Make a festive comforting loaf of gluten-free cranberry bread! This easy quick bread recipe makes a moist, slightly tart and sweet cranberry orange loaf perfect for the holiday season. Fresh cranberries, nuts, and orange zest flavor this homemade treat complete with a yummy orange glaze drizzled on.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get affordable and easy gluten-free recipes delivered each week!
My Favorite Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe
During the holiday months, I have to bake a loaf of gluten-free cranberry bread flavored with orange zest as a nostalgic homage to one of my favorite books, Cranberry Thanksgiving.
The beautiful children’s story about Maggie, her Grandmother, and Mr. Whiskers includes the actual “secret” recipe for Grandmother’s famous cranberry bread. After being engrossed in the book and illustrations, it was hard to pass up the opportunity to make this legendary recipe right in our own home!
Now I make my own spin on it, adapting it to one of my favorite quick breads in my homemade gluten-free breads recipe collection. It’s loaded with fresh cranberries, orange zest, nuts, and drizzled with a sweet, orange glaze. The added buttermilk gives this quick bread an ultra moist texture, just like tender gluten-free banana bread.
When making a cranberry bread with gluten-free flour there’s a couple easy tricks to keeping the crumb tender, moist, and most importantly unrecognizably gluten-free. That way you can serve it Christmas or Thanksgiving holidays, as a homemade gift, or to holiday guests and no one will be the wiser.
The trick couldn’t be simpler and has earned rave reviews from everything from other varieties of GF quick breads, moist and fluffy gluten-free morning glory muffins, and many dessert recipes. Letting the batter rest for 10-15 minutes gives time for the GF starches to soak up moisture, enhancing the structure and crumb.
Let’s make it together! I’ll show you how to make a GF cranberry orange loaf that is light and fluffy, instead of dense and gummy, plus a breeze to whip up in a few simple steps.
Free Guide! 5 easy tips for baking like a gluten-free pro!
Simple hacks for fail-proof gluten-free dishes every time!
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Start with liquid ingredients and why buttermilk?
In a large bowl whisk together the buttermilk, cooled butter, orange zest, orange juice, egg, and vanilla extract. I like to use buttermilk instead of milk because of the tangy flavor it adds, but it helps with rise.
Buttermilk’s acid reacts with the baking soda, helping give the bread lift and a tender crumb. Plus, with gluten-free quick breads, it also helps to add extra fat and thicker viscosity moisture to coat the starches.
Combine with dry ingredients
In another bowl whisk the dry ingredients – gluten-free flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to stir into the liquid mixture. I’m going to be honest with you, though, often times I just skip the step and dump it in with the liquid and just stir it all to combine. Since there’s no gluten in this cranberry loaf, you can’t risk over mixing and toughening the crumb. Win for us!
Stir in goodness and wait a tad before baking…
Now it’s time to stir in the chopped cranberries (fresh or frozen works here!) and nuts if you are on team nuts. Pour the mixture in a greased 8.5 X 4.5 loaf pan while your oven preheats to 350℉.
I like to rest high-moisture gluten-free breads about 15 minutes before baking because it helps build out the structure, decreases baking time (so it doesn’t become overly dry), and prevents the bread sinking in the middle after cooling. The resting gives time for the GF starches to soak up the liquid and soften, also eliminating any potential grittiness.
Cranberry orange bread still has a long baking time though, about 1 hour, but can take up to 1 hour 15 minutes. If the top is becoming too browned, loosely tent a piece of foil over the top to protect the bread.
Commonly Asked Questions Answered!
Can I use frozen fresh cranberries or dried cranberries? If you making this bread outside of the holiday months, fresh cranberries can be hard to come by. That is when I head to my freezer section. Coarsely chop the cranberries and then add, still frozen, to the batter. Please note, substituting frozen cranberries increases the baking time.
You could also use 1 cup dried cranberries, but I recommend plumping them in boiling water first. Soak them in ½ cup boiling water for 5 minutes to plump and hydrate them before draining and folding in batter.
Do I have to add nuts? Nope. Not a fan? Leave them out.
Can I make this in another size loaf pan? You may use a 9″X5 inch loaf pan, but the baking time will decrease and the top will be a little flatter. Start checking about 10 minutes sooner. The batter can also be divided between 4 mini loaf pans. Bake at 350°F, but start checking bread after 40-45 minutes.
Save this recipe to your pinterest board!
Let’s be friends on Pinterest! I’m always sharing great recipes!
Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Extra Moist Gluten-Free Cranberry Bread With Buttermilk
Ingredients
Cranberry Bread
- ⅔ cup (160 g) buttermilk
- 6 tablespoons (6 tablespoon) unsalted butter , melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) orange zest, (will need 2 large oranges for entire recipe)
- ⅓ cup (82.67 g) freshly squeezed orange juice, from zested oranges
- 1 (1) large egg
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (272 g) gluten-free all purpose flour, I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (1 teaspoon) salt
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) baking soda
- 1 ½ cups (150 g) (6 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup (58.5 g) walnuts or pecans
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) freshly squeezed orange juice
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 8 ½" X 4 ½" loaf pan. Set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, cooled butter, orange zest, orange juice, egg, and vanilla extract.⅔ cup buttermilk, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , 1 tablespoon orange zest, ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a large bowl whisk together the gluten-free flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Add liquid ingredients to the dry mixture and stir to combine until no flour pockets remain.
