Cranberry Orange Bread with Sweet Orange Glaze

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Cranberry Orange Bread — The fresh cranberries in this cranberry orange bread contrast nicely with the sweet orange glaze, making it the perfect blend of sweet and tart!

Cranberry Orange Quick Bread — The fresh cranberries in this cranberry orange bread contrast nicely with the sweet orange glaze, making it the perfect blend of sweet and tart!

Orange-Glazed Cranberry Orange Bread

The combination of cranberries and oranges is just wonderful and reminds me that the holidays are just around the corner. 

This glazed cranberry orange bread bread is fast, easy, and you don’t even need a mixer to make it. It’s soft, tender, springy, and loaded with fresh, juicy cranberries in every bite.

The bread is wonderfully perfumed with both orange zest and orange juice, and the sweet orange glaze drizzled on top helps balance the tartness of the cranberries!

Cranberry Orange Quick Bread — The fresh cranberries in this cranberry orange bread contrast nicely with the sweet orange glaze, making it the perfect blend of sweet and tart!

Cranberry Orange Bread Ingredients

I topped this cranberry orange bread with glaze, but it’s technically optional. To make this moist cranberry orange quick bread recipe, you’ll need: 

  • Milk (I used unsweetened cashew milk)
  • Lemon juice
  • Egg
  • Canola oil
  • Granulated sugar
  • Light brown sugar
  • Orange zest 
  • Orange juice
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda and baking powder
  • Salt 
  • Fresh cranberries
  • Confectioners’ sugar

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

Buttermilk Substitute Tip

Rather than using buttermilk I combined Silk Unsweetened Cashewmilk with lemon juice to mimic the moisturizing and tenderizing effects of buttermilk while keeping the loaf dairy-free.

Silk is so irresistibly creamy and thick but with fewer calories than skim milk. Eating more plant-based protein is a great goal and Silk Cashewmilk or Silk Almond Milk are my milks of choice for baking and smoothies.

They’re so low in calories and fat, they’re vegan and dairy-free, and I always get impressive-tasting results. It’s an easy swap for your seasonal and holiday recipes!

Cranberry Orange Quick Bread — The fresh cranberries in this cranberry orange bread contrast nicely with the sweet orange glaze, making it the perfect blend of sweet and tart!

How to Make Glazed Cranberry Orange Bread

Making this cranberry bread with orange glaze is so quick and easy! Here’s an overview of the recipe steps:

  1. Stir together the milk and lemon juice and set it aside for 10 minutes. This gives the milk time to curdle a bit (this will mimic buttermilk).
  2. Add the egg, oil, sugars, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the milk mixture and stir to combine. 
  3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, then fold in the cranberries.
  4. Turn the batter into a greased 9×5-inch pan and bake until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 
  5. Once the bread is done baking, let it cool completely before drizzle the orange glaze over top. 
Cranberry Orange Quick Bread — The fresh cranberries in this cranberry orange bread contrast nicely with the sweet orange glaze, making it the perfect blend of sweet and tart!

Recipe FAQs

Can I Use Another Type of Milk? 

Yes, any unsweetened milk (dairy or non-dairy) should work in this recipe. And if you have real buttermilk on hand you could use that in place of the cashew milk and lemon juice. 

Can I Use Frozen Cranberries? 

I’ve only ever made this cranberry orange bread as written, so I’m not sure how it’d turn out using frozen berries. If you try it out, please leave me a comment below letting me know how your bread tastes! 

You’re likely fine to use frozen cranberries (added straight to the batter, no thawing needed). You’d just need to bump up the bake time slightly.

Can I Use Dried Cranberries? 

Most likely, yes, although I’ve only made this cranberry orange loaf as written. Note that dried cranberries won’t release moisture like fresh ones do, so that may affect the texture of the bread. 

Can I Use Mini Loaf Pans? 

Yes, but I’m not sure what the exact bake time would be with mini loaf pans since all pans, ovens, climates, etc. will differ. 

Can Cranberry Orange Bread Be Frozen?

Yes! This cranberry orange quick bread freezes incredibly well if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and / or stored in a freezer bag.  You don’t want to freeze this quick bread with the glaze on, though!  

Cranberry Orange Quick Bread — The fresh cranberries in this cranberry orange bread contrast nicely with the sweet orange glaze, making it the perfect blend of sweet and tart!

