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Cranberry Orange Bread is a delicious and festive twist on my Sweet Bread recipe. The addition of cranberries and orange zest elevate it into an elegant Christmas Bread for breakfast, brunch, snacks and gifting.
These little loaves make your home smell like Christmas and quickly disappear! It takes just 10 minutes to prep this quick bread recipe.
This easy cranberry orange bread is perfect for holiday entertaining. Cranberry orange bread is the perfect addition to Christmas brunch and makes a delicious snack. It also makes a beautiful hostess gift, neighbor or coworker gift.
Cranberry and orange flavors make a classic Christmas pairing. Typically bitter cranberries sweetened with sugar and balanced with orange zest makes a delicious holiday combination you’ll come to crave!
I love using cranberries in our cooking and baking! Don’t skip Cranberry Salsa, Cranberry Quick Bread, this Cranberry Cheeseball, and this Cranberry Cheeseball in the shape of Santa’s hat!
Why You’ll Love this Cranberry Orange Bread
- Quick + Easy
- No Yeast Required
- No Bread Machine
- Mix in a single bowl, bake and enjoy!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sugar –
- Flour –
- Baking Powder –
- Salt –
- Eggs –
- Milk –
- Vegetable oil –
- Orange zest – Zesting the outer, colorful skin of unwaxed oranges (clementines or mandarins also work) adds a lot of flavor and aroma. Simply use a zester to zest the orange. Reserve the fresh orange to slice and garnish the top of your bread.
- Fresh Cranberries –
Variations
- Glaze – This bread is amazing on its own, but you can also cover it (or drizzle if you show any restraint) with Classic Glaze or Cream Cheese Glaze.
- Cranberry Orange Almond Bread – Add sliced almonds.
- Make it Healthier –Replace half the oil with unsweetened apple sauce.
How to Make this Cranberry Orange Bread
It’s so quick to make this sweet bread!
- Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Beat eggs, milk and oil.
- Gradually add dry mixture to wet until just moist. Fold in orange zest and cranberries.
- Grease six miniature baking dishes and pour mixture an inch below to the top to compensate for rise.
- Garnish with orange slices, a few additional cranberries and a little sugar. Bake and enjoy!
Tips
- Don’t Overfill Your Loaf Pan – Fill 2/3 full to compensate for rise.
- Use the Correct Loaf Pan – Learn more about Loaf Pan Sizes here.
- Grease Baking Dishes – Be sure to grease your baking dishes for easy removal.
- Use the Toothpick Test – Bake time varies with oven, altitude, loaf pan size and material. Use the toothpick test to determine when your loaves are baked through. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, it’s ready to be removed from the oven.
- Orange Zest – Use fresh zest for the best results, but you can use dehydrated orange zest. It’s not a 1-1 substitution because it is more concentrated, so start with 1/3 of the amount and add to taste.
Scaling up, down or substituting? You’ll love this printable Measurement Conversion Chart!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a quick bread?
Quick breads are breads that don’t require yeast – which makes them a no fuss, foolproof bread. They are moist like cake and made primarily with staple ingredients.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with one of my favorite flavored butters for the ultimate treat – orange butter or honey butter are great choices for this bread!
How to Wrap and Gift Bread
You know how I love to share our quick breads – we can never seem to eat an entire loaf ourselves. So I make them in 6 miniature loaves, keep one for ourselves and gift the others. This gingerbread loaf makes a wonderful gift!
Wrapped in ribbon and garnished with a touch of herbs, it makes a special Christmas gift for teachers, coworkers, neighbors, friends, or family!
I use miniature ceramic loaf pans but you can also use these disposable kraft paper loaf pans. You can wrap in a cellophane bag if you wish, too. They’re inexpensive and just as beautiful!
How to Store
- Room Temperature – Store this quick bread in a sealed plastic bag or covered in saran wrap at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Refrigerate – Up to 1 week in an airtight container.
- Freeze – Wrap them tightly in heavy foil, saran wrap or place them in freezer bags (I like to do at least 2 to prevent freezer odors from seeping in), and freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature to serve.
For more tips and tricks to store quick breads and keep them as fresh as the day they were baked, don’t skip How to Store Banana Bread.
Dietary Considerations
- To Make Gluten Free: Use a gluten free flour intended for 1:1 baking.
- To Make Dairy Free: Sub with almond milk.
- Vegetarian
More Quick Bread Recipes
Quick Breads
Cranberry Orange Bread
Cranberry Orange Bread is a delicious and festive twist on a classic sweet bread recipe. The addition of cranberries and orange zest elevate it into an elegant Christmas Bread for breakfast, brunch, snacks and gifting.
Yield
Ingredients
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups milk (Whole, 2% or whatever you have on hand)
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1½ cups fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Beat eggs, milk and oil.
- Gradually add dry mixture to wet until just moist.
- Fold in orange zest and cranberries.
- Grease 6 miniature baking dishes, and pour mixture an inch below to the top to compensate for rise.
- Garnish with orange slices, cranberries and sugar.
- Bake 40 minutes.
Tips
Tips
- Test with a toothpick – when it comes out clean, it’s baked to perfection.
- Don’t Overfill Your Loaf Pan – Fill 2/3 full to compensate for rise.
- Grease Baking Dishes – Be sure to grease your baking dishes for easy removal.
To Store
- Room Temperature – Store quick bread in a sealed plastic bag or covered in saran wrap at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze – Wrap them tightly in heavy foil, saran wrap or place them in freezer bags (I like to do at least 2 to prevent freezer odors from seeping in), and freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature to serve.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 107kcal (5%), Carbohydrates: 17g (6%), Protein: 2g (4%), Fat: 4g (6%), Saturated Fat: 3g (15%), Cholesterol: 8mg (3%), Sodium: 56mg (2%), Potassium: 80mg (2%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 9g (10%), Vitamin A: 28IU (1%), Vitamin C: 1mg (1%), Calcium: 36mg (4%), Iron: 1mg (6%)
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Marti says
I made the Cinnamon sweet bread today. We love it. I’ll make the orange cranberry recipe tomorrow. Thanks.
Julie Blanner says
Thank you, Marti! Enjoy!
Meaghan says
Can I use dried cranberries, or should they be fresh?
Julie Blanner says
Either, your preference. Enjoy!
Fallon says
Thank you for sharing these recipes! I started making this last night and ran into an issue where I had to leave the house. I put the batter in the fridge until I have the chance to bake it this evening. Have you ever refrigerated the batter before baking? Should I let it sit out for a bit before baking or should it turn out the same either way?
Thanks!!
Julie Blanner says
You should be just fine – just keep an eye they the don’t overflow. Enjoy!
Kate says
Have made this recipe twice – great for gift giving and I got rave reviews!
Julie Blanner says
Thank you, Kate! That brings me so much joy! Don’t forget to subscribe for my free quick bread ebook! Merry Christmas!
Kaki Almirall says
On the Facebook page there was a comment about where to buy the $1.00 pans but now answer. Would you let me know where to get the pans please as I’d like to try these recipes for Christmas. Thank you
Julie Blanner says
My apologies! I try to stray away from the internet on the weekend. Michael’s – they are $2 regular price and run them ALL the time during the holidays for $1. They have color and patterned ones, too. Enjoy! They have 2 different versions, this is one: loaf pan