Orange Cranberry Bread
Updated April 09, 2020
Orange Cranberry Bread-sweet orange bread dotted with fresh cranberries and drizzled with an orange glaze! This bread is perfect for the holidays! It makes a great gift too!
Every week, I go through the grocery store flyers to see what is on sale. Josh considers the flyers junk mail and used to throw them away, but he has learned that he will have to dig them out of the trash if he throws them away, so now he saves them for me. I look forward to flyer day every week. Yes, I am a nerd! When there is a good sale, I stock up! You should see the stash of butter, chocolate chips, and cereal we currently have! I can’t stop myself:)
I also love buying whatever produce is on sale. Fresh cranberries were on sale the week before Thanksgiving so I went crazy and bought six bags. Did I need six bags? Probably not, but I can’t resist a good sale! I made cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, but I only used one bag. So now I am on a mission to put the rest of my cranberries to good use.
To use up a few cranberries, I made Orange Cranberry Bread. Not only is this bread festive and perfect for the holiday season, but it is DEElicious!
I love this bread because it is a quick bread and I am all about easy during the holiday season! Sure, the bread has to bake in the oven, but you can do other things while the bread is baking. Turn on a Christmas movie, read a book, deck the halls with boughs of holly…whatever you want to do! 🙂
When the bread is done baking, I drizzle it with a sweet orange glaze. I am calling it bread, but it could easily pass as cake! Bread that tastes like cake? YES, please!
I love the sweet orange bread with the tart cranberries! The cranberry orange combo is a winner! You can serve this bread at Christmas brunch, for dessert, or make loaves to give to your friends and family! I made one large loaf, but you could make mini loaves to give as gifts!
I am so glad I stocked up on cranberries because I am going to make this Orange Cranberry Bread again and again! I might even need to buy more, but only if they are on sale. I better go check the flyers:)
If you like this cranberry orange bread, check out:
Orange Cranberry Bread
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs slightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh cranberries roughly chopped
For the orange glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 8 ½ x 4 ½ loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. In a small bowl, combine sugar and orange zest. Rub together with your fingers until fragrant. Whisk into the flour mixture. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Fold in the cranberries. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 70-75 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. If your loaf starts to get too brown drape a piece of foil over the top to finish baking. I did this during the last 10 minutes of the baking time.
- Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes. Loosen the sides of the bread with a knife. Carefully remove loaf from pan. Let cool completely on wire rack.
- While the bread is cooling, make the orange glaze. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the bread. Cut and serve.
- Note-store the bread, wrapped, on the counter for 2-3 days.
Have you tried this recipe?
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I also have several bags but would like to make the mini loaves that you mentioned. What is the cook time recommended for mini size? I look forward to making this soon. Happy Holidays!
You will need to shorten the baking time if you make mini loaves. I would check them around 30 minutes. Remove when a toothpick comes out clean.
I got a chuckle out of grocery flyers. First thing I go for and make my list of all the sales. I would also like to know about the baking of the mini loaves.
6 Bags?! You have Cranberries for dayzzzzzzzz!
Good thing you made this bread because it looks AMAZING. I just discovered the awesome of orange and cranberry this year. SO delish! Pinned!
I love looking through the weekly flyers! This looks so festive. YUM!
Sooo pretty! Want 🙂
Thanks, Maria. I’ll definitely try this – I love cranberry orange muffins! Other suggestions for all those cranberries: Cranberry Pecan Pie, and Upside Down Cranberry Cake. Both are beautiful and delicious.
I always get weird looks in our store because I stock up on cranberries like crazy! LOVE them! This bread looks fabulous!
Oh my word!! I need this in my life, pronto.
How did you know I have a half bag of cranberries in my fridge that need a good recipe to call home. This looks perfect! I made a cranberry almond bread once but the citrus is sounding like the perfect pair this year.
I love orange and cranberry together! Hope I can find time to make some of this! Please tell me about the loaf pan in your pictures. What brand is it? Where did you get it?
I stock up on cranberries too. I like to use them in smoothies in the summer.
I found it at a thrift store! I wish I could find more!
Try online at chefs resource- also, Sur la Table etc and Williams Sonoma has some nice, well made baking pans ( but for gift giving, you can get inexpensive ones at big box retailers etc)
Can you use frozen cranberries? Love your recipes and sharing your family times with us. Thank you
Yes!
Looks so amazing! I love citrus and cranberries!
Love this combination!!
This bread is so pretty. Definitely a great holiday gift. Edible gifts are THE BEST. Love it!
What a pretty, pretty bread! Love cranberry and orange…so fresh and tangy together!
Orange cranberry bread is my favorite!!! Yours looks beautiful!
