The next time you see fresh cranberries in the produce department, go ahead and grab a bag because you're going to want to make this Cranberry Orange Bread! It has a soft, buttery pound cake texture studded with chunks of tart fresh cranberries, flecks of orange zest, and a sweet orange glaze.

This is one of those easy holiday recipes that's just as good for Thanksgiving breakfast as it is wrapped up for a homemade Christmas gift.

If you love a soft, buttery loaf, you'll also want to try my Streusel-Topped Peach Cobbler Cream Cheese Pound Cake. It's the recipe that inspired this cranberry orange bread!

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Why You'll Love This Cranberry Orange Bread

Soft, buttery pound cake texture. Cream cheese, butter, and buttermilk give this cranberry loaf a rich, tender crumb that's more like cake than traditional quick bread.
Sweet, tart, and full of orange flavor. Fresh cranberries add a little tang to every slice, while orange zest and a sweet orange glaze give it the perfect balance of flavors.
Perfect for holiday baking. Serve a full-size loaf for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning, or bake smaller loaves to wrap in cute cellophane bags for gift baskets, holiday markets, and homemade gifts.

A Few Things to Know Before You Start

This is a simple quick bread recipe that comes together in about 20 minutes, plus a little over an hour in the oven. You don't need yeast, a hand mixer, or any special equipment. In fact, I prefer mixing this batter by hand with a rubber spatula.

The recipe makes one full-size loaf in an 8½ × 4½-inch loaf pan. Depending on the size of your mini loaf pans, you can also divide the batter to make approximately three or four smaller loaves.

Be sure to bring your butter, cream cheese, eggs, and buttermilk to room temperature before getting started. Softened ingredients are much easier to combine by hand and help create a smooth batter.

I love about this bread because it tastes even better the next day! The cranberry and orange flavors have time to develop, and the crumb stays soft and buttery. You can wait to add the orange glaze until just before serving.

Baking with Fresh Cranberries

Fresh cranberry season is one of my favorite parts of holiday baking. You can usually find bags of fresh cranberries in the produce department during the fall and winter holidays. They're the same cranberries you'd use to make homemade cranberry sauce.

I love using fresh cranberries because they give the finished bread those pretty red pops of color. I roughly chop them so you get little bits of tart cranberry in every slice instead of biting into a whole cranberry.

If you can't find fresh cranberries, frozen cranberries work well, too. You can chop them while frozen and add them without thawing. Dried cranberries are another option, but they're much sweeter and chewier, so you won't get quite the same tart cranberry flavor.

My Favorite Trick for Adding Orange Flavor

One of my favorite tricks for baking with citrus is to zest the orange directly into the sugar.

The orange peel contains fragrant natural oils that give baked goods their bright orange flavor. By zesting directly over the sugar, you catch those oils instead of losing some of them on your fingers or cutting board.

Once you've added the zest, give the sugar a quick stir to distribute it. You can even gently rub the zest into the sugar with a spoon to release more of that fresh orange fragrance.

When you add the orange-infused sugar to your butter and cream cheese mixture, all that flavor goes right into the cake.

Save the orange itself because you'll use the freshly squeezed juice to make the glaze.

Ingredients You'll Need

Dry ingredients – Just your basic all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. The flour gives the bread structure, while a little baking powder provides enough lift to keep the pound cake tender without making it too airy.

Unsalted butter – Use softened butter that's at room temperature. It should be soft enough to stir easily but not melted.

Cream cheese – Full-fat, block-style cream cheese gives this loaf its rich, moist pound cake texture. Make sure it's softened before mixing.

Granulated sugar – Sweetens the cake and balances the tart cranberries. We'll also use it to capture all that fresh orange flavor from the zest.

Eggs – Use large eggs at room temperature so they combine smoothly with the butter and cream cheese.

Buttermilk – Buttermilk really makes a difference in this recipe! It adds moisture and helps create a soft, tender crumb. If you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute whole milk or an unsweetened plant-based milk, although the flavor and texture may be slightly different.

Fresh cranberries – Roughly chopped so there's a little cranberry in every bite.

Orange zest – You'll need the zest of one large orange. Zest it directly into the sugar to capture as much of the natural orange oil as possible.

Vanilla extract – Adds a little warmth and complements the orange flavor.

For the Orange Glaze

Powdered sugar – You'll need 1½ cups to make a sweet, smooth glaze.

Fresh orange juice – Start with the juice from half an orange, then add more as needed until the glaze reaches your preferred consistency.

How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread

Before You Start

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare an 8½ × 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick baking spray or parchment paper.

Make sure your butter, cream cheese, eggs, and buttermilk are at room temperature. You'll be mixing this batter by hand, so having everything softened will make the process much easier.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.

Infuse the Sugar with Orange Zest

Measure the granulated sugar into a small bowl and zest your orange directly over it.

