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
Does this get stored at room temperature in a container or in the fridge in a container? Also if you reduce the temperature 25 degrees for a darker pan, what is the baking time you think?
Hi Maranda! See the make ahead and storage notes above for details on recommended storage tips. For baking in a darker pan, I would start to check for doneness about 10 minutes earlier.
Just delicious! Made this for my husband and now I’m wondering if I can make this recipe with gluten free flour for a friend? Love your website!
Thank you for sharing that you love this recipe! I haven’t tested an alternative, but you should be able to use a gluten free 1:1 baking blend, like King Arthur brand. One of our readers also shared this comment “It was delicious! I made it with gluten free flour and it turned out great!” Hope that helps!
Thank you Natasha for this wonderful recipe and all your other ones as well. We enjoy everyone we try.
Aww, thank you so much for sharing that with me, Georgia! I’m so glad to hear this was a hit.
This is one of my favorite cranberry recipes! I’ve made the loaf in the past and it was delicious. I’m going to try making muffins with this recipe – I’ll report back
I’m so happy you loved it, Tamara! Thank you for sharing that with me.
I’m reporting back after making this recipe into muffins! They turned out AMAZING! I baked them for 30 minutes at 350 and got 15 muffins. (I used frozen cranberries). I’m trying to resist eating them all myself!
That’s so weonderful to hear! Thank you so much for this update, Tamara! I know my readers will find this helpful.
I made Cranberry and orange bread in Xmas patty pans, cooking for only 26 mins. Only made 7. I took them to a small Xmas luncheon. They are delicious. Will make a loaf next time to eat at home.
Sounds great! I’m happy that you enjoyed them!
This recipe is absolutely delicious & very easy! I made it for my daughter’s baby shower & everyone loved it. I will definitely make this again!
I’m happy to hear that it was a huge hit!
No cranberries available. I will try with blueberries!!!
I love this cranberry bread, so moist and tasty.
Can you use dried cranberries, instead of fresh ?
Yes, dried cranberries will work! You can go to this portion of the recipe “Fresh Cranberries” for more tips on using dried.
Probably would be ok if cranberries were chopped and mixed with sugar. Much too tart this way. Will not make again.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like it, Jan. Did you omit any sugar or leave off the glaze? It should have a balance of sweet and tart, but it’s also possible the you got a bag of cranberries that were just too tart.
Hello! Can sugar be swapped for maple syrup or omitted all together?
Hi Roberta! I have not tested that to know how it would affect the overall texture. The sugar helps to add moisture and flavor. It may work with maple syrup, but you’ll have to experiment.
If I bake this in mini loaf pans til it tests done, will it continue to cook while it’s cooling in the pan for 10 minutes? If so, can I remove it from the pan when it comes out of the oven and put it on a rack to cool?
Great recipe.
Hi Patti, its best to let it cool in the pan for ten minutes, If you pull it out sooner, you risk it falling apart since it is very delicate when warm.
May I please get your recipe for your Cranberry Bundt Cake??
Thank you so much!!
Hi Rochelle, of course, towards the top of this page you will see a search window, type in “bundt” and you will see options come up for you, in the meantime here is the Cranberry Bundt Recipe. I hope you love it!
Hi! Just wanted to ask if I could use almond milk for this recipe or not.
Hi Daniel, 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.”
Thanks for answering my question. Could I also use a glass pan to bake the cranberry bread in. Because I don’t have a metal one and neither does the store.
Yes, you can use a glass pan. But I would lower the temperature by 25 degrees and keep an eye on it in the oven and start checking for doneness 10 minutes sooner.
Hi, wondering, can you use lemon instead of orange?
Hi Leslie! Sure, that would work.
I’d like to bake these in 3 1/2 x 6 aluminum disposable pans… do I adjust the temperature and/ or time baked???
Hi Kathy! We used a 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 loaf pan, your seems to be just slightly smaller, so the difference in time will be slightly less.
I want to try this for a Christmas gathering tomorrow evening. I was just wondering if you can use the Pam spray on the pan instead of the butter and flour?
Hi Kathleen, for this loaf, I recommend sticking with butter and flour. The cranberry bread is slightly sticky from the fruit, buttering and flouring the pan gives you the best release and allows for the bread to come out cleanly.
If I make this bread without the glaze will the orange flavor still be prevalent?
Hi Linley! It’s subtle, but it’s there. I hope you love it!
So delicious and yummy! I made this 3 times and there was nothing left! Thank you Natasha 🙏
Does the glaze dry hard? I have a hard time finding a glaze that doesn’t stay gooey so when packaging it to give away, it looks messy.
Hi Lauren! The glaze can and will probably be firm or stable if you glaze correctly (toward the end of cooking, in layers) and allow it to rest. It won’t complete become hard but it should be solid enough to reduce the “gloopy-mess” issue.