Healthy Cranberry Orange Bread made with whole orange and fresh or frozen cranberries entirely in a blender. Naturally sweetened, gluten-free and bursting with flavor!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I’ve wanted to create a cranberry orange bread for the holidays every since I made my whole orange blender cake, especially because cranberries are such a classic Christmas flavor.
This entire cranberry orange loaf recipe is made right in the blender using one whole navel orange and either fresh or frozen cranberries. No zesting an orange, no chopping, no thawing cranberries, and not a single extra bowl to wash.
I kept this orange cranberry bread gluten free to follow in the footsteps of my original orange cake. The final result is an explosion of flavor, and when you add a bit of maple syrup and tart cranberries it’s a wow…genius moment.
If you love this flavor combo, you’ll also enjoy my healthy cranberry orange muffins and healthy oatmeal cranberry cookies. Perfect companions for your holiday healthy dessert lineup.
Ingredients for Cranberry Orange Bread
- Orange: A large seedless navel orange works best. You can swap in blood oranges, cara cara oranges, mandarins or clementines, just make sure you reach a total of 10 ounces.
- Eggs: Bind everything together and help the loaf rise.
- Liquid sweetener: Maple syrup adds sweetness and depth. Honey or agave can be swapped in for a different flavor profile.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract gives the best, most aromatic flavor.
- Leavening agents: Baking powder and baking soda work together to give the loaf lift and a tender texture.
- Salt: Brings out the flavors.
- Almond flour: Use superfine blanched almond flour for the best results. It makes the bread so tender because it’s essentially ground almonds and behaves uniquely, other flours won’t work the same.
- Oat flour: I added oat flour to this cranberry orange bread recipe to absorb moisture. You can use store bought or pulse oats in a blender, just be sure to measure after blending. I did try the recipe with only almond flour and it was a bit too wet.
- Cranberries: Fresh or frozen cranberries add a bright, tart flavor and festive color. No need to thaw or chop, just toss them straight into the batter.
- Glaze: All you’ll need is powdered sugar and water.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread
This quick bread is as easy as tossing everything in a blender.
Preheat your oven to 375 F if your oven runs cool or 350 F if it runs hot. Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment and give it a quick spray.
- Blend it: Add ingredients to your high-speed blender in this order – orange, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, almond flour, then oat flour. Blend about 30 seconds until smooth and the orange is fully mixed.
- Add cranberries: Pour in 1/2 cup cranberries and pulse briefly to chop, then fold in the remaining cranberries with a spatula.
- Bake time: Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. If it’s browning too fast, tent with parchment or foil.
- Cool down: Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then move to a cooling rack for 30 more.
- Glaze and enjoy: Whisk powdered sugar with a little water and drizzle over the warm bread. Let it cool another hour, then cut into 10 slices and enjoy!
Tenting Tip
You’ll definitely want to tent it halfway through baking because almond flour browns quickly but the bread needs longer cooking time for the moisture to evaporate.
Tips for Best Results
Quick tips for a show-stopping cranberry orange loaf!
- Adjust orange size: Make sure it’s 10 ounces. Trim the ends if needed and weigh it on a scale.
- Don’t substitute almond flour: Almond flour is unique and gives this bread its tender, moist texture. Other flours won’t behave the same.
- Don’t overprocess cranberries: You want chunks and pieces, not a fully blended pink bread. That’s why we add more than half the juicy cranberries whole.
- Adjust oven temperature: Every oven is different, so you may need to tweak the heat slightly. I baked mine at 375 F, but if you know your oven runs hot bake it at 350 F.
- Use metal pan: It bakes the bread evenly and gives a beautiful, golden crust you won’t get with the glass one.
- Glaze bread while warm: Warm bread lets the glaze soak in a bit and leaves a pretty, sweet coating on top.
Variations
- Dried cranberries: Use 2/3 cup and soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry. Since they’re usually sweetened, you’ll want to reduce the maple syrup to 1/3 cup, or even 1/4 cup if you like it less sweet.
- All-purpose flour instead of oat flour: Use about 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour instead of oat flour. This version won’t be gluten-free.
- Orange juice in glaze: You can add it if you like, but it will make the glaze darker. It’s not necessary though because the whole orange in the bread already gives plenty of flavor.
- Add nuts: Stir in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans for a cranberry nut bread.
- Spices: Add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger for extra warmth and holiday flavor.
How to Store
Store: Keep your loaf loosely covered at room temperature for 2 days, then pop in a container in the refrigerator for up to 5 more.
Freeze: For longer storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months and thaw on the counter for a few hours.
More Dessert Recipes to Try
Cranberry Orange Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Bread:
- 1 whole navel orange, (10 ounces), washed and quartered
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup, or honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour
- 3/4 cup oat flour
- 1 1/2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen(not thawed), divided
- Cooking spray, I use Misto
For the Glaze:
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons cold water
Instructions
- If your oven bakes hotter, preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and if your oven bakes cooler, preheat it to 375 degrees F. I bake at 375 F. Line 9 x 5 metal loaf pan with parchment paper, spray with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a high speed blender, add in the following order – orange, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, almond flour and oat flour. Blend until just combined and orange is blended, about 30 seconds.
- Add 1/2 cup cranberries and blend just briefly to chop. Add remaining 1 cup cranberries and stir with spatula to mix.
- Transfer batter into previously prepared loaf pan. Bake at 375 F for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If it starts to brown before middle is baked through, tent with a piece of parchment or foil. I had to do that.
- Remove from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool off for another 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar with water, and drizzle on top while bread is still warm.
- Let bread cool for another hour or so. Cut into 10 slices using serrated knife and enjoy!
Notes
- Store: Store loosely covered in a cool dry place for up to 2 days. Then transfer to a container with a lid and refrigerate for another 5 days.
- Freeze: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a countertop for a few hours.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
