Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe
This cranberry orange bread is the perfect balance of sweet and tart, with a moist crumb and a bright citrus glaze. It’s a holiday staple that comes together in one bowl and fills your kitchen with the scent of orange and cinnamon.
The Secret to Great Cranberry Orange Bread
Fresh cranberries do the heavy lifting here. They burst in the oven and leave pockets of tartness that cut through the sweet batter.
Orange shows up twice — zest and juice in the loaf, then again in the glaze. That double hit is what makes this bread taste bright instead of flat.
Sour cream is the quiet hero. It keeps the crumb tender and moist for days, so a slice on day three still tastes fresh.
Ingredients
Servings: 4 | Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 55 minutes | Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
- For the glaze: 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
Ingredient Notes & Swaps
Fresh cranberries: Frozen work too — chop them straight from the freezer, no thawing needed.
Sour cream: Full-fat Greek yogurt is a straight swap. Both add moisture and a little tang.
Orange zest: Don’t skip it. The zest carries far more flavor than the juice alone, so a navel or Valencia orange is worth the two minutes.
Brown sugar: Dark brown sugar deepens the color and adds a faint molasses note. Light brown keeps things milder.
Instructions
- Preheat and prep: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
- Whisk dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugars: In a large bowl, beat softened butter with granulated and brown sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
- Add wet ingredients: Mix in sour cream, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla until fully incorporated. The mixture may look slightly curdled, which is fine.
- Combine and fold in cranberries: Gradually add dry ingredients to wet, stirring until just combined. Gently fold in chopped cranberries. Do not overmix.
- Bake: Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. If top browns too quickly, tent with foil after 30 minutes.
- Cool and glaze: Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Whisk glaze ingredients and drizzle over cooled bread.
Tips & Variations
Use fresh or frozen cranberries. If frozen, do not thaw before chopping — cold berries hold their shape and won’t bleed into the batter.
Rub the zest into the sugar. Before creaming, work the orange zest into the granulated sugar with your fingertips. The oils release and perfume the whole loaf.
Toss cranberries in flour. A tablespoon of flour keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the pan.
Add nuts for crunch. Fold in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans with the cranberries.
Go for a bakery-style crack. Bake at 375°F for the first 10 minutes, then drop to 350°F for the rest. The higher start sets the top and gives that split dome.
Swap sour cream for Greek yogurt. Same moisture, slightly lighter result. Use full-fat for the best texture.
Make It Your Own
Add a streusel topping. Mix 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons cold butter, then sprinkle over the batter before baking.
Swirl in orange marmalade. Drop 2 tablespoons into the batter and run a knife through it for ribbons of citrus.
Toast the nuts. A few minutes in a dry skillet wakes up walnuts or pecans before they go in.
Try a lemon version. Swap orange zest and juice for lemon — same amounts, slightly sharper flavor.
Add white chocolate chips. Fold in 1/2 cup with the cranberries for a sweeter, dessert-style loaf.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Store bread tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The glaze will soften slightly in the fridge, so bring slices to room temperature before serving.
For longer storage, freeze slices individually wrapped for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave for 20 seconds or in a toaster oven until warm.
To make ahead, bake the loaf a day in advance and glaze it the morning you plan to serve. The flavor actually improves overnight.
Nutrition Information
- Calories: 380
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 260 mg
Values are an estimate per serving and will vary based on exact ingredients and portion size.
Quick Questions
Can I use dried cranberries instead of fresh?
Yes, but reduce the amount to 1 cup and consider soaking them in hot water for 10 minutes to plump them up. Dried cranberries are sweeter, so you may want to reduce the sugar slightly.
Can I make this recipe into muffins?
Absolutely. Divide the batter into a lined muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
My bread is browning too much on top but not cooked in the middle. What should I do?
Tent a piece of foil loosely over the top of the loaf after 30 minutes of baking. This will slow down browning while allowing the center to bake through.
How do I know when the bread is done?
Insert a toothpick into the center; it should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. The internal temperature should read about 200°F (93°C) when done.
