This cranberry orange banana bread is a moist banana loaf with 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, 1 tablespoon of orange zest and a cup of halved cranberries folded through. It bakes in a 9×5 inch pan at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes and gives about 10 slices.
Halve the cranberries. Whole berries burst into wet pockets, while halves spread small bites of tartness through every slice. Then let the loaf cool completely before you add the orange glaze.
Following a special diet?
Every recipe on this site can be converted to gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, keto, nut-free or egg-free with adjusted ratios so nothing falls flat.
Try the Recipe Converter →What You Need for One Orange Cranberry Loaf
- Pan: 9×5 inch loaf pan, greased or lined with parchment
- Oven: 350°F (175°C), 50 to 60 minutes
- Time: 15 minutes prep, about 1 hour 15 minutes in total
- Yield: 1 loaf, about 10 slices
- Bananas: 2 large ripe bananas, about 1 cup mashed
- Orange: 1/4 cup fresh juice and 1 tbsp zest, about one large orange
- Fruit and nuts: 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved; 1/4 cup chopped walnuts if you like
The dry side is 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. The wet side is the bananas, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter, the juice and zest, 2 large eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Coconut oil can replace the butter for a dairy-free loaf.
Use bananas with plenty of brown speckles. They mash smoothly and carry most of the sweetness here, because the sugar is kept moderate. If your two bananas give less than 1 cup, add part of a third.
Orange Juice, Zest, or Both?
Both, and they do different jobs. The zest holds the orange oil, so it gives the bread its smell and most of its orange flavor. The juice adds liquid and a little acidity, which the baking soda reacts with for lift. Juice alone tastes faint once baked.
Grate the zest before you squeeze the orange; it is much harder the other way round. Then rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers for a minute until the sugar looks damp and smells strongly of orange. That spreads the oil through the whole batter instead of leaving little flecks.
Fresh juice tastes brighter, but bottled orange juice works if that is what you have.
Halving the Cranberries, Fresh or Frozen
Fresh and frozen cranberries both work in this loaf. Halve them either way. A whole cranberry is firm and sour and can sink, and when it pops in the oven it leaves a wet pocket in the crumb.
Frozen berries go in straight from the freezer. Thawed ones bleed pink streaks into the batter and bring extra water with them. Toss the halves with a spoonful of the measured flour before folding them in; the light coating helps them stay suspended instead of settling at the bottom.
Dried cranberries are a different thing. They are sweet and chewy rather than tart, so the loaf loses the sharp contrast with the banana.
Folding In the Fruit Without Overmixing
Heat the oven to 350°F and prepare the pan. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, sugar, melted butter, orange juice and zest until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk again until fully combined.
Tip the dry ingredients into the wet ones and stir gently with a spatula. Stop as soon as you no longer see dry flour. A few small lumps are fine. Extra stirring builds gluten, and that is what makes a quick bread tough with tunnels through the middle. Fold in the cranberries and walnuts with a few strokes, scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
Testing the Center Before It Comes Out
Start checking at 50 minutes. Push a toothpick into the very center, away from any cranberry, because a berry leaves the pick looking wet even when the crumb is baked. It should come out clean or with a few dry crumbs. The top should spring back when pressed, and the middle reads about 200°F on a thermometer.
Cranberries add moisture, so the center can lag behind the crust. If the top is already deep brown around 40 minutes, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the pan and keep baking.
Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift it onto a wire rack until it is completely cool. Sliced warm, the crumb tears and looks gummy.
Banana Bread With Orange Glaze, Plus Three Other Finishes
The orange glaze is 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 2 to 3 teaspoons of orange juice. Start with 2 teaspoons and stir until smooth. It should fall from the spoon in a thick ribbon. Too thin, and it soaks into the top and disappears; add a spoonful of powdered sugar to fix it. Milk instead of juice gives a plain white glaze.
- Orange glaze: drizzle over the cooled loaf and let it set for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.
- Powdered sugar: a light dusting just before serving, since it dissolves on the surface over a few hours.
- Cranberries and zest: scatter halved fresh cranberries and a little extra zest over the glaze while it is still wet so they stick.