Cake bread? Yes, please! Love this flavor combo so much — it’s gorgeous!
Two of my favorite flavors!! So gorg!!
This bread would definitely be a welcome gift at my house, YUM!
I also purchased fresh cranberries last week while on sale and still had one bag to use. So I made this today. Your timing couldn’t have been better. We all loved it! was soooo delicious!
This cake looks wonderful. Love the glaze!
This sounds amazing! I love orange and cranberry together. Thanks for sharing!
What a gorgeous loaf of bread. I’d definitely love to receive this as a gift.
How many Mini loaves can I get out of this recipe?
And how long should a Pamper Chef 4 mini pan
take to bake?
Did anyone reply how long to bake mini loaves?
Such a beautiful bread! Love that glaze 🙂
Ahhh this is stunning!! I adore cranberry and orange together! 🙂
Interesting to see …
Love the idea of using leftover cranberry sauce in bread. And I know it tastes good!!!
Is that a wire cake stand? It’s adorable!
It is a cooling rack!
The perfect bread for the holiday season! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
so pretty and delicious looking bread! I want some right now! pinned!
Cranberry bread is my favorite this time of year! That orange glaze looks heavenly 🙂
I made these yesterday morning to take to an assisted living place with our church group. I made 8 mini-loaves out of a doubled recipe. I started checking for doneness at 35 minutes, but they didn’t look done till 45-50 minutes, when they passed the toothpick test. They look lovely, but I gave them all away!! I do still have some cranberries left and plan to make some for us.
Thanks for letting me know the time on the mini loaves! Glad you liked the recipe!
Did you by chop the cranberries before you added them to the batter or leave them whole?
Whole!
Just went to the store and have everything I need to make this…hooray!
this is in my oven right now. My husband needs to take something for a christmas party at his office so I decided to make this it smells sooo good and the batter was delicious. I’m real anxious to hear the reviews tomorrow. I will report back!
Thank you for a great recipe!
Thank you so so much for this and all your other great recipes!! I’m so glad I found your site.
YOU ARE AWESOME 🙂
Keep up the good stuff.
I made this yesterday, so good and you’re right a quick bread that just screams tis the season! I will be making again and again! I took a picture to send you but I don’t do instagram so wasn’t able to show you how beautiful mine turned out!
I made this bread yesterday and it was a hit. My BF who doesn’t like cranberries ate almost half the loaf himself. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! Now I have something to do with some of the cranberries I stocked up on! Our Neighborhood Walmart had them on sale for $.75 a bag this weekend and I bought more than was sane!
I have made this loaf ready to take to work tomorrow as it looked delicious! Used two spoonfuls of the mix to make a couple of buns so I could taste test beforehand and they are sooo good. The bitterness of the cranberries contrasts with the orange to make them yummy! 🙂
I got three smaller loaves from this recipe but think I baked too long. They look much darker than your photos. I’ll know for sure when I cut into one when cool. I baked them for 65 minutes but think 50 would have been enough. I’m also thinking a simple chop of the cranberries would be better. I know they should pop when baking but some of the ones on top look whole and I’ll bet they will be awfully tart to bite into.
Also, I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be better to fold the cranberries into the flour mixture to coat them so they won’t rise to the top???
LOVE this! Looks so delicious. 🙂
Can I use dried cranberries? Fresh ones are very rare here in Indonesia.
I haven’t tried dried cranberries, but I am sure they would be tasty too!
How did your bread turn out with the dried cranberries? I have a bunch of those and no fresh and I’d like to try this recipe. Thanks so much!
I think dried cranberries would be good, just different. You might want to plump them up in hot water before adding them in.
what can I use instead of buttermilk?
Wow! It’s wonderful. Like like very much.
Hi,
Can you double-check the amount of flour (1 1/2 C) for this recipe? I made it today and the batter was super-thin and unfortunately, the bread did NOT turn out like your photo.
I made this today for our Christmas dinner. I left off the glaze because I didn’t want it to be too sweet. Absolutely delicious!!! It was the hit of our dinner. I think rubbing the orange zest into the sugar made all the difference. What a great hint! We will definitely be having this again.
could you use dried cranberries with the same result?
This was excellent. The recipe yielded 3 mini loaves for me, I decreased the baking time to about 40 minutes. Made great holiday gifts!
Made this Christmas morning and the family Loved it. The bread was easy to assemble ( I chopped the Cranberries) and the icing a breeze!
Will definitely make this often.
This is THE BEST orange cranberry bread I’ve ever had. I made 8 mini loaves (with a doubled recipe) and gave them as gifts to each family that was at my home for Christmas Eve. Amazingly moist, just enough orange flavor…just delicious. Thank you! This will be a new tradition for me!
