If you love homemade quick bread, this Cranberry Almond Bread recipe is a must try. Moist, delicious, and swirls of cranberries throughout. Bake up two freezer friendly loaves–one for now and one to enjoy later!
If you love cranberries, you’ve got to try our Cranberry Christmas Cake. Or give our easy cranberry orange biscotti a try next!
What is Quick Bread
While breads made with yeast require time for kneading and rising (sometimes even a second or third rise!) before you can bake them, quick breads are, well, quicker.
Just mix together the batter, pour it in a pan and you’ll be enjoying a perfect loaf of bread in under an hour.
Classic Banana Bread might be one of the most familiar quick bread varieties. I also can’t get enough Zucchini Bread when my garden is overflowing and when the autumn arrives, Pumpkin Bread can’t be far behind!
This Cranberry Almond Bread might earn the top spot on my list of current quick bread obsessions.
- With a swirl of tart cranberries
- Sweet almond glaze
- Bakes two loaves, one for now, one for later!
Just mix, bake and eat. Does it get any easier? It sure does. Have you tried our strawberry bread yet? So good.
Ingredient Notes
Reminder
Scroll to the bottom of the blog post for the full ingredient list with measurements and directions.
- Cranberry sauce – Whether you use whole berry cranberry sauce from a can, or use homemade cranberry sauce, the choice is yours!
- Almond extract – If you don’t like the almond flavor (or don’t have any), feel free to substitute vanilla extract to make a classic cranberry bread.
- Sour cream – Plain Greek yogurt makes a wonderful substitute too.
- Flour- all-purpose works great for quick breads. Be sure you know how to measure flour correctly.
- Baking soda & Baking Powder- the perfect combo to help the bread rise.
- Sugar- used to sweeten the cranberry bread
- Eggs- help bind everything together and create a great texture!
- Butter- creates delicious flavor, and paired with the sour cream results in a tangy, moist bread! We use unsalted butter and add in kosher salt.
- Almond slices- toast the nuts for best flavor.
Easy Instructions
- Make the batter: Combine butter and sugar, then add in the eggs and the almond extract. Mix in the dry ingredients, then fold in the sour cream.
- Swirl with cranberry sauce: Pour a layer of batter into the bottom of two prepared loaf pans, then top with a layer of cranberry sauce. Swirl with a spatula, then repeat with another layer of batter and cranberry sauce. Swirl and top with the rest of the bread batter.
- Bake: Bake in the oven for 60 – 70 minutes. Remove and let the bread cool while you make the glaze.
- Glaze: Whisk the glaze ingredients together, then pour over the completely cooled bread.
The glaze will harden a little as it sets so it crackles just a bit when you bite into a slice of bread. Heavenly!
Tips & Tricks
- Use cooled cranberry sauce. I prefer to use canned sauce because it doesn’t run into the bread batter quite as much. If you use a homemade cranberry sauce, make sure it’s thick (not runny) and cooled completely or chilled before using it in this bread recipe.
- To avoid dense bread, be sure to follow my tips on how to measure flour!
- Best glaze. The beauty of this glaze is that you can make it thicker or thinner depending on your preference. Use less milk for a thicker icing or more milk if you like it a little runnier. For best results, it should be pourable but not so runny that it won’t stay on the bread.
- Freezing. Wrap the baked loaves in foil, then in freezer bags to keep them fresh. You can freeze them with or without the glaze on top.
- Optional toppings. Cranberry Almond is delicious served plain but it’s easy to dress it up for a special occasion, too. Slivered almonds or Sugared Cranberries would make perfect garnishes! Add some toasted coconut for tasty twist!
Recipe FAQs
Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, it is ready to come out of the oven.
Yes, however it should be a thick sauce, preferably chilled so it doesn’t run into the bread batter (see Tips u0026 Tricks).
If you plan to freeze one (or both) of the loaves, you can do it either before or after the glazing step. I prefer to freeze it unglazed then add the glaze fresh once the bread is thawed.
More Easy Quick Bread Recipes
- Chai Apple Bread
- Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Starbucks Lemon Loaf
- Amish Friendship Bread
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Favorite Breakfast Recipes
See all Breakfast and Brunch recipes
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Cranberry Almond Bread
Ingredients
For the Bread:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cup sour cream
- 1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce 14 ounce
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat in almond extract. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly mix in sour cream.
- Grease two loaf pans and line bottom with parchment paper. Spoon about 1 1/4 cup of batter into bottom of each pan, using a spatula to press it into the sides. Add a large spoonful of the cranberry sauce on top. Repeat layer of batter, pressing with fingers (it won’t completely cover the cranberry). Add second layer of cranberry and top with remaining batter.
- Bake loaves in a 350 degree oven for 60-70 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove and cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely before adding glaze.
- For the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar with milk and almond extract until desired consistency (add more or less milk as desired). Spread on top of bread. Allow to set, about 20 minutes.
- To store, wrap loaves of bread in foil, then in a ziploc bag. Store on counter or keep in freezer until ready to use. ENJOY!
Notes
Nutrition
Moist and sweet with tangy cranberries swirled into every bite, this Cranberry Almond Bread is a perfect quick bread for any occasion. Serve for breakfast, dessert or a holiday snack!
Do you use 9″ x 5″ or 8″ x 4″ size pans? Thank you!
9×5-inch pans.
I made this last night. Very easy and was a HUGE hit!! Family loved it. Will be making again Thanksgiving morning. Thanks for all of your GREAT recipes!!! (I have made quite a few). 🙂
Also, I did not make the glaze (did not want kids to have so much sugar) and it was perfect on its own…:)
I found your website last week and am blown away by all your wonderful recipes. Thanks golly i found you.
I’m so glad you found me too!!
I’ve got to try some of this. It looks so good and easy. You have a great photographer, too. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Anything quick is awesome in my book! And this looks delicious! Cranberries don’t get enough credit – they rock. 🙂
I love quick breads too! They are totally my favorite and I just whipped up some pumpkin pear bread today. My house smells great and I can’t wait to enjoy the warm bread! I’ve never added almond extract to my breads, but I have some in the pantry. I’m going to save this recipe!
Cranberries and almonds is an interesting combination I would have never thought of. Sounds great!
Nothing wrong with liking the canned stuff but I swear, the homemade version takes 3 minutes of your time + 10 minutes cooking. So good! And wow, you have a lot of great looking quick breads. 🙂
I know. I know. I like the homemade stuff, I really do. And 90% of the time I choose to make everything homemade…except cranberry sauce. Go figure!
Mix, bake and eat sounds good to me! 😀
I have always been tempted by your Triple Chocolate Caramel Butterscotch Bread – the pics alone, mmmm! But the cranberry bread with that glaze is looking good too!