Easy gluten-free cranberry bread. Moist. Tender. Dairy-free.
What does this bread taste like?
This recipe makes a pleasantly sweet bread with a gentle tartness from the fresh cranberries and a hint of orange flavor. The texture is a cross between a cake and a muffin.
What you’ll love about this gluten-free cranberry bread.
- Easy to make. No electric mixer required! You can stir everything together in a large bowl. (Of course, if you’d like to use an electric mixer, go for it.)
- It’s moist, not gummy. Some gluten-free quick breads tend to taste gummy. Not this one! It bakes up dense and moist without any hint of gumminess.
- It’s loaded with cranberries. You don’t have to go looking for the cranberries in this bread; it’s loaded with them.
- Not too sweet—or too greasy. If you’ve made either my gluten-free zucchini bread or gluten-free pumpkin bread, you know that I like quick breads that are pleasantly sweet and moist but not overly sweet or oily. This bread fits the bill. It’s sweet enough to offset the tartness from the cranberries but not so sweet that you feel like you’re eating cake.
How to Make Gluten-Free Cranberry Bread
- Chop the cranberries. You can do this by hand using a large knife and a cutting board or you can use a food processor. Either way, you want the cranberries to be coarsely chopped.
- Make the batter. Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, etc.) in a large bowl and then add the wet ingredients. Stir until the batter is smooth.
- Add a little batter to the pan. To prevent the cranberries from sinking to the bottom of the pan, spread a little batter, about 1/2 cup into a greased baking pan. This step is totally optional. If you don’t care if some cranberries sink, skip it.
- Stir in the cranberries. Gently stir the chopped cranberries into the batter. Look for them to be evenly spread throughout the batter but stop before the batter turns bright pink.
- Bake. Spread the batter into the pan and bake until set. Like most gluten-free quick breads, this cranberry bread takes almost an hour to bake.
- Take the temperature. The best way to ensure the loaf is done is to take its temperature. Use an instant-read thermometer to check that it’s reached 205 degrees F.
- Cool and slice. I know it’s hard but you want to make sure the loaf cools before you slice it. This gives the bread time to set up. If you slice it too soon, it will appear gummy even though the loaf is fully baked.
FAQs: Gluten-Free Cranberry Bread
What’s the best flour to use for gluten-free cranberry bread?
I tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour and it’s the flour I recommend you use for this recipe.
If you want to replace the flour with a different blend, be sure it contains either xanthan or guar gum or the recipe might not work. As always, using a different gluten-free flour blend can alter the recipe even if it does contain a gum.
Can I use dried cranberries?
Yes but…dried cranberries are sweeter than fresh cranberries. You might want to cut back on the sugar by a tablespoon or so.
Can I use this recipe for cranberry muffins?
Yes! This recipe for cranberry bread can be used for muffins. Line muffin pan with paper liners or grease the cavities generously with nonstick cooking spray or oil.
Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Bread
Moist and tender gluten-free cranberry orange bread. Pleasantly sweet, loaded with cranberries, and a hint of orange.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries (5 ⅓ ounces; 150 grams)
- 2 cups gluten-free flour (10 ounces; 285 grams)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (5 ¼ ounces; 150 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup orange juice (6 ounces; 170 grams)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (2 ⅓ ounces; 65 grams)
- 1 large egg (2 ounces; 56 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
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Heat Oven. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 350℉ Grease a 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
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Chop Cranberries. Chop cranberries coarsely with either a chef’s knife or in the bowl of a food processor. If using a food processor “pulse” the berries a few times until roughly cut. Set the chopped berries aside.
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Prepare Batter. Whisk together the gluten-free flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Add the orange juice, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix until a smooth batter forms.
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Spread about ½ cup batter into the bottom of the prepared pan. Stir the chopped cranberries into remaining batter. Smooth batter into pan.
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Bake Bread. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the loaf comes out clean, about 55 minutes.
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Cool on a Rack. Cool bread in pan for 15 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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Cut and Enjoy. Cut bread into slices with a serrated knife. Store bread, wrapped, on the counter for up to four days or freeze up to three months.
