Pumpkin Cranberry Bread with Tart Fresh Cranberries

This pumpkin cranberry bread is the kind of loaf that disappears slice by slice before it has a chance to cool.

It’s spice-filled and tender, with pockets of tart fresh cranberries that wake up all that cozy pumpkin flavor.

What Makes This Pumpkin Cranberry Bread So Good

The pumpkin puree brings natural sweetness and a ton of moisture, so the crumb stays soft and tender even after a couple of days. That means you can bake it ahead and still pull off a fresh-tasting slice.

Fresh cranberries are the real secret. They burst into little jammy pockets as the bread bakes, giving every bite a sharp pop of tang that cuts through the warm spice. Dried cranberries just can’t do the same thing.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour: spooned and leveled, not scooped.
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• Pinch ground cloves
• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (50 g) packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil: or any neutral oil.
• 2 large eggs: at room temperature.
• 1 cup (245 g) pumpkin puree: not pumpkin pie filling.
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) water: or milk for a richer crumb.
• 1½ cups (150 g) fresh or frozen cranberries: if using frozen, do not thaw.
• 1 tbsp coarse sugar, such as turbinado: optional, for a crunchy top.

Variations / Substitutions

• Swap the oil for melted butter: use ½ cup cooled melted butter for a richer, buttery loaf.
• Make it with white whole wheat flour: replace half the all-purpose flour with white whole wheat for a nuttier flavor.
• Use pumpkin pie spice: substitute the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves with 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
• Add orange: stir in 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest to the wet ingredients for a citrusy lift.
• Reduce the sugar: you can cut the granulated sugar by ¼ cup (use ½ cup total) for a less sweet loaf, but the texture will be slightly drier.

For a simpler loaf, try my classic pumpkin bread.

How to Make Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Step 1: Mix the Dry Ingredients

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1½ teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves.

The spice blend will smell warm and fragrant as you mix. Take a moment to break up any brown sugar clumps later, but for now just get the dry team evenly distributed.

Step 2: Whisk the Wet Ingredients

In a medium bowl, whisk the ¾ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ cup oil, and 2 eggs until smooth and slightly paler, about 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup pumpkin puree and ⅓ cup water, then whisk until no streaks of pumpkin remain.

The mixture will look glossy and orange, with a few flecks of brown sugar still visible. Those tiny bits will melt into the bread as it bakes, leaving little pockets of extra moisture.

Step 3: Fold in the Cranberries

Before adding the cranberries to the batter, toss them with 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture reserved from the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a spatula just until you no longer see dry flour. Gently fold in the flour-dusted cranberries, taking care not to overwork the batter.

A few streaks of flour are okay at this stage. Overmixing will knock out the lift and make the bread dense, so stop as soon as the last white patches disappear.

Step 4: Fill the Pan and Sprinkle with Sugar

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon coarse sugar evenly over the surface, if using, so you get a delicate crackly crust during baking.

The batter will be thick and slightly puffy. The sugar crystals will glisten on top, and in about an hour they will turn into a caramelized shell.

Step 5: Bake Until Golden

Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 55 to 65 minutes. After 30 minutes, loosely tent a piece of foil over the top if it’s browning too quickly. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, not wet batter.

The kitchen will fill with the smell of pumpkin and spice, and the loaf will rise with a proud crack down the middle. That crack is a sign the bread pushed up evenly, so don’t worry about it.

Step 6: Cool and Slice the Bread

Let the loaf cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn it out and let it cool completely, or at least until just warm. Slice it with a serrated knife using a gentle sawing motion so you don’t crush the tender crumb.

The slices will show off those brilliant red cranberry pockets, and the sugar top will give a quiet crunch that fades into the soft, spiced crumb. Serve warm with a swipe of salted butter if you like.

A Few Tips Before You Start

• Measure the flour right: spoon it into the cup and level with a knife. A heavy scoop can pack in too much flour and dry out the loaf.
• Room temperature eggs mix in more evenly: if they’re cold from the fridge, set them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes before cracking.
• Rotate the pan halfway through baking: most ovens have hot spots, and a quick turn at the 25-minute mark helps the top dome evenly.
• Let the bread cool before slicing: patience here keeps the crumb from tearing. If you slice it while it’s piping hot, the texture will feel gummy.
• Save a few whole cranberries to dot on top before the sugar: they’ll peek through the crust and look beautiful.

Bake times by pan:

Storing Leftovers

• Refrigerate: wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The pumpkin keeps it moist, so it won’t dry out quickly.
• Freeze: slice the bread first, then freeze the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet before transferring to a zip-top bag. Frozen slices last 2 months and toast up beautifully.
• Reheating: a 10-second zap in the microwave or a quick pass through the toaster oven brings back that fresh-baked softness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I substitute pumpkin pie spice for the individual spices?

Yes. Use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice and skip the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

Why does my loaf have a big crack down the middle?

That crack is completely normal for quick breads. It happens because the outside sets first and the rising batter pushes through the top. It’s a sign of a good rise.

Can I bake this in a glass loaf pan?

You can, but glass retains heat differently. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C) and start checking for doneness 5 to 10 minutes early.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread Recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 280

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• Pinch ground cloves
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ⅓ cup water
• 1½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw)
• 1 tbsp coarse sugar (optional)

Method

 

1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl.
2. Whisk sugars, oil, and eggs until smooth. Add pumpkin and water and whisk until combined.
3. Toss cranberries with 1 tbsp of the dry mixture, then stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Fold in cranberries gently.
4. Scrape batter into the pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with coarse sugar if using.
5. Bake 55 to 65 minutes, tenting with foil after 30 minutes if browning too fast. A toothpick should come out with moist crumbs.
6. Cool in the pan 15 minutes, turn out, and cool completely before slicing.

Notes

This bread tastes even better the next day as the spices meld. If you use frozen cranberries, keep them frozen and fold them in straight from the freezer so they don’t bleed too much into the batter.