This Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Bread - with a sweet orange glaze - is a fantastic breakfast treat. A little sweet, a little tart, great flavor & texture, easy to make!
This gluten free orange cranberry bread recipe was first published in my second gluten-free cookbook, Beyond Flour 2.
In the decade or so since then, I’ve managed to improve on that original recipe, and can confidently say that this is the BEST cranberry orange bread I’ve had - gluten free or otherwise!
I’ve always loved this flavor combination, and it does NOT disappoint, in this format!
The moist cranberry bread has just the right amount of orange flavor, coming from both fresh squeezed orange juice and orange zest.
During the holiday season, I’ll add some pistachios - for a very festive and pretty gluten-free quick bread.
Always a good idea to put on an extra loaf, that time of year - it’s a great bread that’s enjoyed by those who are gluten free, AND those who aren’t!
The reason for that is the choice of flours used - this makes a soft, tasty bread that’s great reheated... but also really good straight from the fridge.
It doesn’t suffer from any of the issues that many gluten free baked goods tend to, and the flours used actually taste better than wheat flour!
Anyway, on to that recipe...
Ingredients
This easy quick bread recipe uses some fairly simple ingredients, most of which should either be pantry staples, or easy to find in any larger grocery store. A few notes for you:
Flour Mixture
As with all of my gluten-free baking, I use a gluten-free flour blend measured from individual flours, which I design for each recipe, specifically.
I’m not a fan of premade gluten free “all purpose flour” mixes - they tend to use the cheapest flours and starches possible, and don’t mimic the use of wheat flour at all.
All that rice flour and starch tends to lead to undesirable textures, and it doesn’t really taste like much.
The gluten free flours I use for making gluten-free quick breads taste much better than regular flour, and produce a nice, soft bread without much fuss, wait time, etc.
It also ends up to be FAR cheaper than using the pre-mixes.
I use:
Light Buckwheat Flour
Sorghum Flour
Coconut Flour
Xanthan Gum
If you like baking muffins and quick breads, know that this is my go-to blend for these kinds of recipes, so you can definitely get some use out of them! They’re great to have on hand.
Whole Cranberries
What kind of cranberries I use for this depends on the time of year.
In the late fall - when tart cranberries are available in the fresh produce section - I use fresh cranberries. (Rinsed and picked through, before measuring!)
The rest of the year, I use frozen cranberries - as pictured.
I just stir them in frozen, as thawing them first would cause a lot more “bleed” in the bread - no big deal, either way.
As the juicy cranberries contribute to the moisture content, dried cranberries won’t work as a substitute.
Not only would they not contribute moisture, they’d leach moisture from the batter, leading to an even drier bread.
Fresh Orange Juice & Zest
Fresh orange zest and juice are what bring the citrus flavor to this bread, and brighten the flavour up in general.
1 large orange should provide you enough juice for both the bread and the glaze - I recommend zesting the orange peel before juicing it!
Nuts
Nut are optional - I left them out on the batch I photographed for this blog - but a great addition to this recipe.
Generally speaking, I’ll use Chopped Walnuts or Chopped Pecans any time of the year.
As we get closer to the holiday season, I tend to splurge a bit and use roasted Shelled Pistachios in this bread.
It just makes for a really festive, pretty, and tasty cranberry orange loaf!
Vegetable Oil
While I usually use melted unsalted butter in a lot of my regular baking, I like to use oil for baking gluten-free quick breads and muffins.
I find it retains a nicer texture, even straight from the fridge - butter tends to lead to a more dry texture at cooler temperatures.
I use just basic vegetable oil, but you can use any neutral flavoured oil - canola oil and avocado oil are great options.
Olive oil has a bit too robust of a flavour for this recipe, IMHO, and melted coconut oil tends to run into the same temperature issue as using butter, so I generally avoid it for this.
Vanilla Yogurt
I use a bit of vanilla yogurt to bring - and retain - a bit of extra moisture to the recipe, as well as contribute a subtle bit of tang.
I don’t recommend skipping it, but you can use plain yogurt or sour cream, if you prefer.
