I've eaten about 4 pints of cranberries this week and the result is an orange cranberry bread recipe I feel good about sharing. Of course I couldn't have driven myself into a baking marathon without some trusted recipe testers, so I owe Comfy Belly testers/bakers/adventurers a big thanks.
This cranberry bread recipe has been tested across three countries, and it made it's first public appearance last week in a "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving". One person, who I'm hoping feels well soon, tested it despite being in a Crohn's flare.
It's also been taste-tested by the most honest and discriminating group of humans—kids—and received two thumbs up. It's had chocolate chips added to it, of course, and it's been modified by testers to fit their needs and likes. One change-up you might enjoy is adding one very ripe banana and swapping out the maple syrup or honey for the equivalent amount of coconut sugar. They also make great muffins—see the headnotes for yield and baking time.
These also happen to make great muffins. And if you're looking for a recipe using just almond flour, here's my orange cranberry muffin recipe using almond flour.
Orange Cranberry Bread {almond & coconut flour}
Ingredients
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ¼ cup orange juice fresh or other
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).
- Line a 8 x 5-inch (20.3 x 12.7-cm) loaf pan with parchment paper, and grease any exposed sides.
- Add the almond flour, coconut flour, salt and baking soda together and blend well.
- Add the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, orange zest and juice to the dry batter and mix until well blended.
- Lightly pulse 1 cup of cranberries in a food processor or chop by hand.
- Blend the cup of chopped cranberries and most of the whole berries into the batter. Save some whole cranberries to add to the top of the loaf.
- Scoop the batter into the baking pan and the reserved whole cranberries on top. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top begins to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Cool fully and slice. Store covered for a few days at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a few weeks, or seal and freeze for a few months.
Michelke says
How much olive oil?
Hi Michelke, I updated this recipe on 10/29/2024 but forgot to take the olive oil out of the steps. I removed the olive oil (2 tablespoons) and increased the amount of cranberries from 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups. It creates a slightly firmer and less moist bread.
Norah Minasyan says
Hi. I don’t have any oranges for the zest or juice. Is there any way I can use orange extract? If so, is there anything else I should change about the recipe to make up for the juice missing?
Hi Norah! I think you can use the orange extract for sure, and yes, make up for the juice with another mild juice like apple or white grape. Would love to know how it goes!
Vittoria says
Another total winner from you! I made this into muffins and used some very ripe strawberries that I had to use up. The berries were quite wet and I should have added a touch more almond flour or coconut flour (or perhaps decreased a bit of the liquid ingredients in the recipe) because the bottom of the muffins were a bit too moist due to the strawberries adding extra moisture. My husband and I absolutely loved them though (I prefer moist cakes!) - but my kids were a bit less excited about them. Given that the recipe calls for cranberries which are more dry than strawberries, I can totally see how the original recipe would be perfect. This made 10 muffins and the tops were done in 22 minutes. I also sprinkled some thin flaked almonds on top for decoration (as per Jenny’s suggestion!) and they toasted nicely on there.
Thanks, Vittoria! Ah yes, strawberries are moister in general. Love the flaked almond topping.
Jenny says
I LOVE this recipe and so does everyone I have ever made it for. I almost always make it as is, because it can’t go wrong but once, when cranberries were unavailable, I made it with pears and apple cider. Again, it was a hit.
Recently, because I can’t help myself, I added leftover sliced almonds. I recommend trying it, they added a nice texture.
Anyway, Thank you so much for your fabulous recipe. I will always return to it.
Erica says
Thank you! Love the idea of peaches and apple cider. Yum!
Marsha says
Hello! How can I substitute stevia for the honey or maple syrup? And can I use baking powder rather than soda? If I eliminate the salt, will it make a difference?
Thank you!
Erica says
Those are a lot of changes but all will probably work. Disclaimer is that I haven't tested it. You won't need the salt if you're using baking powder. As for stevia, use an equal amount of liquid to replace the liquid lost when using honey or maple syrup.
Bt says
I wanted to eliminate honey so I substituted some besti brown sugar sweetener ( allose and monk fruit). To make up for liquid I added some Greek yogurt and some cream. I also added 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Wanted it to have less carbs.
Thanks forsharing! Hope it turned out well.
jennifer wood says
One more note - if chopping cranberries in food processor, I recommend not over-processing - I liked it better when I chopped them by hand as they came out coarser and more recognizable with the great cranberry flavor.
jennifer wood says
Once again another brilliant recipe from you Erica! I have tried it as is, subbing date syrup, decreasing the honey to 1/2 cup, and baking in an 8x8 pan. All worked great. Looking forward to trying this as blueberry lemon. Another Comfy Belly classic for me!
Erica says
Aw, thanks for trying it so many ways! Love the idea of lemon and blueberry 🙂
SeattleJPM says
We still are toasting this under the broiler and eating it four or five mornings a week. Two tips: The maple syrup/honey can be omitted and replaced with a low-carb sweetener. I use a powdered erythritol/stevia blend which I make with 1 cup erythritol and 2 teaspoons of stevia. Also I now make three loaves at a time. When refrigerated wrapped in a paper towel inside a sealed plastic bag it keeps very well. In fact because of a recent trip we had some that was a month old and it tasted perfect! Finally, consider adding some lemon zest, too.
Erica says
Thank you for sharing what worked for you! Yes to lemon zest 🙂
Nancy says
So, I made a loaf of this last night to have on hand for breakfasts/snacking while my Thanksgiving guests are in town. But it was so freaking good, I ate about a quarter of the loaf and will have to make another one or two! It not only tastes good, but smells just like the holidays to me. My mom used to make a very similar loaf (with white flour!) when we were kids and it brought back so many memories. Great recipe!
