Cranberry Orange Bread
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Sweet, orange-scented, and packed with cranberries and walnuts, this cranberry orange bread is the perfect festive treat for the holidays.
Sweet, orange-scented, and packed with tart cranberries and walnuts, this cranberry orange bread recipe is tailor-made for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. As a classic quick bread, it’s incredibly easy to throw together. The trickiest part? Chopping up the fresh cranberries—they tend to roll everywhere! But don’t be tempted to use dried cranberries; the fresh ones burst as they bake, mingling with the batter to create jammy, tart-sweet pockets throughout.
Since cranberries are abundant during the holiday season, be sure to check out my Nantucket cranberry pie, fresh cranberry sauce, and cranberry chutney for even more festive inspiration.
What You’ll Need to Make Cranberry Orange Bread
- Buttermilk: Adds a tangy flavor and keeps the bread super moist.
- Orange zest: Brightens up the bread with a fresh citrusy kick.
- Orange juice: Enhances the sweet orange flavor and adds natural sweetness.
- Unsalted butter: Makes the bread rich and tender.
- Egg: Holds everything together and gives the bread structure.
- All-purpose flour: The foundation of the cranberry bread. Always measure flour using the spoon-and-level method to ensure accuracy.
- Sugar: Sweetens things up and balances the tart cranberries.
- Salt: A pinch to bring out all the flavors.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth and coziness that pairs perfectly with the orange and cranberries.
- Baking powder & baking soda: Give the bread a nice rise, making it light and fluffy.
- Fresh or frozen cranberries: Bursts of tart, juicy flavor in every bite.
- Chopped walnuts or pecans: Add a bit of crunch and a delicious nutty flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
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 flour mixture.
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 cranberry loaf out onto the rack to cool completely.
Slice the cranberry orange bread, serve and enjoy! After the bread is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
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Cranberry Orange Bread
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 (190°C) and set an oven rack to the middle position. Spray a 9 x 5-in (23 x 13-cm) 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 (175°C). 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.
Notes
- Check out guidance for how to make your own buttermilk.
- 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.
- Freezing 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
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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I like that this recipe has less sugar. I substituted butter with canola oil and I added some orange blossom water. I had dried cranberries in the pantry. It is currently baking right now. My kitchen smells great.
Hi Jenn,
Do you think these could be made into muffins? We’d like to double the recipe and make them share-able with friends. Thanks
-D
Sure — hope everyone enjoys!
Just another great recipe from you Jenn! I always do a bake table at our local craft fair yearly, and I will surely be adding this bread to the mix. I just love the tartness of the berries with the hint of orange…..delicious! As always, your cookbooks are my go-to whenever I bake!
I have been making this Cook’s Cranberry Nut Bread for years. It’s truly the best! I don’t see how you tweaked it though. I live on Cape Cod, where cranberries are grown and have tried many versions, NONE compare to this!
BTW, I just love Once Upon a Chef. Everything I have made from here has been fantastic! You are my go-to for yummy ideas. Thank You!
💗
Can I use dried cranberries?
Hi Becky, I think the bread would be too sweet with dried cranberries. Fresh cranberries are really tart, and the batter is quite sweet to balance the flavor. They also add a good bit of moisture to the bread. Sorry!
This is to die for, so good! Thank you Jenn, your recipes are always so good. Use nice sweets oranges and frozen cranberries when fresh are out of season and make this cranberry orange bread anytime. Highly recommend!
Fabulous recipe, next time will lessen the amount of sugar.
My daughter loves this bread and the cranberries are out of season how can I substitute dried cranberries and should I soak them in hot water before using?
Thank you for the always perfect recipes!
Leesa, I’m concerned the bread would be too sweet with dried cranberries. 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! (And glad you like the recipes.) 🙂
Love, love, love this bread! I’ve made it several times and it’s perfect every time!
This recipe is the best! I’ve been making cake to bring to work for a while, this recipe is always requested and my colleagues say it’s the best cake I made. Since I found this in October, that’s all I’ve made (except for the also excellent Banana-coconut pecan bread here once, loved that too). My colleagues are French and this was all new and strange for them, but they love it. Metric conversion button very appreciated.
I use colza oil instead of butter and use up to 2 cups of cranberries when I have them, otherwise as it.
Congratulations and thank you!
This might be my favorite quick-bread ever!
I’ve made this a bunch of times and it always come out so, so delicious! I’ve made this a few times with 1:1 gluten free flour, which always works really well here. I hand slice the cranberries in half and then toss them with a couple tablespoons of the flour which seems to help with their distribution in the final bread. My sister has a similar muffin recipe in which she pulses the cranberries in the food processor a few times before adding them to the batter which would probably work here but I really love the bigger bites of cranberry in the bread so much I haven’t tried the food processor method yet.
I usually leave out the nuts as a personal preference and find this bread is a hit anytime of year (I happily store cranberries in the freezer for recipes like this)!
Can I use 3/4 cup sugar or would that be too bitter? Also, can I use peanuts instead of walnuts.
Hi Kaylee, I think you can get away with both. Hope you enjoy!