Cranberry Nut Bread
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Sweet, orange-scented and chock-full of cranberries and walnuts, this cranberry nut bread is perfect for the holidays.
Sweet, orange-scented, and chock-full of tart cranberries and walnuts, this cranberry nut bread is tailor made for the holidays. It’s a classic quick bread, which means it’s easy to throw together. The hardest part is chopping up the fresh cranberries because they like to roll all over the place. Don’t be tempted to substitute dried cranberries; the fresh cranberries burst as they bake, mingling with the rich batter to create tart-sweet pockets of jammy cranberries.
Cranberries are abundant over the holiday season. For more ways to enjoy them, check out my Nantucket cranberry pie, fresh cranberry sauce, and cranberry chutney.
What you’ll need to make Cranberry nut bread
How to make Cranberry Nut bread
Begin by combining the buttermilk, orange zest, orange juice, melted butter and egg in a small bowl.
Since the recipe calls for only 2/3 cup of buttermilk, you might not want to buy a whole carton. It’s easy to make your own by combining regular milk with a bit of lemon juice or vinegar (see recipe below for exact quantities). Whisk well to combine and set aside.
Next, combine the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Whisk well.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry.
Stir gently with a rubber spatula until just combined.
Add the halved cranberries and nuts.
Mix again to incorporate.
Scrape the batter into a greased loaf pan.
Bake for about one hour, then cool in the pan on a rack for ten minutes.
Turn the loaf out onto the rack to cool completely.
Slice, serve and enjoy!
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Cranberry Nut Bread
Sweet, orange-scented and chock-full of cranberries and walnuts, this cranberry nut bread is perfect for the holidays.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup buttermilk (see note)
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest, from 1 orange
- ⅓ cup orange juice, from 1 orange
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved (see note)
- ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and set an oven rack to the middle position. Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, stir together buttermilk, orange zest and juice, melted butter and egg. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with rubber spatula until just moistened. Gently stir in cranberries and nuts. Do not overmix.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350° F. Continue to bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45 minutes longer. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto the rack and cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, check out the easy method here.
- Note: Cranberries are a bit tricky to chop because they roll all over the place. I cut them in half one at a time -- seems tedious, I know, but there aren't that many so it doesn't take long. If you're using frozen cranberries, be sure to slice them while they're still frozen.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (12 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 227
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Sugar: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 224 mg
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Excellent! It’s very moist and has a nice tang from the buttermilk and cranberries.
Just baked this cranberry bread earlier today and it came out absolutely gorgeous. It’s a large loaf, perfectly browned, moist, with cranberries and nuts evenly distributed. And, it tastes absolutely wonderful! This was my first attempt at cranberry bread (I’m a banana bread girl) and what a positive experience! Thank you!
Another terrific recipe! The marriage of orange and cranberry is a beautiful thing. They just plain go together, much like chocolate and raspberries. The flavors in this bread meld together beautifully. Thanks for another great recipe Jennifer!
Hi can I make this in a bundt pan instead loaf pan?
Yes Jane, I think you could, but depending upon the size of the bundt pan, you may need to make 1 1/2 times the batter. Here’s a resource that I find helpful in figuring out potential adjustments.
I really liked this recipe although next time, I’d probably use 50% more cranberries. Found myself wanting more tartness.
Hello Jenn, Made the Cranberry Nut Bread today. It is absolutely delicious. However, berries are not as evenly distributed as shown in your photo. I don’t think I over mixed ??? Have heard that if fruit is dusted with flour berries tend to not drop. What do you think ?Do you have a suggestion?
Delicious wishes,
Yvonne
Hi Yvonne, Glad you liked the bread! While typically I don’t have a problem with the cranberries sinking in this bread, you can certainly try tossing them in a bit of flour to see if that helps.
Jenn,
Instead of frozen or fresh canberries, can I used “craisins”, the dried cranberries that come in a sealed bag?
Hi Jackie. I worry the bread would be too sweet with those. Fresh cranberries are super-tart, and the batter is quite sweet to balance the flavor. They also add a good bit of moisture to the bread. Sorry!
Can I make this into mini muffins? If so, what temp and how long?
Hi Jenn, I haven’t made muffins with this recipe, but I think it could be done. I’d keep the temperature the same and start checking them at about 10 – 12 minutes. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Thanks!! 23 minutes for the regular size muffins and 13 for the mini ? Followed rest of recipe and temp exactly.
Delicious, btw! Thanks for this recipe!
Glad you enjoyed them!!
I don’t know what size bread pans your using but in California ours are normal size and you would definitely have to double the recipe to make two loaves.
This bread was wonderful, very tasty and just the right amount of orange to add to the flavor. It was moist and disappeared very quickly. I first made it last fall and have it in the oven now. The smells of it baking are amazing.
This has become my favorite quick bread. When I don’t have fresh oranges, I use lemon zest and mango juice, both of which are always in my freezer. I freeze mango juice in ice cube trays. One cube is about 2 tbsp.
