Our Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe is the perfect make-ahead quick bread to nibble on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning! It's loaded with fresh cranberries and bold orange flavor.
For something a little different - hop over and try my Lemon Bread with Lemon Glaze. If you like quick breads, be sure to give my Sweet Potato Bread a try, too!
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What could be better than waking up Christmas morning and already having a delicious loaf (or two!) of sweet and tart Cranberry Orange Bread ready to nibble on while everyone opens their stockings?
This bread is packed with sweet and tart cranberries, crunchy pecans, and just a hint of orange. You're going to love this fabulous bread!
Ingredients
Here's a brief summary of the ingredients. Scroll down to the teal box below for the full printable recipe card with details such as amounts, baking time, etc.
- Fresh or frozen cranberries: I do not recommend using dried cranberries in this recipe.
- Orange zest and juice: Imparts flavor.
- Pecans (optional): Adds nuttiness and texture.
- Apple Sauce: Adds moisture to the bread.
- From the pantry: eggs, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and vegetable oil.
Recipe Variations
Because we test all our recipes, we recommend you make them once, just as they are, without substitutions or changes. Sometimes, variations can go awry. Making this Cranberry Orange Bread recipe, as we have tested it, will yield the best results. If you want to get creative, here are some ideas for variations that might work well. (Please note, we have not tested these variations).
- Use mini loaf pans to give a little treat to family, friends, and co-workers. This recipe will make 6-8 mini loaves. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes. It's a great hostess gift, too!
- For chocolate lovers, add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter, which adds another yummy flavor and texture to the bread.
- Combine 1 cup powdered sugar with just enough orange juice to make a thick glaze. Drizzle over the loaves and let set.
Serving Suggestions
This bread is so tasty that you don't really need to add anything else to it. However, you could try it with brown sugar butter or even cranberry butter.
This cranberry orange bread recipe is the perfect addition to any brunch menu. Serve alongside our sweet potato quiche, bacon twists, holiday ham, and egg muffins.
Make Ahead
This recipe can be made up to 3 weeks ahead of time. Simply make as directed in the recipe below, then allow the loaves to cool completely and follow the freezer instructions below.
Storage
Store: Store in an airtight container. While this can sit on the countertop, I prefer to refrigerate it because it will last a day or two longer.
Freeze: Wrap in plastic wrap, then slide each loaf into a freezer bag. Label and freeze for up to 3 weeks.
Thaw: To thaw, remove from the freeze and allow to sit on the counter (still wrapped) until ready to serve.
Similar Recipes
If you love recipes using fresh or frozen cranberries, try one of these next time:
- Cranberry Orange Glazed Monkey Bread
- Pineapple Cranberry Smoothie
- Cranberry Walnut Stuffing
- White Chocolate Cranberry Muffins
- Cranberry Eggnog French Toast Bake
- Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce
Let's Make Cranberry Orange Bread!
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Cranberry Orange Bread
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Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 2-¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 orange juiced and zested
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon Orange Bakery Emulsion optional
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1-½ teaspoons salt
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup apple sauce
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups pecans chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.
- Cut the cranberries in half. In a small bowl, toss the cranberries and raspberries with the orange zest and ¼ cup of sugar; set aside.2 cups fresh cranberries, 1 cup fresh raspberries, 1 orange juiced and zested, 2-¼ cups granulated sugar
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the eggs, remaining sugar, orange zest and juice, Orange Bakery Emulsion, water, apple sauce, and vegetable oil. Mix on low to combine.2 eggs, ½ teaspoon Orange Bakery Emulsion, 1 cup water, ⅓ cup apple sauce, ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- In another small bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda and whisk gently to combine, then add slowly to ingredients in the mixer.4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1-½ teaspoons salt
- When the batter is smooth, remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spoonula to gentle incorporate the cranberry mixture and the pecans. Take care not to overmix.2 cups pecans
- Grease and flour your loaf pans. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans 5 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack
Sarah Ferguson says
I love my mom's shortbread cookies. They are the best I've ever tasted.
Janel says
I used this recipe and made mini loaves and gave them to friends and family at our New Year's Day brunch. They were a big hit!
The only thing I changed was I used orange zest instead of the emulsion you have, and I didn't have pecans so I used walnuts.
I will definitely be making this recipe again!
Janel
Ang Paris says
I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe, Janel! I often use pecans and walnuts interchangeably in my recipes so I bet this was just as good 🙂
Lonnie says
This recipe looks amazing, can't wait to try it!