This Orange Cranberry Bread is sweet, moist, and perfectly dense. It’s infused with so much orange flavor, has the perfect pop of tart cranberry flavor, and is topped with a simple and sweet orange glaze.
Table of Contents
If I’ve learned anything from my Cranberry Orange Trifle and my Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Cider, it’s that I love cranberry and orange together. Especially in sweets!
I mean, what could be better than the tart flavor of cranberry and the tangy flavor of orange made better with some sugary sweetness?
This Orange Cranberry Bread is a new cranberry orange favorite! It’s moist and sweet, has just the right amount of cranberry and orange flavor, and is topped off with a super simple orange glaze.
It’s so good and takes just 15 minutes to prep! Perfect for Christmas breakfast or Thanksgiving brunch.
Ingredients Needed:
- Butter: melted butter gives the bread a moist, perfectly dense texture.
- Plain Greek Yogurt: yogurt is the key to an ultra moist sweet bread.
- Sugar: use 1 cup if you like it less sweet or 1 ¼ cups if you prefer it on the sweeter side.
- Eggs: binds everything together so the Cranberry Orange Bread can hold its shape.
- Vanilla: adds flavor depth and warmth.
- Orange Juice: use freshly squeezed orange juice for the best flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: fluffed and leveled.
- Baking Powder: keeps the bread lighter and fluffier.
- Salt: cuts the sweetness and enhances the flavors in the bread.
- Orange Zest: add more or less to taste. The zest of 1 or 2 oranges will do the trick!
- Cranberries: fresh or frozen will work.
- Glaze: we’re topping our bread off with a two-ingredient orange glaze made with powdered sugar and orange juice.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread
This Orange Cranberry Bread recipe takes a quick 15 minutes to prep before you pop it in the oven. So simple and so perfect!
- Make the batter: combine wet ingredients, then add the dry. Mix only until combined!
- Stir in cranberries: halving the large ones ensures that you get an even distribution of berries!
- Spread into a pan and bake: I like to dot with extra berries for a festive look!
- Bake: Transfer the batter to a greased loaf pan, then bake until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven to cool, then add the glaze.
Orange Cranberry Bread FAQs
You can, but you won’t get that pop of juicy cranberry flavor. Additionally, since dried cranberries are smaller than fresh, you’ll want to use ¾ cup rather than a full cup.
If your Cranberry Orange Bread is dry and crumbly, then you likely over-measured your flour. The most accurate way to measure the flour is to weigh it (you will need 195-200 grams.) If you don’t want to weigh it or you don’t have a kitchen scale, I recommend spooning it into the measuring cup, then leveling it off gently with your finger to make sure it doesn’t get too packed in.
This Orange Cranberry Bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you plan to freeze it, I recommend leaving the glaze off. To serve again, thaw in the fridge, then add the glaze.
Tips and Notes
- Grease the pan. This makes it so much easier to get the bread out when it’s done baking.
- Use 8×4 or 9×5. Either size of loaf pan will work, but it will bake more quickly in a 9×5 pan so it’s important to keep an eye on it in the oven.
- Use a glass or light colored non-stick pan. Darker colored pans can cause the outside of the bread to burn.
- Don’t over-mix. Overworked gluten can become tough and dry. Mix the batter only until just combined.
- Check for doneness. The cranberries you use, the oven you have, the pan you use, and even the elevation can affect the baking time. So, it’s important to focus on doneness rather than time. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, it’s good to go.
- Halve the cranberries. Slicing your cranberries in half will prevent that big pop of sour cranberry flavor when you bite into one. I like that flavor to be more evenly distributed with smaller pieces.
Variations
- Use another fruit. This recipe works great with any other citrus or any other berries.
- Add nuts. Cranberry walnut is a classic! Feel free to add a handful of chopped walnuts (or another type of nut) to the batter OR sprinkle them over the top of the loaf.
- Frost it. Swap the glaze out for cream cheese frosting to make it even more dessert-y.
