Favorite Cranberry Orange Bread
Moist and healthy, this easy Cranberry Orange Bread recipe is naturally vegan, made with fresh cranberries and orange juice, and is the best holiday breakfast or snack bread!
I’m currently working my way through a big bag of fresh cranberries and this is the second recipe of the season using cranberries. The first was this warm and delicious Apple-Cranberry Crisp.
Also, from the archives are these clean eating, no-bake Cinnamon Cranberry Energy Bites, and this Roasted Delicata Squash & Cranberry Salad, using fresh cranberries as well. So if you ever have a bag of cranberries on hand, you have a few great recipes to try out!
Why We Love This Recipe!
- Easy, one bowl recipe. Made with just 7 ingredients and prepped in 1 bowl, makes this vegan quick bread is a cinch to make and clean up!
- It’s healthy and vegan. This sweet orange bread, bursting with tart, juicy cranberries, is completely oil-free, egg-free, and dairy-free with no butter.
- Great for gifting! If you like making edible gifts this cranberry orange bread is perfect for holiday or everyday gift giving. I would be delighted to be given a loaf of this flavorful bread for the holidays!
Ingredient Notes
Made with simple plant-based ingredients this cranberry orange bread bakes into a wonderful vegan quick bread that is absolutely delicious!
Here is everything you will need, plus variations:
- flour – light spelt, white whole wheat or all-purpose
- organic pure cane sugar – or use your favorite such as coconut sugar or monk fruit sweetener for a low-sugar recipe.
- orange juice – use fresh squeezed or bottled
- applesauce – pref unsweetened, use store bought or make homemade Applesauce
- cranberries – fresh or frozen
- baking powder + baking soda
- salt
Tasty Optional Add-Ins
- 1 – 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon or ginger powder
- 1 – 2 tablespoons orange zest
How To Make Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread
Here is a quick overview of the process with photos for reference. (Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)
- Gather your dry ingredients (flour, organic pure cane sugar, baking powder and baking soda) and combine together in a bowl (shown above).
- Next add the wet ingredients (applesauce, orange juice and optional vanilla extract) and stir to mix, just until flour is incorporated, add the cranberries, and mix again.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan (shown below), add a few more cranberries to the top.
- Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees F. for 50 – 55 minutes. Once done, let cool and enjoy this moist, delicious quick bread!
Top Tips
- I left my cranberries whole, feel free to slice them in half.
- For the applesauce, if you don’t make your own, it’s so handy to have the store bought to-go cups on hand, pref. unsweetened. They are 1/2 cup serving size, making them the perfect size for this recipe.
- This bread will get even better the next day, once it’s had time to rest, it will moisten up and the flavors will enhance. Also, it will slice much cleaner once completely cooled, but I know it’s so tempting to cut a slice right away, just know that it will not slice as clean and that’s normal.
- I’ve made this recipe with King Arthur’s white whole wheat bread flour, as shown here, and it was perfect. Also, I’ve used whole spelt flour with great results as well.
Commonly Asked Questions
Can I make this cranberry orange bread gluten-free? Absolutely! You can use any gluten-free flour blend or buckwheat flour, replacing 1 – 1 the amount of flour called for. I don’t recommend using coconut flour by itself, as it’s a tricky flour for vegan baking.
Can I make this recipe without baking soda? Yes! Oftentimes I will only use 2 heaping teaspoons of baking powder with great results!
Can I freeze this quick bread? Sure thing! It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months if stored in a freezer-safe container or bag. Simply let thaw in the refrigerator before eating. Quick bread can also be stored, covered, on the counter for up to 3 – 4 days. Or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Can I make muffins out of this quick bread recipe? Yep! Head on over to the Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffin recipe and give it a try. They are so delicious and portable!
More Quick Bread Recipes!
Because you can never have too many quick bread recipes on hand. Try these other various bread for a change of pace!
- Blueberry Banana Oat Bread
- Applesauce Bread (Oil-Free)
- Classic Pumpkin Bread
- Vegan Banana Bread (Healthy + Easy)
- See all Bread recipes on TSV!
If you try this easy quick bread recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintFAVORITE CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD
Made with fresh cranberries, orange juice and applesauce in place of oil, it’s the ultimate, easy holiday breakfast or snack bread!
- Prep Time: 10min
- Cook Time: 55 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: Makes 8 – 10 Slices 1x
- Category: Quick Bread, Snack
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) flour (light spelt, white whole wheat or all-purpose)
- 2/3 cup (133 g) organic pure cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- generous pinch of salt
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 heaping cup (129 g) fresh or frozen cranberries, plus more for the top*
Tasty optional add-ins:
- 1 – 2 teaspoons vanilla (add with orange juice)
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon or ginger powder (add with dry ingredients)
- 1 – 2 tablespoons orange zest, optional (add with cranberries)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, stir to combine.
