Classic Cranberry Bread

Fresh cranberries, bright orange zest, and buttery pecans-this classic cranberry bread tastes like the holidays walked right into your kitchen and kicked off their shoes. If you grew up grabbing the Ocean Spray cranberry bag at Thanksgiving, this is that recipe-with a little Restless Chipotle love stirred in. Tart, tender, and downright cozy, it's the kind of quick bread that disappears faster than you can slice it.

Table of Contents

• ❤️ The old school cranberry bread recipe you can't resist
• 🧾 Ingredients to tack onto your grocery list
• 📖 Recipe
• 🔪 How to make this vintage cranberry nut loaf
• 👩‍🍳 FAQs: cranberry orange bread answers straight from the North Pole
• 📚 More cranberry recipes for your seasonal obsession
• 💬 Comments

❤️ The old school cranberry bread recipe you can't resist

This is the classic Ocean Spray cranberry orange bread folks have been baking since rotary phones and embroidered aprons-just zhuzhed with a little Restless Chipotle magic. It's ridiculously easy, stays moist for days, freezes like a champ for busy holiday mornings, and slices up with that nostalgic bakery-style crumb everyone pretends they're not obsessed with. Dotted with fresh cranberries, kissed with orange zest, and downright festive, it makes the kind of homemade Christmas gift that has neighbors acting real friendly real fast.

Did I mention how good it is with a cup of this spiced tea?

🧾 Ingredients to tack onto your grocery list

Everything here is simple holiday goodness-fresh cranberries for that tart sparkle, a whisper of orange zest to make the kitchen smell like Christmas morning, and just enough richness to give you that dreamy bakery-style crumb. No surprises, no fuss, just the kind of pantry-friendly ingredients that keep this classic cranberry bread on repeat all winter long.

• Cranberries - fresh little ruby troublemakers that pop with tart attitude.
• Sugar - the sweet-talking glue that keeps everyone civil.
• Flour - the steady, dependable backbone of every good quick bread.
• Baking powder - the lift that makes your loaf rise like a Southern preacher at Easter.
• Baking soda - the quiet muscle working behind the scenes.
• Kosher salt - because even holiday baking needs a little edge.
• Orange zest - sunshine in grated form, smelling like Christmas got ideas.
• Butter - melted gold; flavor, comfort, therapy.
• Egg - the binder that keeps the whole family from falling apart, bless it.
• Orange juice - bright, citrusy moisture so your bread stays tender for days.
• Pecans - buttery little crunch bombs that make every slice feel luxurious. For best flavor toast them first!

Snag this quick little cheat sheet and keep cranberry-bread chaos at bay. It's got all the tips, FAQs, freezing tricks, and tart-to-sweet balancing magic you need-wrapped up neat so you don't have to scroll with floury fingers. Print it, pin it, tuck it in your recipe box… it's your holiday kitchen sidekick.

📖 Recipe

🔪 How to make this vintage cranberry nut loaf

These steps are as simple as holiday baking gets-mix, fold, pour, and let the oven do the heavy lifting while your kitchen fills with cozy citrus-cranberry magic. Follow along and you'll have a tender, bakery-style loaf cooling on the counter before you can say "who stole the first slice?"

1. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then stir in the orange juice, zest, butter, and egg until everything's cozy and combined.
2. Fold in the cranberries and pecans.
3. Give it a gentle mix-just enough to bring it together without overworking the batter.
4. Spoon into a greased loaf pan and bake.

1. Stir the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl like you mean it.
2. Keep mixing until it's smooth enough to make angels weep.
3. Pour it over the completely cooled bread-patience, darling, or it'll slide right off like a bad decision.
4. Slice, savor, and pretend you're sharing.

👩‍🍳 FAQs: cranberry orange bread answers straight from the North Pole

Even the North Pole has questions about this cranberry orange loaf, so don't you dare feel shy. Consider this your holly-dusted help desk-quick answers, zero judgment, and besides, it keeps the elves busy during their off time. More questions? Be sure to dowload the kitchen cheat sheet or ask in the comments.

📚 More cranberry recipes for your seasonal obsession

If you're already smitten with this cranberry bread, don't you worry-cranberries have plenty more chaos to bring to your kitchen. My cranberry pound cake is the show-off of the family, all buttery richness and tart ruby bursts, the kind of dessert that makes people say, "Oh… oh this is fancy," even when you made it in yoga pants with a bad attitude.

And if you're the type who likes your mornings to taste like a holiday romance novel, the cranberry orange scones are pure winter sunshine-crispy edges, tender centers, and bright citrus that wakes you up faster than your first cup of coffee.

But then there are the cranberry bliss bars… and baby, those are the troublemakers. Soft, chewy, iced like they're going somewhere important, and so dangerously addictive that you might catch yourself hiding them from the rest of the household. They're sweet, tart, cozy, and just dramatic enough to keep things interesting-basically everything we love in a holiday treat.

I've always been a sucker for a good quick bread, but cranberry orange didn't stroll into my life until I married my first husband. His family baked it every holiday like it was a sacred ritual, and one bite later I understood why-it was bright, tart, cozy, and downright irresistible.

And listen… I've wandered. I've flirted with other cranberry loaves. But I always come home to the original Ocean Spray bag recipe, dressed up just a little to suit my own kitchen chaos. The zingy cranberries, the soft citrus glow, the buttery nuts-especially pecans, because I'm Texan and it shows-just hit every nostalgic pleasure button.

It's the kind of recipe you keep forever, tucked into the holiday rotation right next to the ornaments you'll never admit make you cry. And yes-I absolutely grab extra bags of cranberries every winter and freeze them like the little ruby hoard I am. A slice of this in January is pur sunshine and loaves make great homemade holiday gifts for just about anyone.

It's a keeper. Always has been. Always will be.

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️