Tips for the Best Cranberry Orange Bread

When making the cranberry quick bread glaze, you’ll have to play around with the amount of juice you add to achieve the right consistency.

Also, you’ll likely have some glaze leftover. I like to spread it on the cut side of the bread as if I was buttering toast. You can never have too much glaze! 

Make sure to give your orange a thorough wash under warm tap water before zesting it. The peel can contain chemicals leftover from growing the fruit, and you don’t want to zest that directly into your bread.

Cranberry Orange Quick Bread — The fresh cranberries in this cranberry orange bread contrast nicely with the sweet orange glaze, making it the perfect blend of sweet and tart!

Recipe Variations to Try

This is a fairly straightforward orange cranberry bread recipe, and you can try making a few swaps to suit your personal preferences or use up other ingredients you have on hand. Just note that substituting or adding ingredients might affect the bake time and/or texture of the bread!

  • Swap the milk for buttermilk: I paired cashew milk with lemon juice to mimic buttermilk. You can replace the milk and lemon juice and an equal amount of buttermilk if you have some that needs using up.
  • Add white chocolate chips: This recipe calls for 2 cups of fresh cranberries. If desired, you can replace up to 1/2 cup of the cranberries with white chocolate chips. Just remember that the cranberries release moisture as they bake and help keep the bread super moist so replacing some of the berries with a dry ingredient will affect the texture of the bread slightly.
  • Add nuts: Just like the white chocolate chip swap, you can add chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter. Read my notes above on what to expect when replacing the berries with a dry ingredient.
  • Adjust the glaze: I love the orange glaze on this orange cranberry bread, but you can make a plain glaze by combining the powdered sugar with milk instead of orange juice.

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4.78 from 27 votes

Cranberry Orange Bread with Sweet Orange Glaze

By Averie Sunshine
The fresh cranberries in this cranberry orange bread contrast nicely with the sweet orange glaze, making it the perfect blend of sweet and tart!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
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Ingredients  

Bread

  • ½ cup Silk Unsweetened Cashewmilk, Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk or another milk may be substituted
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest, from about 1 large orange
  • cup freshly squeezed orange juice, from about 1 large orange
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 2 cups fresh cranberries, plus more for sprinkling

Glaze

  • 2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
  • about 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Spray one 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
  • To a medium bowl or large glass measuring cup, add the milk, lemon juice, and stir to combine; set aside for about 10 minutes. This will cause the milk to curdle a bit so that it resembles and acts like buttermilk.
  • To a large bowl, add the egg, oil, sugars, orange zest (zest the orange before juicing it), orange juice, vanilla extract, and whisk to combine.
  • Add the milk and lemon juice mixture and whisk to combine.
  • Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and stir to combine; don’t overmix.
  • Add the cranberries and stir to combine. (I haven’t tried the recipe with dried cranberries.)
  • Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula and pushing it into corners and sides as necessary.
    Evenly sprinkle a few cranberries over the top.
  • Bake for about 70 minutes and tent pan with a sheet of foil at the 30-minute mark by loosely draping a sheet of foil over the top and sides of pan. This prevents top and sides of bread from becoming overly browned before the center cooks through. Bread is done when the top is set in the center, domed, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center (if you can find a patch without hitting cranberries) comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Baking times will vary based on oven and climate variances, how moist the cranberries are, etc. Bake until your bread is done in your oven.
  • Allow bread to cool in pan for about 20 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
  • To a large bowl, add the confectioners’ sugar, orange juice, and whisk to combine until smooth. You may have to play with the sugar and juice ratios slightly to achieve desired glaze consistency.
  • Evenly drizzle glaze over bread, noting you will likely have extra. I spread the extra glaze on the cut slices of the bread as if I was buttering toast.

Notes

Bread will keep airtight at room temp for up to 5 days. Unglazed bread will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 392kcal, Carbohydrates: 68g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 19mg, Sodium: 274mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 43g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Cranberry Desserts: 

ALL OF MY CRANBERRY RECIPES! 

Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies – Soft, chewy, buttery, perfectly sweetened with white chocolate, and so much texture from the cranberries!

Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Cranberry Bliss Bars {Starbucks Copycat Recipe} – They taste just like the real thing and you can make them at home, year-round! Think of all the $ you’ll save. Spot-on, easy recipe!