- Gently stir in chopped cranberries, and nuts, if using. Transfer the batter to the prepared bread pan and spread evenly. Let the batter rest in the pan for 15 minutes before baking. This gives a head start for the GF starches to start soaking up the moisture and builds the structure of the bread.1 ½ cups (6 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries, ½ cup walnuts or pecans
- Bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. If the top is becoming overly browned before bread is done baking, loosely tent a piece of foil over the top. The bread is done when a long skewer or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the bread cool 10 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. For best results, let the bread cool at least 1 hour before slicing.
- After the bread has cooled for at least 30 minutes, prepare the glaze. Stir together the powdered sugar and orange juice until it is smooth and no lumps remain. Place a piece of waxed paper under the cooling rack to catch drips or set the rack, with bread, inside a large baking sheet. Use a small spoon to drizzle glaze over the cranberry bread. Let the glaze sit and harden slightly before slicing and serving.1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Notes
Using Frozen or Dried Cranberries
Buttermilk Substitutions
1. Place ½ tablespoon white vinegar in a liquid measuring cup. Fill up with milk or non-dairy milk to the ⅔ cup mark. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. 2. ⅓ cup plain yogurt mixed with ⅓ cup milk 3. ⅓ cup sour cream mixed with ⅓ cup milk Recipe adapted from America’s Test KitchenThis post contains affiliate links. My opinions are always my own. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I make a small commission – at no cost to you. Read full disclosure policy here.
I made this delicious Cranberry Orange bread for a holiday brunch. It was a hit. I made the buttermilk using almond milk following the instructions and it worked great. I am now baking another loaf for Christmas morning. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
So glad to hear, Lura! I just made another loaf the other day as well. It’s really hits the spot this time of year!
Best,
Melissa
I tried this for the first time since being diagnosed Celiac, 5 years ago. I don’t like baking with gluten free flour, as i dont like the taste or texture. It was so good I made a loaf for 2 of my friends, neithe of whom had gluten problems. Both of them raved about it.
This is lovely to hear, Ann! I hope you try other recipes from the site because I’m like you, I’ve very particular when it comes to taste and texture and I always do my best to replicate wheat flour versions as close as possible!
Best,
Melissa
I used four mini loaf pans and store-bought buttermilk. I baked it for 50 minutes. The texture is heavy and damp, but the taste is very good. Can I adjust an ingredient or temperature to get this to rise a bit and have a lighter texture? I’d like to try again.
I’d be happy to help. I’m not sure which brand of GF flour you used, but it sounds like perhaps the starches in it had a harder time absorbing the moisture. I would cut back the buttermilk to 1/2 cup and try doing half butter half oil, so 3 T melted butter, 3 T oil. Also, try baking it a little longer, even if it looks done, to give more time for the moisture to evaporate. You can tent foil over the top to protect it from becoming too brown. Hope this helps!
Best,
Melissa
I used Cup 4 Cup as you recommended. And I did the tenting. Ill make those adjustments & try again. Your site is my go-to and I usually have good luck.
Good to know! If you are using C4C, keep the buttermilk the same, but try the half butter / oil. Also, perhaps try baking in a regular loaf pan, if you have one, and see if that makes a difference? Let me know how it turns out!
Best,
Melissa
I made a few changes to fit my needs:
1) Did not have buttermilk, so used “The Saco Pantry Cultured Buttermilk blend” powder. Added water to the wet ingredients, and the powder to the dry ingredients.
2) My GF flour is a blend of brown rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour. I had to add about 2 teaspoons of XANTHUM GUM.
3) I left out the orange zest to save time.
4) Did not add the glaze, and reduced sugar to 3/4 cup, since we are diabetic.
5) I appreciated to note on cranberries. I plumped up dried cranberries by boiling as you mention. The dried cranberries had some added sugar, so that was another reason to reduce the sugar ingredient.
6) I needed at least 1 hour 15 minutes to bake. I haven’t gotten to the middle of the loaf yet, but the end seems to be completely baked and is yummy!
Thanks for all your notes, Cathy! I agree, this bread does take a long time to bake. You have to be patient (and loosely tent foil over the top so it doesn’t get overly browned). Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Best,
Melissa
Hello,
I made this bread today and after baking it for well over 2 and a half hours it is still goo in the middle. I don’t understand what happened.
Wow, 2 and a half hours is definitely too long. What GF flour did you use? It sounds like the wet / dry ratios were off, but if you are sure you measured everything correctly, then I can only guess the GF flour didn’t absorb liquids like the ones I tested the recipe with. Unfortunately there are a lot of brands out there, with varying starches, so it’s hard to accommodate for all that variance. I’m sorry that happened to you!
Best,
Melissa
The recipe calls for 2/3 cup buttermilk, but the substitutes referenced in the notes section make 1 cup of buttermilk. How much much should actually be used in the recipe?
Hi Amy,
Thanks for pointing that out. It is 2/3 cup buttermilk and I made the adjustments in the notes section.
Best,
Melissa
I made this yesterday and was disappointed in the outcome…followed directions but found the dough was just to crumbly so added more milk…quite a bit more actually…the bread came out looking lovely but is quite heavy and ‘wet’ is the only way I can explain…wondering what I did wrong??
Hi Karen,
Hmmm, did you use regular flour or gluten free flour? If you used regular flour, it does say to reduce the amount slightly. If you used GF flour, I’m wondering what brand you used? I’m sorry this was a frustrating experience for you!
Best,
Melissa
It tastes like the holidays! Yum! Also, the tip to tent foil over the top the last bit of baking time was genius!
Hi Amy,
It does! So glad you enjoyed the recipe and the tips. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Best,
Melissa