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.
very good…now I am making one to freeze. thx for the extra tips.
Made one loaf over the holidays to use up my fresh cranberries – had to make another one it was so good!
My bread came out very crumbly and it was hard to slice. I love the taste of this recipe and I would like to make it again. Any suggestions for my next time? The only thing I did different was I added 1 and 1/2 cup of cranberries instead of 1 cup.
Hi Elizabeth, did you allow the bread to cool for the amount of time specified in the recipe? Often times, quick breads get crumbly if sliced too soon.
Hi Jen
Just wondering why you added the sugar to the dry ingredients as opposed to the wet? When baking, I’ve always beat the sugar into the wet ingredients to dissolve it but I’m always keen to learn new methods.
Hi Fay, Because the butter is melted and you’re not creaming the butter and the sugar, it’s fine to combine the sugar with the other dry ingredients. Hope that clarifies. 🙂
I made this recipe as muffins (1 dozen) with enough left over for a mini-loaf. It was a hit like so many of your recipes. Tart and sweet and I gifted to friends for a post Christmas thank you. Another winner!
This is amazing! I add about 1/8 tsp vanilla. I make 6 large muffins. After the muffins were baked and cooled I topped with an orange glaze. The glaze offset the tartness of the cranberries.
My cranberry nut bread turned out dry and crumbly. I sifted the dry ingredients rather than whisking. Would that cause the dry texture?
Hi Bev, Sorry you found this to be dry. Dryness is usually caused by measuring the flour incorrectly. Did you use the spoon and level method to measure the flour? Even a few extra ounces can make a big difference. This article/video explains it nicely.
My cranberry nut bread that I just made for Thanksgiving also turned out very dry and crumbly. It was so bad that the slices would just break apart and crumble the minute someone picked up a piece. I ended up throwing most of the bread away and what a shame as the flavor was exceptionally good! Can’t figure what went wrong. I used the spoon and level method of measuring the flour, with the only change to the recipe being that I used a gluten free flour, but other people have mentioned using gluten free flour with no problem so I don’t think that caused the problem.
Hi Diane, I’m sorry you had a problem with this! Assuming you let the bread fully cool before slicing it, I suspect it was the flour. Did you use a gluten-free mix that’s intended for baking? A lot of readers have had great luck with Cup4Cup and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure flour. I hope you have better luck if you try this again.
Jen, can I substitute bottled orange juice for part of the juice from the orange? I ran out of the real thing!
Sure – enjoy!
Not sure if it’s all the ads that pop up, but your links aren’t working …the jump to recipe and print button don’t work (on an iPad). Will like to try this. Thx
Hi Christine, I am so sorry you’re having a problem with the links. The ads can move around on an iPad depending on how you’re holding it. Please let me know if you need me to email you a copy of the recipe.
Just made it. Amazed at how moist it is. I don’t usually like sweet breads but love this. I added a few more pecans. Love the tart cranberry taste!! Ate it with white cheddar cheese. Doubled the recipe and may give one away. Or not!
I made a newbie baker mistake by adding hot melted butter to the egg, buttermilk, juice mixture all at once and the egg curdled a bit. I’ll check the temp next time and add it more slowly! But it’s a keeper recipe.