Orange-glazed Cranberry bread has a moist and tender crumb and is loaded with juicy cranberries. It has the perfect balance of sweet and tangy and just like our famous Banana Bread, this loaf stays moist for a few days (in case you needed a homemade Christmas gift idea).
This is a copycat version of my favorite bakery’s cranberry loaf and this one turned out even better – more cranberries and the orange glaze makes it truly special. You’ll love every bite.
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We love cranberry recipes during the holidays like Sugared Cranberries, Cranberry Bundt Cake, and of course this Cranberry Bread recipe. If you love tangy and juicy cranberries, this recipe is a must-try!
Cranberry Bread Video Tutorial
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Ingredients for Cranberry Orange Bread
- Flour – use all-purpose to give the bread structure
- Baking powder – leavening to make the loaf rise
- Salt – balances the sweetness
- Milk – best at room temperature
- Orange zest and juice – be sure to zest the orange before juicing it. Reserve a teaspoon of zest for the glaze.
- Butter – Adds moisture to the loaf. Use unsalted butter softened at room temperature.
- Sugar – to balance the tanginess of the cranberries
- Eggs – give the bread a moist, tender crumb
- Cranberries – rinsed and dried then tossed in 1/2 Tbsp of flour to keep them from sinking in the batter (see substitution options in common questions section)
How to Make Cranberry Bread
- Whisk dry ingredients – whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Combine wet ingredients – in a measuring cup, stir together milk, orange juice and zest.
- Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl then beat in eggs until well combined.
- Combine batter – Add flour mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the milk mixture, mixing just until combined.
- Flour cranberries – rinse and dry cranberries then toss them with 1/2 Tbsp flour to coat. Fold in cranberries just until incorporated. Spread batter into buttered and floured 8.5×4.5 bread pan.
- Bake the bread for 45-50 minutes until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Pro Tip: Tossing cranberries in a little flour coats them lightly and prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf as it bakes. This ensures cranberries are evenly disbursed in the finished loaf.
The Best Glaze for Cranberry Bread
Orange and cranberry are complimentarily flavored just like peanut butter and jelly. Topping the cranberry bread with orange juice and the orange zest-infused glaze makes this bread irresistible. I’m not sure if it’s breakfast or dessert but I’ve served it both ways. All you need for this easy 3-ingredient glaze is:
- Powdered sugar – I spoon it into the cup and level the top for a consistent measure.
- Orange juice – Freshly squeezed is best and don’t worry about straining. A little pulp won’t hurt the bread.
- Orange zest – do not skip the zest. It adds deep orange floral notes to the glaze.
Common Questions
Yes, you can use frozen cranberries in the same quantity and add them frozen (do not thaw). You may need to bake just a few minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
You can substitute with 2/3 cup dried cranberries and reduce the sugar in the recipe to 2/3 cup since dried cranberries aren’t as tart. The dried cranberries will be juicer if you soak them in very warm water for 10 minutes then drain and pat dry before using.
You can make this a cranberry nut bread by folding in 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans when adding the cranberries to the batter.
This sweet bread is total comfort food. All you need is a mug of tea or coffee to go with a thick, fresh slice of cranberry bread.
Make-Ahead
- Room Temperature – wrap cranberry bread loosely in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerate – you can cover and store the loaf in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezing – cool the loaf completely to room temperature then place in a freezer-safe zip bag, removing any excess air. Freeze up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Pro Tip: Cranberries are only available for a season in grocery stores so buy extra and store them in the freezer so you can keep enjoying this cranberry bread year-round.
More Cranberry Recipes
These are our best cranberry recipes using both fresh and dried cranberries.
- Cranberry Sauce
- Sparkling Cranberry Pineapple Punch
- Cranberry Orange Scones
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Cranberries
- Cranberry Apple Danish
Cranberry Bread with Orange Glaze
Ingredients
Cranberry Bread Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup milk, room temperature
- Zest of 1 large orange, divided
- 1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and patted dry
- 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Orange Glaze Ingredients:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice, or to reach desired consistency
- 1 tsp orange zest, reserved from the orange above
Instructions
How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread:
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter a 6 cup (8 1/2 by 4 1/2 bread loaf pan) then dust with flour, tapping out the excess flour.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together: flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a measuring cup, combine together milk, zest of 1 orange (Reserve 1 tsp zest for the glaze), and orange juice. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and granulated sugar on medium/high speed (2-3 minutes on high speed). It won’t be smooth, just combined. Beat in 2 large eggs, mixing until well incorporated.
- Add flour mixture in 2 parts, alternating with the milk mixture and mixing on medium/low speed just until incorporated with each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Toss cranberries with 1/2 Tbsp flour then fold them into the batter just until incorporated. Spread the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 45-50 min at 350˚F until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10-15 minutes then run a cake release tool or knife around the edges and transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
To Make the Glaze:
- In a separate bowl, stir together powdered sugar, orange juice and reserved teaspoon of zest. Stir until smooth. It should have a drizzling consistency. Add more orange juice to thin it out or powdered sugar to make it thicker.
Nutrition Per Serving
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
The best ever! My husband calls it Christmas crack! No changes to the recipe except I dumped the entire bag in.
Hi Edna, thank you for your review. Lovely to hear that you both enjoyed this recipe!
