This is the absolute BEST cranberry orange bread ever. It’s perfectly moist, naturally sweetened with pops of tart, and made using wholesome ingredients.
This cranberry orange loaf is just perfect for the holidays, gatherings, and any event. It’s the right amount of sweet and tart, all without any added sugar.
Naturally sweetened using dates (just like my vegan lemon loaf) and freshly squeezed orange juice, this cranberry orange bread is healthy enough to serve for breakfast. But incredible enough to serve for dessert!
What makes this cranberry orange bread the best?
I know, it’s pretty bold to call something “the best” when there are a ton of recipes out there.
But how can you beat a delicious bread (seriously, let’s call this cake) that is made using healthy ingredients? There’s no refined sugar or refined flour, no oil and no butter!
As an added bonus, this incredible dessert is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free and soy free, which are among some of the top allergens. Perfect for all eaters and suitable for vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores, alike.
What is in this cranberry orange bread?
Okay, we’ve talked about what’s not in this bread. So what IS in it?
- Oat flour: Make sure to get certified gluten free oat flour if needed. I buy my oats whole and grind them myself in my Vitamix.
- Baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt. Did you know that adding a little salt to desserts actually helps bring out the sweetness?
- Freshly squeezed orange juice, and some orange zest.
- Fresh cranberries for pops of tart.
- Pitted dates, or you can remove the pit yourself if you can’t find pitted ones.
- Water
- Unsweetened applesauce
How to make vegan cranberry orange bread
Start by gathering all your dry ingredients and adding them to a large mixing bowl.
Then add the dates and water to your blender and process until smooth to make date syrup.
You will end up with about 2 cups of date syrup, add 1.5 cups to the batter, and reserve the remaining half cup for glazing later.
Add all the remaining wet ingredients, except the cranberries to your bowl. Mix until incorporated, then fold in the cranberries.
Pour your batter into a loaf pan, lined with parchment paper. Tap the pan 2-3 times gently on a hard surface to ensure there are no gaps in the bread.
Then bake in your preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the loaf rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan to continue cooling.
Once completely cooled, you may glaze your orange cranberry bread. Add a tablespoon of freshly squeezed orange juice to your remaining half cup of date syrup and mix well.
Then pour your glaze in a side to side pattern over top your cooled loaf, as shown below.
Now slice and enjoy!
How long does it keep?
You may keep this bread at room temperature, covered in plastic wrap, or in a reusable container for 2-3 days.
Or freeze in an air tight container for 3-4 weeks.
More delicious bread recipes
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Strawberry Banana Bread
- Easy Vegan Cornbread
- Vegan Apple Bread
- Chocolate Chip Vegan Banana Bread
If you tried this recipe, please let me know about it in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter to see more delicious food and get all the latest updates.
Buon appetito,
Rosa
Equipment
-
Loaf Pan
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour gluten free if preferred
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1.5 cup water
- 1/2 cup (plus 1 tbsp for glaze, set aside) orange juice freshly squeezed from approx 1 large orange
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9" x 5" (or similar) loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all your dry ingredients and whisk together.
- Add the pitted dates and water to a blender and process until completely smooth. This will make about 2 cups of date syrup. Measure 1.5 cups worth that will be used in your loaf and the remaining 1/2 cup will be used later to make the glaze. Do not use more than 1.5 cups in the loaf.
- Now add all your wet ingredients except the cranberries, to the bowl of dry ingredients: 1.5 cup of the date syrup you just made, the 1/2 cup of orange juice and the zest, and the applesauce. Mix until incorporated. Then fold in the cranberries.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and gently tap the loaf pan down 2-3 times on a hard surface to ensure no gaps. Don't press down with a spatula.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry. Depending on your oven and loaf pan size, cooking time will vary slightly. Once baked, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pan. Place on a wire rack, or cutting board to let cool completely before glazing.
- To make your glaze, add 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed orange juice to your remaining 1/2 cup of date syrup and mix well. Then pour desired amount of the glaze over your cooled loaf in a zigzag pattern. Slice and enjoy!
Karlene
Made this last night, and it was truly delicious.
Rosa
Thanks so much Karlene!
Teresa Arora
I made this yesterday and my husband loves it! I was worried about it having so much date syrup which I can easily get here in the UAE. It is very sweet so I am going to experiment with the next batch by adding chia ‘egg’ mix and reducing the date syrup. I also think the date syrup/orange topping isn’t needed. thank you for the wonderful recipe, it will keep my husband happy for a week or so!
