A delicious keto gluten-free orange cranberry bread recipe with fresh berries. The loaf is made with a combination sweeteners and low-carb flours for an easy to make treat.
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I’ve been testing out some easy keto-friendly recipes to bake for the holidays. One of my favorites to share is a gingerbread quick bread which is so much easier to make than cookies.
When cooking, I like to keep things simple and natural. That’s why everything natural sweeteners.
Since the cranberries have been in the market, I reworked my gluten-free orange cranberry bread recipe. The original recipe used too many berries and the texture wasn’t quite right.
Ingredients for Gluten-Free Cranberry Bread
Most of the ingredients in this sweet quick bread are items you may already have on hand.
Almond and coconut flour are the low-carb flours used. When using them, it’s best to add in some xanthan gum. You can also use a keto wheat flour if you aren’t gluten-free. Because of the wheat flour properties, there’s no need for xanthan gum or extra eggs as noted in the recipe.
Cranberries are essential to the recipe or it wouldn’t be a cranberry bread. Either fresh or frozen berries can be used.
Brown sweetener is preferred. However, you can use a regular white sugar substitute instead. I do recommend adding in a small amount of blackstrap molasses if not using the brown sugar substitute. I also add in a concentrated sweetener so the amount of erythritol is lessened.
Butter is the fat used, but coconut oil is a great alternative if you’re dairy-free. You can also use a butter flavored coconut oil or ghee. A natural oil like avocado should work as well.
Almond milk is the liquid that provides moistness to the bread. You can substitute with coconut milk for nut-free.
Seasonings and spices include salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and orange peel. Orange extract can also be added or used in place of the peel.
Making Keto Orange Cranberry Bread
You’ll find the full printable recipe at the end of this post, but I’ll give a quick overview of how easy it is to make the bread here.
- Blend the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Combine the wet ingredients in a separate mixing bowl.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Mix until well combined.
- Fold in the cranberries.
- Spread batter into a loaf pan. For easy release, grease the pan well or line with parchment paper.
- Bake until bread tests done. A toothpick inserted near the center should come out clean.
Recipe Variations
- The orange flavor can be increased by using a keto-friendly orange drink in place of the almond milk. I’ve had good results using a flavored water and vitamin water. Keep in mind that these do add sweetness so the added sweetener can be reduced. You can also make your own orange water with a flavored extract.
- Add a glaze for extra sweetness. I prefer my gluten-free orange cranberry bread more on the savory side. But if you want it to be a sweet treat, top it with a simple glaze. Just mix powdered sweetener with a little almond milk or orange drink. You can even sprinkle in some orange peel or stir in some orange extract.
- Use more cranberries. The inspiration for the recipe came from quick bread in a Martha Stewart magazine. However, that recipe used double the amount of berries which seems to be a bit too much. But feel free to add more cranberries if you prefer.
Frequently Asked Questions for Orange Cranberry Bread
These are the most asked questions about the recipe.
Because there isn’t any sugar or preservatives in the bread, it’s best to keep it stored in the refrigerator. It can be left at room temperature for a day or two or up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
For longer storage, the bread can be wrapped in plastic wrap and then enclosed in aluminum foil or a freezer bag. The frozen bread will keep for up to six months.
Sweetness can be adjusted to taste. It’s best to add at least a half cup of sugar equivalent.
Keto-friendly nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and pecans can be mixed into the batter. You can also use a blend of low-carb berries instead of just cranberries or in place of them.
A blend of half water and half cream can be used in an equal amount in place of the almond milk. Cream by itself it too thick and rich to be substituted as is.
Other Recipes to Try
If you love keto sweet bread, you may want to check out some of my other recipes. You’ll find a great sampling of these below!
- Key Lime Bread is a moist and flavorful bread that adds in delicious coconut flavor.
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Bread can be enjoyed as an easy to make breakfast treat or snack
- Keto Banana Bread has all the delicious flavor you’d expect without the need for an extract.
