Name: Cranberry Walnut Bread
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour (gluten-free if needed); 1 cup sugar; 1 ½ tsp baking powder; ½ tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/4 tsp nutmeg; 1 egg; 1 cup milk (I used almond); 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries; 1/2 cup toasted walnuts (chopped)

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Cranberry walnut bread combines tart cranberries with the crunch of toasted walnuts, in a moist, tender quick loaf that's perfect for a cozy breakfast, packed lunch treat or afternoon snack. This delicious, easy-to-make recipe takes just 10 minutes to stir together and will make your kitchen smell amazing.

A loaf of cranberry walnut bread in a black and white ceramic pan.

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Fall is cranberry time and this tart little red berry is one of the stars of the holiday season. My fresh homemade cranberry sauce is so easy to make, you'll wonder why you ever bought it in a can.

Cranberries are delicious in baking, too. Besides this cranberry walnut bread, one of my favorite recipes is cranberry oatmeal muffins. I love to make my popular cranberry shortbread cookies, cranberry date squares, and double chocolate cranberry cookies.

Cranberries add a festive touch to drinks like a mistletoe margarita and to holiday charcuterie boards, too.

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Why you're going to love this recipe
Ingredient notes
How to make cranberry walnut bread, step by step
Top Tips
More quick bread recipes
Recipe
Comments

Three slices of cranberry walnut bread on a black plate.

Why you're going to love this recipe

Easy: This simple, delicious quick bread is easy to stir up and pop into the oven. This is not a yeast bread, so no waiting for a rise and no knead to knead.
Freezer friendly: This cranberry nut bread freezes well. So you always have something on hand for when company comes, or to bring along to a gathering. You can freeze individually wrapped slices for school or work lunches, too. (Then you won't be tempted by those coffee shop slices).
Festive: This loaf is perfect for your holiday table and makes a lovely gift, too.

Ingredient notes

Ingredient quantities and complete instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Flour: I'm using a one-to-one gluten-free flour blend. If gluten isn't an issue, you can use all purpose flour or a combo of half all purpose and half whole wheat flour. If you do use a gluten-free flour, it should contain xanthan gum, or you will need to add it.
Sugar: Granulated white sugar is included in this recipe. I haven't tested this cranberry bread recipe with brown sugar, but I would love to hear how it goes if you do!
Baking powder and baking soda: These are the leavening agents in this classic quick bread recipe.
Cinnamon and nutmeg: These warm spices are a perfect compliment to tart cranberries and earthy walnuts.
Egg: As always, I use a large egg unless otherwise specified.
Milk: You can use any milk for this easy quick bread. I'm using almond milk, but dairy milk, or any other plant-based milk will also work.
Oil: This recipe has olive oil, but any vegetable oil is fine.
Cranberries: Fresh cranberries are perfect in this loaf. They are not usually available year round, so I buy extra when they are, and freeze them. Frozen cranberries are just as good, and there is no need to thaw them. I leave the cranberries whole, because I love the little pockets of tartness that results, but you can chop them if you prefer.
Walnuts: You can buy walnuts already chopped or chop them yourself, but be sure to toast them if they aren't already. Toasting nuts gives them a deeper, richer flavor, and takes the edge off any bitterness. It also gives the nuts a crisper texture. You can also use pecans if you prefer.

The ingredients for making cranberry walnut bread on a wood board.

How to make cranberry walnut bread, step by step

Step one: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder, spices and salt.
Step two: In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk and oil to combine.
Step three: Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir just to combine.
Step four: fold in the cranberries and walnuts.

Bake for one hour and allow to cool at room temperature before slicing.

Four step by step photos of the recipe process.

Top Tips

Dried cranberries: You can use dried cranberries instead of fresh or frozen cranberries, but the texture of the cranberry loaf will not be the same unless you rehydrate the dried cranberries. To rehydrate them, soak them in very hot water for about 30 minutes.
Use room temperature ingredients: It won't make or break this particular recipe if you don't use room temperature ingredients. However, I find that it does make a difference in how fluffy your cranberry nut bread turns out. If you forget to take the milk and egg out of the fridge ahead of time, use my shortcuts; submerse the egg in warm water (not hot) for five minutes, and use the microwave in 10 second increments to take the chill off of the milk.
Don't overmix: Overmixing the batter can result in a dense, tough loaf, uneven baking and can have holes and tunnels. Stir until just combined.
Prep your pan: Even if you use a non-stick pan, you will need to grease the pan with oil, or line it with parchment paper.
Allow to cool: It might be tempting to try a warm slice of fresh baked cranberry nut loaf straight from the oven. But be patient and allow it to cool before slicing. It will be easier to slice and will taste much better.
Glaze: You can dress up your cranberry walnut bread with an easy orange glaze. Just stir together a quarter cup of powdered sugar, and two tablespoons of orange juice. If you use a fresh orange, zest it and add the orange zest to the glaze as well. You can also do the same with lemon juice.
Storage: After cooling the loaf completely, store in wrapped in plastic wrap, or in an airtight container on the counter for up to four days.
Freezing: Wrap the cooled cranberry walnut loaf in aluminum foil, then in plastic wrap or a re-sealable freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Or, freeze individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer bag.

More quick bread recipes

Quick breads are a quick and easy treat to make and the varieties are endless. Try my pumpkin spice loaf, or chocolate zucchini bread. Quick breads can also be savory, like my sun-dried tomato bread.

And of course there's everyone's favorite; banana bread! You may love my delicious buckwheat banana bread, or for a tropical twist, coconut banana bread.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!

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