This cranberry orange bread recipe combines the popular flavor of cranberry bread with the tart pop of citrus. Combined you have one of the absolute best and most moist cranberry orange bread recipes ever. It’ll be one of your go-to cranberry bread recipes every year.
The Best Cranberry Orange Bread
It all started when my mom convinced me to try mixing cranberry juice into my orange juice. The tart flavor of the cranberry perfectly balances the sweetness of the orange. Cranberry orange juice is still my favorite drink, but it’s gone far beyond just juice now.
I absolutely love the tartness of cranberries and how they can complement a sweet salad, baked good, or even soup so well. They’re amazing in these cranberry orange bites and in this strawberry spinach salad.
This cranberry orange bread recipe is actually one from one of my good friends Kristin. She made it for a baby shower we hosted together a few years ago, and I knew I had to have it. She so graciously shared it with me, and I’ve made this cranberry bread every year for the past eight years!
How to Make Cranberry Bread
The cranberry bread is fairly simple to make but does take a little bit of time because you start out by chopping all of the cranberries in half. But I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s start at the beginning.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 2 Tbs grated orange rind
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup water
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts (can omit)
Directions:
- Chop your cranberries in half and mix with sugar.
- Measure out your dry ingredients and set aside.
- Measure out the wet ingredients.
- Combine the ingredients together.
- Pour into loaf pans that have been sprayed with non-stick spray and bake.
Watch the cranberry orange bread video below to see how quickly you can put this cranberry orange bread together!
Once the bread is done, serve sliced or just bite off chunks of the mini loaves like I do. No matter the way you slice it, it’s going to be delicious.
Tips for Making this Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe
Here are a few tips and tricks for getting the best cranberry orange bread every time!
Don’t substitute the oil for something healthier. The oil is what makes this one of the most moist cranberry orange bread recipes ever. It’s moist and absolutely delicious. If you do feel the need to make a substitution, substitute it with another oil – not applesauce.
Check the bread’s doneness with a knife. Every oven cooks differently, so when you think the bread might be done – stick a butter knife straight into the bread and pull it out. If it comes out clean, the bread is done. If it comes out covered in gooey batter, let it cook for a few more minutes.
Let the cranberry bread cool before cutting. If you try to cut it while it’s still hot, it’ll likely crumble when you’re cutting the bread. It still tastes good crumbly but won’t hold together as well. If you just let it cool a little longer, the slices will stay together well.
FAQs About this Cranberry Orange Bread
Since I shared this recipe over four years ago, I’ve had a ton of questions from people on making it. I’ve included answers to the most frequently asked questions below. If you have more questions, leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to answer it as soon as I can!
Where can you find cranberries all year long?
You can find frozen cranberries in grocery stores like Whole Foods on a daily basis. But if you think about it, purchase some fresh cranberries during cranberry season and freeze them to use all year long. Otherwise, I haven’t had a lot of luck finding them the rest of the year.
Can I use dried cranberries or Craisins in this cranberry orange bread?
Yes, you can use dried cranberries or Craisins in this bread recipe, but it is not going to taste the same. Dried cranberries are just not the same. They don’t carry the same amount of flavor, moisture, or tartness. If you’re totally out of luck and can’t find actual cranberries, they’ll work in a pinch but the bread will likely be a bit drier than normal.
If you use Craisins or already sweetened dried cranberries, I’d skip the step where you sugar the cranberries or they’ll be way too sweet. I’d also recommend rehydrating them in either water or orange juice before putting them in the recipe.
Will this cranberry orange bread recipe work without the orange zest?
Yes, this bread recipe will work without the zest – however, the orange flavor may not be as strong. If you don’t have dried orange rind, you can definitely use fresh orange zest as well. And if you don’t have either and really want to make this bread, you can omit it – it just won’t have as strong of an orange flavor.
Can I use frozen cranberries in cranberry bread?
Yes, you can use frozen cranberries. Simply let them thaw before using them in this recipe. Frozen cranberries are a great way to make this bread when fresh cranberries aren’t readily available.
Can I just pulse the cranberries instead of cutting them in half?
Technically you could just pulse the cranberries then add the sugar to them, but you may end up with tiny bits of cranberry and really big pieces of cranberry, which could change the consistency and taste of the bread.
Does this make regular loaves or mini loaves? Or muffins?
All of the above! This recipe typically makes 6-8 mini loaves depending on how full you fill the pan. It typically makes two full size loaves. And it typically makes 24 muffins. Just adjust the amount of time you cook the batter depending on what you’re making.