Stir the zest into the sugar until it's evenly distributed. You'll notice the sugar becoming fragrant as the oils from the orange peel mix in.

This little step gives the finished bread so much fresh orange flavor without needing to add extra liquid to the batter.

Mix the Butter, Cream Cheese, and Sugar

In a large bowl, use a sturdy rubber spatula to stir together the softened butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.

Add the orange-infused sugar and continue stirring until everything is well combined.

Next, add the eggs one at a time, stirring until each egg is incorporated. Add the vanilla extract.

The mixture should look smooth and creamy. Take a moment to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so there aren't any pockets of cream cheese hiding in the batter.

Alternate the Dry Ingredients and Buttermilk

Add about one-third of the flour mixture to the bowl and gently stir it into the batter.

Next, add half the buttermilk and stir until combined.

Continue alternating the flour and buttermilk, finishing with the remaining flour.

Adding the ingredients gradually helps create a smooth batter without a lot of lumps. Stir just until the flour is incorporated. You want a thick, creamy cake batter, but there's no need to overmix it.

Layer the Batter and Cranberries

Instead of stirring the chopped cranberries directly into the batter, I like to layer them in the loaf pan. This helps keep the batter from turning pink as you mix.

Spoon about half of the batter into your prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.

Sprinkle half of the roughly chopped cranberries over the batter.

Add the remaining batter, spreading it gently over the cranberries, then sprinkle the rest of the cranberries on top.

Use a butter knife or small spatula to gently swirl the cranberries into the batter. You're not trying to completely mix them in, just distribute them throughout the loaf.

Make sure the cranberries on top are tucked underneath a little batter. Any pieces sticking out can become dark and brown as the loaf bakes.

Bake Until Golden Brown

Bake the cranberry orange bread at 350°F for a little over an hour, depending on your loaf pan and oven.

Start checking the loaf around 55 minutes. The top should be set, and the center should be fully baked.

Insert a toothpick or cake tester into the center of the bread. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter.

Let the bread cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Finish with Orange Glaze

Once the bread is completely cool, whisk together 1½ cups of powdered sugar and the freshly squeezed juice from half an orange.

Stir until the glaze is smooth. If it's too thick, add a little more orange juice until it's thin enough to drizzle.

Spoon the glaze over the top of the cranberry loaf, letting it run naturally down the sides.

You can glaze the bread as soon as it cools, or leave it unglazed and add the icing just before serving.

Can You Make Cranberry Orange Bread in Mini Loaf Pans?

Absolutely! This recipe makes one full-size loaf, but it's also a great recipe for mini loaves.

Depending on the dimensions of your pans, you should get approximately three or four smaller loaves from one batch.

Divide the batter evenly between your prepared mini loaf pans, filling each no more than about two-thirds full.

Mini loaves bake faster than a full-size loaf, so begin checking them around 25 minutes. The exact baking time will depend on the size of your pans.

These little cranberry orange loaves are perfect for holiday gift baskets, hostess gifts, or selling at holiday markets. Once they're completely cool, you can wrap them in clear cellophane bags with a pretty ribbon and a bakery label.

How Is This Different from the Ocean Spray Cranberry Bread Recipe?

If you've ever made the classic Ocean Spray cranberry nut bread recipe, you'll recognize the familiar combination of tart cranberries and fresh orange flavor.

The traditional Ocean Spray cranberry bread recipe uses orange juice, shortening, and chopped nuts to make a flavorful quick bread.

My cranberry orange bread has a slightly different texture because it starts with a buttery cream cheese pound cake batter. It's softer, richer, and more cake-like, with fresh orange zest in the batter and a sweet orange glaze on top.

Both are delicious cranberry recipes for the holiday season, but if you prefer a moist, buttery loaf, I think you'll really enjoy this version.

How to Store Cranberry Orange Bread

I think this cranberry orange bread tastes even better on the second day, so it's a great recipe to make ahead for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning.

Once the bread has cooled completely, wrap it tightly or store it in an airtight container. For the best quality, plan to enjoy it within three to four days.

If you want to make it farther ahead, you can freeze the bread whole or sliced. Wrap it tightly and place it in a freezer-safe bag for up to two to three months.

I recommend freezing the bread without the orange glaze, then adding the glaze after it has thawed.

Serving Cranberry Orange Bread

I love serving thick slices of this bread with coffee on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning. It's also perfect for a holiday brunch, especially if you leave it unglazed and serve it alongside other breakfast favorites.

For dessert, you can cut the loaf into smaller pieces and add them to a holiday dessert tray. The bright cranberry and orange flavors are a nice change from all the chocolate and spice-heavy treats this time of year.

More Holiday Baking Recipes

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Why You'll Love This Cranberry Orange Bread

A Few Things to Know Before You Start

Baking with Fresh Cranberries

My Favorite Trick for Adding Orange Flavor