Cranberry Orange Bread
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Sweet, orange-scented, and packed with cranberries and walnuts, this cranberry orange bread is the perfect festive treat for the holidays.
Sweet, orange-scented, and packed with tart cranberries and walnuts, this cranberry orange bread recipe is tailor-made for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. As a classic quick bread, it’s incredibly easy to throw together. The trickiest part? Chopping up the fresh cranberries—they tend to roll everywhere! But don’t be tempted to use dried cranberries; the fresh ones burst as they bake, mingling with the batter to create jammy, tart-sweet pockets throughout.
Since cranberries are abundant during the holiday season, be sure to check out my Nantucket cranberry pie, fresh cranberry sauce, and cranberry chutney for even more festive inspiration.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need to Make Cranberry Orange Bread
- Buttermilk: Adds a tangy flavor and keeps the bread super moist.
- Orange zest: Brightens up the bread with a fresh citrusy kick.
- Orange juice: Enhances the sweet orange flavor and adds natural sweetness.
- Unsalted butter: Makes the bread rich and tender.
- Egg: Holds everything together and gives the bread structure.
- All-purpose flour: The foundation of the cranberry bread. Always measure flour using the spoon-and-level method to ensure accuracy.
- Sugar: Sweetens things up and balances the tart cranberries.
- Salt: A pinch to bring out all the flavors.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth and coziness that pairs perfectly with the orange and cranberries.
- Baking powder & baking soda: Give the bread a nice rise, making it light and fluffy.
- Fresh or frozen cranberries: Bursts of tart, juicy flavor in every bite.
- Chopped walnuts or pecans: Add a bit of crunch and a delicious nutty flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the buttermilk, orange zest, orange juice, melted butter and egg in a small bowl.
Since the recipe calls for only 2/3 cup of buttermilk, you might not want to buy a whole carton. It’s easy to make your own by combining regular milk with a bit of lemon juice or vinegar (see recipe below for exact quantities). Whisk well to combine and set aside.
Next, combine the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Whisk well.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture.
Stir gently with a rubber spatula until just combined.
Add the halved cranberries and nuts.
Mix again to incorporate.
Scrape the batter into a greased loaf pan.
Bake for about one hour, then cool in the pan on a rack for ten minutes.
Turn the cranberry loaf out onto the rack to cool completely.
Slice the cranberry orange bread, serve and enjoy!
Freezer-Friendly Instructions
After the bread is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
You May Also Like
Cranberry Orange Bread
Sweet, orange-scented, and packed with cranberries and walnuts, this cranberry orange bread is the perfect festive treat for the holidays.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup buttermilk (see note)
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest, from 1 orange
- ⅓ cup orange juice, from 1 orange
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved (see note)
- ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and set an oven rack to the middle position. Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, stir together buttermilk, orange zest and juice, melted butter and egg. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with rubber spatula until just moistened. Gently stir in cranberries and nuts. Do not overmix.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350° F. Continue to bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45 minutes longer. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto the rack and cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, check out the easy method here.
- Note: Cranberries are a bit tricky to chop because they roll all over the place. I cut them in half one at a time -- seems tedious, I know, but there aren't that many so it doesn't take long. If you're using frozen cranberries, be sure to slice them while they're still frozen.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 227
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Sugar: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 224 mg
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Turned out great.I would not change a thing.Family had it gone in no time an I was lucky to get one slice.
This is a very good bread. The recipe and the directions work well. I recommend this recipe
Delicious. I used dried cranberries, which I pre-soaked in a drop of the orange juice, and they worked perfectly. I baked this loaf in a mini 4 loaf pan, for 10 minutes at 375 and then about 20 minutes at 350. I love the mini loaf pan, so my husband and I can enjoy 1 loaf, and then freeze the other 3 or give them to the family. But … maybe we’ll eat all 4 loaves ourselves this time. With the dried cranberries on hand, it’s so easy to bake this loaf any time as a treat for others. Thank you, Jenn, for yet another lovely recipe.
Hi Jenn, Does it matter if I use a metal loaf pan or a glass loaf pan? And if I use a glass pan, should I lower the oven to 350 degrees? Many thanks for your reply.
Hi Karen, no need to reduce the temperature to bake this in a glass loaf pan. Hope you enjoy!
Made this superb cranberry nut bread to the delight of my holiday guests. Followed the recipe exactly just added 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg. I have made many of Jenns recipes, never had a failure or one I did not like. I have your cookbook and use it alot; please do another one!
Hi, I have to say that everything I have made off your site is delicious! The crack nuts, the easiest and best I have had, the cookies with oat flour, yum. You are gifted, thanks for sharing. Waiting patiently for this cranberry bread to cool so we can eat it, I was out of walnuts so I use pistachios I’ll let you know 😊
❤️
Made this today using gluten free flour. It was DELICIOUS!! Will be making this bread frequently! Thank you!!
Can I use this recipe to make mini loaves?
Sure, Jessica – you’ll just need to reduce the cooking time. Enjoy!
Moist and delicious!
Admittedly, I had never even tasted a fresh cranberry before but I picked up a bag on a whim when they were on sale this season. The berries are very tart but the bread provides a perfectly sweet counterbalance. I doubled the batch and threw in the entire 12 ounce bag of cranberries. I sliced the big ones in half but left most whole. I can never resist tinkering, I added a teaspoon of cardamom and a splash of vanilla for extra flavor and cut back the salt a little (3/4 t. for the double). Very tasty! I think it might benefit from another egg because it wants to crumble apart easily when sliced. The double batch made 8 mini loaves, baked for 32 minutes at 350F for the entire time.
For years I used my mom’s recipe for cranberry bread. Your recipe tastes better and is now my go-to. Sorry, Mom.