- Zucchini Bread with Almond Flour is another moist low-carb bread with a hint of cinnamon.
- Pumpkin Bread with Coconut Flour has all the warm spices of fall combined with pumpkin.
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Keto Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup Swerve brown sugar substitute or white sweetener
- ½ teaspoon monk fruit 30% extract see Note
- 1 tablespoon dried orange peel
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted (or coconut oil)
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
- 6 ounces cranberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F; grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sweeteners, orange peel, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine butter, eggs, and almond milk.
- Mix dry mixture into wet mixture until well combined.
- Fold in cranberries. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Transfer pan to a wire rack; let bread cool 15 minutes before removing from pan.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
Ella
Can we use monk fruit sweetener instead of the extract if we can’t find it at the store
Lisa MarcAurele
You can use a granular sweetener as mentioned in the recipe notes.
Karla
The recipe calls for 6 oz cranberries but un your blog you state the recipe uses 12 oz. which is correct?
Lisa MarcAurele
Originally it was 12 ounces but I found that to be too much so I reduced it to half.
Sandy
Absolutely is sooo delicious. I was concerned about all the cranberries, but it is perfect. I best go n buy some more cranberries and put them in the freezer so I can make this wonderful recipe all year long.
Thank you.
Mary
Hi…I am wanting to make this loaf again but have no almond or coconut milk. Could heavy cream be used in place? It is a great recipe!
Lisa MarcAurele
I usually dilute heavy cream with water in a half half mix when subbing for almond milk so that should work for you.
Karen Hayes
EXCELLENT RECIPE!!! This bread was so moist and delicious. I only had “lite” coconut milk and used that. I just purchased the full fat coconut milk and can’t wait to make it again tomorrow. I lined the loaf pan with parchment, which made for easy clean up! Thanks for sharing this tasty recipe. It’s a keeper 🙂
Lee
What is the purpose of the stevia? We do not use stevia (give the early cancer warnings, since removed by the FDA), ever. Monk fruit sweeteners are what we use.
Lisa MarcAurele
It’s used as a sweetener. Monk fruit can be used instead.
Peggy
This was fabulous! I was looking for a blueberry recipe so I adapted this one. I used a big handful of blueberries, left out the molasses and used almond milk and “Pyure” granulated sweetener because that’s what I had. I also used almond flavoring instead of vanilla because I love it. I will definitely be making this again.
Christine Treter
Lovely…..Thanks for posting. I made a few changes; used almond milk, 1 1/2 cups almond flour and 1/2 cup barley flour, some cinnamon, 3/4 cup Swerve, zest from a large orange, and about 1/2-1 tsp vanilla. Both my husband and son enjoyed it, also! A keeper.
Kandy
I just put this bread into the oven. FYI for a typo I believe: Mix dry mixture into wet mixture to dry mixture until well combined.
Also my cranberries are totally floating on top of the batter when poured into prepared pan. I did not use coconut canned milk and only had almond milk (unsweetened) to use. Would this cause the cranberries to float as the batter may not be as thick as with canned coconut milk? I am wondering if dusting them with a bit of almond flour would help with this as normally using AP flour berries are mixed into the flour to keep them from floating.
i am looking forward to the finished product. Your recipe showed the best looking loaf as far as I am concerned!
Lisa MarcAurele
A thinner batter would allow the cranberries to float so that may be the issue. I have had success coating other berries with the dry mixture before blending in, but I’m not sure if that would still work in a thin batter.
Vicki
The best cranberry bread! I added a little cinnamon and topped with a lemon glaze. So yummy!!!
Lisa MarcAurele
That does sound good!
Nancy B
Yay!! I have been looking for something like my sister-in-laws cranberry orange muffins–can i make muffins with this too?? Can’t wait to try this–not sure i can use orange juice for the orange flavor–what would you suggest?
Lisa
I’d use orange peel and maybe some extract as they are more concentrated than juice.