Ai says
Sorry if this is a silly question, but when you say “orange juice”, are you referring to freshly squeezed oranges, or are we talking about store-bought carton juice?
On a separate note, can orange juice be substituted with orange flavouring?
Elizabeth says
Not a silly question! It refers to store-bought orange juice.
As for replacing it with orange flavoring, I don’t believe that would work in this case. The sweetness from the orange juice sweetens the bread, if you were to replace the orange juice with an equal amount of water and some orange flavoring, I don’t believe the bread would turn out as intended.
Hope this helps!
Ai says
Thank you! Definitely helped!
It’s moist, just like you said it’d be 😀 Only that I had to substitute cinnamon (with nutmeg, because my family doesn’t like cinnamon), and the spice completely overpowered any hint of vanilla and orange. It became a cranberry nutmeg loaf. Still loving the wonderfully moist texture, regardless <3
Elizabeth says
Yes! I find nutmeg a bit strong. If you decided to give this another go, I’d use much less nutmeg. This way, you’ll get a lovely whisper of spice without it being too overpowering.
Glad you liked it!
LizC says
Easy recipe. Just made for Thanksgiving and added 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
Jennifer Vargas says
Stores in my area do not cary this flour. What is recommended alternative?
Elizabeth says
Hi Jennifer,
Do they carry King Arthur flour? You can try that with 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum.
Jacqueline says
This bread is DELICIOUS. Added 1 Tbsp orange zest, used fresh juice (from the orange I zested), and added 1/2 chopped pecans. The batter is very thick – almost like a scone batter – it had to be scooped into the pan rather than poured. I smoothed the top with a silicon brush and a little water so it would not be lumpy. The finished product: moist, balanced sweet-tart flavor, my son gave to 2 thumbs up. Might try to transform this into a desert bread with semi-sweet chocolate chips and and orange glaze…
Hollie says
I just made this bread since we think that my husband may have some sort of allergy to gluten. It is wonderful! The flavor is so good and now has me craving more cranberry orange combos. I did freshly squeeze the orange juice and added the zest too. I also used coconut oil instead of vegetable. It has just enough sweetness to feel a little indulgent but could definitely be a nice sweet treat for breakfast. I also love cinnamon and the slight cinnamon flavor is perfect. Like another commenter stated, it is definitely a thick batter and I also had to spread it into the pan.
Marge says
Best GF cranberry orange bread I’ve ever made. It’s light, very moist and very tasty. I’ve tried making GF cranberry bread before but it usually comes out very gummy. It was a big hit with my GF family members. I used Bob’s Red Mill GF 1 for 1 flour and added 1/2 cup of chopped pecans. It was perfect!
Rita Harding says
What happens if you use less salt?
Elizabeth says
The flavor of the bread will be a bit different (salt acts a flavor enhancer in this recipe) but the loaf will bake up just fine.
Cheryl says
i made this just yesterday for Christmas and even my family who doesn’t like gluten free things said it tasted great. I added orange zest in and used dried cranberries and it turned out well!!
Kimberly says
Will this recipe work with Namaste foods perfect flour blend? That is the flour that I have on hand. Thank you!
Elizabeth says
I believe so! I haven’t tested it with Namaste but it contains xanthan gum (which is key to the bread holding it’s shape). So it should work!
Kimberly says
I will let you know how it turns out! ?
Kimberly says
I wanted to let you know that the recipe worked really well with the Namaste foods perfect flour blend! The bread is delicious!
Thanks for the recipe!
Elizabeth says
Excellent! Thanks for letting me know!
Holly H says
Can you use dried cranberries?
Elizabeth says
Yes! Use about a cup of dried cranberries. And since they are sweeter than fresh cranberries, you might want to cut back on the sugar by a tablespoon or so.
Carolyn says
Wonderfully moist and delicious. A beautiful brunch addition ❤️ Thank-you for this recipe.
Staci says
Loved this recipe!