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!

Made with just 7 ingredients and 1 bowl, if you’re looking for a healthy and easy holiday bread this vegan cranberry orange bread is it!

I pretty much finished my loaf within a day, the flavor combination is so addicting. And if you’re into making edible gifts this would make a perfect edible gift. I would be delighted to be given a loaf of this vibrant, flavorful bread for the holidays!

Table of Contents

Ingredients You’ll Need

Sweet orange bread, bursting with tart, juicy cranberries, it’s completely oil-free, egg-free and dairy free with no butter, just simple plant-based ingredients that come together creating a wonderful quick bread that is absolutely delicious!

Here is everything you will need:

flour – light spelt, white whole wheat or all-purpose
organic pure cane sugar – or use your favorite
orange juice
applesauce – pref unsweetened, use store bought or make homemade Applesauce
cranberries – fresh or frozen
baking powder + baking powder
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

(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 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 breads 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 breads for a change of pace!

If you try this cranberry orange 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.

FAVORITE CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD

sliced orange cranberry bread on parchment paper

★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews

Made with fresh cranberries, orange juice and applesauce in place of oil, it’s the ultimate, easy holiday breakfast or snack bread!

Author: Julie West
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

Scale

Ingredients

2 cups (280 g) flour (light spelt, white whole wheat or all-purpose)
2/3 cup (150 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.

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