So glad you liked the bread!
Made this tonight.,half is gone already. Such a burst of flavor! Lovely and delicious. Thaks
Maria,
Delicious recipe – as usual! Thank you for this. I just made it and there’s less than half a loaf left. I used dried cranberries because they were what I had on hand. Delicous! Can’t wait to dry w fresh cranberries.
*TRY w fresh cranberries lol
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This makes a fantastic cranberry bread but the last time I made it I thought it would be a good strawberry shortcake, without the cranberries of course. Had with fresh strawberries and real whipped cream today (for Mother’s Day dinner) and it was as good as I expected it to be.
Loooove this loaf! It’s so moist even without the glaze. The only thing I’d suggest is to halve the cranberries so that they don’t float to the top (they’re hollow!) and are evenly distributed. Right now I’m seeing if I can tweak the recipe into a lemon poppyseed loaf by subbing lemon zest/juice for orange and poppyseeds for cranberries.
I live in the M.E. where fresh & frozen cranberries aren’t available. Can I sub dried cranberries here? Ta.
Hi there! I’ve made this recipe (and doubled it) many times already. Everyone loves it…the perfect pairing of flavours! I was wondering if it would work in a Bundt pan? For volume it would seem that a double batch would suit the Bundt pan I have but would it bake well??
I would say that if you’re wondering whether or not to chop your cranberries consider how you want your loaf to look. I had to use frozen lingonberries which were already somewhat crushed and I ended up with a Very pink batter. I’m sure the flavor isn’t really affected, but the loaf pictured here is much prettier (imo) than mine.
Just made this bread — it is delicious. My granddaughter said this is so good it could be sold to Starbucks. Thanks so much for the recipe.
I will have to talk to Starbucks:) Glad you liked it!
Do you think I could freeze theses as mini loaves?
Yes!
But add the icing once the bread is defrosted?
Absolutely delicious! This is a keeper ! I made 5 mini loaves for gifts. I was concerned about the raw cranberries, but really made it wonderful .
I just made this, this afternoon. It came out tasty. Some changes, I’d use ONE egg not ratio, as the loaf tastes “Peggy”.. And reduce the amounts in the glaze recipe, less powdered sugar, less oj.. Its too sweet as it is, just my opinion. Thanks for sharing
This was amazing!…I made this for Christmas and boy was it delicious. Everyone loved it.
Thank you so much for this recipe. It was super easy to make and delicious. In addition, it was absolutely gorgeous, just like your picture. I did have concerns that the batter looked too thin. However, those concerns were unfounded. The texture is perfect. I love how the cranberries rose to the top. This just added to the beauty of the bread. One more thing…I did adjust the cooking time to 56 minutes for the full loaf and it was absolutely perfect. I am going to try to adapt this bread to additional flavors such as lemon poppy. I plan on making more loaves this weekend, since I have a glut of cranberries leftover from the holidays.
Thank you so much for this recipe. It was super easy to make and delicious. In addition, it was absolutely gorgeous, just like your picture. I did have concerns that the batter looked too thin. However, those concerns were unfounded. The texture is perfect. I love how the cranberries rose to the top. This just added to the beauty of the bread. One more thing…I did adjust the cooking time to 56 minutes for the full loaf and it was absolutely perfect. I am going to try to adapt this bread to additional flavors such as lemon poppy. I plan on making more loaves this weekend, since I have a glut of cranberries leftover from the holidays.
I love the orange cranberry bread. The tartness of the “real cranberries” really sets this recipe apart. Now I am wishing I had bought cranberries for the freezer when they were available… I baked for 1 hr and it was perfect!
Glad you enjoyed the bread!
I have dried fruit can I use them in place of fresh
I am baking this bread as we speak, but I had blueberries instead of cranberries so I’m making a blueberry-lemon loaf. I’m not serving it until tomorrow. Will the glaze hold up overnight, or should I wait and glaze it tomorrow?
Yes, the glaze will hold up! Enjoy!
To die for!!
This recipe, without a doubt, is the best I have tried. So far I have made 3 loaves of the cranberry orange bread and they all turned out great. I was thinking about flavor combination of lemon / blueberry and hooray!!! I see you have a recipe for that as well and anxious to try it. Cranberries are awesome. If you haven’t tried it…use homemade cranberry sauce as a topping on cheesecake…awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes.
So glad you like the recipe. We love it too!
All I can say is OMG! I often have issues with breads getting to dark, not this one…Its beautiful! Can a bread be beautiful..Oh Good Lord…YES! This is a keeper..Thanks!