Can I use Cristina instead of cranberries in the bread ?
Hi Suzanne, I’m not familiar with Cristina. Is that a typo?
What a delicious and beautiful bread! I served this to guests today and it was a huge hit! I will definitely make this again. I increased the cranberries to 1.5 c. That was the only change I made to this excellent recipe.
Can you use skim milk to make the buttermilk?
I think that should work Denise.
I used skim milk to make the buttermilk with no problem at all.
This recipe is awesome! I had been making another cranberry-nut bread recipe for over 30 years. I decided to print this one out & make this instead on vacation in FL. My husband and I both agree that this is better & I will be making this recipe from now on.
Amazing recipe! My work group absolutely loved the cranberry nut bread for our company breakfast. Will definitely be making this again.
I’m writing a review instead of polishing off the rest of this incredibly delicious bread! I made a double batch and changed a few things. I used pecans instead of walnuts, 4T coconut oil replaced some butter, half white & half white whole wheat flour with a handful of oatbran (I think – it wasn’t labeled) gave a nice flavor and texture & I didn’t double the sugar. I think it’s plenty sweet and feels appropriate for dessert or breakfast.
Can I use canned whole cranberries from a can?
Elaine, I’ve never tried this recipe with canned cranberries. I think it would work if the cranberries don’t come canned with some sort of syrup. Let me know how it turns out!
Hello,
i need to make several batches of mini loaves and I was wondering if it’s possible to double this recipe without any problems. I hear some times that you need to add more baking soda or baking powder when doubling a recipe but then again I hear that you don’t. So I would just like your opinion.
Suzette, you can double the recipe without having to modify ingredient amounts like baking soda or baking powder. Hope you enjoy!
Again, Jenn’s recipe hits the spot. The cranberry loaf — left out the nuts– was delicious. I will add slightly more sugar next time as my frozen cranberries seem to be extra tart. And absolutely no need to cut frozen berries before mixing into the batter. My husband is very happy that I found this wonderful webs site. Susan
I’m wondering how your recipe differs from Cooks Illustrated.
Hi Natalie, It’s very similar — mine has slightly less orange zest and a bit more sugar.
I substituted almonds and also added coconut. Turned out fabulous!!! Thanks.
It tastes delicious, but I had some trouble keeping it from sticking to the pan. I’m going to try putting parchment paper in the bottom of the loaf pan next time.
I used coconut oil spray (from TJs) and it came out easily!
My butter/orange juice mixture curdled – wasn’t sure if the butter had congealed or if I accidentally cooked the eggs (unlikely as I waited for the butter to cool down before adding it). Or is that normal? I added it anyway and the batter looked all right, so hopefully things turn out.
What I’m finding really odd is that my loaf isn’t done after the listed bake times (20 at 375 and 45 at 350). It looked golden and risen on the outside, but my skewer came out very batter-y and wet. I added another 12 minutes and it’s still raw. Very unfortunate and not sure what went wrong since everyone else seems to have had so much success. My oven hasn’t had problems with any other recipes.
Hi Kelly, Sometimes if the eggs are too cold it causes the butter to seize up, which makes it look curdled. It’s not a big deal with a recipe like this so I wouldn’t worry about that. However, it’s odd that the loaf is still wet after over an hour. Did it come out okay with the added time?
It turned out great in the end with the extra baking time. Overall a success, but with a few unsolved mysteries along the way…
Excellent. For those at high altitude, I live at 6700 feet, reduce the baking powder by 1/4 teaspoon and add 1 egg. It didn’t fall like so many other quick breads at this high altitude and tasted heavenly. Thanks, I have yet to try something I didn’t like!
So glad I found your website.
I live at 8700. What adjustments would you suggest?
I live in the uk. I can’t get hold of buttermilk. I have read that you can substitute 15ml of a cup of full fat milk with lemon juice and leave for five minutes as a substitute. Will this work in this recipe please?
Hi Rani, To make 2/3 cup homemade buttermilk, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Add lowfat or full fat milk to the 2/3 cup line (or 160ml). Let it sit for about 10 min or until it starts to curdle. Hope that helps!
Tesco sell buttermilk ?
Lovely simple, classic nut & fruit bread recipe – the grated zest makes it. You can use reconstituted dried berries, or raisins, or almonds if you want instead.
I made this today with almonds & it’s excellent. I used a smaller loaf pan & had some batter leftover, so used muffin pans for that & they were good too. A glaze or icing made with powdered sugar, orange zest, & orange juice would work well with this. Thanks!
Just made this for the first time. I accidentally doubled the walnuts but no matter, it was still moist and delicious. I used cranberries I had fresh frozen and just cut each one in half. Delicious! Thank you!
I have made this bread several ties since finding the recipe. I do add about 1/2 cup of additional cranberries. The buttermilk makes it so moist, love it!
Wow! Packed with flavor. Absolutely love it!
How many servings for this loaf?
Hi Deena, A 9×5-inch loaf serves about 12.
