Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe - Breadcrumbs in the Butter

Name: Cranberry Orange Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 95 min
Ingredients: 2 cups flour; 1 cup sugar; 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ¾ cup orange juice; 1 ½ tablespoons grated orange peel; 2 tablespoons melted butter; 1 egg (well beaten); 1 ½ cups cranberries (halved or coarsely chopped); ½ cup pecans (chopped); 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar; 2 tablespoons orange juice; 2 tablespoons melted butter

Old fashioned cranberry orange bread is moist and sweet with a burst of tangy cranberry flavor in each bite. This recipe started out on the back of the Ocean Spray Cranberry bag decades ago.

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Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

A moist quick bread that's perfect for holiday brunches, snacks, and giving as gifts.

Overhead view of cranberry orange bread with glaze on top.

❤️ Why you'll love it

This is the original Ocean Spray Cranberry Bread recipe that's been a favorite for generations (with just a few tweaks of my own).
It’s an incredibly easy recipe that comes out right every time - even for a beginning baker.
Like most quick bread recipes, this cranberry pecan bread can be frozen for up to 3 months - great for making it ahead of time for the busy holidays.

This is such a pretty, festive bread! It's a fantastic homemade gift for Christmas and if it's not a tradition in your house it should be!

🧾 Ingredients

🔪 Instructions

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended.
Stir in cranberries and nuts.
Mix well but don't overmix.
Spoon batter into the prepared bread pan, spreading evenly. Bake according to instructions in the green recipe card below.

🥫 Storage

Wrap cranberry nut bread tightly with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days. If it's very warm and humid in your house then better check it after 2 days - it can mold fast.

You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Wait until it is completely cooled and then wrap it in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil.

🧑🏻‍🍳 Baker's notes

⭐ Expert Tip: Most quick bread recipes are done baking when they register 200℉ using an instant read thermometer.

Let your cranberry bread cool completely before adding the glaze or wrapping and storing.
You can cut the cranberries in half or fourths rather than chop them if you prefer bigger chunks of cranberry
Make this Ocean Spray cranberry nut bread recipe 2 days in advance, leaving the glaze off until just before serving.
For mini cranberry bread loaves, pour the mixture into muffin tins or mini loaf pans and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. Oven temperatures can vary so begin checking at 15 minutes.
If you're going to freeze the bread leave the glaze off. Slice it and freeze it with parchment paper between the slices. You'll be able to remove just a slice or two at a time rather than having to thaw the whole loaf.
Buy cranberries when they are in season then put the entire bag of fresh cranberries in the freezer to use as desired all year long.

💡Great Idea: Make mini loaves of cranberry bread, put them on a small plate, and tie a ribbon around each. Tuck a handwritten name tag under each ribbon for pretty place cards everyone will love.

✨ FAQs

Can I use frozen cranberries?

Sure! You'll probably have to give the bread a few more minutes in the oven but it's fine to use frozen.

Can you use dried cranberries instead of fresh?

Yes but use about ¾ cup of dried in place of every cup of fresh.

You may also like this Dutch apple bread.

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️