Will you get the same results using butter instead of oil and how much to use. It looks delicious.
I haven’t tried butter.
Have made several times. This is a delicious receipt and great for the holidays. It is great looking also. My only concern is mine always comes out dark on the outside bit it is still moist on the inside. Could this be caused by the darker pan not a shiny one I use. This happens with other quick breads I make also.
This is the best cranberry orange bread I’ve ever had!! Can’t wait to make mini loaves as a gift for guests to take when they leave our Christmas party this weekend. Thanks so very much!!
Can you freeze the bread after its made?
Yes! I would wait to add the glaze, but the bread freezes beautifully!
I am in deep love with Orange Cranberry Bread. I want to know if I would like the “orange” part of the cake to taste more orangey – should I/could I substitute the vanilla extract with orange extract or add it in with the vanilla? What’s your idea? Thank you!
If you want a stronger orange flavor, you can add orange extract in. I would keep the vanilla! Enjoy!
Can you use dried cranberries?
Yes, I think dried cranberries would be good too!
Ok, I have this in the oven. I put some extra cranberries on top, wasn’t sure if they’ll rise to the top like the pictures. I hope it turns out good, I’m bringing it to our breakfast potluck for work!
Just made this and it is FANTASTIC!!!!!! I love the cranberries and orange together…….and it is so moist and delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe. <3
What kind of flour would be best to use to make it gluten free?
I used foil baking pans. For gifts would you remove bread from the pan prior to giving? Also, how would you store it from today (Thurs) til Christmas on Sunday?
I think the bread will make cute gifts in or out of the pan. Just make sure they are covered with plastic wrap so they don’t dry out. They should be fine covered on the counter.
This was a beautiful loaf, very tender with a nice crumb. The batter seemed to be too thin, so I added an extra 1/3 cup of flour and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder. Also had to lay a piece of foil over the top at 45 minutes, it was browning too much. Will make again– a great gift, too!
Hi
Can I use either heavy cream or sour cream instead of buttermilk?
You can make a buttermilk substitute by adding 2 tsp vinegar or lemon juice to 3/4 cup milk. But the orange juice may sour the liquid enough without additional added acid.
What a beautiful bread, almost to pretty to eat! xo Loren // http://www.thinkelysian.com
Thank you so much for all the great recipes, pictures of your beautiful family. And about that Orange Cranberry bread (cake) it is just fabulous, I’m off to try and buy more cranberries!! Thanks again
Would you be able to use in muffin pans too.!
Hi, could this bread be made ahead and frozen?
Wish I had stored some fresh cranberries to make this recipe. I’m sure it will be good using blue berries and lemon in place of orange. Did you know fresh crans can be tossed in the freezer and last up to 11 or 12 months ? That way there is no mad scramble to use up all those sale priced crans. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe and I’m so glad to have found your blog.
Loved this bread! The combination of orange and cranberry is a good one. There were no longer any fresh cranberries at the store so I ended up using 3/4 cup dried cranberries instead. Thanks for a new bread recipe!
Wondering if canned whole cranberries could work, as I can’t seem to find fresh anymore.
I had cranberries leftover from the holidays. (Bought them after Xmas.)
Made this. Everyone loved it. Used the rest of the cranberries two make it two more time within three days.
Um…. THANK YOU! I’m in love.
This is an amazing bread/cake! So sweet and flavorful! I love the fresh cranberries with the orange!! Thanks for sharing! Gonna save this recipe for the holidays next year!
Your music is very annoying, cannot leave your page open for long
orange and cranberry together – a marriage made in heaven. This bread/cake is sooo moist. Everyone loved it. Thank you so much for this recipe.
The note states: wrap & store on counter for 3 days, if I make for Christmas gifts, will probably have to make earlier…
Can you freeze or store longer in the refrigerator? And if so, how long?
This will be my 3rd year making this scrumptious bread! The recipe will make 3 “minis” and I may double the recipe today and make 6. I found if you chop the cranberries a little finer they tend to incorporate into the actual bread a little better! Thank you for sharing this recipe that has made its way to my Christmas baking box! I have made quite a few of your recipes & love them all! Merry Christmas!
I am so glad you love the bread. Thanks for the tip too!
Only 1 1/2 cups flour for a standard size loaf???
I made a double batch of this bread last night. I made it into 18 tiny loaves (I have the cutest little pan). These tiny loaves work well for my kids to throw in their lunches as well as sharing a breakfast (as my daughter did with these). I hated to send this bread out the door. These loaves were so beautiful and delicious. I love cranberries and I am glad to add this recipe to my collection. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you liked the bread!
You are welcome! Glad you liked the bread!
Can I use dried cranberries??