Awesome. This was my first bread baking attempt ever. I tried it after my daughter-in-law baked it for the holidays. I must admit it took an hour to slice all the cranberries, but it was worth it. My cranberries weren’t as red as the ones in your photo when I sliced them, but they are all a brilliant maroon when cooked in the bread. It’s the best bread of this type I have ever tasted. I have enough cranberries from the 1# bag for two more. The aroma and flavors remind me of a fruitcake. I was wondering how it would turn out if I added some of the candied fruits and cherries that are used in a fruitcake. Am I getting too adventurous? Thanks again for a great recipe.
Hi Steve, I’m so glad it was a success! It’s always fun to play with recipes and I like your idea of candied fruits — just be sure to keep the quantity of add-ins about the same (for example, you might replace some of the cranberries and nuts with candied fruits, rather than add to them). Please come back and let me know how it turns out!
I can’t believe it was Thanksgiving before I got around to trying this recipe again. Still believing this would make a great cranberry-laden fruitcake, this time, I added a cup of diced candied fruit used in fruitcakes. Against your advice, I used the full measure of pecans and cranberries. Like some others have reported, it stayed wet for far too long during baking. Once the top browned, I laid a piece of foil on top to allow more cooking of the interior. I must have cooked it for an extra half-hour, in 10-minute increments. There was no burning, and the foil prevented over-browning of the top. I probably went 5-min too long, because it was a little dry. I had to cut 3/4″ thick slices to get it to hold together. But it was delicious, especially slightly warm with Philadelphia cream cheese on top. The candied fruit was a great adder, especially when I bit into a piece of the tart cranberry. I’m going to try it again at Christmas, with a bit more fruit and nuts, but checking it every 5-min and pulling it out of the oven even when it is still slightly moist. I would rather have it too moist than too dry. BTW, wrapped in foil and unrefrigerated, it took two weeks to finally eat it all. There was no sign of mold or change in flavor. Great to the last bite. I might even use my bundt cake pan, since I’m admittedly making a cranberry-laden fruitcake.
Great flavor. I added a half cup extra of cranberries and would add 1/4 more next time around.
I just made this great recipe to go with chicken soup. It turned out perfectly!!
I made this bread this evening and turned out very good. I used fresh cranberries and pecans and it turned out perfect.
Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful recipe! Has anyone figured out what the internal temperature should be when it’s done?
This bread has turned into one of my favorites!! I have made it several times and it is perfect every single time!! The recipe calls for chopping the cranberries, I dont even bother, slicing the bread after its baked does the work for me. I was out of oranges and was craving this bread, so I substituted one tsp orange extract in lieu of the zest, it worked well.
I have also interchanged the cranberries for fresh blueberries and the orange zest for lemon zest….just fantastic!! my husband and daughter love it toasted with butter!
Delicious! This bread came out so moist, with a lovely hint of orange in the background. My husband admitted that he wasn’t very excited when he saw I was making cranberry bread, but the taste of this one changed his mind (he ended up eating more of it than anyone else!). When I first pulled the bread out of the oven after an hour, I thought I had overbaked it (it was quite brown around the edges), but it was actually cooked perfectly. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Jenn!
This cranberry bread is WAY better than the one on the back of the cranberry package. I tried to cut it before it had cooled completely and the slice crumbled. Put it in the freezer for later use and it sliced perfectly!
Recently I made your Cranberry Nut Bread to give as a Christmas gift. It was perfect!! They asked for my recipe which I was happy to share.
why is mind a little dry can I add milk to make moist
Hi Brenda, It shouldn’t be dry — did you add the buttermilk?
I made this with lots of mistakes and it still came out very good. I will make it again very soon sans mistakes.
My Cranberry Loaf always comes out flat on top. Is there a way to avoid this and have it come out arched on top?
Hi Pam, Are you using this recipe?
I have not made this yet, but I was wondering if the zest is necessary?
Hi Carrie, The bread will come out perfectly fine without it but it does add really nice lemon flavor.
If I add can pumpkin, how do I alter this recipe to incorporate? Thanks!
Hi JC, I’m afraid that won’t work with this recipe. Sorry!
If I use disposable aluminum pan to bake the cranberry nut bread, should I cut the baking time or the temperature?
Thank you!
Hi Deny, I think it should be fine to leave the recipe as is; just keep an eye on it.
I plan to make nine small loaves of this for holiday gifts. Would they freeze well if I make them a few weeks before giving as gifts? If so, how do recommend wrapping for the freezer? Thanks.
Hi Teri, They freeze beautifully. I always double up by wrapping the cooled loaves in aluminum foil and placing in freezer bags. Hope that helps!
i just made the cranberry nut bread and it is amazing. such an easy recipe to follow. i also made the pumpkin crunch muffins. the topping is the best cause its so crunchy. i will be baking the pumpkin cheesecake for thanksgiving and know it will be a huge hit. jennifer’s recipes are all so delicious, easy and taste the way you hope they will. i’m hooked on her website.
Thank you!
What a wonderful taste it has, and how easy is to make.