Cranberry Bliss Bars {Starbucks Copycat Recipe} - They taste just like the real thing and you can make them at home, year-round! Think of all the $ you'll save. Spot-on, easy recipe!

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Bliss Cake – The flavors of Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars in a soft, easy, no-mixer cake!

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Bliss Cake - The flavors of Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars in a Soft, Easy, No-Mixer Cake! Recipe at averiecooks.com

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Blondies – Super soft, buttery bars packed with chewy cranberries! And there’s a chocolate overload in every bite!

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Blondies - Super soft, buttery bars packed with chewy cranberries! And there's a chocolate overload in every bite!!

Crustless Cranberry Pie —A FAST, super EASY, no-mixer dessert that’s perfect for holiday entertaining!! Somewhere in between pie, cake, and blondies is what you get with this FESTIVE recipe!

Crustless Cranberry Pie —A FAST, super EASY, no-mixer dessert that’s perfect for holiday entertaining!

Cranberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars — The bars are soft, slightly chewy, and the hearty oats with big crumbles are a perfect contrast to the juicy cranberry filling.

Cranberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars

Cranberry Bliss Seven Layer Bars — These bars feature a buttery graham cracker crust that’s topped with white chocolate chips, chocolate chips, walnuts, dried cranberries, coconut, and sweetened condensed milk.

Cranberry Bliss Seven Layer Bars

Cranberry Jello Salad — A festive holiday layered Jello recipe with cranberries, pineapple, cream cheese, pecans, and pretzels! A little bit creamy, crunchy, sweet, and a little salty. A nostalgic family favorite with an impressive presentation to wow your holiday guests!

Layered Cranberry Jello Salad - A festive holiday layered recipe with cranberries, pineapple, cream cheese, pecans, and pretzels! A little bit creamy, crunchy, sweet, and a little salty. A nostalgic family favorite with an impressive presentation to wow your holiday guests!

Post brought to you by Silk. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. My mini loaves baked for about 24 minutes at the temperature mentioned in Averie’s recipe. Hope this helps you!

  2. 5 stars
    The most deliciously moist and orange-ey loaf. The fresh cranberries are a must! Resist dried ones. I made mini loaves and I pulsed the cranberries in a food processor for smaller pieces in my loaves. These flavors are very Christmassy. Season’s Greetings!

  3. 5 stars
    The most deliciously moist and orange-ey loaf. The fresh cranberries are a must! Resist dried ones. I made mini loaves and I pulsed the cranberries in a food processor for smaller pieces in my loaves. These flavors are very Christmassy. Season’s Greetings!

    1. Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad you loved this! Mini loaves are a lovely idea and thanks for sharing in your other comment that you made mini loaves and they took 24 minutes for you.

      If you like this recipe, please stay tuned for this https://www.averiecooks.com/cranberry-orange-bundt-cake/ (the link will work on 12-18-23) which is a spinoff on this recipe, baked as a really stunning holiday cake!

  4. 5 stars
    Wonderful recipe. I have made this a number of times when cranberries are in season but also for our church bazaar bake table (where it always sells out), Today I also tried it with some tart cherries that were crying out to be used. Really very good.

    Thanks for this go-to recipe.

  5. 5 stars
    Wonderful recipe. I have made this a number of times when cranberries are in season but also for our church bazaar bake table (where it always sells out), Today I also tried it with some tart cherries that were crying out to be used. Really very good.

    Thanks for this go-to recipe.

    1. I am so glad to hear this is a go-to recipe for you and that the tart cherries worked well here, too!

  6. Is there something i could sub for the canola or vegetable oil? Coconut oil, butter, or even apple sauce? (I know some people use apple sauce in place of oil in recipes)

  7. This was so good! We ate it for breakfast over several mornings and it never got stale, and the flavor combo was perfectly tart and sweet. I used leftover cranberries that i had frozen from Thanksgiving and it worked perfectly, didn’t even have to thaw them :)

  8. Hi Averie,
    I woukd like to make this recipe into mini loaves. Do you know approximately how much time they would need to bake?
    Thank you!

  9. Hi there :) Is there any way to use dried cranberries as a substitute? My local grocery store doesn’t have fresh cranberries in season just yet. Thanks! Chas