Sure, it will have a different flavor, but still be good!
This is Sooo good, I’d advise buying extra berries and put in the freezer. I wanted to make it this Summer and no berries to be found except dries…not as good
I always buy some cranberries for the freezer! Good tip!
This is a great recipe. I made it exactly like your recipe and everyone loved it, and said it was the best cranberry orange bread they had ever tasted. My second one is on the oven now! Thank you for this delicious easy to follow, easy to make recipe!.
This sounds amazing! Do you mix it all together by hand or use a mixer?
I’m 66 years old, so I’ve been around long enough to have had many orange-cranberry breads. I baked this tonight
and I’m glad I doubled the recipe for two loaves. This is the best orange-cranberry bread I’ve ever had. It’s so moist and flavorful. Buttermilk always makes for a moist bread and that’s the reason I chose this one to try. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Wondering if I could use brown sugar instead of regular, granulated sugar. Would that work? Thanks!
could anyone covert this into grams for me please would be really grateful as i so want to make this it looks lovely 🙂
Julie, to convert to grams go into Google & type “convert cups (or ounces) to grams”. It will give you a chart to put in the number. Easy peasy!
How do you get the cranberries to actually stay mixed in…mine all floated to the top.
Isn’t that weird? Blueberries always sink to the bottom! Maybe coat the berries in flour?
Other recipes I found with berries distributed throughout called for chopping the cranberries. I’ll try that.
Mine too! I bought fresh ones, chopped them and froze them. When using in the bread I didn’t thaw them and put them right in. But they all rose to the top. Any idea how to fix this and have them thru the bread?
I coated mine in 2 tablespoons of flour first. Mixed in nice and evenly.
Really good…I added more cranberries. Just needed a more to me.
Well for some reason I mixed the sugar and oil, etc…then realized sugar was to be blended with zest! Then I goofed again and put the buttermilk with the flour!!! I was all excited about putting the crans in some flour so they wouldn’t float. Yep, forgot to do that! Ugh, a hot mess I am! Thankfully, it all worked out! Whew. Happiest of holidays to all.
This bread is amazing! Do you have any nutritional information, especially for carbs, fiber, protein? Thanks!
This the best cranberry bread ever! Big hit with family and the glaze is a very nice touch for it.
Made some adjustments/substitutions with happy results. Added a half teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg. Used olive oil, which is very nice in baked goods. I have a milk allergy, so I faked the buttermilk twice by 1) using almond milk, and 2) adding a teaspoon of lemon juice in spite of no possibility of curdling. Used a teaspoon of vanilla sugar instead of extract. Used dried cranberries (I live in France and fresh cranberries are not always available). Last but not least, I skipped the glaze. Also accidentally had too high temperature by 100 degrees for first 10 minutes, then quickly adjusted to correct temp. Beautiful finish after 70 minutes! The crust was the perfect combination of crisp/chewy. Inside was moist. I gave some loaves to friends for holiday gifts and they were impressed (France sets a high bar for cuisine, especially desserts!). So glad I discovered your lovely website by searching for “cranberry-orange bread.” Looking forward to trying your other recipes. Merci beaucoup et bon courage!
How to I yield this recipe to make 4 mini loafs?
I made this last year for Christmas gifts. Everyone loved it and I got requests to make it again. It is so delicious. I froze a few mini loaves and several months later it was still tasty. My teenagers would take it from the freezer and eat slices still frozen. They said the frozen cranberries were awesome. Make this bread!
Could you also use
fresh blueberries when in season during the summer months?
Out of season, can you use dried cranberries?
Can this bread be made gluten free?
Saw this on your Face Book site and it looked good. I won’t post a remark unless I bake it. I love fresh cranberries lots of vitamin C Made this the other day and it is yummy. Great combo with the orange and tartness of the cranberries Thanks for your comment to check after 60 minutes I did and only had to wait another almost 10 more for 70 Tender crumb with a sweet tart taste I did not use all of the glaze Thank You!
We’ve made this several times. It’s become a family favorite. Thanks for the recipe.
Made this tonight for a church Christmas party dessert (double-batch in a 9×13 pan). I roughly chopped the cranberries instead of keeping them whole and subbed melted butter for the oil. Set the oven timer for 60 minutes but checked it after 48 and it was done and beautiful (tested with a toothpick). I haven’t tasted it yet, but it smells DIVINE. Can’t wait to try it!
Update: it was absolutely delicious. 🙂 The 9×13 pan worked very well for our potluck-style dessert table. We’ll be using this recipe for give-away loaves this Christmas, it is perfect!
Im confused the cranberries in the video are whole not roughly chopped.
