Old-Fashioned Cranberry Bread

Updated: April 18, 2023 by MomsWhoThink Staff | Leave a comment

Cranberries are definitely a staple of the Thanksgiving meal. They are a perfect fall berry to compliment any of the standard foods you might put on your table during the season, including turkey, pumpkin and green bean casserole.

While cranberry sauce is the most common way to enjoy this antioxidant–rich fruit, you might enjoy branching out of the mold and trying something new. This recipe for old-fashioned cranberry bread allows you to showcase the natural flavor of the fruit in a unique way.

Directions for the Cranberry Bread

You can view the full recipe card below, or read the instructions here first to get a better idea of what we're going for.

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The oven should be pre-heated to 350 degrees before you place the bread into the oven. This ensures that the bread will be cooked evenly at the same temperature throughout.

First mix the dry ingredients together with a whisk. Then cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the resulting mix is crumbly.

Next add the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Your final step should be to gently fold in the cranberries and raisins until everything is evenly mixed.

Pour the entire mixture into a 9x5x3 greased loaf pan. Cook for 70 minutes before removing and allowing to cool before serving.

Old-Fashioned Cranberry Bread has the traditional taste of cranberries and flavor-enhancing orange zest. - bowl of cranberries next to a cut orange — Old-Fashioned Cranberry Bread has the traditional taste of cranberries and flavor-enhancing orange zest.
©Karen Culp/Shutterstock.com

Substitutions to Make Cranberry Bread Without Orange Juice

The orange juice and zest of this recipe gives the final product a desirable sweet, yet tangy taste that goes perfectly with the cranberries. But if you do not have orange juice on hand or are allergic to it, there are some substitutions you can make.

Juices such as lemon, grapefruit or lime will serve the same purpose as the orange juice. Whichever fruit juice you choose, the resulting bread will have that as an underlining flavor.

How to Make the Cranberry Bread Recipe Vegan

If you are part of the growing population that has turned towards a vegan diet, you can easily make this recipe a vegan bread by replacing the egg and butter. A simple .25 cup of applesauce can be used instead of the egg.

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The applesauce helps to bind the ingredients together, which is the original purpose of the egg in this recipe. You may also try a flax egg, by combining 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water.

Old-Fashioned Cranberry Bread can be made with flax seeds as an egg replacement - Bowl of flax seeds blurred below a close-up of a spoon full of flaxseeds — Old-Fashioned Cranberry Bread can be made with flax seeds as an egg replacement!
©Tik.tak/Shutterstock.com

After mixing your flaxseed and water, you will need to allow the mixture to sit for 15 minutes in order to thicken.

If you want to replace the butter, the easiest way to do this is to substitute with an equal amount of coconut oil. You could also use vegan butter or even olive oil.