Cranberry Banana Bread

Sweet bananas and tart cranberries come together for a winter twist on an old favorite in this Cranberry Banana Bread.

Cranberry season is finally here!

I love tart cranberries. I always try to buy extra bags during the holiday season to freeze because I never know if I’ll get them again before next winter.

And I never know when I’ll be craving Cranberry Crumb Bars, Cranberry Gooey Butter Bars, or Cranberry Orange Scones!

And now I can add this Cranberry Banana Bread to my list of random cranberry cravings. After all, I love the sweet-tart combination, and there isn’t one better than sweet bananas and tart cranberries.

SWEET BANANA BREAD AND BLUEBERRY TART

Banana bread is one of my favorite treats to make. I don’t know about you, but no matter how many bananas I buy, we somehow always end up with extras that my family doesn’t eat.

And since no one in their right mind likes to eat those overripe bananas alone, I put them in banana bread.

(Sometimes I use them to make a moist banana cake or strawberry banana muffins, but usually it’s banana bread!)

I love the sweetness of my favorite Dominique Ansel Banana Bread and decided to try adding tart cranberries for a wintry twist to the recipe.

If you’re a big fan of both banana bread and cranberries like me, you’ll love this combination. The bread is sweet and moist, with lots of banana flavor coming through, but the tartness of the cranberries cuts the richness of the bread.

It’s a delicious weekend breakfast or afternoon snack. A little cream cheese here would be *chef’s kiss*!

HOW TO MAKE BLUEBERRY BANANA BREAD

In addition to giving me a way to use up those extra bananas, I love making banana bread because it’s so quick to throw together. No mixer required for this!

Ingredients you will need

To make my cranberry banana bread you will need:

• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 mashed bananas (about 2 cups)
• 14 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• Coarse sugar for garnish

You can use fresh or frozen cranberries in this recipe. If you use frozen ones, don’t worry about defrosting them before starting. If you thaw the cranberries first, there is a greater chance that they will discolor the batter.

My favorite raw sugar for topping recipes like Pumpkin Banana Bread, Zucchini Muffins, and this Cranberry Banana Bread is the sugar in Turbinado Raw Brown Sugar.

Before you get started with this recipe, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly so it turns out perfect every time.

Make this Cranberry Banana Bread recipe

This recipe makes a 10×5 inch loaf. Grease a 10×5-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper.

Prepare the cranberries: Coarsely chop them, then mix them together with 1 cup of sugar. Set them aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the rest of the sugar with the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Separately, whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.

Add the sweetened cranberries and melted butter to the dough and mix until incorporated. Pour the mixture into the previously prepared mold and sprinkle the surface with coarse sugar.

Bake the cranberry banana bread for about 70 minutes (1 hour and 10 minutes). A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.

Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

STORAGE TIPS

Store tightly wrapped cranberry banana bread at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze bread to keep it longer.

Wrap the entire loaf in a layer of plastic wrap followed by heavy-duty aluminum foil and freeze for up to a month. Let it thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours.

Alternatively, you can freeze individual slices by wrapping them in cling film and storing them in a zip-lock freezer bag. Freeze for up to one month. Before enjoying, unwrap a slice and place it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds to thaw and reheat.

Frequent questions

Can I use dried cranberries instead of fresh?

This recipe is designed specifically to use fresh cranberries and has not been tested with dried ones. If you’re looking for recipes that use dried cranberries, check out my cranberry bars or orange and cranberry shortbread biscuits.

I’m using frozen cranberries. Do I need to defrost them?

No! I actually recommend leaving them frozen until you roughly chop them. If you defrost them, they are more likely to discolor the bread batter.

(The bread would still taste great, but it might not look as good!)

I don’t have a 10×5 inch baking pan. What can I use instead?

This blueberry banana bread uses a 10×5-inch baking pan. I have several recipes that use a pan this size, like Banana Walnut Bread and Brown Butter Pumpkin Bread, so it’s a good investment to make.

If you don’t have a loaf pan that size, you can divide the dough into two 8×4-inch loaf pans and bake them for 65 to 70 minutes.