I cannot use buttermilk !!
can you suggest a substitute please.
perhaps plain non fat.yogurt???
Will this freeze easily?
I jus made this recipe today and it was absolutely lovely. I made them into mini loaves and then the leftovers I turned into muffins. I baked them for 30 minutes but found the first batch took longer to cook since I had put to much batter in my containers. I just checked them every 5 minutes with a tooth pick. Thank you for sharing the recipe as my family and neighbors loved it and asked me to make more!
Just made this yesterday and it was delicious!
lovely!
I made this for Christmas and it came out perfect! It was moist and delicious, everyone loved it.
Made this last year and loved it so making it again to take to in laws this weekend. Great recipe and would not change a thing! My recipe from last year I copied said nothing about chopping up cranberries so mine were whole and think will keep it that way. Like biting into a whole cranberry!
I don’t normally leave comments, but I made this recipe, as written, for Christmas and it was a huge hit! It tastes amazing and plates beautifully. If you happen to have any left over, it also makes for a fabulous breakfast pastry, paired with a pat of butter and hot cup of coffee. Thank you so much for this recipe — it will definitely be one I make for years to come!
Glad you loved the recipe!
I substituted lemon for the orange and reduced the amount of glaze and it turned out perfectly. The texture is very nice.
This cake is delicious, light and refreshing, not heavy. I made it for a canasta party and several ladies wanted the recipe and I didn’t have any cake left to bring home with me, just crumbs. I’m making it today using King Arthur gluten free flour for my son’s family who eat dairy and gluten free. I made buttermilk with cashew milk and vinegar, added 1/2 t. extra baking powder, and 1 extra egg white so it will rise. Gluten free baking is tricky. I’m hoping it turns out well for dessert tomorrow.
2 Peas, I just baked your enticing orange cranberry bread. I followed recipe exactly and watched video. Mine came out dense and heavy. More like a fruitcake. Nothing like the bread/cake texture in your picture. Tastes good but density ruined it. What do you think I did wrong? Baked it until toothpick came out clean. It didn’t seem to rise at all.
The BEST orange cranberry bread!
Thanks!
I’ve made both full sized loaves and 4 mini loaves. The minis were given as gifts last year. Everyone, including my 96 year old aunt who’s an amazing cook, fell in love with the cranberry orange bread! It’s so moist, easy to make and will be in my baking routine for years to come. We had both dwarf and full sized orange trees in Southern California so this was a wonderful way to use our oranges. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Excellent recipe!! Everyone loved it last year so decided to stock up on fresh berries and freeze them so I can make this throughout the year.
Question: since I decided to use frozen cranberries, I didn’t thaw them and just put them into the batter as is. Most of my berries are at the top of the loaf and not throughout.
Any ideas why this has happened? Last year I used fresh berries and they stayed within the loaf and only a few were at the top.
Try tossing the cranberries in flour before stirring in.
Best recipe ever, that all I can say !!!
Does it freeze ok?
Yes!
When making the mini loaves do you bake them for the same amount of time?
Did you get a reply from Maria? I was wondering the same thing.
No, reduce the baking time, try half the time, check earlier than later:)
I just made them in 4 mini loaves and they were done in 30 minutes at 350 degrees. This is my second time making it. The first time I made it in a regular size loaf. Love the recipe. 🙂
Easy and delicious! One liaf we left bare ( without frosting) They were delicious! Thank you!
Wonderful recipe! I decided to use a Bundt pan and it came out of the oven beautifully. I was afraid that the cranberries would be too tart, yet they were perfection with being paired with the orange glaze. I will definitely make this again!
I will have to try a bundt pan next time. Glad you liked the recipe!
Did you get a reply from Maria? I was wondering the same thing.
Any suggestions on a replacement for the buttermilk?? It looks so good, but I have a lactose-free kiddo!
almond milk will work
Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk. I forgot to buy the buttermilk
You can add lemon juice to milk and let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes to make buttermilk!
The recipe says chop cranberries but the video leaves them whole. What’s the difference
Either way works. I have started chopping them to make them more evenly distributed and the kids like it better this way!
Can you used dried cranberries?
Sure!
LOVE this bread, however I’ve had inconsistent consistency. My first time was super dense and moist, the second it was perfect and yesterday, it was dense and moist again. Hmmm, any suggestions?
Are you over mixing?
I have made this bread numerous time in the past 2 years.. I always look forward to the fall when cranberries are in season to make it, it is delicious! Just love the orange cranberries combination. I usually add about 1/2 teaspoon of orange liquor too.
Oh my, I made this tonight and it was delicious. I had a small piece and my husband and sons ate the rest. Definitely will be making again. Thank you!