- Brown sugar drizzle: melt 2 tbsp butter with 2 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tbsp cream, then drizzle while warm for a caramel note.
Keeping the Loaf for Brunch, Gifts and the Freezer
Wrap the cooled loaf tightly and keep it at room temperature for up to 3 days. It slices more neatly on day two, once the crumb has settled.
For a holiday brunch or Thanksgiving morning, bake it a day ahead and glaze it that morning. To freeze, wrap the unglazed loaf, or single slices, in plastic and then foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it wrapped on the counter so the condensation stays on the wrap and not on the crust. For gifting, the cranberry orange mini loaves are already sized for it.
Sister Loaves With Cranberry or Citrus
If you want the plain version first, start with my classic banana bread recipe. For a sweeter cranberry loaf, try white chocolate and cranberry banana bread. Lemon drizzle banana bread swaps the orange for lemon. Without any banana, there is a cranberry orange bread, and the same flavors go into cranberry orange muffins and cranberry orange scones.
Orange Banana Bread, Quickly Answered
Can I make it without cranberries?
Yes. Leave them out for a plain banana orange bread, or replace them with 1 cup of chopped walnuts or chocolate chips. Bake time stays about the same.
Can I bake this batter as muffins?
Yes. It fills about 12 standard muffin cups. Bake at 350°F and start checking at 18 minutes; they are done when a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Is banana orange cake the same as this bread?
Close. This is a quick bread, less sweet and denser than a cake. With the orange glaze on top, it eats much like a banana orange loaf cake.
Why did my cranberries sink?
Whole or thawed berries are heavy and wet, so they drop through the batter. Halve them, keep frozen ones frozen and coat them lightly in flour.
Orange Zest and Cranberry Banana Bread Recipe
This cranberry orange banana bread is a moist quick bread made with ripe bananas, fresh orange juice, orange zest and halved cranberries, with walnuts if you like. It bakes in a 9x5 inch loaf pan at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes and makes one loaf, about 10 slices, with a soft crumb and tart bites of fruit. The zest and juice go into the wet ingredients so the orange flavor runs through every slice, and the cranberries are halved so they spread evenly instead of bursting. Serve it for breakfast, a Thanksgiving brunch or a holiday gift loaf, or make banana bread with orange glaze from powdered sugar and orange juice. It keeps 3 days wrapped or 3 months frozen.
Ingredients
- FOR THE DRY INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- FOR THE WET INGREDIENTS
- 2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted (or use coconut oil for a dairy-free option)
- 1/4 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- FOR THE ADD-INS
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- FOR THE OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
- White Glaze: 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2–3 tsp orange juice or milk (mix until smooth).
- Powdered Sugar Dusting: A light dusting of powdered sugar.
- Fresh Cranberries & Orange Zest: Halved fresh cranberries and a sprinkle of orange zest.
- Brown Sugar Drizzle: Melt 2 tbsp butter with 2 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tbsp cream, then drizzle.
Instructions
- PREHEAT THE OVEN: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
- MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set the bowl aside.
- PREPARE THE WET INGREDIENTS: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, granulated sugar, melted butter, orange juice, and orange zest until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined.
- COMBINE THE BATTER: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring gently just until incorporated. Avoid overmixing. Fold in the cranberries and walnuts, if using.
- BAKE THE BREAD: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, spreading it evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- ADD THE TOPPING: Once the bread is fully cooled, apply your preferred topping: drizzle the white glaze, dust with powdered sugar, garnish with fresh cranberries and orange zest, or add a brown sugar drizzle for a caramel-like finish.
Notes
Rub the orange zest into the sugar before mixing so the orange oil spreads through the batter. Fresh orange juice tastes brightest, but bottled orange juice works in a pinch.
Halve the cranberries. If using frozen cranberries, do not thaw them before folding into the batter, so they do not bleed or add excess moisture.
Test the center with a toothpick away from any cranberry. If the top darkens before the middle is set, cover loosely with foil.
For a dairy-free version, substitute the unsalted butter with coconut oil.
Add toppings only once the loaf is completely cool. Store wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze the unglazed loaf for up to 3 months.