You are amazing Natasha, I’ve been cooking a long time. But …I learn so much from you. Thank you for the wonderful recipes and techniques
Thank you for your kind words and good feedback. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
This was so detailed and top notch literally! Any confusion I had you answered all below. If it’s moist.like banana bread then I’ll try. Plus, orange is one flavor I got quite interested in, thinking how it would go with cranberry, but regardless it always add a further oomph to taste. I liked it! Xx
Hi Isa, thanks for your good comments. Feel free to give it a try, I hope you love it!
Hi Nataha I really want to try this out but I don’t have cranberries here. Can I use any other fruit that pairs well with oranges
Hi Ranuth, I saw that someone else shared and commented this “I didn’t have cranberries and oranges but I did have strawberries and lemons, so I made some quick substitutions and turned it into a lemon strawberry loaf cake. Absolutely delicious and a big hit with my husband. Thank you!” I hope that helps!
Can you make the bread in a smaller loaf pan? If so how batter would you use, and how long would you bake?
Hi Sheila, please see Jenna’s reply above for details. She made these in small loaf pans.
Is it possible that buttermilk can be subbed for regular milk?
Hi Cheryl, I haven’t tried that substitution to advise.
Hello yes I tried it with buttermilk and it came out delicious
Hi Natasha, love your recipes…:can I use almond flour instead of regular one..? Thank you in advance for your help…!!!!
Has anyone tried using Alternative milk options? Oat milk or almond milk ? Wondering if it would work?
Hi Lila, I looked through the comments, and I do not see an alternative option mentioned. If you happen to try it, I’d love to know how you like it!
How about putting a silicon baking mat underneath the loaf and wire rack when icing. That way any drippings could be enjoyed by the cook as a reward.
That’s a GREAT idea!!
Hi Natasha,
Can i substitute cranberries with strawberries or blueberries pls?
Hi May, I bet that could work! Here’s what one of my readers wrote: “Great recipe! I didn’t have cranberries and oranges but I did have strawberries and lemons, so I made some quick substitutions and turned it into a lemon strawberry loaf cake. Absolutely delicious and a big hit with my husband. Thank you!” I hope that helps!
I would like to try it but I don’t have milk can I use buttermilk instead?
Hi Erika, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I would also like to sub buttermilk. I can’t see why it would be a whole lot of difference.
Great recipe! I didn’t have cranberries and oranges but I did have strawberries and lemons, so I made some quick substitutions and turned it into a lemon strawberry loaf cake. Absolutely delicious and a big hit with my husband. Thank you!
I’m so glad that worked out, Corey! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
For anyone interested, I cut the strawberries into cranberry-sized squares so I could measure out 1-1/2 cups and keep similar proportions to the original recipe. I also zested/juiced two lemons and split those ingredients between the batter and glaze. The glaze had a really intense lemon flavor, which I loved, but if you want something more subtle I would recommend mixing in some water or apple juice with the lemon to reach the drizzle consistency. The loaf cake recipe is now a favorite in the house. I’m excited to try it with cranberries and oranges next.
Hi Natasha,
I love your recipes. I have tried many of your cakes and your brownie is a big hit always. So my son is allergic to eggs for now and I wanted to make some of your cakes for him. Can i substitute apple sauce in this recipe for egg? Also, can you share a few eggless cake recipes? Thanks.
Hello there, I haven’t experimented on other egg substitutions yet to advise. I have an eggless Chocolate Cake recipe that you can try for your son.
you are the best ,every thing you bake is awesome ,I am so excited to try this bread ,God bless you
You’re so nice! Thank you!
Can you use dried cranberries instead of fresh ones? Would I need to soak them in water or anything?
Hi Mary, please see the common questions section – “Can I Substitute Dried Cranberries?”. I hope this helps!
Hi. Wondering if I can use small loaf pans and divide the recipe in half or thirds? Also on the nutritional info, what is a serving size?
Thank you love your recipes.
Chris R
Hi Chris, I imagine that will work. You will need to check closely for doneness to ensure it doesn’t oven bake in a smaller tin. The loaf made as written serves 8. A serving is one slice of the equal eight this can be cut into. I hope this helps!
Hi Chris (and Natasha)!
I doubled this recipe and divided the batter into five small loaf pans (foil pans measured at 5-3/4 in X 3-1/4 in X 2 in) and baked for a total of 45 minutes. Depending on your oven, I’d start checking at the 35-40 minute mark.
Thank you so much for sharing that. That is very helpful.
Love the zest & freshness from the orange glaze! It goes so well with the cranberries!
Yes, it’s a match made in heaven. Zest in the glaze also takes it to the next level. I hope you totally love it!
Can I use dried cranberries? I don’t have fresh on hand…
Hi Lily, see the “common questions” section which gives tips for that.
Natasha, that video was fantastic! So helpful and fun to watch. Thanks for the recipe, I can’t wait to whip it up!
Hi Kim, I’m so glad you were inspired by the video. I hope you love the cranberry bread recipe.
I love your recipes and I am going to make this recipe this weekend. I love cranberry bread with nuts.
Thank you
I hope you love it, Ellen!
I love the cranberry and orange combo in this bread, it works together so well. This was moist and delicious!
It truly is the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!