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.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
What about using lemon instead of orange? Would it be the same measurements? I think I am going to try that tomorrow as my tastebuds are singing for that combo.
Hi Nicole, I think you could, but you’ll have to experiment with it. This is our go-to recipe for lemon blueberry bread.
That does sound delicious! Let me know how you like it with the lemon zest. It would probably also be delicious with a lemon glaze!
I LOVE this recipe as is, but have some extra buttermilk I need to use, can I use that in place of the milk?
Hi Mia. I think it like work fine.
This cranberry bread is sooo good, my husband who hates cranberries raved about this bread.
My only complaint is when I’m trying to scroll through the recipe all the ads and pop ups are so annoying and frustrating!
Hi Diane! Thank you for sharing. I’m so glad the recipe was enjoyed. Sorry about the ad frustration. We are always trying to improve our user experience on the website but unfortunately we need to keep the ads to continue to provide free recipes. Give them a few seconds to load and there is an option to exit out do the ad in the corner of the ad. You can also look into an ad blocker option if you’d like.
Planning on making this tonight. How important is it for the milk to be room temp? I’ve never seen that in a recipe before.
Hi Allie. Using room temperature milk helps your ingredients combine more cohesively.
This bread was a hit with family and friends. The orange zest added a special flavor to the cranberry bread and glaze. Will definitely make it again.
Great to hear that, Sandy. Thank you for sharing!
Could I double this recipe with no alterations? I have a pan that makes 4 mini loaves I’d like to use.
I love your recipes, all of them! Excited to try this.
Hi Karen. Yes, if you have a bowl large enough to incorporate your ingredients well you can increase this recipe. Just be careful not to over-mix the batter.
Made the cranberry loaf with orange glaze. It’s delicious!
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it!
I have a Cranberry bread recipe I’ve made for years. It recommends cutting berries in half which is a real chore with frozen cranberries. I have to wear rubber gloves to keep my fingers from freezing! I see you use whole cranberries so apparently I don’t have to worry about cutting each Cranberry in half.
Hi Sue, whole cranberries work great in this recipe. I hope you love it.
Hi Natasha! Do you know how many mini loaves this recipe will make? Thanks!
Hi Victoria, I have not tried making mini loaves with this recipe, although I know it is possible. I can’t give an exact count, but it will depend on what size your mini pans are. I wish I could be more helpful.
The best cranberry orange bread I have made! Full of cranberry/orange flavor. I will make again!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, LeAnn!
I scrolled way down and found my answer! It takes a while to load this site, probably due to all the ads., which I totally understand. Think I will freeze the loaf and add the glaze later.
Thank you for sharing your concerns and feedback. The only way we can continue providing free recipes is by having ads on our site, so we are not able to remove those at this time. We find that most people would rather see the ads than pay to see the recipes. But we will definitely take note of your feedback and use it to improve our website.
I appreciate your feedback, and I hope you love every recipe you try.
Just made this, and it certainly came out looking good! I used oat milk and frozen cranberries, thawed. I want to freeze it, so should I add the glaze first, or after it’s thawed and ready to eat?
Thank you!
Hi Susan! I have frozen it with and without the glaze. Either way will work. Just be sure to thaw the loaves before adding the glaze if you’re freezing without the glaze.
Hi Natasha,
I’ve loved your banana loaf recipe (as many others as well), so I’m going to attempt your cranberry loaf this year. I’d like to know, though, what kind of milk (i.e. whole, low fat, reduced fat) is used in your recipe?
Any milk should work fine. I hope you’ll love this recipe too!
Hello Natasha, you have again done your magic with this recipe. it is delicious! Putting the cranberries in flour first really does work. I love the pop of eating the cranberries. So yummy. Oh my gosh and the glaze. So easy to make. Thank you again for sharing your wonderful recipes. Happy holidays to you and your family.
Thank you, I’m glad that you love this recioe! Happy Holidays too.
I made this cranberry orange bread tonight with my kids and it turned our so delicious and moist we ate half the loaf! Now my kids have already requested for another loaf for tomorrow’s dessert.
Thanks Natasha for the recipe.😊
That’s nice to know. Thank you so much for this review!
Is it possible to substitute almond milk for those who are lactose intolerant?
Hi Adrienne, I haven’t tried using almond milk but one of readers shared this “Just made this today swapping out almond milk for regular milk due to an allergy. Also after reading the other comments, I halved the icing with exceptional yummy results! I will be making this again to give as gifts.”
I made this cranberry orange bread tonight with my kids and it turned our so delicious and moist we ate half the loaf! Now my kids have already requested for another loaf for tomorrow’s dessert.
Thanks Natasha for the recipe.😊
That’s wonderful to hear!
Came across this recipe about a week ago and I am happy I did. Hubby loved this bread so much so the first loaf only lasted a few hours and it was gone. I just put another loaf in the oven this afternoon I’m not a cranberry fan but this is sooooooo good!!!
Thank you for your good comments and feedback, Cheryl. We’re happy to know that you and your hubby loved it!
Made them into mini’s for Christmas trays.
Love Natasha’s recipes. Always come out great!
Thank you, Jen! I’m so glad you love the recipe!
Thank you for your comment as I plan to do the same to give as gifts. When you made your mini loaves, how long did you bake them for?
I’d love to make this into minis too, can you tell me how long you baked it and what size pans you used!
Thank you!
Natasha, your Cranberry Bread recipe sounds wonderful. I’ve read every review. I’ve done a wee bit of research to discover at what altitude you do your baking. You are over 2,000 feet below me in altitude! I’ll bake this loaf once to see how much difference the bake will be. I wish every blogger was required to post their altitude.
Hi Marie! Thank you. We would love the feedback since I don’t have any experience with high altitude baking.
Can I double the recipe and bake it in a bunt pan? Would that b too much batter? Not sure how big my buntt is. Not a really big one. Better yet, how far from the top should the batter be.
How much longer would that need to bake?
This recipe is so yummmy.
I freeze cranberries for all year baking.
Love your cook book.
Thank you.
Hi Nan! I have not tried this recipe in different size pans to advise on those specific instructions. I read through the comments and don’t see that any of my viewers left feedback about using a bundt pan. I assume it would work fine, you’ll just have to experiment with it. Have you tried my cranberry bundt cake recipe/?