Everything Else
Rounding out this recipe, you will need:
Confectioners’ Sugar / Icing Sugar / Powdered Sugar
Granulated sugar
Pure Vanilla Extract
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Large eggs
... I just don’t have anything to add, for these last few ingredients!
How to Make Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Bread
The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial walk through.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 1 regular/large loaf pan, or line with parchment paper.
Note: I like to spray it, then line it - the spray will stick the parchment to the bottom of the pan.
In a separate bowl - a small or medium bowl - whisk together sugar, yogurt, orange juice, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest until smooth and well combined.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
For best results, do NOT overbake this - keep an eye on it, and take it out as soon as it passes this test!
Once fully cooked, remove from oven, and left the loaf cool on a wire rack while you make the glaze:
Orange Glaze
In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the orange juice and salt.
Add about the powdered sugar, a little at a time, whisking until smooth. You want it VERY thick, but you can add extra orange juice if you need.
Drizzle glaze over top of the bread, allow to cool for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting - if you’ve got that kind of patience!
Leftovers
Leftover cranberry orange bread can be to room temperature and either wrapped in plastic wrap (the whole loaf, or as individual slices) or put in an airtight container.
It will keep well for 2-3 days on a counter, or for 5 days or so in the fridge.
Best served at room temperature or - ideally - warmer.
More Gluten-Free Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
Looking for more breakfast food recipes for the whole family? Here are some fun options:
Breakfast Meatloaf
Gluten Free Apple Pancakes with Caramel Apple Topping
Gluten-Free Bagels
Gluten Free Banana Bread
Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
Gluten-Free Banana Nutella Ebelskivers
Gluten Free Blackberry Muffins
Gluten-Free Blueberry Banana Bread
Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
Gluten Free Cranberry Walnut Muffins
Gluten Free Crepes
Gluten-Free French Onion Soup Tart
Gluten-Free Lemon Drizzle Cake
Gluten Free Lemon Mascarpone Ebelskivers
Gluten-Free Mushroom Soup & Eggs on Toast
Gluten Free Paska [Easter Bread]
Gluten-Free Pop-Tarts
Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread
Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
Gluten-Free Sourdough Waffles
Gluten Free Zucchini Bread
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Cranberry Orange Bread
Equipment
- Loaf pan
Ingredients
Cranberry Orange Bread
- 1 cup Sorghum flour
- ½ cup Light buckwheat flour
- ¼ cup Coconut flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Vanilla Yogurt
- ⅓ cup Orange juice
- ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
- 2 Large eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 Orange
- 1 ½ cups Fresh or frozen cranberries
- ⅔ cup Walnuts pecans, or pistachios, optional
Orange Glaze
- 1 ½ tablespoon Orange juice
- pinch Salt
- 1 cup Confectioners / Icing / Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 1 regular/large loaf pan, or line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl - a small or medium bowl - whisk together sugar, yogurt, orange juice, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest until smooth and well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients mixture to the mixing bowl of dry ingredients, along with the cranberries and nuts, if using. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir just until combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for about 1 hour, or until crust is a rich golden brown, and knife inserted into middle of loaf comes out clean.
- Once fully cooked, remove from oven, and let the bread cool on a cooling rack while you make the glaze:
Orange Glaze
- Whisk together the orange juice and salt.
- Add about the powdered sugar, a little at a time, whisking until smooth. You want it VERY thick, but you can add extra orange juice if you need.
- Drizzle glaze over the warm loaf, allow to cool for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting - if you’ve got that kind of patience!
- You can use a wire rack to help it cool faster, if you like.
Notes
Nutrition
Hello Marie,
Could I substitute coconut oil or avocado oil for vegetable oil?
Your Cranberry Orange bread recipe looks heavenly. Thank you for this delicious recipe
Wishing you blessings for Thanksgiving,
Jeanette
I haven't tried with coconut oil, but avocado oil works fine! Solid coconut oil, melted, might give you dryness issues, but if you use the liquid stuff it should be fine.