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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I’m wondering how your recipe differs from Cooks Illustrated.
Hi Natalie, It’s very similar — mine has slightly less orange zest and a bit more sugar.
I substituted almonds and also added coconut. Turned out fabulous!!! Thanks.
It tastes delicious, but I had some trouble keeping it from sticking to the pan. I’m going to try putting parchment paper in the bottom of the loaf pan next time.
I used coconut oil spray (from TJs) and it came out easily!
My butter/orange juice mixture curdled – wasn’t sure if the butter had congealed or if I accidentally cooked the eggs (unlikely as I waited for the butter to cool down before adding it). Or is that normal? I added it anyway and the batter looked all right, so hopefully things turn out.
What I’m finding really odd is that my loaf isn’t done after the listed bake times (20 at 375 and 45 at 350). It looked golden and risen on the outside, but my skewer came out very batter-y and wet. I added another 12 minutes and it’s still raw. Very unfortunate and not sure what went wrong since everyone else seems to have had so much success. My oven hasn’t had problems with any other recipes.
Hi Kelly, Sometimes if the eggs are too cold it causes the butter to seize up, which makes it look curdled. It’s not a big deal with a recipe like this so I wouldn’t worry about that. However, it’s odd that the loaf is still wet after over an hour. Did it come out okay with the added time?
It turned out great in the end with the extra baking time. Overall a success, but with a few unsolved mysteries along the way…
Excellent. For those at high altitude, I live at 6700 feet, reduce the baking powder by 1/4 teaspoon and add 1 egg. It didn’t fall like so many other quick breads at this high altitude and tasted heavenly. Thanks, I have yet to try something I didn’t like!
So glad I found your website.
I live at 8700. What adjustments would you suggest?
I live in the uk. I can’t get hold of buttermilk. I have read that you can substitute 15ml of a cup of full fat milk with lemon juice and leave for five minutes as a substitute. Will this work in this recipe please?
Hi Rani, To make 2/3 cup homemade buttermilk, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Add lowfat or full fat milk to the 2/3 cup line (or 160ml). Let it sit for about 10 min or until it starts to curdle. Hope that helps!
Tesco sell buttermilk ?
Lovely simple, classic nut & fruit bread recipe – the grated zest makes it. You can use reconstituted dried berries, or raisins, or almonds if you want instead.
I made this today with almonds & it’s excellent. I used a smaller loaf pan & had some batter leftover, so used muffin pans for that & they were good too. A glaze or icing made with powdered sugar, orange zest, & orange juice would work well with this. Thanks!
Just made this for the first time. I accidentally doubled the walnuts but no matter, it was still moist and delicious. I used cranberries I had fresh frozen and just cut each one in half. Delicious! Thank you!
I have made this bread several ties since finding the recipe. I do add about 1/2 cup of additional cranberries. The buttermilk makes it so moist, love it!