very hard to get butter milk.
Thank you
Annette
Hi
Did the recipe for cranberry bread added half whole milk and plain yogurt to make up the amount of butter milk. Added 100gm walnuts.
Cooked beautiful. Taste great. From London England
Thank you
Annette
Yes, you could add walnuts, and I would just add a squirt of lemon juice or vinegar to your milk to make buttermilk.https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/how-to-make-buttermilk/
Hi, I would love to try baking this bread. Can I use frozen cranberries?
Yes that would be fine! Enjoy.
I just finished making a dozen loafs of your Cranberry Bread. They turned out perfect and so delicious! This is a recipe that I’m keeping and will definitely be making again. Great for Christmas gift giving!
Where do you buy tin foil. My grocery store only has aluminum foil. Could I use parchment paper to cover them if necessary?
Hi Bonnie, aluminum foil is what you want. Sorry for the confusion!
I love this bread! Made a few loaves over Christmas-it’s so pretty, too!
Wondering if you have ever doubled it and baked it in a Bundt cake pan? Think I’m gonna try!
Sounds delicious. Would love to make this for a church brunch. Does “fresh orange juice” mean the juice squeezed from oranges, or do you buy actual orange juice in a container?
I like to squeeze the juice from real oranges, but store-bought would work. 🙂
how in the world does one half cranberries? Could they be put in a food processor? Can’t wait to bake this!!
I just cut each in half with a small knife.
This is my new favorite bread. It was very moist and had a lot of flavor. Sad part is, I made this last month and was going make some more today and can’t get fresh cranberries any more. They are out of season. Can you use dried?
Hi Dianne, Isn’t that the worst? I wish stores carried fresh cranberries all year round! You can use dried cranberries as a substitute.
I buy extra bags when they are in season and stick them in the freezer!
I buy bags of them when in season and toss them in my freezer.
Wonderful recipe! I made this today, one as a bread loaf and made muffins out of the remainder of the batter. My family loved it! This was the first time I had used real cranberries versus the dried and was quite surprised at how tart the were but the glaze really bring it all together perfectly. Thank you so very much for sharing.
Thanks so much for sharing! I’m happy your family loved them!
I am in the process of making this lovely loaf and am not sure how many loaf pans they fill. Don’t think I saw where it said more than one….yet you always refer to “loaf pans”. Thanks.
Hi Betty, I typically use two 9×5 inch bread pans! I would love to know how it turned out!
Toss to dust the cranberries in flour before mixing into the batter to help prevent them “floating” to the top of the bread.