- Add in the applesauce, orange juice and optional vanilla, mix until flour is incorporated, don’t over mix, stir in the cranberries and optional orange zest, give a few extra stirs.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, strategically arrange a few more cranberries on top, and place on center rack in the oven, bake for 50 – 55 minutes.
- Remove from oven, let cool and enjoy.
Store, covered, on the counter for up to 3 days, or keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Also, you can freeze your bread, stored in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months, let thaw in the refrigerator.
Notes
*I left my cranberries whole, feel free to slice them in half. If using frozen cranberries, let thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for a few hours before using.
For the applesauce, if you don’t make your own, it’s so handy to have the store bought to-go cups on hand, pref. unsweetened. They are 1/2 cup serving size, making them the perfect size for this recipe.
This bread will only get better the next day, once it’s had time to rest, it will moisten up and the flavor will greatly enhance. Also, it will slice much cleaner once completely cooled, but I know it’s so tempting to cut a slice right away, just know that it will not slice as clean and that’s normal.
I’ve made this recipe with King Arthur’s white whole wheat bread flour, as shown here, and it was perfect. Also, I’ve used whole spelt flour with great results as well.
If you don’t have applesauce on hand, use 1/3 cup light flavored olive oil or your favorite neutral cooking oil.
Conversion: For weight conversion, I recommend double-checking the King Arthur Ingredient Weight Chart for your specific ingredient.
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OMG! This was so easy, it was quick to put together, and it was absolutely delicious. I went with whole, fresh cranberries, and added 1 tsp vanilla and about 1 TBSN orange zest, everything per the recipe. Had to bake it a bit longer, about 65 minutes (probably my oven), but the taste and texture is terrific! I love the “burst” of cranberry within the slices and especially in the mouth! LOL! This is on my keeper list to enjoy with coffee and/or tea, and especially to share with friends and family. Thank you, Julie!
I’m glad I read your comment before trying the recipe again. I had a couple of road bumps and am hoping the second time around hits the mark, though the other person in the household really enjoyed it. First, I am going to stick with the author’s original measurements. I thought it may be too sweet because of the Florida’s Naturals orange juice I was using, so I used a little less-I will stick to the full 2/3 cup. Next, I gad a heck of a time with the frozen cranberries. There was only one brand in my area and no fresh. First cup I thawed in frig overnight. They were very wriggled and very squishy-like totally deflated balloons. Next cup thawed on counter a couple of hours-same. I didn’t want to ruin the recipe so I threw them out thinking they were bad. Last cup went right in the colander with a quick rinse. I noticed they were wrinkled right out of the freezer. I called the company and was told their product should not be rinsed or thawed, as the cellular structure immediately breaks down. Hmmm…okay. Never had tgg had at experience when freezing fresh cranberries. Lastly, I found the bread kind of gummy and chewy, like too moisture not done enough at 55 minutes. I used a William Sonoma gold touch 1 pound loaf pan( lined with parchment), it may be a little smaller than standard size. I was afraid to burn it or dry it out so I didn’t bake longer. But I will after reading Diane’s post. Wanted to post a pic, but I can seem to add one. Oh, I did add some walnuts, vanilla, orange zest. Thanks for a great recipe. Practice makes perfect, or I’m hoping close, so I will try again!
I’m guessing since I can sub chopped dates for sugar in your banana bread recipe, I can do that here, too?
I have not tried that with this recipe, but I think it will work just as well using dates in this recipe too! Enjoy!
I’m glad I read your comment before trying the recipe again. I had a couple of road bumps and am hoping the second time around hits the mark, though the other person in the household really enjoyed it. First, I am going to stick with the author’s original measurements. I thought it may be too sweet because of the Florida’s Naturals orange juice I was using, so I used a little less-I will stick to the full 2/3 cup. Next, I had a heck of a time with the frozen cranberries. There was only one brand in my area and no fresh. First cup I thawed in frig overnight. They were very wriggled and very squishy-like totally deflated balloons. Next cup thawed on counter a couple of hours-same. I didn’t want to ruin the recipe so I threw them out thinking they were bad. Last cup went right in the colander with a quick rinse. I noticed they were wrinkled right out of the freezer. I called the company and was told their product should not be rinsed or thawed, as the cellular structure immediately breaks down. Hmmm…okay. Never had tgg had at experience when freezing fresh cranberries. Lastly, I found the bread kind of gummy and chewy, like too moisture not done enough at 55 minutes. I used a William Sonoma gold touch 1 pound loaf pan( lined with parchment), it may be a little smaller than standard size. I was afraid to burn it or dry it out so I didn’t bake longer. But I will after reading Diane’s post. Wanted to post a pic, but I can seem to add one. Oh, I did add some walnuts, vanilla, orange zest. Thanks for a great recipe. Practice makes perfect, or I’m hoping close, so I will try again!
Thank you Julie for this delicious recipe. So moist and wonderful. I look forward to trying your other recipes!
Happy Holidays!
Diane