Orange Cranberry Pumpkin Quick Bread
Tired of the same old pumpkin bread? This Orange Cranberry Pumpkin Quick Bread has bright citrus flavor, tart cranberries, and a moist crumb that blows plain pumpkin loaves out of the water.
This recipe was originally published very early in the life of BCC, in November of 2014. I bought several pie pumpkins just before my local farm stand closed for the year. They just looked so pretty, I couldn’t resist.
This recipe was born out of one of those “use what you have” moments. A lonely orange in the fruit drawer, a couple of bags of cranberries in the freezer, and pumpkins waiting on the counter led to a bread that’s now a family favorite.
Why You’ll Love This Quick Bread:
- Uses real pumpkin and a whole orange for bright, fresh flavor
- Tart cranberries balance the sweetness
- Comes together in about 15 minutes of prep
- Freezes beautifully for make-ahead baking
What You Need
- Pumpkin Purée: Use either fresh pumpkin you’ve roasted yourself or canned pumpkin. If you’re using homemade, make sure to drain off excess liquid so the batter doesn’t get too wet.
- Orange: You’ll 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.
- Cranberries: Frozen cranberries work great for this recipe. You can also use fresh if you have them on hand. Pulse them in the food processor, but don’t puree them completely, you want some larger bits for bursts of flavor.
- Pecans or Walnuts: Either nut will work here. They add crunch and balance the sweet-tart flavors. Toasting the nuts first will give even more depth, but raw works fine if that’s what you have.
- All-Purpose Flour: Regular flour provides the bread with the ideal texture. Be sure to measure with dry measuring cups for accuracy.
- Baking Soda: Helps the bread rise and stay light, even with all the fruit mixed in.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the flavors.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves give this bread a warm fall flavor. You can substitute your favorite pumpkin pie spice blend if you prefer.
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is what you need. It sweetens the bread and helps it stay moist.
- Eggs: Use large eggs. Crack them into a separate bowl first to avoid getting any shells into the batter.
Tools
- Food Processor: Makes quick work of chopping the orange, cranberries, and nuts while keeping the perfect texture.
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer: For mixing the batter. A stand mixer makes it easier, but a hand mixer works too.
- Loaf Pans: You can use full-size loaf pans or make mini loaves for gifting. Spray them generously with no-stick spray so the bread releases easily.
- Mixing Bowls: You’ll need at least two, one for the dry ingredients and one for the wet.
- Spatula: For folding in the cranberries and nuts by hand. This helps keep the batter from turning pink.
- Cooling Rack: It’s important to let the loaves cool completely on a rack so they hold their shape when sliced.
- Oven Thermometer (optional): Helps ensure your oven is actually at 350°F. Many ovens run hotter or cooler than the dial says.
How to Make this Pumpkin Quick Bread
See How to Cook Pumpkin, if you would like to use fresh pumpkin.
Pulse the nuts in a food processor. Pour them into a medium bowl.
Sort any bad cranberries out. Pulse frozen berries until relatively fine. Put them in a bowl. Add them to the bowl with the nuts.
Quarter the orange. Place the quartered orange in the food processor.
Pulse orange until most pieces are fine with a few left larger for extra texture in the bread.
Mix a heaping tablespoon of flour with cranberries and nuts to prevent them from floating to the top of the batter in the pan.
Measure flour, soda, salt and spices in a bowl and set aside (or use my pumpkin pie spice recipe).
Break the eggs into a separate small bowl in case an eggshell gets into the main bowl. It will make it easier to remove the shell.
Pour the eggs into your stand mixer bowl. Beat the eggs.
Add the cooled pumpkin and the orange pulp, juice and rind. Mix well.
Pour the sugar into the mixing bowl. Beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add flour about 1 cup at a time, just until the mixture is wet.
This is the completed batter with all of the flour added.
Incorporate the cranberries and nuts by hand, just until mixed, or your dough will turn pink from the juice of the cranberries.
Spray loaf pans with no-stick spray. Fill approximately ⅔ full.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour (large loaves may take longer). Test for doneness with a cake tester or a pick inserted in the middle of the bread, which should come out clean.
These are really moist, so they have to cool for at least an hour on a cooling rack in the pans, or they will fall apart. Slide a knife along the edges and turn the bread upside down to remove it from the pan. Then thoroughly cool before storing.
Notice the large chunks of orange and cranberry. This Orange Cranberry Pumpkin Quick Bread is so moist and fruity; it’s irresistible! If you like this, try my Orange Pineapple Coconut Quick Bread, too.
