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Cranberry Bread is a delicious combination of sweet flavors and tartness. It is the best Cranberry Bread Recipe and perfect for the holiday season.

Slices of cranberry bread ready to serve.
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Everyone will love this moist cranberry bread. It is a really easy bread recipe that I make every November and December. The cranberry flavor is similar to Cranberry Orange Muffins and Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe.

It freezes well and makes a great breakfast, snack or sweet treat. It is so much more than just a dessert recipe. You may even love this Oatmeal Bread Recipe.

Why you will love this recipe

  • Delicious Cranberry Flavor. It is perfectly tangy and sweet.
  • Easy to make. It is a very simple recipe for quick bread.

Ingredients: 

Ingredients for cranberry bread - flour, cranberries, butter, eggs, sugar, baking powder.

For the Cranberries: 

  • Cranberries (fresh) 
  • All Purpose Flour 

For the Bread: 

  • Unsalted Butter (softened) 
  • Granulated Sugar 
  • Vanilla Extract 
  • Large Eggs 
  • All Purpose Flour 
  • Baking Powder 
  • Baking Soda 
  • Salt 
  • Milk

Substitutions and Additions

  • Mini Loaves. Feel free to use mini loaf pans to make smaller loaves of the bread perfect for gift giving.
  • Nuts. Add walnuts or pecans to the batter if desired.
  • Glaze. Top the bread with an orange glaze by combining powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest. It results in a tasty Orange Cranberry Bread.
  • Dried Cranberries. Swap fresh cranberries for dried cranberries.

How to make Cranberry Bread:

Bowl of cranberries with flour.

Step 1. While the oven is preheating, prepare the fresh cranberries by tossing them together with a teaspoon of flour in a small bowl. 

Mixing bowl with butter and eggs.

Step 2. Get out a large mixing bowl and cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. You can use a stand mixer or handheld).  Then add in the vanilla and eggs. Combine everything together.

Bowl with dry ingredients combined.

Step 3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  

Dry ingredients and wet ingredients being combined together.

Step 4. Gradually stir in the flour mixture and milk into the wet ingredients, alternating between each one, until fully combined.  Do not overmix the batter. You can combine by hand or on low speed. 

Cranberries folded into batter.

Step 5. Carefully stir in the cranberries by hand into the batter. 

Batter in loaf pan ready to bake.

Step 6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.  It will need to bake about 45-60 minutes in the preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. 

Bread in loaf pan baked and cooling.

Step 7. Let the bread cool completely in the pan. 

Bread sliced after being cooled.

Step 8. Remove the bread from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Then the bread is ready to slice, serve and enjoy!   

Tips for Success

  • Don’t overmix the batter. The bread will be dense and not light and fluffy if overmixed.
  • Fresh Baking Powder. Make sure you are using baking powder that is fresh and not expired.
  • Measure the flour accurately. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping it. This will ensure you are not using too much flour.
  • Cover the bread with foil. If you notice the bread is starting to brown too much on top while baking, cover with foil.
Bread sliced and ready to eat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you toss the cranberries in flour?

This step is very important as it keeps the cranberries from sinking in the bread.  

Can you use frozen cranberries?

Yes, you can. Just make sure they are thawed out before using them.

How to store leftovers?

Store the leftover bread in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for up to 4-5 days.  Wrap in aluminum foil, plastic wrap or parchment paper.

Can you freeze the bread?

This bread freezes really well. You can freeze an entire loaf or slices. Make sure it is cool and then wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag.

Freeze the bread up to 3 months.

More Easy Quick Bread Recipes:

Try this easy Cranberry Bread recipe today. Then please come back and leave a star recipe rating and comment. I love to hear from you!

Cranberry Bread

5 from 5 votes
Cranberry Bread is a delicious combination of sweet flavors and tartness. It is the best Cranberry Bread Recipe and perfect for the holiday season.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 4
Cuisine American
Course Dessert
Calories 610

Ingredients

For the Cranberries:

For the Bread:

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Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9X5 loaf pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
  • Prepare the cranberries by tossing together the cranberries and the teaspoon of flour together in a. Small bowl.  Set aside.  This step is very important as it keeps the cranberries from sinking in the bread.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer (stand up or hand held).  Add in the vanilla and eggs.  Mix until combined.
  • In a separate bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  • Slowly stir in the dry ingredients and milk into the butter mixture, alternating between each one, until fully combined.  Either stir in by hand or on low speed to keep the batter from being over mixed.
  • Then gently stir in the cranberries by hand into the batter.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.  Bake for 45-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
  • Let the bread cool completely in the pan.  Remove the bread from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
  • Then the bread is ready to slice, serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

If you use frozen cranberries make sure that they are thawed out before using them.   
Store the leftover bread i

Nutrition Facts

Calories 610kcal, Carbohydrates 103g, Protein 10g, Fat 18g, Saturated Fat 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat 1g, Monounsaturated Fat 5g, Trans Fat 1g, Cholesterol 123mg, Sodium 689mg, Potassium 135mg, Fiber 3g, Sugar 52g, Vitamin A 614IU, Vitamin C 5mg, Calcium 89mg, Iron 4mg

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Carrie. Welcome to Eating on a Dime!

I’m on a mission to help you cook delicious meals without busting your budget. Together we are going to cook real food… for real families!

5 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Carrie Barnard says:

    Sorry about that – I use 1 cup of milk in this recipe!

  2. Carrie Barnard says:

    Sorry about that – I use 1 cup of milk in this recipe!

  3. Carrie Barnard says:

    Sorry about that – I use 1 cup of milk in this recipe!

  4. Lori says:

    This cranberry bread recipe does not have the amount of milk to use

  5. Sherie says:

    How much milk???

  6. Dee says:

    There is no milk in the recipe