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
Natasha, I tried your orange cranberry loaf recipe, but with one difference. I didn’t have an orange so I used a lemon instead. It was delicious. I will definitely make this again and again.
I’m so glad you loved it, Helen! Sounds wonderful.
This was a hit! Thank you. So easy, and so good! I used salted butter, because that is what I had, and it was just fine. I also added a half cup of nuts.
However, it was difficult to read the recipe with all the adds and you have to read ingredients here and scroll for instructions, and it keeps going back to the top on me, maybe it is because I am doing it on an iPad. But when I saw the option for the email, I chose it. Then all I get is an email with the link back here! I wanted the recipe, so I could read it easier.
Thank you for your comments and feedback, Sharon. You can also click Junmp to recipe, print and save it as pdf on your device so you can save the recipe card and refer to it when you need it instead of going to the website. Although, that is not normal but thanks for letting us know. It should not autmatocally jump to the top but feel free to try it on a different device too!
Thank you for the info how to do that. I just also, wanted to add, I will be making this recipe many times!
I would love to try this. I don’t have unsalted butter though. Will salted work ok?
Hi Susan! I prefer to use unsalted because it allows me control over the salt level. If you’re using salted when a recipe calls for unsalted, just omit the salt or adjust the salt to taste.
I hope you love this recipe!
A delightful sweet bread. The combination of orange and cranberries is delicious. I substituted gluten free flour and added a little more liquid for a wonderfully moist gluten free bread.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this bread, Anna!
The texture of this was so smooth and rich and the flavor was perfect. I’ve made quite a few of your recipes and have never been disappointed. My favorite, by far, is your pavlova. Thank you so much for giving us your best❤️
I’m so glad to hear that, Traci! Thank you so much.
I have made this several times. Delicious! Can I substitute fresh cherries in this recipe?
Thank you for your wonderful feedback, Cathy! I haven’t tried this recipe with fresh cherries to advise. If you try that out as an experiment, we’d love to know how it goes!
I LOVE this recipe and have made it several times. Delicious!
I baked a loaf for my husband’s co-workers during the holiday season and it was a HIT! And on popular demand from them, I am making it again tonight. It is one of the best breads I have ever baked. Thank you Natasha 😊
That’s wonderful feedback. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I don’t have cranberries but have blueberries. So I made blueberry lemon cake substituting lemons for oranges & blueberries for cranberries
I’ll lyk how it turns out
I hope you love it, Nancy!
I very eager to try this bread recipe. I have dried cranberries left over from a previous baked good and I’d hate to waste them. Can you use dried cranberries in place of fresh ones?
Hi Karla, yes you can, see the “Can I Substitute Dried Cranberries?” section in the recipe.
Can I replace butter with EVOO or canola oil. I don’t like to use butter in baked goods
Hi Pina, this really is best with butter as it adds moisture to the loaf. I haven’t tried that substitution yet but one of readers used canola oil and it worked for them.
I followed the recepie exactly and although the taste was great it didn’t raise very much, a bit dense, what did I do wrong? The baking Powder was good so that couldn’t be it.
Hi Ann! A dense cake can also be because of using too much flour. Be sure to measure correctly. I have a tutorial on How to measure ingredients here.
Can you make muffins using this recipe? If so what temp and baking time. Loved this recipe my husband too.
Hi Lisa! I’m sure it can be made into muffins but I haven’t tested it to know how many muffins it will yield or how long to bake. I would watch them in the oven since they will bake faster. My guess would be likely between 18-22 mins.
I doubled the recipe to make 24 muffins. Baked for 23 mins. Delicious! Thank you Natasha!
You’re very welcome, Linda! Thank you for sharing.
Awful. Made exactly as stated. Pan is too small, edges came up first. Top was flat. After full bake the center was still dough. I have been making bread for 40 years. This was a wasted afternoon. FAIL
Hi Florence, I’m sorry to hear that – it’s never fun to have a baking project fail. This is the first time I’m hearing a complaint like this on this recipe and it’s been a very popular one. Did you check that your leavening was still active and not expired? Also, you might check that your oven is preheating and maintaining heat properly. An oven thermometer can really help with that.
Try again. You must’ve done something wrong. Make sure your ingredients are fresh and you’re using the right size of pan…. Delicious recipe!
I would love to try making this. I have leftover frozen cranberry sauce to use up. Can I use that in place of the fresh cranberries?
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.
Today I helped my eight-year-old grandson stir up this bread. Unfortunately, he had to leave before he could eat any. Oh my! It is so delicious and THE best cranberry bread I’ve ever had. Throwing out my old crumbly cranberry recipe soon thank you very much.
Thank you, Mary. I’m happy that you loved this bread!
Today I helped my 8 year-old grandson stir up this bread. Unfortunately, he had to leave before he could try it. Oh my!!! It is THE best cranberry bread I’ve ever had. Recipe already printed. Can’t stop eating it – so moist and yummy. Throwing out my old crumbly recipe soon. Thank you!
You’re welcome, happy to know that you enjoyed this recipe a lot!
Has anyone tried making this yummy looking bread with Gluten Free flour?
Hi Sara, I haven’t tested that to advise. Let’s see if others here can share their experience.
I made this with King Arthur’s Flour and it was delicious. I asked friends for their opinion and they didn’t know it was made with gluten free flour.
Great to hear that!
this was soooo good i make 2 loaves and freeze..love it ty..huggzz
That’s great to hear! It’s always nice to have a little extra on hand to defrost when the sweet craving hits or company comes over.
Can I make this bread using dried cranberries instead of fresh
Hi Sandra, yes you can, see the “Can I Substitute Dried Cranberries?” section in the recipe.