Cranberry Orange Bread with Pecans is a delicious vegan quick bread made with wholesome ingredients like coconut sugar, applesauce and whole wheat white flour. Make a loaf or muffins or both! 

Cranberry Orange Bread with Pecans in a loaf pan topped with streusel

It’s cranberry and orange season!

I’m sending y’all a delicious, warming sweet bread to kick start your frozen mornings. So many flavors are dancing around in this bread; if you like cranberries, you’re in for a treat!

Ingredients for the Cranberry Orange Bread on a table

I adapted my cranberry orange bread with pecans recipe from one of my go-to baking books, The Grand Central Baking Book.  I’m learning more about vegan baking so I decided to try Grand Central’s recipe with some ingredient substitutions. We love the results!

Pecans chopped on a chopping board with knife. Orange zest on a chopping board and juicing the oranges.

I also bumped up the amount of orange zest, used 1/2 white whole wheat flour versus all, all purpose flour and instead of all white sugar, I used about 1/2 coconut sugar.  Y’all know I’m a streusel fan, so I added a nutmeg pecan streusel. Optional, certainly, but it lends a very nice, yet subtle crunch to the top. I toasted a slice this morning, adding to the crunch factor… is your mouth watering yet?  My neighbor was over directly, picking up a 1/2 loaf to enjoy!

Adding these ingredients at a time to a bowl of a stand mixer: sugar, apple sauce, dry ingredients and the milk mixture.

Quick breads are just that. Quick. I used a stand mixer to get mine going, but this bread can be made in a bowl with a strong arm and sturdy whisk. Consider making a loaf for a gracious host or hostess gift or for a fabulous offering at the office potluck. Good for snacking in the morning or afternoon.

Folding chopped pecans and cranberries to the Cranberry Orange Bread mixture.

I’ve included instructions for both muffins and a loaf(s) to suit your baking needs. Muffins are great for a quick grab snack, and a loaf makes a nice gift or festive presentation, especially when sliced.

Cranberry Orange Muffins with streusel on a baking towel.

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Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread with Pecans

5 stars from 1 rating
By Traci York
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 2 loaves or 18 muffins
Warm, and toasty with flavors reminiscent of the holidays, this Vegan Cranberry Orange Bread with Pecans makes a heartwarming hostess gift or a delicious morning or afternoon snack. This recipe yields two loaves or one loaf and nine muffins or 18 muffins.
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Ingredients

For the Bread/Muffins:

  • Coconut Oil Pan spray
  • 1 3/4 C White Whole Wheat Flour, aka Ivory Wheat Flour, 294 g
  • 1 3/4 C All Purpose Flour, 298 g
  • 2 Tbs Organic Corn Starch
  • 1 tsp Pink Sea Salt
  • 3/4 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 1 1/4 C Almond Milk + 1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar, 262 mL
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Oranges,, zest of both, juice of one (about 1/4 C or 60mL)
  • 1 C Granulated Sugar, 228 g
  • 1 1/4 C Coconut Sugar - see note*, 188 g
  • 3/4 C Coconut Oil, warmed to liquid state (146 g)
  • 3/4 C Apple Sauce, unsweetened (192 g)
  • 1 3/4 C Fresh Cranberries, 164 g
  • 1/2 C Pecans, 68 g

For the Streusel (optional):

  • 1/3 C White Whole Wheat Flour, aka Ivory Wheat Flour, 51 g
  • 1/4 C Pecans, 28 g
  • 2 1/2 Tbs Granulated Sugar
  • 1/8 tsp Pink Sea Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 2 Tbs Coconut Oil, warmed to liquid state

Instructions 

For the Loaf(s) and/or Muffins:

