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Cranberry Orange Bread is easy and quick to make from scratch and keeps fresh for days! This moist cranberry bread is perfect for the holidays and is bursting with flavor.
We love cranberry season because of all the delicious things you can make with them, like this pretty Cranberry Upside-Down Cake and my favorite fluffy Cranberry Orange Rolls.
Cranberry Bread made with fresh, juicy cranberries and orange is the perfect treat to bake during the Holiday season. This festive and pretty quick bread recipe is super moist and bursting with flavor. You can whip it up quickly, and it keeps fresh for days!
Combining cranberries with orange juice and freshly grated zest elevates its flavor and results in a perfectly balanced sweet and tart flavor. This moist cranberry orange bread makes a delicious breakfast or afternoon snack and is the perfect way to use up leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving!
Reasons you’ll love this recipe
- It’s a great use for leftover cranberries from your homemade cranberry sauce
- This moist cake balances perfectly tart with sweetness
- It is quick and easy to make
Ingredient notes
Here is an overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom for quantities.
- Flour – All-purpose flour works best. Don’t use self-rising flour. Make sure to measure your flour correctly for the best result!
- Rising Agent – This recipe uses a mix of baking powder and baking soda.
- Cinnamon – I prefer using Ceylon cinnamon because of its flavor profile but any cinnamon works. You can add more to taste.
- Orange – You need 1 orange for this recipe, we use both zest and juice. Organic oranges are best for zesting.
- Butter – I use unsalted butter in all my baking recipes. This way you have better control of the salt.
- Eggs – The eggs need to be at room temperature for the best results. Otherwise, they cool down the butter. Putting the eggs in a bowl with hot water for a few minutes works well! Use large eggs.
- Cranberries – Fresh Cranberries are best, but due to their short harvest season they are only available from September through November. You can use frozen or dried cranberries. See the FAQ section on how to use frozen or dried.
How to make this recipe
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found at the bottom of the page on the printable recipe card.
- Prep: Start by zesting, then juicing the orange. Wash, dry, and half the cranberries.
- Combine: Combine the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and orange zest.
- Mix: In a stand mixer, whisk together granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, and egg until smooth. Combine the dry ingredients with this mixture.
- Finish: Fold in Cranberries and pour into baking pan.
- Bake: Bake for 60 minutes at 350°F (175°C).
- Finish and serve: Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Variants you might like
Muffins: Looking for a more handheld recipe? Try out our Cranberry Orange Muffins.
Rolls: For a recipe with a twist, check out our Cranberry Orange Rolls.
Orange Glaze: Add some glaze to the top, by mixing 1 cup powdered sugar, and 1 and 1/2 Tbsp orange juice. Add the glaze after cooling.
Julia’s Tips
- Always measure your flour correctly! Don’t scoop the flour! Spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Too much flour can make the bread dense and dry.
- This recipe works best with fresh or frozen cranberries
- Instead of fresh or frozen cranberries, you can also use 1 cup of dried cranberries
- Don’t overmix the batter! Mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened, about 15 light strokes with a spatula. It’s ok if there are some small lumps. Overmixing can cause the bread to be tough and bake unevenly.
- Always test with a skewer for doneness! Every oven is different, to get the best results, start checking the bread for doneness five minutes before the time is up. A wooden skewer works best!
- If you like, you can add a glaze on top after the bread has cooled completely. Mix 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 1/2 Tbsp orange juice together and drizzle over the cooled bread
Recipe FAQs
This recipe can be easily transformed into Cranberry Nut Bread! Just add 1/2 cup (or more) roughly chopped walnuts to the batter together with the cranberries to make a Cranberry Walnut Bread.
Yes, you can use 1 cup of dried cranberries instead of fresh or frozen cranberries. The baking time will be a little bit shorter because dried fruits are less moist.
When using dried cranberries, we recommend soaking them in orange or cranberry juice first. Heat up the juice, add cranberries, and let sit for 10–15 minutes. Strain before adding them to the batter.