How long does this cranberry orange bread keep? And can you freeze it?
This cranberry orange bread keeps for up to a week or if frozen up to 3 months. Simply wrap and freeze wrapped in plastic and when you want to eat it – take it out and let it thaw before eating. The bread may not be quite as moist when thawed after being frozen, but it still tastes delicious!
Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups sugar + 1/4 cup to put on top of the cranberries
- 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries cut in half
- 2 Tbs grated orange rind
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup water
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray mini loaf pans with non-stick spray.
- Slice cranberries in half. Top with 1/4 cup sugar then set aside.
- Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine 2 cups sugar, orange rind, and vegetable oil.
- Add eggs and combine.
- Slowly add flour mixture, orange juice, and water to sugar mixture.
- Once all mixed together, add chopped nuts and cranberries.
- Divide batter into small greased mini loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Free Printable Cranberry Orange Bread Gift Tags
If you make this into mini cranberry orange bread loaves, these would make perfect holiday gifts for neighbors, friends, teachers, or really anyone. Just make sure if they don’t eat nuts to omit the nuts in the recipe!
I’m all about corny gift tags so these all have a play on the word “cranberry” in the gift tags. Simply wrap up the bread in some sort of holiday food safe wrapping material, add one of these gift tags, and you’ve got a gift that anyone would love to receive!
Get the Printable Cranberry Orange Bread Gift Tags
Enter your first name and email address in the form below to get the free printable gift tags. You will be immediately taken to a PDF form of the printables as well as receive an email with a link to the gift tags. If you cannot see the form below, click here to get to it.
Je says
09/13/2018 at 8:30 amJust wondering if the mini loaf pans you bake in are ceramic or the give away tin type? Where do you get them??
BritniV says
10/23/2018 at 11:27 amI’ve done both. You can get the giveaway type online or typically at a local grocery store.
Sharon says
10/07/2018 at 1:28 pmI made this bread (two large loaves) last December and it was delicious. One loaf stuck to the bottom when I took it out of the pan. I did use cooking spray before I put the batter in. I ran a knife around the sides and removed the loaves from the pan after they cooled about 8-10 minutes. Should I let them cool longer before taking them out of the pan to avoid the sticking?
Britni says
10/09/2018 at 12:35 pmThank you for the helpful tips! Glad your family enjoyed it.
Robin says
10/14/2018 at 10:46 pmThis recipe was very tasty but the berries all went to the top. Should they be floured before I put them in the batter?
BritniV says
10/23/2018 at 11:23 amDid you add sugar to them Robin? I’ve never had issues with them going to the top before, and I’ve never floured them, just sugared them per the recipe.
George says
10/19/2018 at 8:35 pmI had my doubts. PERFECT! 9 mini loafs done to perfection in 45 minutes. Followed the recipe exactly. I’ll be making this again and again.
Danielle says
11/09/2018 at 6:46 pmI made this yesterday. I substituted the chopped pecans with bittersweet chocolate chips. Amazingly delicious. The recipe yielded 2 large loaves. I kept one and gave the other to my sister who loved it. The combination of orange cranberries and chocolate is a match made in heaven.
Julia says
11/11/2018 at 5:04 pmI made this recipe yesterday and made mini loaves. This recipe is the best! So bright and fresh! I brought a loaf to my parent’s house and they loved the bread. My mom and I immediately began making another batch for her bridge ladies. Thanks!
angela says
11/12/2018 at 10:44 amHow many mini loaves does this make?
BritniV says
11/20/2018 at 5:59 pmIt typically makes about eight mini loaves depending on how you fill them. If you read through the comments you can see how many mini loaves people got out of the recipe.
Patricia Hand says
11/23/2018 at 6:03 pmI’m sure I followed the recipe but it as very soupy so I added more flour. You state to bake 35-45 mins at 350, so I checked (without opening door) at 35. Middle still not done so gave 10 more. When I opened the oven, it was all sunk and everything on outside was dark brown and crystallized. I never had a recipe go so wrong! Not your fault I’m sure since every other review is positive. Just letting you know my bad luck😁
BritniV says
12/11/2018 at 10:59 amSorry the recipe didn’t work for you! Maybe try it again without adding the additional flour and see what happens.
Lauren K says
12/02/2018 at 1:32 pmAny suggestions for how to keep the cranberries from floating to the top of the batter? I’ve made this recipe a few times and the cranberries always float to the top while baking! Wasn’t sure if I should wait to mix the cranberries with the sugar until the last minute and see if that helps. Bread is still super yummy though 🙂
BritniV says
12/11/2018 at 10:57 amI’ll have to try a couple of different things and get back to you. I’ve never really had issues with the cranberries floating to the top before. Sorry!
