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Why You’ll Love My Recipe

I love a good loaf for breakfast and this one is no exception. Full of fruit and nuts, it’s the perfect snack alongside a coffee or tea during the holiday season (or really, whenever you want something tasty!). This is a perfect way to use up leftover nuts or cranberries after the holidays!

For a great way to heat this quick bread, check out my tutorial for How To Make Toast In The Oven? Or if you prefer savory flavours to sweet ones, check out my Cheesy Onion Bread!

A loaf of cranberry walnut bread on a white plate, with three slices cut. Surrounding it are orange slices, cranberries, walnuts, eggs, a knife, and a small bowl of butter on a marble surface.

Karlynn’s Recipe Notes

Skill Level: This quick bread is easy to make and a great baking project to do with kids!
Total Time: This recipe takes 15 minutes of prep and 1 hour of baking time. Perfect for some relaxed weekday or weekend baking!
Variations: The sweetness and fragrance of oranges pairs exceptionally well with cranberries, but you can also feel free to use lemon! For something sweeter, consider adding white chocolate chips to this quick bread, or substituting the walnuts for slivered almonds.
Tools For This Recipe: You will need a 9×5 inch loaf pan, a microplane for zesting your orange, and mixing bowls for this recipe. If you love making quick breads as much as I do, consider investing in a dough whisk and a dedicated pastry tester to make things easier!

A hand lifts a slice from a stack of sliced nut and berry bread on a wooden board. Butter, walnuts, and more bread are visible in the background against a white tiled wall.

What You’ll Need for Ingredients

Cranberries: Cranberries have a firm texture even when cooked that make them perfect for baking. Feel free to use fresh or frozen berries in this recipe depending on availability!

Orange Juice and Zest: This recipe makes use of both orange juice and orange zest—a combination that increases the amount of citrus fragrance in the bake.

Walnuts: Walnuts are mild in flavour, they’re almost unmatched in terms of texture. They add a much-needed crunch and chewiness to the dish that make this bread really stand out.

A flat lay of baking ingredients on a marble surface, including flour, orange juice, orange zest, sugar, oil, an egg, salt, baking powder, baking soda, walnuts, and fresh cranberries in bowls.

How to Make Cranberry Nut Bread

This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.

A glass bowl with flour, cranberries, and chopped walnuts sits on a white countertop, surrounded by an egg, orange juice, oil, a baking pan, orange zest, a wooden spoon, and a towel.

A glass bowl with flour, melted butter, cranberries, and orange zest sits on a marble surface. Nearby are walnuts, cranberries, a metal pan, a wooden spoon, and a white towel with black stripes.

Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan. Then in a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, oil, orange juice, and orange zest. Then Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until blended, being careful not to overmix.
Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted near the centre comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

Sliced cranberry nut bread on a white marble tray, with glasses of milk, a bowl of cranberries, an orange half, and chopped nuts in the background on a white countertop.

Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Cranberry Nut Bread

Types of Nuts: This recipe calls for walnuts because their texture adds a delicious substance to the bread. If you’re allergic to walnuts in specific, feel free to substitute them with chopped pecans or hazelnuts—or skip the nuts altogether if you wish. Just don’t feel let down when you take your first bite and feel like there’s something missing!
Good for Muffins: Quick bread is a lovely homemade treat to pair with jam and butter, but it’s not the easiest thing to bring with you to work or send with your kids to school. This recipe can be divided into anywhere from 12 to 16 muffins (depending on the size of your muffin liners) and baked as usual, start checking them for doneness after 35 minutes of cooking time to see if they’re done. Once a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean, they’re ready!

A loaf of cranberry orange bread, partially sliced, sits on a marble board. Nearby are orange halves, a bowl of cranberries, butter, walnuts, and glass bottles of milk against a white tiled background.

Storage Instructions

This cranberry nut loaf can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, just make sure to wrap it up tightly to keep it from drying out!

Refrigerator: I don’t recommend keeping this loaf in the fridge, as it can dry out and become less enjoyable to eat.

Freezer: You can store your fully cooled loaf in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. For easy individual servings, slice the bread before freezing the individual slices flat in a zip-top freezer bag! Thaw the slices at room temperature before serving.

More Delicious Quick Loaf Bread Recipes

For another delicious quick bread loaf with warm fall flavour, try my Spiced Applesauce Bread.
For another delicious quick bread that makes a wonderful breakfast or teatime snack, give my Date Nut Bread a try!
Loaded with spices, raisins and walnuts, my Carrot Bread pairs perfectly with coffee!

This cranberry nut bread is a fantastic way to make the most of some delicious holiday flavours. The tangy pop of cranberries, nutty richness and crunch of walnuts, and refreshing fragrance of orange are sure to make this recipe one you’ll keep coming back to!

Give this great bake a try and let me know how it turns out for you in the comments below!

Happy Baking,

Karlynn

Abbie says

2 years ago