When using frozen cranberries, thaw them until they can be chopped safely. They do not have to be completely thawed.
Storage
This moist bread stays fresh and moist for days if you store it the right way. I wrap it in plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also store it in the fridge, but it might taste drier because of the lower temperature.
Freezing
Yes, you can freeze this Cranberry Bread. Let it cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 3 months. To defrost, take it out of the freezer and let it defrost at room temperature overnight. You can also freeze individual slices to make them defrost quicker – perfect for a quick breakfast!
More delicious bread recipes to Try
Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp orange zest, freshly grated
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and orange zest. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer and a large bowl, cream together sugars, butter, and egg until smooth. Add orange juice and slowly mix until combined.
- Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined and all the dry ingredients are just moistened. Fold in cranberries. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for about 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Notes
- Always measure your flour correctly! Don’t scoop the flour! Spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Too much flour can make the bread dense and dry.
- This recipe works best with fresh or frozen cranberries
- Instead of fresh or frozen cranberries, you can also use 1 cup of dried cranberries
- Don’t overmix the batter! Mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened, about 15 light strokes with a spatula. It’s ok if there are some small lumps. Overmixing can cause the bread to be tough and bake unevenly.
- Always test with a skewer for doneness! Every oven is different, to get the best results, start checking the bread for doneness five minutes before the time is up. A wooden skewer works best!
- If you want you can add a glaze on top after the bread has cooled completely. Mix 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 1/2 Tbsp orange juice together and drizzle over the cooled bread
If you use frozen cranberries, do you thaw first, then chop?
Just let them thaw until they can be chopped. They don’t need to be thawed completely.
I also enjoyed this bread, but it was a bit too sweet for me. This might have been because I used dried cranberries. Mine came out the perfect colour after one hour, but I think I overcooked it, because it was a little dry the next day. It definitely has flavours of Christmas with the cinnamon.
That’s why this recipe calls for fresh cranberries! Using dried cranberries especially if they are sweetened will make this bread a lot sweeter and you will miss out on the added moisture that the fresh cranberries add.
Hi …loved the recipe and have already made twice …but now I have to make half of the quantity and….EGGLESS….what do I do ..also tell me …if Iam using the original recipe (with eggs) and have to make half the quantity , how do I divide egg..since the taste is so good ..didn’t want to try without your assistance
I don’t recommend making this recipe without eggs. If you want to half the quantity you should still use 1 egg.
If we wanted to make this muffins how long should you bake them
Check out my Cranberry Orange Muffin Recipe!
I’m very keen on making this for Christmas, however in Australia its impossible to get fresh cranberries, so dried it is! My question is, should I soak them first? Maybe in orange juice? In CRANBERRY juice, even? I can’t find frozen cranberries either :( Any advice?
Yes, I recommend soaking dried cranberries before adding them. You can use orange juice or cranberry juice, juice will add more flavor than water. Heat up the juice, add the dried cranberries, and let them sit for 10-15 minutes. Then strain them before adding them to the batter.
Hi! This looks like a great way to skip the processed boxed mix! But how do you keep the cranberries from rising to the top and actually staying mixed throughout?
I never had this problem, the batter is heavy enough for the cranberries to stay mixed throughout.
Seems like what a perfect cranberry bread should be like which is not overly sweet. A great citrus butter would taste mighty fine on it right from the oven!
My bread is very dark brown. Is it maybe because I used dried cranberries?
Sounds like your oven runs a bit hot or it was too close to the upper heating element. Next time, cover the pan with some aluminum foil after half of the baking time is over, this way the top won’t get too dark.
I always just whip up a quick cranberry sauce and be done with it for Thanksgiving, but this recipe has given me the inspiration for something different this time! :) It looks SO moist and sounds so delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe and all the tips!
I love cranberry and orange together! This bread looks so festive and delicious!