We doubled the recipe and made a bundt cake!! Amazingly moist! A big hit! We used 2% milk and OJ instead of buttermilk.
How many mini loaves will this make?
2 to 3, depending on the size.
I squeezed fresh oranges for the juice. It was delicious! Highly recommend making this yummy bread!
Easy to make and ridiculously delicious! That glaze – oh em gee! Everyone inhaled it! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Glad it was a hit!
These loaves are delicious and are my holiday gifts this year to friends and neighbors. The best!!
My absolute favorite bread. It is so tasty with the fresh orange zest and juice. I make 3 mini loaves to give as gifts. Bake 45 minutes. They turn out great!
I would like to make mini loaves of this bread for gifts. How many would one recipe make and what temperature and how long to bake! Thank you.
I think it will make 3 mini loaves. Bake at the same temperature, but reduce the baking time. Check at 30 minutes to be safe, but it might take longer.
I made 3 mini loaves last night at 350 center rack and baked 32 minutes. Perfect!
Great! Thanks for sharing!
Can these breads be frozen with icing on them?
Yes or you can drizzle them after they defrost. Both ways work fine.
Maria!! Omg! This bread is THE BEST! It’s so moist and just the right amount of sweet. I’m making mini loaves to include in my holiday baking for friends and family. I used to buy this at my fave grocery store baking section and they stopped making it and I never thought I would like any recipe so never tried one. What a mistake! You nailed it! Thank you!! Ok
So happy you loved my recipe! Thanks for letting me know.
We absolutely love this recipe. We make it every year, often!! I will freeze cranberries when they are on sale so we can enjoy it year round . It’s so moist and delicious. We’ve been making it 7 years now and won’t ever quit.
I am so glad you make it every year!
Made this twice during the holidays. One full size loaf and doubled it for 4 smaller loaves as gifts. It was delicious, and very easy to make.
I needed to add another tablespoon of orange juice to the glaze to make it come together.
It will be a keeper for next year, for sure!
Thank you so much for this recipe. It is amazing! I make both full size and mini loaves to give as gifts and they are always complimented. I imagine I could make them as muffins as well? Has anyone tried? I am wondering about the number of muffins per recipe and the baking time?
I would guess 12 muffins. Same baking time, but reduce the baking time to 18-24 minutes. Check early to be safe.
Made these in mini Bundt pans and they came out perfectly! Planning on gifting some too. So yummy. Thank you fir so many delicious recipes.
I make these as neighbour gifts.
one neighbour on Christmas Eve this year said… ”Yess! Clair came through again this year” Easiest way to please your neighbours! BTW… when those fresh cranberries are cheap, stock up. throw the extra bags, as is, in the freezer. I have used them 2 yrs later! wash, pick out those that arent perfect.. and use as normal.
So delicious! I’ve already made it twice this month. The second time as 4 mini loaves that I gifted. This is a keeper! Thank you! 🙂
This is my all-time favorite holiday recipe. Been making it 3 years in a row now. This year I used mini loaf pans (3 minis per one regular-size loaf recipe). Made two batches; one with gluten-free flour and it is still amazing. Friends and family love it and I gave out the mini loaves as gifts. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
How long did you bake mini loaf pans?
Fabulous! I live at a high altitude and so I added 2 T of extra flour and 1 T extra liquid. It turned out great and have had several requests for this recipe! I also made this same recipe using blueberries and used lemon juice instead of orange. What a delicious recipe!
I was actually wondering how this would have been with lemon juice. I’ll try that next time. I made this today, and it’s amazing!!
Oh my goodness is this good! Easy to make/bake and delicious to eat. Fabulous for gifting too.
This recipe tastes so good. Thank you. I’ve fixed it 3 times. The last time I shared it and got raves back for it.
When making this wonderful recipe, I failed to notice the Vegetarian notation on the description. I did substitute a stick of melted butter for the 1/2 cup of oil and also added about 1/2 cup of chopped pecans. The bread and the glaze are fantastic! I used chopped fresh frozen cranberries and was surprised it did not add additional baking time. I tossed the cranberries with a small amount of Wondra flour and they remained evenly distributed throughout the bread. The glaze took a bit more orange juice and I also added a drop of almond extract ~ yummy! Thanks for a great recipe!
I have some cranberries in the freezer. Should I thaw them before proceeding or add them to the batter frozen?
Thanks!
You don’t need to thaw them first. Enjoy!
I made this recipe, doubling the ingredients and despite the extended cooking time, it came out un cooked in the center.
The batter did look very runny to me but i figured because of using oil vs butter, maybe that was why.
It look great in the oven, the flavor is nonetheless delicious, but it is wet .
