This quick bread smells just like Christmas! Easy Orange Cranberry Bread is perfectly zesty and sweet. Your family will beg you to make this every holiday season!
Make sure you check out all my Christmas recipes for your holiday baking this year!
Orange Cranberry Bread for Christmas
I love making quick breads for the holidays. They’re called “quick breads” because they don’t use any yeast so there isn’t any rise time which makes them… quicker to make! This Easy Orange Cranberry Bread comes together fast and looks gorgeous after it’s baked. Plus, it cuts like a dream which is always a wonderful plus when serving or giving away slices to family. Make this bread in the morning and people will love coming downstairs to the smell of the bright, happy bread. It’s basically a muffin in a bread pan!
Christmas Bread
I love cranberries. I know not everyone’s love of cranberries is as intense as mine so pairing cranberries with other flavors is always a great idea. The sweetness is a good partner for the tartness. After Thanksgiving and all those heavy flavors all I want is a slice of this cranberry orange bread! The bright, sweet and zesty orange flavor is a great match for the punch of a cranberry. You can always leave your cranberries in halves (like I did) instead of smaller pieces if you want more of a cranberry taste in the bread. Or even add some walnuts for my old sour friends out there!
Cranberry Orange Quick Bread
Even the batter is just so pretty! I always prefer to use fresh cranberries because they are simple to slice up but you can use frozen cranberries! Just let them thaw and then chop them up! I always line my bread pans with parchment paper. Because when the loaf is baked I can just lift up on the parchment and the bread comes out perfectly! Sometimes I’ll make this in a bundt pan or in mini loaf pans. I just adjust the baking time depending on the thickness of the batter in the pan.
Cranberry Orange Bread for Christmas
I love to line my loaf pans with parchment. Let it hang over a little on the sides and then I spray my favorite baking spray on the sides without parchment. I can just lift the bread out of the pan when it is cooled! It comes out perfectly every time. Oh! Another Pro Tip! I drop a few extra cranberries on top of the batter so that when it bakes up you can still see them. This makes your Easy Orange Cranberry Bread picture perfect every time!
I am a HUGE banana bread fan but when the Christmas season rolls around this cranberry bread is my go-to.
Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe
The orange bread and the red cranberries just look gorgeous together. Can you see the flecks of orange peel in the slices? Dreamy… and tasty. If you want to make the bread sweeter, you can always mix a little fresh orange juice with powdered sugar and drizzle it over the top! Mmm…
In the recipe notes I’ve added an optional Orange Glaze to top the loaf. Add the glaze if you want to make the loaf sweeter and more dessert like. I like omitting a glaze when I plan to wrap up the loaf to give away because I find wrapping glazed breads to be a little messy. Either way, this Easy Orange Cranberry Bread it a HIT and your family will love waking up to the smell of this in the kitchen.
If you’re looking for more quick bread recipes, you’re in luck! I have so many delicious options!
As with all quick-rise breads and muffins you can use a toothpick or a sharp knife to help tell when it’s done baking! Just gently press it into the center of the loaf and if it comes out without any gooey batter on it, it’s done! Let the loaf cool in the pan for 15 or so minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
A few variations if you want to play with the recipe: You can swap melted butter for oil, add pecans, add a cream cheese swirl, or do a chocolate glaze or chocolate chips in the batter. Personally, I like keeping this bread pretty simple. A slice of this bright and zingy bread is always a great way to start a December day full of wrapping Christmas presents and watching Hallmark movies.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Common questions
A few notes: The recipe is correct, some people email me worrying I didn’t put any baking soda in the recipe but I promise you it is correct as is! Can I make this into mini loafs? Yes! As with any smaller loaf, you have to be very sensitive to not over baking it. I made these into mini loafs this year (2024) to give out to friends and neighbors and they turned out perfectly! I notice a lot of similar recipes add cinnamon… yes this is true! Cinnamon pairs well with both orange and cranberry which is why cinnamon is sometimes also used in cranberry sauce. It’s simply up to you and your tastebuds!
Easy Orange Cranberry Bread
The perfect zesty and sweet quick bread for the holidays! This Orange Cranberry Bread will make your whole house smell like Christmas!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- zest of 3 large oranges
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon orange juice fresh
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh cranberries chopped or halved
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a *loaf pan with parchment or grease it well.
-
Combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl, whisk together orange zest, buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice and vanilla.
-
Slowly add the dry ingredients (flour mixture) into the wet ingredients and gently fold together. Just before it's combined, add in cranberries and stir JUST until combined.
-
Pour into prepared pan and bake for about an hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
Recipe Notes
*loaf pan: I have used this recipe with many sizes from a 9 inch loaf pan to a 8 1/2 (standard) and even two 8 inch loaf pans. Just adjust the baking time depending on the thickness of the batter in the pan.