More Sweet Bread Recipes You’ll Love
Orange Cranberry Bread
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- ½ cup melted butter
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (100 grams)
- 1 cup sugar (200 grams) Use up to 1 ¼ cups for a sweeter bread
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (1 navel orange)
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (195-200 grams fluffed and levelled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 orange (or 2, if you like things tangy!)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (*I like to halve the large ones so they incorporate more evenly)
Glaze
- ½ cup powdered icing sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease an 8×4″ (or 9×5″ — it will bake a little more quickly) loaf pan (I recommend glass or light colored non-stick pan).
- In a large bowl whisk together butter, yogurt and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and juice and whisk until smooth.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest and stir just until combined. Fold in cranberries.
- Spread into prepared loaf pan and dot with a few extra cranberries if desired.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes, (covering loosely with foil after 40 minutes or when top is golden to prevent further browning), until a toothpick in the bread comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
Glaze
- Gradually stir orange juice into powdered icing sugar until desired consistency is reached — you may not need all of the juice! For clean lines, you want a thicker glaze.
- Drizzle over loaf before serving.Cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Lisa W says
This is a beautiful result. Such a festive loaf to make around the Christmas season. Now that I’ve tried one, I’m going to make more for the freezer, and to share with friends & family. Yummy !!
Liz D says
This bread is amazing and a great way to use the extra cranberries from Thanksgiving. The greek yogurt and orange juice is a tangy combo with the buttery goodness. I baked it for only 55 min, but my oven runs a little warm.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Liz! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Roz says
I haven’t tried the recipe yet but was wondering if I could Butter Milk instead of the yogurt?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Roz! I’ve only tested the recipe with yogurt but I’m not sure that would work. Buttermilk is a liquid and yogurt is a little more firm. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Amanda says
Wow this turned out amazing. Great recipe! There were no leftovers!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Amanda! So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for this kind review!
Gwenyth says
I made 2 batches of this cranberry orange loaf. They turned out just gorgeous. The cooking time for my altitude was perfect. The 2nd batch, I baked in 4 mini loaf pans. I will be giving these beautiful little golden loaves as neighbor Christmas gifts. An absolutely terrific recipe.
Thanks Ashley #thereciperebel.
Gwenyth says
I made 2 batches. The loaves turned out absolutely gorgeous. Second batch, I made into 4 mini loaves, to give as neighbor Christmas gifts. I am at higher altitude and cooking time posted was perfect. They are beautifully golden and so tender.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Gwenyth! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Paul P says
The aroma of this cake is marvelous. However, in spite of greasing my 8×4 and a toothpick coming out clean after 65 minutes, a portion has stuck to the bottom of the pan. Do you think a dusting of flour or almond flour in addition to the shortening on the pan would have made a difference? It’s cooling right now, and while I’m sure it will be delicious, but I wouldn’t call it a loaf anymore. I suspect some kind of trifle is in its future.
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with your bread sticking to your pan. Loaf pans can be tricky and will all depend on which one you have in your kitchen. I would do whatever you normally do with your pan. The method in the recipe has worked well for myself. Hope you enjoyed it!
Renata says
Just brilliant!
Tried it loved it!
Xxx
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Renata! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Bunny Bard says
So frustrating that you have to leave an amount of stars without even having tried the recipe … and more so that people choose to put less than 5 when they haven’t tried it . I was hesitant to try it based on the stars but then I read the comments. I will now ignore those and make it immediately and -as all of your recipes so far – I’m sure it WILL earn the 5 star rating I gave !
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks Bunny!
Bryan says
I’m the chief cook and bottlewasher in our home and my wife is allergic to cranberries, so any suggestions on a replacement in this recipe? Many thanks in advance!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Bryan! Blueberries should work. Hope you enjoy it!
Josephine B says
Hi Ashley, I have tried many of your recipes, but with this beautiful looking cake I haven’t as yet. Living in Australia we don’t have fresh cranberries, so I was wondering if I could use dried Cranberries instead. Thank you.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Josephine, I haven’t tried it with dried cranberries but it might work. I would probably soak them first to hydrate them a little. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!