Any suggestions?
Can I use dried cranberries?
Sure!
Very good nice soft crumb and flavor!
Haven’t made it yet, but I have a question.
Your recipe says 1 cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped. Someone asked anyway, do you leave them whole. Your reply was “leave them whole.” What way do you do it? You also indicated check the mini pans at 30 minutes — someone who baked them in the mini pans, said it took 60 minutes. That’s quite a difference.
You can leave them whole if you want bigger chunks of cranberries. I suggest checking the mini pans at 30 minutes because every oven is different and I have seen different sizes of mini pans. Better safe than sorry. It might take the loaves longer!
This is one of my holiday staples now. The loaves make great gifts for friends and neighbors – the flavor gets better after a day or so. Plus, it freezes very well so you can enjoy it well after the holidays.
I made this and it did not rise and had a weird chewy consistency. Have no idea what went wrong. I followed the recipe to the letter except I used 1/2 applesauce instead of the oil but I do that to all my quick breads and it always turns out.
Hoping to make this for my in-laws this weekend! I will use Miyokos vegan butter and King Arthur GF Cup for Cup flour because we have food allergies (your recipes have always worked so well with those subs in the past and I can’t wait to try this one!) One quick question – would this work as muffins?
Sure, you can make muffins, just reduce the baking time. Probably 18-22 minutes.
I make this recipe every Christmas for family, friends and neighbors, and it ALWAYS gets rave reviews. So delicious!
For decades I have been looking for the perfect cranberry orange bread and this is it! I have thrown out all my other recipes for it, it’s that good. It bakes evenly and beautifully and never browns too much on top or on the sides before the bread is fully baked. It is so moist and lovely that it doesn’t even need anything drizzled on top. No need to fiddle with perfection! Thank you for this excellent recipe!
Excellent!
This was a winner last year! QUESTION: Making it again this year—can i freeze it, and if so —then do i hold on the glaze step until i thaw it out?? Or freeze after glaze dries? Thank you!
Yes, you can freeze the bread. It will look prettier if you glaze after, but it will still taste good if you freeze it with the glaze. So I guess it just depends on how you want it to look:)
Hello 🙂 if I make the bread the day before I plan to serve it, do you recommend waiting to put the glaze on just before serving or is it better to glaze it while it’s still slightly warm? Thank you so much for thoughts and wonderful recipes!
Hi, you have a lot of great reviews for this recipe so I’d like to try it, but I do have a question; Can this be made as mini loaves?
If so, can you perchance provide how it would affect the cooking time and how many mini loaves this would make?
Thanks in advance.
Tania
Yes, you can make mini loaves. I would check around 30 minutes but it might take longer.
Absolutely delicious! We love this bread so much! Keeping this for my go to recipe. I might do lemon blueberry next time!!
For decades I’ve been searching for a moist, non-butter, tangy orange cranberry bread recipe that bakes evenly. This is it! I love the addition of buttermilk. This recipe is so perfect that I have thrown out all my other recipes for cranberry bread. I made 5 mini-loaves for Christmas gifts that were met with rave reviews. Perfection!
I just made this to pair with a coffee tasting for my job. It just came out of the oven and I can’t wait to try it.
Is this best with butter or oil?
I use oil.
I have been making this recipe every year since 2008. It is by far the BEST quick bread recipe I have ever had. LOOK NO FURTHER!!! This bread will blow your mind!
It is the best:)
Loved the cranberry and orange bread aka cake. My husband finished it off before I could hide half of it.
Will definitely make it again.
Ha!!
Oh my days, this cranberry orange bread is absolutely delicious! Super easy and bakes well every time. Tender and full of flavor. Plan on giving this bread as gifts this season!
It’s the best:)
Do I need to lower the baking t8 w if I make the mini loafs?
Reduce the baking time but keep the temperature the same.
Can I use butter instead of oil and how much. For some reason I don’t like using oil in my baking items.
This is my second loaf and it was such a big hit on Christmas morning. My husband really loved this bread which is why I’m making another for the college football games this weekend. You are such a trustworthy baker, I never hesitate to make your recipes.
Thank you!
Can I freeze this? Would I put the glaze on after defrosting? Thank you.
Yes, it freezes well! You can add the glaze after if you want it to look extra pretty, but it will freeze with the glaze too!
Hi Maria! Huge fan here. I make one of your recipes at least once a week. Can I substitute the orange for lemon in this recipe and would the measurements be the same?
Thank you! Lemon would be great! You can use the same amount.
How long do you recommend baking mini-loaves?I would like to make these to give as gifts.
Love love your recipes!
I would guess 30-38 minutes, check early to be safe!