Erica says
Great to hear. Thanks, Nancy 🙂
Nancy says
So, I made a loaf of this to have around for breakfasts while my Thanksgiving company is in town. Let's just say I'm going to have to make another one as I ate about 1/4+ of the loaf I made last night! It was SO GOOD! Plus it smells like the holidays to me. My mom used to make a similar loaf when we were kids and the smell just brought back so many memories for me!
Nancy says
Just wanted to thank you for a great recipe. My husband has been on the SCD for two years and this is the first bread that he has really enjoyed. I liked it, too, which explains why the first loaf disappeared so quickly! I went ahead and made a double batch and froze one loaf for later. Thanks again!
Erica says
Good thinking on the double batch! Thank you 🙂
SeattleJPM says
Thanks for the recipe, Erica; it's a winner!
When fresh cranberries are available in the fall I will try this with them to see if I want to freeze several bags so I have them when they're no longer available.
Any other breads like this you know of? I was considering substituting dried cherries...
SeattleJPM says
Delicious! I bought unsweetened dried cranberries and used a cup after simmering them in 1/2 cup of water. I also added a cup of chopped walnuts. This is so good and keeps so well I make two loaves at a time
Erica says
Great idea, making two loaves at once. I do the same to save time (and have more food). Thanks for sharing your tip on soaking the dried berries.
Jackie says
Just made the muffins. Very tasty! I love the citrus flavor in them. I thought the texture was perfect. You may want to use foil liners to prevent sticking. Mine stuck a little. But maybe if I had let them cool a bit it would have been better. Thanks for the great recipe!
Erica says
Thanks! Try parchment cupcake/muffin liners. They're great: http://astore.amazon.com/comfybelly-20/detail/B000FAIR96
Emily says
Could you substitute ground almonds for almond flour? If not, how can you turn ground almonds into almond flour? Is that even possible?? Thanks!! 🙂
Erica says
see my post on baking with almond flour 🙂 It is possible, but may not yield the same texture
Monique says
Thank you. Made muffins tonite. Great flavour! I don't like things sweet so I only added 1/4 c of honey and it was perfect for me.
Cheryl says
Thank you so much for sharing this scrumptious recipe. We're in snowy MA where I feel like staying inside and baking. This bread really hit the spot and adheres to my nutrition rules.
Erica says
You're welcome! I bet your house smells wonderful 🙂 Stay warm!
Tanya says
This was so easy and absolutely delicious, a new favorite that will be on our regular dessert rotation 🙂 Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Erica says
you're welcome! happy new year
Julie says
This was so delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Ceab says
Made with lime and raspberries as cranberries not available. Still yum. Thanks for my brekky.
Marie says
Just made this, as in just took it out of the oven. I plan to make another version next time, subbing lemon for orange and blueberry for cranberry! So excited!!
Linda says
Can I substitute the coconut flour with king Arthur's flour and I have a lot of homemade cranberries with a little to much liquid could that be used for the cranberries and juice?
Liesl @ Fitnessinthekitchen says
This bread looks delicious! I love fresh cranberries in baked goods!
Bart says
I found your site a week or so ago, made the bread - LOVED IT, forgot to save your site... Panicked this morning, googled extensively, found you and not letting go of this recipe! It's phenomenal. Thank you!
I made muffins today and they're just as amazing as the bread. I also used agave as sweetener.
Thanks again and Happy Holidays!
Erica says
so glad you found me! Happy holidays to you as well 🙂
Karen G. says
This was a big hit for weekend company brunch. I did add a handful of coarsely chopped walnuts, otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Definitely added to my "make-again" collection!
Erica says
good to hear! walnuts are a great (and healthy) add-on.
Katharine says
This was yummy! I set slices out on a plate for pre-thanksgiving meal munchies. I used agave instead of honey/maple syrup (I know) and my kids kept sneaking more pieces of it! That's a true sign of a winner. I had some for breakfast today - toasted and slathered with butter. YUMMY! thanks!
Erica says
Awesome! I'm eating it now with my morning green smoothie 🙂
Jen says
This was so amazing, it tastes like cake! I used cashew meal instead of almond just for giggles and it was so good! Making more soon. Thanks for ANOTHER great recipe.
Erica says
Nice! Yes, cashew flour/meal makes a great cake batter 🙂
Marcella says
This bread was delicious! Made 6 mini loaves and everyone was so impressed. I cut the OJ in half like you suggested. You really do have the best recipes! Thanks for all you do!
Erica says
What a great idea—mini loaves, I love it! thanks 🙂
Lise says
Just wanted to say hi and THANK YOU for all the beautiful recipes you post. What a gift; I'm very grateful that people like you are out there creating and modifying these amazing recipes.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Erica says
Aw, thanks Lise! Happy Holidays to you as well 🙂
Renea says
Do you have calorie count?
Jamie says
Baked two batches today, one for breakfast and a second for a friend's birthday. The first batch was gone so quickly I had to bake the second! Delicious! In the past I've made flour blondies this way, but these are just as wonderful and much healthier. Thank you!!
Erica says
a double-batch is a great idea!
Lisa says
What would be a good substitute for orange juice? I do not like oranges at all. Orange seems to crop up in a lot of things.
Erica says
You can leave out the orange zest and juice and it will still taste great just no orange flavor but you'll have to replace the 1/4 cup of orange juice with water or coconut milk (or other milk). Or try swapping with lemon zest and some coconut milk to replace the orange juice.
PCJAE says
No need to cook the cranberries first? Just chop them in the food processor and add them in?
Erica says
No need, unless you prefer dried. The berries will bake well in the bread, although dried cranberries will be less tart. Up to you 🙂