Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread
Bursting with bright orange flavor and sweet-tart cranberries, this moist Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread is a true delight! It’s an easy, quick bread perfect for cozy mornings, afternoon snacks, or holiday gatherings.
Bright, citrusy, and incredibly tender, this Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread is one of those special loaves that feels festive and joyful with every slice! Packed with tart bursts of fresh cranberries and bright orange zest, it has the perfect balance of sweet and tangy in every slice.
Whether you enjoy it for breakfast with a cup of coffee, as an afternoon snack, or gift it to friends during the holidays, this beautiful quick bread is sure to become a favorite!
Why We Love This Recipe!
- So Easy to Make: This is a simple one-bowl recipe! With just 7 ingredients, it comes together quickly with minimal cleanup — perfect for busy mornings or last-minute baking.
- Healthy & Vegan: Naturally oil-free, egg-free, and dairy-free. It’s a wholesome treat you can feel good about.
- Great for gifting: This beautiful loaf makes a thoughtful homemade gift! I’d be absolutely thrilled to receive one during the holidays or any time of year.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Made with simple pantry staples, this Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread is one of those cozy recipes you’ll want to bake all fall and winter long!
Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Flour: Light spelt, white whole wheat, or all-purpose flour all work beautifully.
- Sweetener: Organic pure cane sugar is my go-to, but you can also use coconut sugar or monk fruit sweetener for a lower-sugar option.
- Orange Juice: Freshly squeezed is wonderful, but good-quality bottled orange juice works great too.
- Applesauce: Unsweetened applesauce adds moisture and natural sweetness — you can use store-bought or my homemade Applesauce.
- Cranberries: Fresh or frozen cranberries both work perfectly (no need to thaw if using frozen).
- Leaveners: Baking powder and baking soda help give this loaf its lovely rise.
- Salt: Just a little to balance all the bright flavors.
Delicious 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’s a quick step-by-step overview with photos to help you along the way. (Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)
Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, organic cane sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Wet Ingredients: Add the applesauce, orange juice, and vanilla extract (if using). Stir just until the flour is incorporated — be careful not to overmix. Gently fold in the cranberries.
Prepare the Pan: Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan and sprinkle a few extra cranberries on top for a pretty finish.
Bake: Place in a preheated 350°F oven and bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
This moist, fragrant cranberry orange bread is best enjoyed slightly warm or at room temperature. So delicious!
Key Baking Tips
- Cranberries: I like to leave the cranberries whole for nice pops of tartness, but you can slice them in half if you prefer smaller pieces.
- Applesauce: Store-bought unsweetened applesauce works great. The convenient ½-cup to-go cups are the perfect size for this recipe — so handy!
- Make-Ahead Magic: This bread actually gets even better the next day. The flavors meld beautifully and it becomes even more moist. It also slices much cleaner once completely cooled (though I know how tempting it is to cut into it while it’s still warm!).
- Flour Options: I tested this recipe with King Arthur’s white whole wheat flour and it turned out perfectly. Spelt flour also works wonderfully if you’d like to try it.
Commonly Asked Questions
Can I make this cranberry orange bread gluten-free? Absolutely! You can use any gluten-free flour blend, replacing the amount of flour called for 1:1. I don’t recommend using coconut flour on its own, as it’s a tricky flour for vegan baking.
Can I make this recipe without baking soda? Yes! Often, I use only 2 heaping teaspoons of baking powder with great results!
Can I use dried cranberries instead of fresh? Yes! Use 1/2 to 3/4 cup of dried cranberries (instead of the usual 1 to 1½ cups of fresh/frozen). Dried cranberries are smaller and more concentrated. Soak them first for the best texture and to plump them up: cover with orange juice or warm water for 10-15 minutes and drain.
Can I freeze this quick bread? Yes! You can store it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Simply let it thaw in the refrigerator before eating. Quick bread can also be stored, covered, on the counter for up to 3 – 4 days.
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!
I’m always collecting cozy quick bread recipes, and these are some of our very favorites:
- Blueberry Banana Oat Bread
- Applesauce Bread (Oil-Free)
- Classic Pumpkin Bread
- Vegan Banana Bread (Healthy + Easy)
- See all our quick bread recipes on TSV!
Print Recipe
VEGAN CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: Makes 8 – 10 Slices 1x
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Vegan
Description
Our favorite vegan cranberry orange bread is made with fresh cranberries, orange juice, and applesauce in place of oil. It’s the ultimate, easy holiday breakfast or snack bread!
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 the prepared loaf pan, strategically arrange a few more cranberries on top, place on the center rack in the oven, and bake for 50-55 minutes.
- Remove from oven, let cool and enjoy.
Notes
Store: Keep on the counter for up to 3 days, or keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Also, you can freeze your bread in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months, then let it thaw in the refrigerator.
*I left my cranberries whole; feel free to slice them in half. If using frozen cranberries, let them 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 always handy to have store-bought to-go cups on hand. unsweetened. They are 1/2-cup servings, 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.
- Prep Time: 10min
- Cook Time: 55 min
- Category: Breakfast, Quick Bread, Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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Can I substitute an over ripe banana for the applesauce? Thank you!
Absolutely delicious! So easy to throw together as well. I used 100% spelt flour, and added 1 scant Tbsp grated orange rind, plus ground ginger and cinnamon from the list of add-ins. Perfectly moist and it is fat free! Thank you for this.
Can I substitute vegan butter for the applesauce in this recipe? I do it for your banana bread recipe and it makes the bread more fluffy and less dense.
Thanks!
Yes, you should be able to use butter in place of applesauce without issues. Do let us know how it turns out! Enjoy…
Made this twice in one week, it is that good. And ridiculously easy to make.
Easy straight forward recipe and tasty. I would have used more cranberries next time, like 200g, and I used orange zest and cinnamon. Thanks for the recipe!
This always turns out great. If I have a few slivered almonds i add them for crunch. I also use this recipe for blueberries with lemon – zest, and half lemon juice and half oat milk. It’s my go to. Thank you for this recipe.
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!