A healthy Cranberry Orange Quick Bread made with almond flour, sweetened with maple syrup, and bursting with cranberries and orange flavor!
I cannot get over how delicious this cranberry orange bread is. Sometimes I surprise myself with just how amazing my almond flour bread recipes are…
I’m going to toot my own horn here and say I really nailed it with this one!
The texture is unbelievable. And BONUS – it’s easy to make .
The cranberry orange flavor is a holiday classic and you MUST add this recipe to your baking list STAT.
The Best Cranberry Orange Bread
Ingredients Needed
- Super Fine Almond Flour – I’ve been using Bob’s Red Mill almond flour for years and it never disappoints. Make sure to use “super fine” from *blanched* almonds, not almond meal here.
- Tapioca flour – Helps act as a flour binder in this muffin recipe. You can also use arrowroot, or cassava flour. You can also sub with 3 tablespoons coconut flour if necessary, but I prefer the texture with tapioca flour.
- Baking soda, baking powder & salt – To get the best rise, you’ll need both baking soda and baking powder. If looking to just use baking soda, you’ll need 1 full teaspoon and the bread won’t rise quite as much.
- Maple syrup – This bread isn’t super sweet, but with the orange zest and cranberries bursting, I think it has great flavor. If you’re making for those with more of a sweet tooth, you might want to add 3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar (like coconut sugar to keep paleo, or cane sugar if not strictly paleo).
- Eggs – You’ll need 3 large eggs for this recipe. Sounds like a lot but trust me – it helps with the structure of this bread. And it won’t make this bread “egg” like in texture.
- Oil – I used light olive oil but avocado or melted coconut oil works too. If using melted coconut oil, make sure it has been cooled and the rest of your ingredients (i.e. maple syrup and eggs) are room temperature, or the coconut oil will solidify when mixing the batter.
- Orange Juice & Orange Zest – use a microplane grater or zester to easily get the zest from the orange. I also swear by this juicer (will work with a small orange).
- Vanilla Extract and orange extract– I like both here for optimal flavor, but you can omit orange if you’d like. Almond extract would also be a delicious addition; I recommend just 1/4 teaspoon here.
- Cranberries – the tart cranberries in combination with the orange is a classic flavor combination that really makes this bread amazing.
Super Easy Quick Bread!
Ready in 1 Hour
Making this almond flour cranberry orange bread takes just about one hour and no fancy kitchen gadgets needed – just something to mix the ingredients, a bowl and a medium loaf pan.
- Start by mixing the almond flour with tapioca flour, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon and orange zest.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract and orange juice. Then whisk in eggs until combined.
- Add dry ingredients to bowl of wet – your batter should be wet and somewhat thick.
- Bake for about 50 minutes.
BAKING TIP:
Cover pan with foil around 25 minutes. This will help keep the top of the bread from browning too much. Then remove the foil for the last 5 minutes of baking.
Check with inserted toothpick for wet batter to make sure it’s done in the middle.
Coconut Butter Glaze
This bread is topped off with melted coconut butter, which acts as the glaze. Coconut butter is naturally sweet on its own so there’s really no need for additional sugar for the glaze.
Using melted coconut butter is a great healthier alternative, but if you’re looking for the more traditional route, confectioners sugar mixed with a little bit of orange juice works too.
Almond Flour Bread FAQs
- Can I use a different flour, other than almond flour? – This recipe was specifically developed using almond flour, so I am afraid I cannot give a good recommendation for subbing in other flours.
- What if I don’t have tapioca flour? – This almond flour bread recipe can still be made if you don’t have tapioca flour on hand. You can use 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (if you don’t need bread to be gluten-free), OR 1:1 gluten free baking flour. You can also sub with three tablespoons coconut flour.
- Can I use coconut sugar instead of maple syrup? – The maple syrup in this recipe makes up for some of the liquid, so it cannot be subbed with a dry sweetener. It can be subbed with honey, but the bread will brown more.
- Can this be made without eggs to be vegan? – The eggs provide this cranberry orange bread with structure and helps hold things together. I do not recommend subbing unless you’re okay with a different (more wet) texture.
- Can I use frozen cranberries? – I haven’t tested that myself but it should be fine. Your bread might just need a few extra minutes of baking time.
More Almond Flour Quick Bread Recipes to Love:
Let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a comment and rating below! It helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley
PrintCranberry Orange Almond Flour Bread
The BEST cranberry orange bread made with almond flour, sweetened with maple syrup, and bursting with cranberries and orange flavor! A healthy quick bread made gluten free and dairy free. This is a seasonal classic quick bread recipe that just so happens to be paleo friendly as well – it’s a must!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
- Category: snacks
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: Seasonal
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (295g) Super Fine Almond Flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour (see notes)
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon (optional but adds a nice hint)
- zest of 2 medium oranges
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup light olive oil (or avocado, melted/cooled coconut oil)
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 small/medium oranges)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp orange extract (optional)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 heaping cup fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and line medium loaf pan (8×4) with parchment paper; set aside.
- In medium bowl combine almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and orange zest; set aside.
- In large bowl whisk together oil, maple syrup, vanilla and orange juice. Add eggs, whisking until combined. Add in dry ingredients, mixing with large spoon, then fold in cranberries until combined – batter will be somewhat thick.
- Transfer batter to lined 8×4 loaf pan. Bake cranberry orange bread for 20 minutes, then cover with foil and continue baking another 25-30 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. My bread took about 50 minutes, with the foil off for the last 5 minutes.
- Allow bread to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Slice bread once cooled; enjoy!
Notes
Recipe adapted from my Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. If you’d like to make muffins with this recipe, I imagine baking time would be the same as the lemon muffins, about 15-20 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
TAPIOCA FLOUR – I have many almond flour quick breads that call for tapioca flour to help hold the almond flour together better. If you don’t have tapioca flour on hand, 3 tablespoons coconut flour should work. Or 1/4 cup all-purpose flour if you don’t need it to be gluten-free. Arrowroot or Cassava flour would also likely be a good 1:1 substitute.
Keywords: cranberry orange bread, cranberry orange bread recipe, almond flour bread
Dianne G says
Can’t wait to try this!
Maggie N says
This recipe turned out great, it is moist, fluffy and delicious!
★★★★★
Ashley says
So glad you like it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave your review 😀
Miranda Moncada-Sullivan says
Made this as muffins and they were perfect!
★★★★★
R says
Sounds amazing!! I wish you had nutritional info for your recipes.
Ashley says
Hi there, sometimes I calculate them after the fact. I can plug some #s in and update with an estimate. Thanks for your patience.
Sharon says
How far ahead can this be made and stored in the refrigerator?
Ashley says
Hi Sharon – You can make this up to 2 days in advance, wrapped and stored in the fridge is fine.
Katie says
Would this work if I divided this up into two smaller pans ? If so, would i need to double the recipe ? I think they are about seven inches. Thanks!
Ashley says
Hi there, assuming they are 7×3-ish inches, I think I would just keep the recipe as is and divide between the two pans. Check baking time after 20 minutes or so and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Would love to hear how it goes!
Lupe Botello says
Excellent Delicious Easy Quick Bread.
Thaaaank You. Used COSTCO Kirkland
Almond Flour and Olive and Avacado blend Oil. Also added 1 cup Walnuts. Made loaf pan and 4 cupcakes.
Ashley says
Thanks for sharing, Lupe!
Denise says
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
Ashley says
Hi there, yes – it can be made ahead to be frozen. Just wrap tightly and store in airtight container. Thaw in fridge or on counter. Then leftovers are best stored in the fridge, 3-4 days. Hope that helps!