Optional Orange Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
zest of 1 orange, optional
1-2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
-Slowly add in orange juice to powdered sugar and whisk. Only add as much juice as needed to get a thick but pourable consistency.
If you’d like to freeze the bread, wrap it tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap and place in the freezer. It’s a perfect plan for baking ahead for holiday visitors.
Looks so yummy. I am definitely going to try this!
I agree with you. This bread is really delicious. I eat this bread every morning and enjoy it while playing geometry dash lite
I totally agree with you bread should have a top priority.
Yum, this looks delicious! I love cranberries and will definitely be trying this recipe!
I love TRYIN new recipes.I will defenely be trying this yummy bread
I love cranberry orange bread. I would gladly make this for Christmas
I am going to make cranberry orange bread
A very good recipe! I increased the orange juice to 1 cup and added a tsp of cinnamon, but otherwise didn’t change anything except that I used dried cranberries. It’s moist and delicious!
Did you decrease any other liquid when you increased the oj by that much?
When you added all that on, did you cut back on the buttermilk?
I cant wait to try! What size loaf pan?
This is so good! Very moist and delicious! A hit with my family.
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Will this recipe only make one loaf?
It looks so delicious!
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I forgot to get eggs at the store so I improvised and made chia eggs. Omg this bread is delicious!!
Tasty, loved it last year, BUT what size loaf pan & bake for how long?!
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Several reviewers asked what size loaf pan. That is my question as well. It is frustrating when recipes don’t specify the size pan that should be used. So, what size loaf pan? And what size bundt pan?
What size loaf pan and how long to bake?
It says in the instructions to bake for at least an hour, then check with toothpick.
This is a GREAT recipe! Simple and delicious. I made this in mini muffin silicone pans and they turned out perfect. This is definitely a winner!
Decided to make this while I was cooking dinner. At the moment I have only a bowl and whisk and fortunately a loaf pan (everything else was packed.). The results were delicious. It was moist, tender, cut easily without crumbling and the fresh cranberries (I used well thawed and drained frozen ones) provided a nice tart contrast. I will definitely make recipe again.
this is the best recipe i have ever tried !! love cranberries and this is great !!
all my friends love it too–a Keeper for sure!!!!!
Made this today! It has great flavor and is very moist! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Merry Christmas!,,
This may be a dumb question, but how exactly would you add a cream cheese swirl?
I have not tasted the bread yet but I made it for Christmas Eve at my sister’s. How do you get the cranberries to not float all to the top? I am sure it taste the same but your presentation looks way better.
Lightly dust the cranberries with flour before adding the and they will stay incorporated throughout the loaf.
This was excellent. I served it for Christmas Day brunch. Everyone raved about it. Was not too sweet. Very moist. I cooked for 50 minutes in a regular sized loaf pan. Did not need glaze. Very refreshing taste. Highly recommend.
So sweet of you for sharing them! I am waiting for more of these. please keep continue to have posts of these kind to share with everyone It will help us a lot.
Made this bread and it is amazing!!
How would I adjust this recipe to make muffins?
This is a fantastic dish! Except for using dried cranberries, I raised the orange juice to 1 cup and added a tsp of cinnamon, but otherwise made no changes. It’s excellent and moist!
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Easy, quick and delicious – a new staple for me. I make it exactly as stated. Disappears every time I take it somewhere. Thank you.
Can you use dried cranberries in this recipe?
I did and they were delicious. I just replaced 1 cup dried for 1 cup frozen.
Haven’t made as yet can wait to bake though, we don’t get fresh cranberries down here, I’ve always eaten and baked with dried cranberries, it’s only been a couple of years, we now can get get frozen cranberries I use frozen berries Alot in muffins.
Could I use frozen and get the same result Your cake crumb looks amazing, ! Will have to try I have a packet in the freezer ar
Looks delicious. I’m going to try it for a get together party
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I absolutely love Cranberry Orange Muffins that I buy at the bakery and they stopped making them. 😢 Now I can can just make the bread. Thank you for posting this.
I baked this recipe today and disappointed because the cranberries are all at the top of the bread. What did I do wrong? I saved about 2 Tablesppons of the flour and put it onto of the cranberries as I folded them into the batter. I used frozen thawed cranberries and sliced in half. The bread smells yummy but disappointed in the way it turned out. I am not new to baking breads.
This is a GREAT recipe! Simple and delicious. Your post is very good. I got to learn a lot from your post. Thank you for sharing your article for us. it is amazing post.
Can this bread be frozen?
What size loaf pan?
Has anyone tried this in a Bundt pan?
Turned out beautifully! Thank you!
How long for an 8 mini loaf pan?
