Eggnog Bread Recipe
This eggnog bread recipe is the perfect holiday treat with a cup of coffee or tea, but it makes a great addition to your holiday gift baskets or cookie trays.
🍽️ Recipe Name: Eggnog Bread
⏰ Ready In: 1 hour
⏳ Prep Time: 15 minutes
🔥 Cook Time: 45 minutes
👥 Serves: 8
🥕Main Ingredients: Flour, sugar, baking soda, orange, nuts, eggnog
🍳 Special Equipment: Mini or regular-sized bread pans.
⭐ Why You’ll Love It: This easy eggnog bread is packed with warm holiday spices, comes together quickly, and is perfect for breakfast, dessert, or homemade gifts.
👇 Full measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.
It has a fresh citrus flavor from the whole orange, while the eggnog keeps every slice rich and moist.
Why You’ll Love It
- Quick breads are fast and easy.
- This bread can be made months in advance.
- It’s perfect for holiday gifting.
- Stays moist for days.
- Make mini loaves for homemade gifts.
- Uses a whole orange for bright, fresh citrus flavor.
- Makes two loaves, so there’s one to share.
What You Need
- Flour: All-purpose flour forms the base of the bread.
- Baking Soda: Improves texture and helps the batter rise.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar adds the sweetness.
- Eggs: Use large eggs; crack them in a small bowl to avoid getting eggshells in the batter.
- Oil: Adds moistness to the bread.
- Eggnog: Adds richness. Use real eggnog, homemade or store-bought
- Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, or allspice, or a mixture of them.
- Orange: Be sure to buy a thin-skinned juice orange, like Valencia. Navel oranges have too thick a pith and will make the bread bitter-tasting. Use the whole orange: juice, pulp, and rind. Quarter it and remove the seeds before pulsing in the food processor. Leave some slightly larger pieces for extra texture in the finished bread.
- Nuts: Pecans or walnuts add the best flavor and texture.
How to Make it
Quarter the oranges. Remove the seeds. Place them in a food processor bowl.
Pulse the oranges until you have small chunks. Leave some a bit bigger for added texture.
Pulse the nuts in the food processor just a few times, or chop them by hand.
Measure the dry ingredients, add them to a separate bowl, and whisk them together.
Start with the wet ingredients. Add the eggs to the eggnog and oil in a mixing bowl. Mix well.
Add the sugar. Mix together until it looks light and fluffy.
Mix in the oranges. Stir in the nut pieces by hand so they don’t break. The batter is fairly thin.
Spray the loaf pans with no-stick spray or grease them well with butter. Pour batter into the pans until they are about ⅔ full. Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes to 1 hour for large loaves and 30-40 minutes for mini loaves, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack until the breads are at room temperature.
How to Store Them
This easy quick bread can be stored on the counter for 3-4 days. For longer storage, wrap them in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil or freezer paper. Freeze for 2-3 months.
Why You’ll Love Using the Whole Orange
Most quick bread recipes call for orange juice and orange zest. This recipe uses the entire orange, the juice, pulp, and rind, to give every slice fresh citrus flavor while keeping the bread moist. It cuts down on preparation time and dishes. Just be sure to choose a thin-skinned juice orange, such as a Valencia, for the best results.
Variations
- Add 1 cup of dried cranberries for a festive holiday loaf.
- Sprinkle coarse sugar on top before baking for a lightly crunchy crust.
- Stir in white chocolate chips for a sweeter version.
- Add a teaspoon of orange extract for even more citrus flavor.
- Try adding vanilla extract or rum extract for a different flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. It actually tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to blend.
Absolutely. Wrap the cooled loaf tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
Yes. Fill muffin cups about two-thirds full and bake for about 18 to 22 minutes.
Yes. The bread is delicious with or without walnuts or pecans.
Ready to bake something else? Try one of these next:
- Black Forest Banana Bread
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Orange Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
- Orange Pineapple Coconut Bread
Tools That Make This Recipe Work
If you don’t already have these, this is where most people struggle.
Eggnog Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch ginger
- pinch ground cloves
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 whole orange
- 1 cup oil
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup eggnog
- ½ cup nuts, heaping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Quarter the oranges. Remove the seeds. Place them in a food processor bowl.
- Pulse the oranges until you have small chunks. Leave some a bit bigger for added texture.
- Pulse the nuts in the food processor just a few times, or chop them by hand.
- Measure the dry ingredients, add them to a bowl, and whisk them together.
- Add the eggs to the eggnog and oil in a mixing bowl. Mix well.
- Add the sugar. Mix together until it looks light and fluffy.
- Mix in the oranges. Stir in the nut pieces by hand so they don’t break.
- Spray two large bread pans with no-stick spray, or grease them with butter.
- Pour the dough into the pans until they are about ⅔ full.
- Bake large loaves for 45 minutes. Mini loaves will take about 30-35 minutes.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky's Amazon Store!Notes
Nutrition
Originally published December 20, 2017. Updated July 24, 2026.
