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 was delicious! I made 3 mini loaves from one batch and baked for 40 minutes at 350*. I took it to a party and made several batches as Christmas gifts – everyone loved this bread!
THat is awesome feedback<, Jayne. Thank you for sharing!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! sounds delicious. I will also try it with blueberries and a lemon glaze. Also a good combination. Merry Christmas!
Hi Susanne, that sounds like a great plan. Please share with us how it goes if you do an experiment.
Hi.
Is it better to freeze the loaf without the glaze?
Would topping the thawed loaf with glaze work?
Hi RR, I bet it could work both ways!
Love, love this recipe… Made to give as Christmas gifts….
This is a keeper, thank you so much for sharing.
These make for the perfect Christmas gift, Cathie! I’m so glad you loved it!
I’ve made this twice and we all loved it! Can I make this into muffins? Would I have to do anything differently? How long would you bake them? Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
Hi Kathy, I haven’t tried that myself, but I recommend looking through my reader’s comments, one of my readers mentioned making these into cupcakes.
I want to make 5 loaves of this bread. Any problem doubling the recipe a few times (2 recipes at a time)?
Hi Sally, doubling this recipe should work great!
This recipe is just wonderful.! Easy, and moist. Such a fresh, lighter treat. The glaze just sweetly tops off the bread. Folks l’ve given it to call and rave about it. My household loves it too. Give it a try, it will become a favorite I’m sure.. Natasha: Does it freeze well?? P.s. enjoyed your video. Thank you for a great recipe.!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe and video, Jan! Yes, it does freeze well. See the “Make-Ahead” section in the recipe on all the storing tips.
Made the cranberry orange bread this am. Wonderful recipe and fun to make. Smells heavenly and very moist delicious and flavorful with fresh orange and cranberries! A keeper for sure, as all of your wonderful recipes!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Chris! I’m glad you found a keeper!
Tried this recipe but it came out dry. Any recommendations? I used dried cranberry and soak them in warm water.
Hi Gabriella, this recipe has always turned out moist and should be moist and not dry. Were there any changes made in the recipe or perhaps any substituted ingredients? Also, be sure to measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon, then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup. I hope this is helpful!
If it is too dry maybe make more of the drizzle and drizzle over each slice. Warmed up would be really good.
Hi Natasha! My loaf came out tasty but so sour!! Any idea why? I followed exactly, but Maybe the bag of cranberries I used were just too sour? So sad because I have to pick out the cranberries out of the loaf before eating it 🙁
Hi Misha, it sounds like it may be the cranberry, it may have needed a bit more sugar to balance.
OMG!!! Just made this and it is AMAZING!!! The only thing I changed was the icing, I wanted something less sweet so I substituted it for an orange cream cheese icing. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Djenabou! I’m happy you enjoyed it!
I was in a hurry when I made this bread and half read the recipe. So therefore I made a couple of mistakes: 1) I left out the eggs and had to add them at the last minute. 2) I misread the cranberry amount and put the whole package in the batter. Result: WONDERFUL! This is a very forgiving recipe. Its definitely going in my keeper recipe file. Thanks Natasha for another awesome recipe.
I’m so happy to hear it all worked out, Connie!
Not too sure if this question has already been asked but can I use dried cranberries instead? Appreciate insights.
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.
Absolutely delicious! The crumb is perfectly moist and soft and dense all at once. And the color of the burst cranberries is beautiful and festive. LOVE this recipe. Made this for Christmas presents for clients without ever having tasted it; when I got home from delivering, finally tasted my own loaf and was so pleased.
Thank you for your good comments and feedback, Emily. I’m happy to hear that you loved the result!
I made this recipe this morning and it turned out amazing! My entire family devoured the loaf before I came home from work! My family loves Natasha!
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
This cranberry bread recipe was amazing. I have never made such a good bread as this before and I have tried many recipes. I followed you recipe exactly and it came out perfect. I have been reading all your tips on baking and the measuring of the flour is so perfect and never knew.
Thank you so much!!
Hi Ellen, glad to hear that it turned out great! Thank you for sharing, and hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
Another winner. A moist and delicious treat, and now my go-to cranberry orange bread. Yummy! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad it’s a winner for you! That’s so great!
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe. I wanted to make note of 3 things I did to the recipe. I used almond milk in place if regular milk (mostly because i was out of regular milk). Still turned out amazing. And I made cupcakes with paper liners instead of bread so we could grab and go. They baked for about 20 mins. I did start checking them at 15 mins but they needed a few extra mins for browning.. I sprayed the paper liners with spray oil so they work. Finally I added a little almond extract to the glaze. It bumped the flavor up a notch. Next time I make this bread I may add in a handful of chocolate chips and some toasted walnuts. Either way, it’s an amazing recipe…enjoy!
Nice info, Charlotte. Thanks a lot for sharing that with us! That is definitely useful and helpful for others who want to try it that way too.
I was just about to ask if it’s possible to make cupcakes with this recipe instead. Thank you for sharing! I’m a huge fan of Natasha’s recipes, turn out brilliantly every time.
This is delicious! What is a better combo that orange & cranberries in my opinion.
I want to give this neighbors for the holidays and I am wondering how I will wrap in anything that won’t stick to the yummy glaze? Thoughts?
HI Angela, the best way to preserve the pretty look of the top is to put it into some kind of box packaging that doesn’t touch the top. otherwise, if you were to wrap it, I would wrap it with a strip of parchment paper around the bread first then tape to secure it, and then wrap it with a gift wrap. The parchment will be less likely to stick versus something like plastic wrap.
How many cupcakes would this make and would I fill the pan to the top?
Thanks
Omg !!!!! Can you hear us ewwwwing and awwwwing in Oklahoma? This is amazing. I shared it to my FB page and I’m now following you on yours. Can’t wait to try some more of your recipes. Merry Christmas ❤️
Thanks for your good comments and feedback. I hope you will love all the recipes that you will try!
I made this today. It is simply the best. I love your recipes.
Thank you for the awesome feedback, Karen. Glad you loved it!