Vanessa says
12/07/2018 at 12:23 amCan you sub out the egg for a flax egg and gluten free flour mix for the regular?
BritniV says
12/11/2018 at 10:55 amI have no idea unfortunately but if you try it let me know!
VANESSA says
12/27/2018 at 5:00 pmI made this with Namaste gluten free blend flour and used flax eggs and it turned out great! Its kinda chewy but that makes it yummy and thats how my banana bread turns out as well. Thank you for the recipe! Oh, and my family enjoyed when they were here for Christmas!!
Laura says
12/15/2018 at 4:17 pmMade 8 mini loaves and 1 regular load. Husband loved it
BritniV says
12/20/2018 at 11:28 amYea! Thanks for sharing! I’m so excited your loved it
Ramoma says
12/16/2018 at 9:13 pmVery good bread. Living above 5500 feet, I usually have to alter baking recipes. Thought I’d try this one as is and it came out perfectly!
BritniV says
12/20/2018 at 11:27 amYea! I hope you love it
Mercedes says
12/20/2018 at 1:16 pmThank you so much for this recipe! I made this bread last night and they are now at my workplace. It was my first time making a bread with fresh cranberries and I was very nervous that it won’t turn out good (just because of the sour fresh cranberries) plus I put the cranberries in a blender (I was being lazy) and my batter didn’t look appetizing! I lessened the sugar in the bread and put sugar on top for a crumble topping. When I tasted it this morning (at work) it was soooo good! Thank you so much for this recipe. I will be crossing off a lot of names on my Christmas gift list as I made several mini pans last night! My neighbors will be thanking you too as they will be getting this bread. Thank you again
BritniV says
01/22/2019 at 4:51 pmThank you for sharing this with me. This makes my heart so happy & all the work worth it.
Terry says
12/21/2018 at 3:32 pmHave you ever tried all orange juice and no water?
BritniV says
02/01/2019 at 11:23 pmI haven’t! If you do it, let me know.
Caryl Mercy says
12/22/2018 at 12:16 pmcan you substitute lemon juice and zest for the orange? If so, what are the amounts? Thanks
BritniV says
01/20/2019 at 2:43 pmI’ve never tried substituting lemon juice and zest but that will totally change the bread, especially since lemon is so much more sour than orange. I’d recommend just purchasing orange juice and orange zest or trying a totally different lemon bread recipe.
George says
01/21/2019 at 2:12 pmI’m thinking the lemon would not complement the cranberry. The orange was the perfect balance. Many complements. I’m very critical and its perfect.
Alona Palmer says
12/23/2018 at 1:11 pmThis is absolutely moist and delicious. I followed the recipe to a T, which I believe is what you should do if you are going to rate a recipe. It made three full size loaves in loaf pans towards the narrower side. I will always use this recipe in the future. Doesn’t get any better! Thank you!
BritniV says
01/22/2019 at 4:38 pmthank you for sharing
Vicki Riggins says
12/23/2018 at 3:47 pmI just made this yummy bread. One large loaf and 5 mini loaves. I used fresh cranberries and thought it might need glaze to cut down on tartness but everyone agreed it was perfect!! This recipe is certainly a keeper.
BritniV says
01/22/2019 at 4:37 pmThis is so perfect! Thanks for sharing & I’m glad you loved the recipe
Andi says
12/24/2018 at 12:38 amHands down, best recipe. I’ve made it for a few years now. The only thing I do different is sub the exact amount of butter for the oil. I also cream the butter and sugar, then eggs, and then add the wet and then dry ingredients. Tonight I made 18 large muffins. Perfect in 35 mins. Thank you for sharing.
BritniV says
01/22/2019 at 4:34 pmYou’re awesome! Thanks for sharing your tips with everyone.
Niki says
12/28/2018 at 3:54 amThis is the second year I’ve used this recipe for holiday baking. I love how moist this bread is. It may seem like over the top amounts of cranberries & nuts, however it’s worth every bite! Everyone I’ve given this bread to gives it rave reviews!
BritniV says
01/07/2019 at 3:01 pmThis makes me so happy! Thanks for sharing
Linda says
12/28/2018 at 11:06 amThis bread is awesome. I used only about three cups of cranberries because it looked like too much with four. My grown son even asked for the recipe!
BritniV says
01/07/2019 at 3:00 pmAwesome! I’m so glad you liked them