Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread 🍊 An easy & delicious recipe for a sweet, citrusy, and moist quick bread loaf made with oranges & tangy cranberries.
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!
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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.
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.
How to make the best vegan cranberry orange bread!
See the printable recipe below for quantities and complete details.
🍊 Ingredients
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.
🍊 Instructions
Gather your ingredients. 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.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together vegan butter, sugar and egg replacer. Stir in ¾ cup of orange juice.
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.
Pour batter into the loaf pan. Bake at 350° for one hour.
The bread is done baking when it bounces back when lightly pressed with a finger. Place onto a wire rack to cool.
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.
When the loaf is cool, drizzle with icing and sprinkle with remaining orange zest. Serve & enjoy!
🍊 Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Citrus zester
- Citrus juicer
- One rubber or silicone spatula
- whisk
- 9" x 5" loaf pan
- Parchment paper (optional)
🥕 Baking Tip
Tip # 2 - 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
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.
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.
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!
- Tofu Orange Veggie Skillet
- Orange Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Vegan Coconut Orange Curd
- Maple Cranberry Orange Yams
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ please rate it below.
Thanks a bunch!🥕
Recipe
Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- One rubber or silicone spatula
- whisk
- 9" x 5" loaf pan
- Parchment paper (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 C flour all purpose
- 1-½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon orange zest
- ¾ C dried cranberries or fresh cranberries. 🥕See notes below
- ¼ 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
- 1-½ C orange juice* 🥕See note below
Citrus Icing
- ½ C powdered sugar
- ¼ C lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Line loaf pan with parchment paper or lightly grease and dust with flour
- If you use dried cranberries, soak cranberries in ¾ C warm orange juice for 5-10 minutes - drain off juice and set cranberries aside.
- Using a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In large mixing bowl, cream together vegan butter, sugar and egg replacer.
- Stir in ¾ C orange juice.
- Stir in cranberries and 1 tablespoon orange zest.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Don't over-stir
- Pour batter into loaf pan.
- Bake at 350° for one hour, until bread bounces back when lightly pressed with a finger.
- Cool completely on a wire rack. Remove from pan.
- When cool, drizzle with citrus icing and sprinkle with remaining orange zest. Serve & enjoy!
Citrus Icing
- In a small mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar with lemon juice, adding just one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
Annette
Sweet and tangy at the same time. Great for when you want distinctive flavor but not heavy. Also simple quick to make.
Connie Edwards McGaughy
Oh my gosh Annette, I think you read my mind! I was just considering baking a loaf of cranberry orange bread this morning too! So glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Anne Hails
I recently had a kidney removed & am type 2 diabetic. Here’s a tough one for you ~. Do you have any low carb, zero sugar, zero salt baking recipes ?
Connie Edwards McGaughy
Hi Anne, thank you for asking. Unfortunately, I don't think any of my baking recipes would be what you are looking for. I did a quick Google search and found this vegan recipe site that focuses on diabetic-friendly ingredients. Here is a link to baking recipes, perhaps you might find something you like. Here's to your health!💚🥕 https://diabetic-vegan.com/sweet-treats/
Crystal
Can you sub the egg replacer with a flax egg?
Connie Edwards McGaughy
Hi Crystal, yes absolutely! Check the FAQ's section in the recipe post, where I discuss different options for vegan egg replacers, including flax meal.
Connie Edwards McGaughy
A quick & easy citrusy loaf to enjoy anytime of the day. It's the perfect 'something sweet' to nibble on with a mug of coffee in the morning, a cup of tea in the afternoon or a glass of glass of wine after dinner.🍊