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Prepare loaf pan by spraying or rubbing coconut oil in pan. If using muffin cups, line a muffin pan with cups. Or use mini panettone cups and line a pan with parchment or silpat to set the muffin cups on.
  • While the oven is preheating, toast the pecans for the bread and streusel for about 15-18 minutes. They should be fragrant and toasty (watch them carefully as they go from toasty to burnt quick!). Set aside to cool, then rough chop 1/2 C for the bread and finely chop 1/4 C for the streusel.
  • Sift together the whole wheat and all purpose flour, corn starch, sea salt, baking powder and nutmeg. Set aside.
  • In a spouted measuring cup combine the almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Whisk. To the milk mixture, add the orange zest, juice and vanilla extract. Whisk again and set aside.
  • In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the granulated and coconut sugar and oil (make sure the oil is warmed a bit warmer than room temperature) until throughly combined; it will look sandy, about two minutes. Add the apple sauce and beat the mixture until the ingredients are combined and emulsified, about two minutes. (At this point the coconut oil may separate or clump if it is not quite warm enough. If this happens, the mixture can be warmed slightly until the oil in in a liquid state again. Beat until emulsified.)
  • Add 1/2 the sifted ingredients to the sugar/oil mixture and pulse just until combined. Add 1/2 the milk mixture and pulse just until combined. Add the remaining flour mixture, pulse in, then add the rest of the milk mixture. Pulse until ingredients are combined.
  • Fold in the rough chopped pecans and all the cranberries.

For the Streusel (optional):

  • Fine chop the cooled pecans.
  • Mix the flour, pecans, sugar, salt and nutmeg in a small bowl.
  • Add the warmed coconut oil by teaspoon full to the flour mixture, mix well. Clumping is ok.

For Assembly:

  • Divide the bread mixture evenly between loaf pans, a little over 1/2 full each. Use the back of a butter knife and run a slit down the center of the bread. This will help it rise evenly. If making muffins, fill the muffin cups to a little over 1/2 full each as well (about 106 g).
  • If adding streusel, spoon the streusel evenly over the bread and/or muffins.

To Bake:

  • For muffins, bake for 30-35 minutes turning once after 20 minutes.
  • For a loaf, bake for 65-70 minutes turning once after 30 minutes.
  • Test for donness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the muffins/loaf. It should come out clean when done.

Notes

*If coconut sugar is unavailable, granulated sugar can be used instead.

Made it? Leave a comment below!

The most helpful comment may include recipe rating, feedback, any modifications or helping other commentors.

A loaf and three slices of the Cranberry Orange Bread with Pecans on a kitchen towel. A couple of orange wedges in a small bowl, pecans, and cranberries around it.

Traci sprinkling flour over a disk of pastry.

Filed under:

Sweet Breads Featured Freezer Friendly Dairy Free Egg Free Vegan Vegetarian Oven Baked Orange Christmas New Years Thanksgiving Fall Winter

Recipe Key

DFDairy FreeEFEgg FreeVVeganVGVegetarian

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well hello!

I’m Traci. So glad you're here!

I cook vibrant vegetarian food, bake sourdough and create from scratch baked recipes, sharing them here since 2014. Inspired by the seasons, my southern roots and global flavors, let's cook something delicious together!

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5 from 1 vote

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5 Comments

  1. Millican Pecan says:

    5 stars
    Great vegan recipe! Always looking for something for our daughter who is very picky with what she eats. However, she also has a gluten intolerance so I think I might try subbing out the all-purpose flour with pecan meal/flour and see what happens. Either way, apple sauce, cranberries, orange, pecans… how can you go wrong. Love it.

    Reply
  2. Dara says:

    Just made this bread for Thanksgiving! Dealing with a whole bunch of food allergies and this was a perfect treat. I used gluten free flour and the results were fantastic!

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Hooray! Yay YOU with this challenging task! Thank you for sharing Dara and so happy it worked with gluten free flour! :D

      Reply
  3. Angel says:

    Can you just use all white whole wheat flour?

    Reply
    1. Traci says:

      Hi Angel! You could, although I’ve not tried it in this recipe. If you do try it, let the batter rest for about 5-10 minutes before baking so that the whole wheat has additional time to hydrate (this will soften the texture of the grain). The texture will be a bit different then what I’ve developed here, but I am sure still delicious. If you give it a go, let us know how you do!

      Reply