Cranberry Orange Bread is full of sweet orange flavor, tart cranberries and drizzled with the most incredible orange glaze! Perfect for a holiday breakfast or dessert.
Orange + cranberry is one of the best flavor combinations, sort of like peanut butter and chocolate. This bread is sweet with plenty of orange flavor, but also has a bit of tang from fresh cranberries. The result is a completely addicting quick bread that everyone will love!
If you love this combination, you could easily turn these scones into orange cranberry by swapping the blueberries for cranberries and adding some orange zest. Top with the orange glaze from this recipe and you’ll be in heaven!
Fresh or frozen cranberries
The good news here is that you can freeze cranberries when they are in season, and make orange cranberry bread any time of the year!
Fresh or frozen are fine to use. If using frozen cranberries, simply toss them in a tablespoon of flour, and then very gently fold them into the batter right before baking. This will help them not discolor the bread as much. You can use this same technique for blueberry muffins!
How to make orange cranberry bread
This is simply an overview with photos, see the recipe card below for the complete, printable recipe.
First, make your flax “eggs” in a small bowl by combining ground flaxseeds and water, then set aside for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, soy milk (or other plant milk), orange zest, orange juice, oil, flax eggs and vanilla until well combined. Now add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) and stir until just combined.
Fold in the cranberries, tossing first in a little flour if frozen.
Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan, and bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Whisk or stir all the glaze ingredients in a small bowl (powdered sugar, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla) until smooth. Once the loaf has cooled, drizzle or spread it over the top, serve and enjoy!
Helpful tools
- Zester – This is an essential kitchen tool I use regularly for zesting oranges, lemons and limes, as well as grating vegan cheese.
- Citrus juicer – I love this citrus juicer, it makes squeezing citrus a breeze.
- Standard loaf pan – Use a standard size loaf pan; I used 9 x 5 inches. I use this size in all my quick breads as well as vegan meatloaf recipes.
Want more quick bread recipes?
- 1 Bowl Vegan Banana Bread
- Vegan Zucchini Bread
- The Best Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Starbucks Copycat Lemon Loaf
Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
- 5 tablespoons water
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup soy milk*
- zest of 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 cup canola oil*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
- zest of 1/2 orange, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a standard loaf pan (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches or 9 x 5 inches). You can also line the pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the sides for easy removal.
- In a small bowl, combine the ground flaxseed and water. Set aside to thicken for 3-4 minutes. These are your flax "eggs".
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, soy milk, orange zest, orange juice, oil, flax eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- To the bowl with the wet ingredients, add the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until just combined, being careful not to over mix or your bread may be dense or rubbery.
- If the cranberries were frozen, toss them with a tablespoon of flour; this will help them not make the entire loaf red or pink. Gently fold the cranberries in the batter.
- Pour into the prepared pan, place in the center rack of the oven and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the bread cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the glaze: In a small-medium bowl, add the powdered sugar, orange juice, zest and vanilla, and stir with a spoon until smooth. You can use a whisk if you powdered sugar is clumpy.
- Once the bread has cooled completely, spread or drizzle the glaze over the top. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Milk - You may use another milk, such as cashew, almond, coconut, oat or hemp milk.
- Oil - I used canola oil, but you can use another vegetable oil such as avocado, melted coconut oil or even melted vegan butter. I haven't tried it oil free, but applesauce may work in place of oil.
- Gluten free - I haven't tested it, but a gluten free mix would likely work here. Don't sub with almond or coconut flour, it will not work.
- Storing - Cover leftovers and keep at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Or freeze for longer.
Hi Nora,
This is another perfect summer dessert! I made it many times with frozen cranberries and many times with dried cranberries. We could not agree on which version was better, so now I use a mix of frozen and dried cranberries 🙂
Hi Kate. I love it! I’m thrilled you are loving the bread! Thanks for your fabulous feedback and review!
Could you make this recipe as muffins??
Hi Lisa. This bread would make muffins! Try baking them for 18-22 minutes. Enjoy!
I made this last night. It was delicious. I did not have any granulated sugar so I used raw sugar. I did not make the glaze. I did not need it.
Hi Michelle. Thanks for your great feedback! I’m so glad you loved the bread!
This was fantastic. Thank you. I made half the glaze, which was perfect for my taste (slightly thinned too). I really commend you for the crumb and especially the “crust,” which I really love in a bread/cake like this and vegan recipes almost never achieve, whatever their other merits.
Hi Bill. You are welcome! I appreciate your uplifting words! I’m really glad you loved the bread! Thanks for your terrific feedback and review! Happy cooking!
your blueberry lemon version is one of my favourite recipes so i had to try this one too. i love it! super wintery/christmassy flavours and so easy to make 🙂
I’m so glad you tried this one! I love it as well! Thank you for your terrific feedback and review! Happy cooking to you!
Excellent