This lemon cranberry bread is quick and easy to make. It’s filled with tart cranberries in a sweet, lemon flavoured bread with a lemon glaze.
Lemons and cranberries just belong together. Which is a little weird, since they both have such tart flavours.
You wouldn’t think that they would go so well together, but they do. Especially when you combine them in a sweet lemon cranberry bread with a lemon glaze.
This sweet bread is so tasty, we went through the loaf in no time at all. But then, we love lemon flavoured things, so they always disappear quickly!
If you are a lemon fan too, you will love this bread. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries in it, or dried cranberries if you like. I always use fresh or frozen cranberries though because I like the tartness of them in this sweet bread. Dried cranberries generally have added sugar so it will be a sweeter bread if you use those.
You could also skip the lemon glaze if you want to. But….it might just be my favourite part. So don’t.
If you’re looking for a sweet treat this week, try making this lemon cranberry bread. You won’t be disappointed!
How long does cranberry bread last?
Quick breads will keep well at room temperature and taste fresh for up to 3 days, if they’re kept in a sealed container. The glaze on this bread does tend to get soft and sticky instead of staying set if it’s kept in an airtight container so be aware of that.
You can also freeze lemon cranberry bread (I like to freeze it in a large ziplock freezer bag) for up to 3 months.
How do you make lemon glaze with lemon juice?
This lemon cranberry bread has a super simple lemon glaze on it. All you need is powdered sugar (also called icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar) and fresh lemon juice. Stir them together until smooth and drizzle it over top of the cooled bread.
How do you make Lemon Cranberry Bread?
- Make sure not to over mix your batter. Quick breads will be tough rather than light and fluffy if you mix the batter too much. Stir just until the ingredients are combined.
- I use fresh cranberries for this bread (halved or quartered if they’re large). If you prefer dried cranberries, simply omit the step where you combine them with a tablespoon of sugar, and add the lemon zest to the dry ingredients instead. Fold in the dried cranberries at the end.
- I love this lemon zester for zesting the lemon.
Here are a few more great lemon recipes for you:
- Lemon Cookies
- Lemon Blueberry Turnovers
- Glazed Raspberry Lemon Bread
- Lemon Coconut Muffins
- Homemade Lemon Curd
Lemon Cranberry Bread
This lemon cranberry bread is quick and easy to make. It's filled with tart cranberries in a sweet, lemon flavoured bread with a lemon glaze.
Ingredients
For the Bread:
- 1 cup Fresh Cranberries, halved if large
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest, from about 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
- 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 large Eggs
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice, from about 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, toss the cranberries and lemon zest with the 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, and melted butter until well combined.
- Add the milk and vanilla and whisk until combined.
- Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Fold in the cranberries.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top.
- Bake 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool for 10-15 minutes in the loaf pan, and then remove it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth to make the glaze.
- Drizzle the glaze over top of the cooled bread.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 264Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 303mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 5g
Nutrition Information is estimated based on ingredients used and may not be exact.
I’ve also shared this Lemon Cranberry Bread recipe over on Food Fanatic.
carolyn
Monday 20th of April 2020
No lemon juice? How come? Carolyn
Stacey
Thursday 23rd of April 2020
I tried the recipe both ways, with lemon juice in the batter and without, and I liked it best this way. I found most the lemon flavour in the bread came from the lemon zest and using the lemon juice in the glaze gave an extra burst of lemon that I liked better then adding it to the batter. You could certainly add it into the bread instead if you like, I just preferred it the way it's written. I've also made it with lemon flavouring instead of vanilla and that was good too, and added a little extra lemon flavour.
Jihane Habet
Tuesday 5th of November 2019
Can I use frozen or dried cranberries? I don't get fresh ones where i live
Stacey
Tuesday 5th of November 2019
Frozen cranberries will work just fine - I've used them before. Don't thaw them before using though. I know people have made it with dried cranberries and liked it, but I haven't myself. The texture will obviously be different with dried ones, but I think it will still be very good. You might want to decrease the sugar a bit though as the dried cranberries usually have sugar added and will make the bread sweeter whereas fresh/frozen cranberries are quite tart.
Rachel
Wednesday 16th of January 2019
Looks Amazing! Keep those recipes coming!
Lewis Johnson
Tuesday 15th of January 2019
I would eat a whole loaf of this right now.
Haley
Thursday 20th of December 2018
This has to be delicious! Lemon and cranberry go great together.