Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread 🍊

Name: Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 C flour (all purpose); 1-1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 tbsp orange zest; 3/4 C dried cranberries (or fresh cranberries. 🥕See notes below); 1/4 C vegan butter (🥕See notes below for oil-free version); 1 C white sugar; 1 vegan egg replacer* (equivalent of one egg 🥕See notes below); 1-1/2 C orange juice* (🥕See note below); 1/2 C powdered sugar; 1/4 C lemon juice

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Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread 🍊 An easy & delicious recipe for a sweet, citrusy, and moist quick bread loaf made with oranges & tangy cranberries.

A loaf of vegan orange cranberry bread drizzled with icing and sprinkled with orange zest.

What could be cozier than a freshly baked loaf of vegan cranberry orange bread topped with a generous drizzle of citrusy icing and orange zest? It's the perfect pairing with a cup of coffee or tea. A slice of a yummy homemade quick bread like this one, or my vegan pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, or vegan banana bread, is such a nice way to start (or end) a day!

★★★★★ "Sweet and tangy at the same time. Great for when you want distinctive flavor but not heavy. Also simple quick to make." Annette

Table of Contents

🍊 Ingredients
🥕 Cranberry Tip
🍊 Instructions
🥕 Baking Tip
🍊 FAQ's
Recipe
Comments

I've been on a mission recently to create new dishes and recipes incorporating oranges as key ingredients. The other day I was in the mood to bake and thought I would try a citrus-centric quick bread recipe. Like the name suggests, a quick bread is just that - a leavened flour-based loaf that does not require yeast or additional time for rising/proofing in order for the bread to increase in volume. Quick breads rise while baking, much like cakes and muffins. For this recipe, we will use baking soda and baking powder as leavening agents.

A slice of vegan orange cranberry bread on a plate.

I started searching for something I could prepare with ingredients I had on hand and ran across this popular recipe for Cranberry Orange Loaf on Allrecipes. It looked really good and had great reviews but it wasn't vegan, so I decided to swap out some ingredients here and there and add a few of my own.

In the process, I ended up making this 100% vegan cranberry orange bread. It's so good! Sweet, but not too sweet, moist with a nice dense texture that holds together really well. Ready to make the best vegan cranberry orange bread? Let's do this!

🍊 Ingredients

See the printable recipe below for quantities and complete details.

Batter

Flour - I used unbleached all-purpose flour. Can be substituted with whole wheat or a 1:1 gluten-free of your choice.
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Orange zest - freshly grated
Cranberries - dried or fresh cranberries - see tips below
Vegan butter - substitute with applesauce for an oil-free version
Sugar - see FAQ's below
Vegan egg replacer - see FAQ's below
Orange juice - fresh or bottled

Citrus icing

Powdered sugar
Lemon juice - fresh is best. May be substituted with orange juice.

🥕 Cranberry Tip

If you use fresh cranberries, rinse them well with water and remove any stems or mushy berries before adding to batter. If you use dried cranberries, I suggest soaking them for 5-10 minutes in about a ¾ cup of warm orange juice. It helps plump them up and boosts the flavor.

Vegan orange cranberry bread ingredients including flour, sugar, applesauce, orange juice and zest, and dried cranberries.

🍊 Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉.
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or lightly grease and dust with flour.
Combine dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Set aside.

Orange juice being poured into a mixing bowl.

4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together vegan butter, sugar and egg replacer. Stir in ¾ cup of orange juice.

Cranberries in a mixing bowl with orange bread batter.

5. Stir in cranberries and 1 tablespoon orange zest. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to wet ingredients, stirring (by hand) until just combined. Don't over-stir, as it can cause the bread to have a tough texture.

Vegan cranberry orange bread batter in a parchment lined loaf pan.

6. Pour batter into the loaf pan.

A freshly baked loaf of vegan cranberry orange bread in a baking pan.

7. Bake at 350°F for one hour.

A loaf of vegan cranberry orange bread cooling on a wire rack.

8. The bread is done baking when it bounces back when lightly pressed with a finger. Place onto a wire rack to cool.

9. Remove from pan and prepare the citrus icing. In a small mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar with lemon juice, adding just one tablespoon at a time until it reaches a desired consistency.

10. When the loaf is cool, drizzle with icing and sprinkle with remaining orange zest. Serve & enjoy!

🥕 Baking Tip

Use fresh ingredients, including flour, baking soda and baking powder. All-purpose white flour has a shelf life of about 3-8 months. Gluten-free and whole wheat flours may become stale sooner. Unless you bake a lot, it's better to purchase flour in small quantities. Baking soda and baking powder can lose their rising oomph after a few months, so I like to keep an extra unopened box or tin on hand, just in case.

🍊 FAQ's

What type of sugar should I use in vegan cranberry orange bread?

Believe it or not, sugar is not always vegan. In the U.S., most white and brown cane sugar is processed with bone char (also referred to as natural carbon). The exception is organic sugar, beet sugar and coconut sugar - all which are vegan. You can use organic or raw white sugar in this recipe, but it can cause the texture of the bread to be coarse. If you prefer a softer texture, you'll want to use a finer sugar. I haven't tried maple syrup, but would be interested in hearing your experience if you do! Learn more about vegan sugar options in this article.

What can I use instead of egg in this recipe?

Traditionally, this recipe calls for eggs, which I've substituted with vegan egg replacer. There are several packaged powdered egg replacers available which work well. You can also make your own by combining one tablespoon ground flax meal with three tablespoons of water (per egg). Allow it to sit 5 - 15 minutes to thicken before using. Another option is replacing the eggs with an equal amount of carbonated water.

Here is a handy guide with vegan egg substitutes for baking: An info graphic showing recommended egg substitutes for baking quick breads, muffins, cakes, and cookies including ripe banana, applesauce, vegan yogurt, flaxmeal, aquafaba, silken tofu, powdered replacer, and carbonated water.

How to store vegan cranberry orange bread?

I suggest keeping the loaf intact, only slicing as much as you want to serve at a time. It's a good idea to cut off about a 1" thick slice of the heel end of the loaf and use it to seal off the exposed loaf (to help keep it moist). Place the loaf in an airtight ziplock bag or wrap in food safe plastic wrap. Store at a cool room temperature or refrigerated up to 3 days.

Orange ya glad you saw this? 🍊 Here's a few more citrus-centric recipes!

A collage of vegan dishes with citrus ingredients including lemon blueberry bread, citrus infused vinegars, orange balsamic Brussels sprouts and fresh oranges, lemons, and limes.

If you love this recipe ★★★★★ please be sure to rate it below! Sharing your experience lets me know that you enjoyed it and will help other readers decide if they should give the recipe a try too. Thanks a bunch!🥕

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Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread