Healthy Cranberry Orange Loaf Recipe for Holiday Leftovers

Healthy cranberry orange loaf is an easy quick bread made with cranberries, orange, raisins, flaxseed and pumpkin seeds. I usually make it after Thanksgiving and Christmas because it uses a full cup of leftover cranberry sauce, but fresh or frozen cranberries work too.

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At our big family holiday meals, I'm usually the one most interested in the cranberry sauce. That means there is almost always about a cup left after the turkey and other leftovers are gone.

This loaf became my simple way to use it up. It freezes well, and individual slices are easy to tuck into lunch boxes or serve as an after-school snack.

When we lived off the grid in Canada's far north, we also foraged our own cranberries. Those small, tart berries worked just as well as fresh or frozen store-bought cranberries.

The loaf is lightly sweet when made with fresh or frozen berries. The prepared cranberry sauce makes it a little sweeter, but I still use the full amount of brown sugar.

This recipe uses the pulp, juice and grated rind of an orange, so the orange flavour comes through without needing an icing or glaze. The amount of orange juice you need depends on whether you're using fresh cranberries or prepared cranberry sauce.

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Ingredient Notes for Cranberry Loaf

You can make this loaf with either fresh cranberries or prepared cranberry sauce. Pay attention to the orange juice measurement because it changes between the two versions.

Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

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Use one cup of fresh or frozen cranberries. For this version, combine the pulp and juice from the orange with enough additional orange juice to make one cup of liquid.

Leftover Cranberry Sauce

Use one cup of prepared cranberry sauce and leave the brown sugar measurement unchanged. Combine the orange pulp and juice with enough additional orange juice to make one-half cup of liquid.

Whole Wheat Flour or Graham Cracker Crumbs

I usually make this loaf with one cup of graham cracker crumbs, but I've also tested it with whole wheat flour. Use the same amount of either one.

Pumpkin Seeds

Use one tablespoon of pumpkin seeds. The old recipe card mistakenly listed sunflower seeds in the ingredients and pumpkin seeds in the instructions.

Cranberry Orange Bread FAQs

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This recipe is flexible enough to make with different forms of cranberries. Here are the questions readers are most likely to have before getting started.

Recipe

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Healthy Cranberry Orange Loaf Recipe

Sarita Harbour

This healthy cranberry orange bread combines cranberries, orange, raisins, flaxseed and pumpkin seeds in a simple homemade loaf. Make it with fresh or frozen berries, or use one cup of leftover cranberry sauce after Thanksgiving or Christmas.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Bread and Quickbreads

Cuisine American

Servings 14 servings

Calories 116 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour or graham cracker crumbs
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries or 1 cup prepared cranberry sauce
• ¾ cup raisins
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
• Pulp and juice of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
• Additional orange juice as needed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• 1 egg

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
• Combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour or graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
• Stir in the raisins, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds and grated orange rind. If you're using fresh or frozen cranberries, stir them in now.
• Squeeze the orange pulp and juice into a measuring cup.
• If you're using fresh or frozen cranberries, add enough orange juice to make one cup of liquid. If you're using cranberry sauce, add enough orange juice to make one-half cup of liquid.
• Beat the egg into the orange-juice mixture. Stir in the vanilla.
• If you're using cranberry sauce, stir it into the liquid mixture.
• Make a well in the dry ingredients. Pour in the liquid mixture and add the canola oil.
• Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Don't overmix the batter.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake for approximately one hour, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• Cool the loaf in the pan on a baking rack for 10 minutes.
• Remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool completely on the rack before slicing.

Notes

The fresh-cranberry version is tart and lightly sweet. The cranberry-sauce version is slightly sweeter.

Once the loaf has cooled completely, wrap it tightly or store it in an airtight container. To freeze it, wrap the whole loaf or individual slices before placing them in a freezer-safe container.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 116kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 151mgPotassium: 90mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg

Keyword cranberry orange loaf, healthy cranberry bread recipe, healthy cranberry orange bread, leftover cranberry sauce recipe

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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