This easy cranberry banana bread recipe is delicious & simple to make. You will love the taste of sweet bananas combined with slightly tart cranberries. Cranberry banana bread is fantastic as a breakfast snack or a lunch/dinner dessert. Our recipe calls for fresh or frozen cranberries. However, you can also use dried cranberries if you want a sweeter banana bread. Nevertheless, whether you use fresh, frozen or dried cranberries, cranberry banana bread is the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving, autumn harvest festivals or any special occasion.
Cranberry Banana Bread – Stuffed with Juicy Cranberries!
Our banana bread with cranberries recipe should take you only 10-15 minutes to prepare and clean up. Please be aware that this is an oven-baked banana bread recipe. It is not made with a bread machine. You will also find a printable and “pin-able” recipe at the bottom of this page.
Ingredients – Easy Cranberry Banana Bread Recipe
- 8 Tablespoons – Unsalted Butter (softened)
- 2 – Large Eggs
- 3 – Bananas (ripe & large sized) – Roughly 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas
- 2 Cups – Flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 Cup – White Granulated Sugar
- 1 1/2 Cups – Cranberries (frozen or fresh)
- 1 Teaspoon – Vanilla Extract
- 1 Teaspoon – Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon – Baking Powder (aluminum free)
- 1/2 Teaspoon – Salt
Servings – Roughly 12 slices
Equipment – Measuring cup & spoons, mixing bowl, long wooden spoon, 9 by 5 bread pan, oven mitts, silicon spatula, cooling rack and an oven.
You Can Even Turn This Recipe Into Delicious Cranberry Banana Muffins!
Instructions – Easy Cranberry Banana Bread Recipe
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Mash bananas with a fork.
- Soften butter in a microwave. FYI – I semi-melt the butter for better mixability.
- Stir eggs, bananas and butter together.
- Mix in remaining ingredients (except the cranberries). Stir until the batter is fully mixed.
- Add the cranberries after the batter has been completely mixed. Make sure the cranberries are evenly spread throughout the batter.
- Pour finished batter into a nonstick bread pan. Smooth out the top of the batter within the bread pan.
- Optional (for decorative purposes) – Sprinkle some cranberries on top of the batter before placing into the oven.
- Bake in the oven for 65-70 minutes or until golden brown.
- Take out of oven and let the banana bread cool down in the bread pan for 10 minutes. Do not remove the banana bread from the bread pan during this 10 minute cool down period. Use oven mitts as the bread pan will be very hot coming out of the oven.
- After 10 minutes, remove the banana bread from the bread pan. Place the banana bread on a cooling rack in order to completely cool. This cool down may take 1-2 hours. Gently slide a silicon spatula between the banana bread and the bread pan walls if the banana bread is stuck in the pan.
- Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully & to avoid common banana bread problems.
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Tips – Easy Cranberry Banana Bread Recipe
- The tips below are designed to help banana bread “novices” and/or people with limited baking experience.
- