If you enjoy a great quick bread with your breakfast, or as a snack, you are going to LOVE my homemade gluten free cranberry bread. It is loaded with chocolate chips. This quick bread is not only gluten free but dairy-free as well. You can dig into it in about 50 minutes!
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Fresh cranberries are in season and I am so excited to start making all of my favorite cranberry recipes like these gluten free cranberry streusel muffins!
Thanksgiving is around the corner, and I really wanted to create a healthy, but delicious gluten free and dairy free bread that your family can enjoy with breakfast.
Why you need to try this recipe:
This simple gluten free cranberry bread is healthy, moist, and delicious! I used coconut sugar to keep it lower glycemic and it is healthy enough to serve with breakfast or brunch without the guilt!
If you love a moist, yet light and fluffy quick bread, you need to try this gluten free cranberry orange bread recipe!
Ingredients you need:
- Coconut sugar - you can substitute brown sugar if you don't need a lower glycemic sugar.
- Coconut oil - you can use any light oil but I really like to use coconut oil because it adds some sweetness.
- Cranberries - I highly recommend that you use fresh cranberries. Dried cranberries will work but they will change the texture quite a bit.
- Orange zest - you can use either a navel orange or mandarin orange to make the zest.
- Gluten free flour blend - I tested Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Blend, Authentic Foods Multi Blend, and King Arthur Measure for Measure successfully in this recipe, but other brands should work too.
- Almond milk - or another non-dairy milk to keep this recipe dairy-free. Do not use canned coconut milk.
- Pure vanilla extract - vanilla bean paste also works well. Do not use imitation vanilla.
- Flaxseed meal - make sure to use ground flaxseed meal and not the whole seed.
- Chocolate chips - bittersweet, dark, or milk chocolate are fine.
- Optional nuts - use pecans or walnuts. You can save money buying nut pieces instead of whole nuts.
Ingredients swaps:
- Add chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts, or macadamia!
- Add other fruits like blueberries. You can use any fruit to enjoy year-round when cranberries are not in season.
- Add a mashed banana to add more sweetness.
How to make this recipe:
Step 1: Wash and chop up your cranberries. Look for bruised ones and toss those in the trash. There are lots of fresh cranberries in this gluten free cranberry bread recipe.
Step 2: Add your dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend.
I have tested two gluten free flour blends in this recipe. I liked King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure and Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend. This doesn't mean other blends won't work, I just haven't tested any others. Try to avoid flour blends that are high in starch.
As always, if your blend does not contain Xanthan Gum, you will need to add 1 teaspoon.
Step 3: Pour your wet ingredients into a smaller bowl and mix well.
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix up the wet and dry cranberry bread ingredients.
Step 5: Pour the batter into a greased loaf tin. I like to use spray coconut oil in my baking tin to prevent the quick bread from sticking to the pan.
Note, you can also use this recipe to make dairy free gluten free cranberry muffins! Just put your batter into parchment paper-lined muffin cups.
Step 6: After I put the batter into a greased baking dish, I sprinkled some cinnamon sugar over the top. This gives the top of this cranberry nut bread loaf a nice little sparkle.
If you are keeping the sugar down, feel free to skip this step. Bake at 350º F for 40-45 minutes.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ:
- The secret to keeping gluten free sweet bread to be light and fluffy is to "just" mix the batter. Don't over mix it, or it won't be as light!
- Allow the dairy-free cranberry bread to cool before slicing! (I once tried to slice the bread when it was still warm. The slices were a bit messy so I wanted to let you know so that you can learn from my mistake :-).
I bake this cranberry bread loaf for about 40 minutes. To test and see if it is done, insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf. If the toothpick comes out without crumbs or batter, that means your gluten free cranberry bread is finished.
This cranberry bread will keep up to 3 days stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Dried cranberries will work in this recipe but they will change the texture...like if you added raisins.
Nope, the beauty of this gluten free cranberry bread that you make from scratch is using fresh juicy cranberries. Their sweet tartness is what gives this bread its flavor.
You can easily freeze this cranberry bread for another time. Wrap a cooled loaf in plastic wrap. Next, wrap it in tin foil. Lastly, put the wrapped loaf into a freezer bag. It will keep in your freezer up to 4 months.
Are you ready to make your own gluten free cranberry bread? If you love cranberries as much as we do, you may want to check out this gluten free cranberry banana bread too!
Related Recipes:
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📋 Recipe
Gluten Free Cranberry and Chocolate Chip Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut sugar (*see note)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 3/4 cup gluten free flour blend (*see note)
- 1 cup almond milk (*see note)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup flaxseed meal ground
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Grease a loaf pan. (I sprayed mine with coconut oil)
- In a large bowl, add all of your dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- In a smaller bowl, add all wet ingredients and whisk. Add cranberries, chips, and nuts.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. Mix the two until they are just barely mixed. If you over mix your batter your quick bread will be denser.
- Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes until done.
- To test doneness, insert a toothpick into the bread towards the middle of the loaf. If your toothpick comes back clean, your bread is done baking. If you see crumbs or batter on the toothpick, you will need to bake it longer.
Video
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF, Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend, and Authentic Foods Multi Blend in this recipe. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn't contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, add 1 teaspoon.
- Feel free to substitute brown sugar for coconut sugar if you don't need a lower glycemic sugar option.
- You can use any non-dairy milk, but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- The secret to keeping gluten free sweet bread to be light and fluffy is to "just" mix the batter. Don't over mix it, or it won't be as light!
- Bake time will depend on the depth of the pan you use. To test doneness, insert a toothpick into the loaf. If the toothpick comes out clean, your bread is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, bake it longer.
- Allow the bread to cool before slicing! (I once tried to slice the bread when it was still warm. The slices were a bit messy so I wanted to let you know so that you can learn from my mistake :-).
- This gluten free cranberry bread will keep up to 3 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
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This post was originally published 12/12/14 and has been updated with new photos, instructions, and baking tips.
April
May I leave out the choc? And may I use a flax egg instead?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi April, I haven't tested this recipe with a flax egg so I am not sure. Please write back and let us know how it works out. You can totally omit the chocolate. Thank you 🙂 Sandi
Debra C.
This loaf looks so moist and delicious, I would like a slice to enjoy with a cup of coffee in the morning. I definitely need to get busy then, unless you deliver? 😀
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you so much...you should come enjoy some with me over a cup of coffee 🙂