This Cranberry Orange Bread recipe is great for the holidays, with a tangy somewhat sweet taste and a burst of fresh citrus. It's great for beginning bakers
This post is sponsored by FoodSaver. I received compensation, but all opinions and content are my own. 🙂
This Cranberry Orange Bread is a classic winter quick bread loaf that is so easy to make. If you’re having guests visit for the holidays, there’s nothing that welcomes them to your home quite like the smell of freshly baked goods. This one is bursting with sweet orange flavor and tart cranberries that is all balanced with the earthy walnut flavor.
This orange and cranberry bread tastes just like Christmas! This easy wonderful holiday bread is made with seasonal cranberries and fresh orange juice for a delicious treat!
A healthier holiday quick bread recipe
This is a very common recipe, and I tried making it a little bit healthier by swapping conventional white sugar for cane sugar and swapping vegetable oil for coconut oil. I think it still comes out perfect without any noticeable differences. One trick I like to do is to actually squeeze the orange juice fresh…it makes a huge difference in the punch of citrus flavor. And then I get the leftover OJ for some Vitamin C action.
What ingredients do you need to make the cranberry orange bread
- Dry ingredients: Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Wet ingredients: Coconut oil (melted), egg and orange zest.
- Orange juice: I prefer to squeeze it fresh for best flavor.
- Cranberries: You can use fresh or frozen. I like to vacuum seal mine when I buy it during Thanksgiving and freeze it until I’m ready to bake this cranberry orange bread. If you’re using frozen, there’s no need to thaw. This will also work with dried cranberries, although fresh/frozen are best.
- Walnuts: The walnuts are optional and you can substitute them with other nuts you prefer, but I highly recommend adding them to balance out the sweet and tart flavors.
How to make cranberry orange bread
- Start with the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Give them a good stir or whisk to combine.
- Add the chopped cranberries and chopped walnuts to the flour mixture.
- Mix everything together. Tossing these heavy add-ins helps them not sink to the bottom of the cranberry orange bread after we bake it. The flour coating keeps them in their place.
- Next combine all the wet ingredients in another bowl.
- Stir to combine until everything is well incorporated
- Place the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients
- Mix everything together until you get a thick batter. Some flour streaks are ok.
Then it’s baking time. If you notice that the loaf is getting browned before the time is up, you can tent the loaf pan after about 30 minutes. I don’t find that it’s necessary since this cranberry orange bread doesn’t rise too much.
How to freeze cranberries
When cranberries are in season at their peak flavor, it’s a great idea to stock up on them. You can wash them and dry thoroughly, then freeze for up to 6 months for cooking or baking in the future, when it’s harder to find cranberries.
For best freshness, place the cranberries in a heavy-duty freezer bag and make sure it’s properly sealed so that it’s airtight. For best freshness though, there’s nothing like vacuum sealing cranberries to preserve them.
I use the FoodSaver FM2000 vacuum sealing system. It instantly seals and vacuums with one button and leaves no air pockets behind for the best freshness. It goes from this…
To this…
I’ve found that this method keeps food fresher longer because these bags actually have multiple layers that are specifically constructed to block air and prevent freezer burn. So that saves you time so you can spend it more with your loved ones during the holidays.
Tips for making cranberry orange bread
- Use wet ingredients at room temperature. This is to ensure that the batter mixes together easily and evenly, and the coconut oil doesn’t solidify when it comes in contact with any cold ingredients.
- Chop the cranberries and walnuts. Chopping the cranberries reduces the massive tart scare you might experience biting into a full cranberry (regardless of whether it’s cooked!). And chopping the walnuts just gives a nutty flavor in every bite.
- Coat the cranberries and walnuts with the dry mixture before adding the wet ingredients. This is great to ensure that they don’t all fall to the bottom of the pan after baking.
- Cover the bread loosely with aluminum foil halfway through baking. This is only necessary if you notice the top is getting too brown before the bread bakes through.
Frequently asked questions
How do you know when the bread is baked?
The cranberry orange bread will take around 50 minutes to make, and it’s best to check for doneness at around 45 minutes. The loaf will be golden brown in color and when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
How long does cranberry orange bread keep?
Once the bread has cooled, store it in an airtight container and it will be good for around 4 days. You can also freeze the bread, wrap it tightly in foil and place in a freezer bag.
More cranberry recipes:
More quick bread recipes:
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bread
- Chocolate Banana Bread
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
This quick bread is easy to make and perfect for Christmas. It’s bright in flavor and color that’s perfectly festive for any celebrations. It can also easily be made for breakfast or as a dessert.
Thank you FoodSaver for sponsoring this Cranberry Orange Bread recipe. If you’re looking to check out the FoodSaver FM200, it’s actually the #1 best selling vacuum sealing brand, so it’s a great one to check out and gift during the holidays.
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Cranberry Orange Bread recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
This Cranberry Orange Bread recipe was originally published on December 8, 2016. I updated the recipe to include more step-by-step photos. Here’s the throwback photo!
Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cane sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup chopped cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with coconut oil spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the cranberries and walnuts, and stir to coat with flour mixture.
- In another large bowl, combine the egg, oil, orange juice, and orange zest. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and stir until everything is well-blended. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan
- Bake for 50-55 minutes in the preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack, and cool completely.
Notes
- To make this gluten-free, use an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix, but again the texture will not be as moist. Do not substitute only almond flour or only coconut flour though.
- You can substitute the cane sugar for coconut sugar or another granulated sugar.
- Substitute the coconut oil for another neutral oil or butter.