Storing and Freezing Tips
Once the breads have cooled thoroughly, store one on the counter, wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, or store them in an airtight container.
The others can be easily frozen. Wrap them in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil or freezer paper, and freeze for at least six months.
Ready to bake something else? Try one of these next:
- Chocolate Banana Bread
- Sourdough Hamburger Buns
- White Bread
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Rye Bread
- Orange Pineapple Coconut Bread
Want to Grow Your Own Produce?
Due to my horticulture background, readers frequently ask for help with vegetable gardening. If that’s something you’re curious about, check out my How to Start a Garden series:
- Planning Your Garden
- Preparing the Garden Site
- Choosing Plants + Planting
- Garden Maintenance
- Harvesting + Preserving the Harvest – includes over 100 free recipes
Have you tried this recipe? Leave a comment and tell me how it went! I’d love to hear if you used pecans or walnuts, or if you added your own twist.
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Orange Cranberry Pumpkin Quick Bread
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- pinch of ginger
- pinch of cloves
- 3 cups Sugar
- 1 orange
- 2 cups pumpkin puree, or use 1 15 oz. can
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 heaping Tbsp. flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C.
- If using raw pumpkin, halve and remove seeds. Place in roasting dish pulp side down for about 1 hour. Let cool thoroughly. Remove meat and measure about 2 cups.
- Mix flour with baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg. ginger and cloves. Set aside.
- Quarter orange and remove seeds. Place pieces in food processor and pulse a few times. Rind pieces should not be too large, but I like some of them about pea size or slightly larger.
- Beat eggs in mixing bowl.
- Add pumpkin and orange and combine.
- Incorporate sugar into wet ingredients.
- Add dry ingredients about 1 cup at a time, just until mixed.
- Process cranberry in food processor, again, leave a few of the pieces pea sized or so. Place in a bowl.
- Process nuts in food processor. Add nuts to cranberries in the bowl and toss together with the tablespoon of flour. This helps to stop the fruit from floating to the top of the batter.
- Incorporate Cranberries and nuts to the batter by hand.
- Spray loaf pans with no stick spray.
- Fill loaf pans 2/3 full.
- Bake 45 minutes – 1 hour, depending on size of loaves, or until pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow loaves to cool on cooling rack in the pans for at least 1 hour. Then slide knife down the edges to loosen. If they are cool enough, they literally fall right out when turned upside down. Let loaves cool fully on rack.
- These freeze very well. after they are fully cool, wrap in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Or you can wrap in freezer paper.
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Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published 11/18/2014. Updated July 19, 2025.
- Type: Quick Bread
- Main Ingredients: Pumpkin purée, whole orange, cranberries, pecans or walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves.
- Texture: Moist, soft, with bursts of cranberry and orange.
- Flavor Profile: Sweet, tart, citrusy, warmly spiced.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Bake Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
- Skill Level: Beginner-friendly
- Special Tools: Food processor, stand mixer or hand mixer, loaf pans
- Freezer Friendly: Yes, wrap tightly after cooling.
- Customization: Use fresh or canned pumpkin, swap pecans for walnuts if desired.
- Perfect For: Fall baking, holiday breakfasts, freezer prep, homemade gifts.
I made it! Almost Every bite had a great flavor of the orange, bits of nuts and tart of the cranberries. I will definitely make this again. 5 stars out of 5 stars.
I’m so glad you liked it Dan! It’s one of our favorites too! Thanks for letting me know and happy holidays!
Awesome recipe. I was intrigued because there is no fat in the recipe. Used dried cranberries and added some diced candied orange peel. About 2 oz died cranberries and 1oz diced orange peel. Used twice amount of the spices.
Thank you Catherine! I love the idea of the dried cranberries and the candied orange peel. Happy to hear that you made it your own too! So glad that you liked it!
One of my top favourite kind of breads ever – made a courgette (zuchinni) carrot and apple one just days back but definitely need to make this one too since I have loads of pumpkin. Delicious – I cannot wait, the fresh cranberries and orange addition is super clever. It is written Christmas all over it! Thanks for sharing this Beth!
Thank you Ramona! I’m glad you enjoyed the post! If you make it, let me know how you like it!
Wow! I’ve never had a bread like this – I’d love to try it. And I love what you did with the orange!
Thanks Nicole! It’s makes the process so much faster! Have a great weekend!
The fresh orange and cranberry in this in genius! I love this great twist on a classic pumpkin bread- I need to try this soon.
Why thank you, Julie! I’m glad you liked it! Let me know after you try it!