Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Bread makes a delicious fall breakfast or side for your Thanksgiving Day meal. It’s moist, slightly tart from the cranberries and has a wonderful nuttiness from the walnuts, with a hint of citrus and balanced out with some sugar for sweetness.
photos and recipe updated December 2019, video added January 2021
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Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Bread
Oh hello, November. You snuck up on us rather fast. But seriously, it’s NOVEMBER. And there’s only THREE AND A HALF WEEKS UNTIL THANKSGIVING.
I’m sorry if you feel like I’m shouting at you with my excessive caps but I just can’t get over how fast time is flying by. Didn’t the school year just start? Wasn’t it JUST Labor Day?
And not to throw you into a panic or anything, but there are only 7 weekends left before Christmas. Somebody posted it on my Instagram feed and I just about had a heart attack. 7 weekends left! SEVEN.
Of course, I’ve got a nice little Christmas list ready but I haven’t thought about anybody else. Ha! (This is an affiliate link but these shoes are at the top of my list, in case you were wondering. Ahem…Adam…mom *wink wink*)
I feel like cranberries are one of those foods associated with holidays. I guess that can be said about a lot of food but cranberries always make their way to pretty much any Thanksgiving Day meal. They also hang on straight through the Christmas season.
Question, do people still string cranberries and popcorn? Is that still a thing? I know in my house, if we strung popcorn and cranberries, Kelsey and my dogs would be fighting over who could eat it faster.
It would also probably motivate Mackenzie to crawl because girl loves to eat. So let’s just stick with cranberry orange bread, shall we? Whether you make it for the holidays or year round, enjoy!
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What You Need To Know About This Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe:
This bread makes a great holiday gift! The batter for this bread can also be baked in 4 Mini Loaf Pans which are the perfect size for gifting.
Key Ingredients for Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Bread
- Orange Zest – Orange zest is rubbed into the granulated sugar for a fresh, bright orange flavor!
- Orange Extract – In addition to the orange zest, I add orange extract for a more pronounced orange flavor.
- Cranberries – I use fresh cranberries but an equal amount of dried cranberries can be used instead.
- Walnuts – I love a little bit of walnuts or pecans with cranberries. If you have a nut allergy, just leave them out.
- Vinegar – a little bit of acid in this recipe provides a tender crumb and light texture.
Equipment Needed to Make Gluten Free Quick Breads
- 9 x 5 inch loaf pan – an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan will work too.
- Mixing Bowls – one for dry the dry ingredients and one for the wet ingredients.
- Measuring cups and spoons – just your standard kitchen tools for baking!
- Parchment Paper – I like to line my loaf pan with parchment paper but for this recipe, it’s optional since there isn’t a streusel topping.
- Microplane Zester/Grater – These are amazing for zesting fresh citrus! I use it for grating parmesan cheese, fresh nutmeg, and ginger too.
How to Make Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Bread
Step 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan then line it with parchment paper.
Step 2. Add the granulated sugar and orange zest to a large bowl. Rub the zest into the sugar to release the natural oil.
Step 3. Add the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine then gently stir in the cranberries and walnuts.
Step 4. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, milk, oil, vinegar, orange extract, and vanilla extract.
Step 5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Step 6. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 7. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes then remove from the pan and discard the parchment paper. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Tips for Making Cranberry Orange Bread
- Stir the cranberries and walnuts into the dry ingredients instead of folding them in at the end. It will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the loaf while baking.
- Use room temperature milk and eggs. Using room temperature ingredients mix better.Your loaf will also rise better and bake more evenly.
- Cool the loaf completely before slicing. Warm gluten free quick breads have a tendency to crumble if you try to cut into them while they’re still warm.
- Watch the YouTube Video at the beginning of this post!
Can this Cranberry Orange Bread be made Dairy Free?
Yes! Just use unsweetened coconut milk beverage instead of regular milk. That’s it!
Very simple swap. The dairy free sub is also listed in the recipe card for your convenience.
Other Gluten Free Quick Bread Recipes to Try:
- Cranberry Banana Bread
- The BEST Gluten Free Banana Bread
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- There are two different cranberry breads and an entire chapter of seasonal breads in my cookbook, The Gluten-Free Quick Breads Cookbook!
