Cranberry Orange Bread
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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.
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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
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- 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.
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My question ended up on the review page by mistake. Can I substitute white whole wheat flour and oats for some of the white flour to add more fiber to this recipe?
Hi Anita, you can actually swap out the all-purpose flour for white whole wheat as they are pretty interchangeable. The texture will be a bit different with it, so if you’d like the minimize the impact on the texture, I’d suggest using half all-purpose and half white whole wheat. Hope you enjoy!
Hello. Can I substitute or add a combination of white whole wheat flour and oats to add more fiber to this recipe?
Fabulous loaf. I put the fresh or frozen cranberries And walnuts in the food processor and pulsed 3 or 4 times. No chopping required. An delicious easy recipe made easier! I am going to try making Cranberry nut muffins next.
This was excellent! I made it because I had a bag of leftover fresh cranberries from Christmas. Followed it to a “T” and added an orange glaze because it was a gift. (1/2 cup orange juice, vanilla, and powdered sugar.) But honestly, it stands on it’s own. The cranberries do “pop’ as the cook described, and all the ingredients mesh beautifully. This will be my go-to for neighbor/coworker gifts around the holidays! Thanks so much!
I have made this twice now. The first time I made exactly as written and it was fantastic. The second time I added slightly more cranberries and walnuts and sprinkled with turbinado sugar before baking. We thought this made it even better. The sugar added a nice crunch and we love walnuts and cranberries so adding extra was perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe. I have loved all the recipes of yours that I’ve tried.
absolutely scrumptious and easy to make. I squeeze some lime and sea salt on the top after baking.
This Christmas season was the first time I used this recipe. I make cranberry bread every year as gifts for family and friends. I am not sure what prompted me to try a new recipe, but this particular recipe popped up as a suggestion on my IPad and I decided to try it. I am so glad I did! This one was so much better than the one I had previously used. My husband and family all agreed that this cranberry nut bread was amazing. It will definitely be my go-to recipe for cranberry nut bread from now on. Thank you so much!
Hi,I love this recipe but for myself, I need to use gluten-free flour. I had gluten-free breads before that were crumbly and dry. How can I prevent that from happening?
Hi Nancy, I don’t have a ton of experience with gluten-free baking but many readers have commented that they’ve had great luck with King Arthur’s gluten-free flour. I think starting with the right flour can definitely have an impact on the recipe so I would suggest trying that. Hope that helps!
Cup-4-Cup is outstanding. It’s pricey, but oh so worth it (in any baking recipe)!
Can I substitute the butter with apple sauce?
Hi Geri, You can replace half the butter with applesauce; I wouldn’t do any more than that, or the bread will be too dense and wet. Please LMK how it turns out with applesauce!
Hello Jenn,
I am hoping to make mini loaves with this cranberry nut bread, but I was not sure as to how much batter I should make to fill 8 mini loaf pans. Would one batch of this recipe work? How much time do I cook it for? Do I reduce the temperature at all?
Hi Evelyn, If you’d like to make 8 loaves, I’d double the recipe as I’d guesstimate that the batter would make 3 to 4 minis. I’m not sure how long they’ll take but I’d keep the temperature the same (start at 375 and reduce to 350) and check after about 25 minutes (stick a toothpick into the center of the loaf – if it comes out clean, it’s done). If it’s not done, check them with a toothpick every five minutes after that. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for the advice on both the Cranberry and Pumpkin breads. They turned out wonderfully! I gave them out as gifts to family and friends. Thank you again!
Hoping you have a very merry Christmas.