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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Wow! Packed with flavor. Absolutely love it!
How many servings for this loaf?
Hi Deena, A 9×5-inch loaf serves about 12.
Awesome. This was my first bread baking attempt ever. I tried it after my daughter-in-law baked it for the holidays. I must admit it took an hour to slice all the cranberries, but it was worth it. My cranberries weren’t as red as the ones in your photo when I sliced them, but they are all a brilliant maroon when cooked in the bread. It’s the best bread of this type I have ever tasted. I have enough cranberries from the 1# bag for two more. The aroma and flavors remind me of a fruitcake. I was wondering how it would turn out if I added some of the candied fruits and cherries that are used in a fruitcake. Am I getting too adventurous? Thanks again for a great recipe.
Hi Steve, I’m so glad it was a success! It’s always fun to play with recipes and I like your idea of candied fruits — just be sure to keep the quantity of add-ins about the same (for example, you might replace some of the cranberries and nuts with candied fruits, rather than add to them). Please come back and let me know how it turns out!
I can’t believe it was Thanksgiving before I got around to trying this recipe again. Still believing this would make a great cranberry-laden fruitcake, this time, I added a cup of diced candied fruit used in fruitcakes. Against your advice, I used the full measure of pecans and cranberries. Like some others have reported, it stayed wet for far too long during baking. Once the top browned, I laid a piece of foil on top to allow more cooking of the interior. I must have cooked it for an extra half-hour, in 10-minute increments. There was no burning, and the foil prevented over-browning of the top. I probably went 5-min too long, because it was a little dry. I had to cut 3/4″ thick slices to get it to hold together. But it was delicious, especially slightly warm with Philadelphia cream cheese on top. The candied fruit was a great adder, especially when I bit into a piece of the tart cranberry. I’m going to try it again at Christmas, with a bit more fruit and nuts, but checking it every 5-min and pulling it out of the oven even when it is still slightly moist. I would rather have it too moist than too dry. BTW, wrapped in foil and unrefrigerated, it took two weeks to finally eat it all. There was no sign of mold or change in flavor. Great to the last bite. I might even use my bundt cake pan, since I’m admittedly making a cranberry-laden fruitcake.
Great flavor. I added a half cup extra of cranberries and would add 1/4 more next time around.
I just made this great recipe to go with chicken soup. It turned out perfectly!!
I made this bread this evening and turned out very good. I used fresh cranberries and pecans and it turned out perfect.
Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful recipe! Has anyone figured out what the internal temperature should be when it’s done?
This bread has turned into one of my favorites!! I have made it several times and it is perfect every single time!! The recipe calls for chopping the cranberries, I dont even bother, slicing the bread after its baked does the work for me. I was out of oranges and was craving this bread, so I substituted one tsp orange extract in lieu of the zest, it worked well.
I have also interchanged the cranberries for fresh blueberries and the orange zest for lemon zest….just fantastic!! my husband and daughter love it toasted with butter!
Delicious! This bread came out so moist, with a lovely hint of orange in the background. My husband admitted that he wasn’t very excited when he saw I was making cranberry bread, but the taste of this one changed his mind (he ended up eating more of it than anyone else!). When I first pulled the bread out of the oven after an hour, I thought I had overbaked it (it was quite brown around the edges), but it was actually cooked perfectly. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Jenn!
This cranberry bread is WAY better than the one on the back of the cranberry package. I tried to cut it before it had cooled completely and the slice crumbled. Put it in the freezer for later use and it sliced perfectly!