- More Gluten Free Quick Breads
Be sure to follow me on Instagram and hashtag #whattheforkfoodblog or tag @whattheforkfoodblog – I love seeing what you make!
If you love this gluten free cranberry orange bread recipe, be sure to follow me on social media so you never miss a post:
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Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 106 g granulated sugar
- zest from 1 orange
- 2 cups gluten-free flour blend see notes
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your flour blend contains it
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup fresh cranberries roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup 103 g light brown sugar, packed
- 2/3 cup milk room temperature (regular or unsweetened coconut milk)
- 1/3 cup avocado oil see notes
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 tsp orange extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan then line it with parchment paper.
- Add the granulated sugar and orange zest to a large bowl. Rub the zest into the sugar to release the natural oil.
- Add the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine then gently stir in the cranberries and walnuts.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, milk, oil, vinegar, orange extract, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 20 minutes then remove from the pan and discard the parchment paper. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Video
Notes
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information
Disclaimers
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Facts are estimated and aren't always accurate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs.
Looking for more ways to use fresh cranberries? Check out my recipe for Gluten Free Cranberry Upside-Down Cake!
This is so good! I have made it several times for myself and to give away. Everyone, GF or not, loves it! I use juice from the orange instead of the extract. But, other than that, make it just as written. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback, Amy!
Absolutely delicious!! Sadly, I did not have orange extract, so I should have added more zest, but it still had a nice orange flavor. Also, I used dried, as fresh cranberries were no where to be found. This will be a go to for years to come. Thank you!
p.s. I still string popcorn and cranberries. A cherished family tradition and thankfully the animals stay out of it!
Followed the directions, the bread came out well but defenetly needs more cranberries. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour. I didn’t have orange extract so I used organe zest and the orange flavor came through.
Thanks Lee! The amount of cranberries can definitely be increased a bit. Just keep an eye on the baking time because you may need to bake your bread longer when adding more cranberries.
Doubled the recipe to make 2 loaves for my gluten free son, although we are all eating it! It’s a winner! Thank you. I also added a simple glaze of powdered sugar and orange juice to enhance the orange flavor.
Has anyone tried this with regular flour?
Thanks Sue! Regular flour does work in this recipe, just omit the xanthan gum.
Great recipe. I used Cup4Cup, butter instead of oil and put dried cranberries and nuts on the top with turbiando sugar. I’m now making 5 more loaves for other people.
Thanks Diana!
Hi! I’d like to make these for a bake sale in the mini pans. How long should I bake them for? Same temp? THANKS!!
You can try around 30 minutes!
Shay, loved this bread. No one knew it was gluten free! Yay!!! It is delicious, I did use Cup 4 Cup GF Flour and a little more cranberries. I used veg. oil also. Fantastic.
Thank you, Karen! So glad you loved it as much as we do!
this page is loaded with information. Where, then, is the bit about the avocado oil?
You can sub canola oil or vegetable oil for the avocado oil.
I also added some sweet peel to balance out the tart of the cranberries. DELICIOUS
I’m considering substituting dried cranberries next time for the fresh, it seemed to me that the fresh cranberries were just too much zing! I’m afraid that my friends that received my cranberry bread won’t like it!
Dried cranberries will work fine if fresh cranberries are too tart for your taste. I personally think they work well in the loaf because the sweetness of the bread balances it 🙂
I love this recipe and the fact that I can use regular flour in place of gluten-free flour. So many gluten-free recipes require almond flour, coconut and other kinds that are out of my price range. I will definitely try this one.
Thank you so much Laura! I think you’ll really enjoy this bread! Be sure to check in and let me know how it comes out for you.
You did it again! Your Cranberry Orange Bread is a winner! I brought a few slices with me on my staycation. Enjoying it on the lanai with cream cheese and my iced coffee.
I cannot have white vinegar. Could I use apple cider vinegar instead?
Yes, you could use apple cider vinegar to replace it or even lemon juice. If you have buttermilk, you can use that in place of the milk and vinegar. The milk + vinegar is my homemade way of making buttermilk 🙂