Cranberry Bread Recipe

Cranberry Bread is moist and bursting with tart cranberries, refreshing orange zest, and warm fall spices! Delicate and moist, with chopped pecans for some crunchy texture. This loaf takes no time to prepare and is so good as a snack, breakfast, or dessert.

Cranberry Bread is a recipe you’ll soon know by heart, but not just because it’s so effortless to make. I’m saying it because this is such a terrific homemade loaf, and the perfect treat to make during the autumn season.

Moist and chewy on the inside, with pockets of juicy cranberries bursting with flavor. Making this for the holiday season is a perfect idea because it goes with all the Thanksgiving and Christmas flavors. Make extra loaves for gifts, and if there are too many, they can be frozen for up to three months.

This is a bread anyone can make in minutes with simple ingredients and no special equipment. No bread machine is required, and you will not even need any yeast. In fact, there is no need to knead, roll, or proof anything either. Just mix, pour, and bake.

It can be served as an appetizer, side dish, snack, or dessert. The mixture of cranberries, orange, and brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg is warm and inviting, a wonderful combination for this time of the year.

Why you will love this recipe 

• No bread machine required: Just mix it all together, pour it into the pan, and bake it. 
• Serve it as an appetizer, side dish, snack, or dessert: It is both sweet and savory so it can be a side dish as easy as it can be served as a dessert. 
• It goes with anything: No matter what is served, cranberries go well with it. They are tart and sweet, great for any dish. 
• Give them as gifts: If there are leftovers, they can be frozen for up to three months. 

What you’ll need to make cranberry bread

Special items:

• Loaf pan – I use a nine-inch loaf pan. 
• Bowls
• Cooking utensils

Ingredients:

• Coarsely chopped cranberries – I prefer fresh organic cranberries but dried or frozen will do when they are not in season.
• Chopped pecans – For added flavor and crunch. The nutty taste goes well with the tangy cranberries.
• All-purpose flour – I like all-purpose flour for this recipe rather than bread flour because it has a softer crumb while still providing a good structure.
• White granulated sugar – Adds sweetness and moisture while helping the softness and texture.
• Brown sugar – Has a richer taste with a hint of caramel and molasses.
• Baking powder – To help the bread rise and make it light and fluffy.
• Cinnamon – Adds a sweet and citrusy taste.
• Nutmeg – Gives the bread a nutty warm, slightly spicy flavor.
• Large egg – Binds the ingredients and smooths out the batter as well as adding volume. Make sure they are at room temperature for easier mixing.
• Whole milk – Prevents dryness, adds flavor, and gives a more uniform softness. It should be at room temperature as well.
• Orange juice – Orange juice complements the flavor of the berries. I squeeze my own orange juice for the best flavor without the additives and sugar. It should also be at room temperature.
• Melted butter – To add rich undertones and extra flavor.
• Honey – Adds some extra sweetness to counter the tartness of the cranberries.
• Grated orange zest – For added orange flavor. I zest my own oranges too with a microplaner. It only takes a few minutes.
• Salt

How to make cranberry bread?

1. Set the oven and grease the pan: Before I start, I set the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a loaf pan.
2. Make the batter: Then, I mix the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, both sugars, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Wet ingredients: I mix the orange juice, zest, butter, honey, milk, and egg in another bowl.
4. Combine: The wet ingredients are mixed into the dry ingredients until they are just combined. After the cranberries are sprinkled with a teaspoon of flour, I fold them into the batter before pouring it into the loaf pan.
5. Bake the bread: The bread is baked for 50 to 55 minutes until it passes a toothpick test. Then, I let it cool for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to let it cool completely.

Expert tip

Using fresh, frozen, or dried cranberries

This is a recipe I like to make all year long. However, fresh cranberries are not available all year long. They are usually in season during the fall, from September to November, but they can be found in grocery stores from October to December. Outside of that time, I had to rely on the ones I had frozen myself or the frozen or dried ones from the grocery store. I know that is a problem for everyone.

However, there are a few solutions for this. I sometimes just make extra loaves of this yummy bread and freeze them so I can have them during the off-season. Or I can use frozen or dried berries. Frozen berries are my first choice when fresh berries are not available because they taste more like fresh. However, they have to be thawed and then dried, and sometimes, they do not taste as good when they thaw out.

Dried cranberries can be rehydrated by soaking them in water. It takes about 10 or 15 minutes. I usually cover them with water in a bowl, put them in the microwave for one minute, and then let them soak for 10 minutes. However, try using orange juice or some other kind of juice for more flavor. Or add sugar to the water.

Recipe variations and add-ins:

• More fruit: Some fun additions I have tried and enjoyed include apples, pineapples, cherries, and peaches.
• Other nuts: Instead of pecans, feel free to use walnuts, slivered almonds, or even macadamias.
• Seeds: For a different kind of crunch, swap out the nuts for seeds like sunflower seeds, pepitas, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds.
• Spicy bread: Heat it up for those who like spicy food. Add some red pepper flakes to the mix.
• Other spices: Sprinkle in some more spices like ginger, cloves, cardamom, and allspice.
• Sauce it up: Top it with some of my delicious and tangy cranberry sauce.
• Add chocolate: Add dark chocolate, milk chocolate, even caramel chips.
• Glaze it: Orange zest glaze is the perfect combination. Also, you can make the lemon or vanilla-based glaze.
• Add veggies: You can add some grated zucchini or carrots into the batter.
• Muffins: Turn it into muffins! Fill the tins two-thirds of the way and reduce bake time to 25 minutes.
• Make it vegan: Want to make it vegan? Try swapping out the butter and egg with slow cooker applesauce.

Serving suggestions:

• This homemade bread goes great with this chunky sweet and tangy cranberry relish filled with orange, lemon, and apples.
• It also makes a wonderful side dish, appetizer, or dessert for this cranberry orange turkey breast.
• For the perfect wine, try a German Reisling, French Chardonnay, or Californian Pinot Noir.
• Instead of wine, this cranberry margarita has the perfect taste to pair with this bread. The kids can have a cranberry mocktail.
• Try a slice of this cranberry bread with a spoonful of orange marmalade on top. It is heavenly especially when served with a warm pumpkin spice latte on the side.

Frequently asked questions

How to store:

• Refrigerate: Refrigerate for up to five days in an airtight container.   
• Freezing: To freeze, I like to cut mine into individual slices, wrap them in plastic, and then put them into freezer bags. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to three months.   
• Defrost: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator for the best flavor.

More delicious breads:

• Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling – Another perfect Thanksgiving treat!
• Chocolate Coffee Bread – Moist and delicious, I highly recommend it!
• Chocolate Banana Loaf – Another incredibly moist and flavorful recipe!
• Homemade Apple Bread – Another fall season favorite.

 Recipe tips:

• Use room-temperature ingredients to make them blend easier. Less mixing and gluten means a softer crumb.
• Test the doneness with a toothpick. It needs to cook longer if it is wet when it is removed from the middle of the bread.
• If the top starts getting too brown, cover it with aluminum foil.
• Frozen cranberries have to be thawed and patted dry before using them.
• Use the spoon and level method of measuring flour to avoid getting too much in the batter.
• Cranberries sometimes turn green when mixed with baking powder. To avoid this, cook the cranberries first or use dried cranberries.
• If using dried cranberries, soak them in water for 10 minutes first.