It is a beautiful load! For those asking, I used a standard 9x5x3 pan it was perfect. Baked for an hour
Can you use frozen thawed cranberries in this
This was an amazing recipe, thank you for sharing. Delish, I will save n make again 💖
This recipe is delicious! Super moist and very easy to make. I added the glaze just cause I couldn’t help myself. Very tasty.
Just made this recipe for the second time. So simple and delicious, added chopped walnuts with raw sugar on the top. Love recipes with buttermilk, bread always is so moist. Breaad freezes well, slice and freeze then take with me to work for lunch..delicious
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Thank you for the Recipe I cait wait to make it!
I made it exactly as is, except for adding dried cranberries for the frozen ones. Didn’t have any of those, unfortunately. I made 3 mini loaves versus one loaf as well. I received rave reviews. It has a definitely orange flavor and the cranberries just put it over the top. Thank you for sharing this spectacular recipe.
Wondering if I can substitute regular milk for buttermilk?
Excellent recipe a real crowd pleaser
Love the idea of making cranberry orange quick bread; I’ve made that flavour of muffins & they were great. So doing a bread sounds very appealing‼️
Best cranberry loaf I have ever made. Baking 6th loaf right now. Changed nothing.
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Can a person use dried cranberries?
I was a bit concerned at how wet the batter was but went ahead. Half way through the cooking time the cake had risen beautifully so I was hopeful. After an hour, the top was quite brown and the cake had pulled away from the sides. However; as it cooled the cake settled down to be about 1.5 inches high. The inside was dense and gooey. I had weighed the flour but I wonder if the recipe would turn out better with more flour or less liquid. I’d love to try making it again but am looking for suggestions to ensure a better outcome.
Amazing quick bread! I made this last year as a loaf and it turned out amazing. I just used a standard bread pan. This year I made the recipe as muffins! I found that baking them for 8 min at 450 helped them rise and then turned the temp down to 350 for 7 min.
Can I use frozen cranberries? I can’t get fresh?
Thanks
Great recipe! I opted to used slivered almonds on top & skip the glaze. It was fantastic. Coworkers are asking for the recipe & it was quickly gone.
Can i replace dried cranberries instead of fresh?
I made this, easy & delicious. Made in 3×6 loaf pans for Christmas gifts.
It is delicious!
This looks delicious! This question has been asked multiple times and you have not provided an answer. Please answer!!
There are 2 sizes of loaf pans, 9×5 and 8×4.
Which size do you recommend for this bread?
I made this bread for my neighbor gifts this year for Christmas. I’m not a baker but these came out great!
I love this recipe so much, I am now making it for friends per request. 1 friend heard from another and now everyone wants a loaf. Amazing without frosting, but if you’reI like me I love sweets. The sweeter the better!! I prefer with the frosting.
This bread was so delicious!!! I made the batch using the exact amount of ingredients as in the recipe and it ended up making 3 mini disposable aluminum store bought loaves. Next time I’m doubling the recipe…just don’t know what I’ll do with 6 oranges after zesting them. I do have a tip to help dry the thawed frozen cranberries: after I coarsely chopped them, I layed them out on paper towels to absorb the moisture and replaced the towels several times when they became saturated. Then I tossed the cranberries in a bit of flour and I had no trouble with the cranberries rising to the top of the batter while baking. Wow, this bread recipe is a keeper!
Since this is a quick bread can I use the quick bread setting on my bread machine
Absolutely the BEST orange cranberry bread I have ever had!
This Easy Orange Cranberry Bread is a holiday delight, perfect for festive gatherings. Its zesty aroma and sweet flavor will enchant your family! As you enjoy baking, try playing io games for a fun break between recipes.
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My husband and I made this today and it was really good. We really liked the orange and cranberry flavors together. We will definitely make this again.
We made a few more loaves for our neighbors for Christmas.
Thanks for such a great recipe.
This is a great recipe. Easy to make and very tasty. It was made as written with no deviations. It was a hit with company.
Orange Cranberry Bread is a delicious treat, perfect for any season! The blend of citrusy orange and tart cranberries makes it a favorite among baking enthusiasts. If you’re a food blogger or love sharing your recipes on social media, using GetMyLikes can help you boost engagement and reach more food lovers who would love to try this amazing recipe!
This Easy Orange Cranberry Bread recipe sounds absolutely delicious! 🍊🍞 The combination of citrusy orange and tart cranberries must create such a refreshing and flavorful treat. I can’t wait to try this with my morning coffee! By the way, if you’re a food blogger looking to boost engagement on your posts, platforms like GetMyLikes can help increase your reach and connect with more food lovers. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!”
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Wow! This Easy Orange Cranberry Bread is the perfect holiday treat! The zesty orange and tart cranberries create a delicious balance, and your parchment paper tip is so helpful! I love the idea of adding a cream cheese swirl or chocolate glaze—definitely trying it. Thanks for sharing this festive recipe!
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I am definitely going to try this!
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