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 this loaf stays moist for a few days (in case you needed a homemade Christmas gift idea).
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Cranberry Bread Recipe
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 make it truly special. As a copycat recipe, I think it’s even better than Starbucks’ Cranberry Bliss Bread. You’ll love every bite.
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! P.S. You can also change it up and add nuts to make it a cranberry nut bread, as I did with my famous Banana Bread.
Cranberry Orange Bread Ingredients
- Baking Basics – All-purpose flour gives the bread structure, baking powder is the primary leavening, and salt balances the sweetness.
- Milk – I use whole milk, but skim milk will work. It’s best at room temperature.
- Orange zest and juice – In case it’s not intuitive for everyone, use a zester 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
- Fresh Cranberries – rinsed and dried, then tossed in 1/2 Tbsp of flour to keep them from sinking in the batter. You can use frozen cranberries and add them frozen (do not thaw) and bake a few minutes longer, or substitute 2/3 cup dried cranberries and reduce the sugar in the recipe to 2/3 cup since dried cranberries aren’t as tart. Soak dried cranberries in very warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry before using.
When Shopping for Cranberries…
Cranberries are only available for a season in grocery stores, so buy extra and store them in the freezer so you can enjoy cranberry bread year-round. To Freeze Cranberries: Set the original bag inside a freezer-safe bag to protect them from freezer burn. I rinse frozen cranberries right before using them. If you’d rather rinse before freezing, just dry them really well first.
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 with an electric mixer, 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 wire rack to cool completely.
Natasha’s 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.
To Bake Mini Cranberry Loaves
If you want to gift mini cranberry loaves. Divide into 3 mini loaf pans (5.5 x 3-inch each). Divide evenly among the pans, filling them 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake at 350˚F for 22-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Glaze once fully cooled.
The Best Glaze for Cranberry Bread
Orange and cranberry are complementary flavors, 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.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
- 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.
This sweet bread is total comfort food. All you need is a steamy mug of tea or coffee to go with a thick, fresh slice of homemade Cranberry Bread.
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 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
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 Cookies
This is missing a step…I am assuming you add the milk mixture after the eggs?
Hi Amy! See step 3 and 5.
My grandson is allergic to dairy. Do you think I can substitute almond milk for the milk and plant based butter for the regular butter?
Hi Krista! I haven’t tested it, but I think it would be fine. Some of my viewers reported making this with canola oil in place of butter so a vegan butter should work.
I have a lot of sugared cranberries left over from when I made the bundt cake, do you think it would work to brush off the sugar and use them for this recipe. If so, should I decrease the sugar?
I have not tested that to advise. I imagine you can make that work but with some minor modifications.
I made this recipe in small loaf pans and gifted them. A couple of comments include ‘absolutely divine’ and ‘delicious, delicious – ate the entire loaf myself!’
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
This bread is so good!! I made it in many loads…only suggestion would be to cut cranberries in half and bake for about 25 minutes!! The generous icing recipe made the bread even better! This is an accomplishment, Natasha!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Gavin!
Do you use convection bake or regular bake ?
Hello there! I use regular bake (conventional baking)
Do you have any suggestions for using a mini loaf pan for this recipe
Hi Loretta! I haven’t personally tested it. One of my readers shared, “I made mini loaves and baked for 30 minutes.” Another viewers said she baked hers for 22 mins so I would keep an eye out in the oven and check them early.
Hi! I made this recipe yesterday in mini loafs and my oven took 25 minutes. I would check at 20 minutes, though!
Natasha, can this cranberry bread be doubled? I like to make 2 loaves at a time
Hi Linda! Yes, as long as you have enough room in your bowl to incorporate your ingredients well without over-mixing the batter.
Any idea how many mini loafs this batter will make?
Hi Rick! I’m not sure but here is what one of my viewers said,“I used 4 mini loaf pans (1 1/2 cups each, about 2 1/2x 5 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches). Baked for 22 minutes at 350°.“ I hope that helps.
These are beautiful, I made them for Christmas presents. Thank-you Natasha 🎄happy holidays!
I made 5 loaves today, they look beautiful. I’m waiting for them to cool so I can glaze them! Thx Natasha 🎅🎄
I made this two ways; using the normal recipe and one using Trader Joe’s gluten free flour mix. Both were amazing! I used zest from 3 oranges because I like a strong orange flavor. I’m going to try making it as muffins next time so they are single serving and easier to freeze. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for sharing, Darcie!
I’m wondering if i can make the cake ahead of time andfeweze it?
Hi Pauline! Yes, it freezes well.
What did I do wrong? I floured the cranberries so they wouldn’t sink, but they all rose to the top! The taste is good, but the cranberry taste is only at the top. I would like to make these as gifts. Any suggestions?
Hi Mary! A few things to try- make sure to coat them well and pat them completely dry before hand. Don’t over-mix the batter. You may even try to layer them in the batter instead of folding them in. For example, pour 1/3 of the batter into the pan, top it with cranberries, repeat. I hope that’s helpful.
Hi Natasha
First I love your recipes!!
Would your cranberry bread recipe work okay with dried cranberries that I could soak in oj before
Thanks
Hi Denyse! Yes- see my note in the common questions section regarding using dried cranberries.
Prep and bake time are definitely off. Took closer to 20 minutes to get all ingredients prepped and mixed. Baking took 1 hour in a glass pan. I had to cover the bread because it was starting to brown too much. There was also way too much glaze, like double the amount I needed. This is the 2nd sweet bread recipe I’ve tried from NK and both have been lackluster.
Hi Veronica! I’m really sorry to hear that. This recipe generally has great reviews. It’s a very popular one around this time of the year, often used to gift for the holidays. Glass pans affect how it bakes, they require a longer bake time and a lower temperature to prevent browning.
You can definitely decrease the glaze, or leave it off entirely.
Can frozen cranberries be substituted for fresh cranberries??
Yes frozen will work. Please check this portion of the recipe “Common Questions”
This Cranberry/Orange Bread is a favorite with our family; it is delicious. I always make it without the glaze as I think it keeps better.
Oh I just saw the post about using frozen cranberries. Thank you, I should have looked a little better.
I wondered if I could use frozen cranberries?
Yes frozen will work. Please check this portion of the recipe “Common Questions”
I have used this recipe for the past few years to give to others as Christmas gifts. I bake 2 loaves at a time and add an extra 15 minutes or so to the baking time. It is always well received! Thank you for a great gift-worthy recipe!