Rosa
Glad you enjoyed!
Dana
Can I substitute date syrup for the water/date mixture?
Rosa
Yes, that should work fine. Enjoy!
Heather
Made this today and loved it.😋😋😋Between my husband and I, we ate the whole loaf in just one day. 😳
Rosa
Yay!! Thrilled you both enjoyed it so much. Thanks a million for the review Heather. 🙂
TIMOTHY
Question – this recipe calls for 2 TABLESPOONS of baking powder. Every other recipe I have seen for a vegan quick bread like this calls for 2 TEASPOONS at the most. Is the two tablespoons a misprint? I have made this loaf a few times now, and it always has a strange aftertaste that I suspect is coming from all of that baking powder. Am I nuts? LOL
Rosa
Hey Timothy, oat flour requires more baking powder than all purpose flour. If you’re subbing the flour, you may reduce the baking powder to 2 teaspoons. Hope that helps. 🙂
Sandra
Muffins! A+! Excellent! Love this recipe! You Rock!
Rosa
Thank you Sandra! Thrilled you enjoyed. 🙂
Gail Shifflett
I made this.
It is moist and delicious.
It tastes like fruitcake to me!
Thanks for another great recipe!
I write and post my own recipes, so I am usually not too impressed with others.
BUT, I love your recipes and this one is amazing!
Rosa
Aww thanks so much Gail! I’m thrilled you enjoyed and flattered you love my recipes. 🙂
inka
Made this into muffins and it was delicious. Definite keeper.
Rosa
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing Inka. 🙂
Sandrs
Has anyone ever made this into muffins?
Do you think this will work out?
Rosa
I haven’t personally tried but I did have a reader let me know that it worked well! Let me know if you try it. 🙂
Melissa Geib
Easy and yummy!!!!
Rosa
Yay! Thanks for sharing Melissa! 🙂
Marlene
My husband is diabetic, this seems like a lot of date syrup. Can the quantity be lowered any without affecting the bread?
Also, I found Iraqi date syrup at a market. It lists dates And water as the only ingredients . Can this be substituted, if so, does this affect quantity used in the recipe?
Thanks so much.
Rosa
Hi Marlene, store bought date syrup should work just fine and you can skip the glaze entirely which will reduce the date syrup needed by half a cup. To reduce even more, I cannot say for sure if that will work as it throws off the wet/dry balance and I haven’t tested it that way. If you try it with even less, I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Monica
Have you made with dried cranberries if you don’t have fresh? Or any other fruit you’d recommend substituting the cranberries with?
rosa
Hi Monica, I haven’t tried this with dried cranberries, but I’m sure that would work well. If you want to stick with fresh fruit, I think blueberries would also be delicious here. Hope you enjoy and be sure to report back once you’ve tried it. 🙂
Monica
I made it with blueberries and it was delicious!! My husband could not believe there was no oil or processed sugar!! He loved it and asked I make it again! My mom and 3yr old loved it as well as did I!! Can’t wait to make it again and try it with cranberries too! So moist and perfectly sweet! Thank you!
rosa
I’m so happy you all loved it with the blueberries Monica. Thanks for reporting back, much appreciated. 🙂
Chiara
I tried this at my sisters house and it was so delicious, it was finished in no times so I just had to come to your website to get this recipe!
rosa
So glad to hear that. Thanks so much for reporting back. 🙂
Laura
This bread is terrific. Disappeared quickly, need to make more! Healthy AND delicious.
rosa
Thank you Laura! Thrilled you enjoyed it. 🙂
Judy
Are you really suppose to add 2 tablespoons of baking powder?
rosa
Hi Judy, yes that’s correct, enjoy.
Judy
Thank you! I made it and enjoyed it. I couldn’t get anyone else to even try it. There loss!
rosa
Glad you enjoyed it Judy, thanks for reporting back. 🙂
Nancy L
I am one week into Whole Food Plant Based diet and was looking for tasty and intriguing recipes. Made this last night and it is absolutely delicious and easy to make! Thank you for adding to my recipe collection and filling my tummy on this chilly morning!
rosa
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your feedback Nancy, much appreciated. Thrilled you’re enjoying this recipe. 🙂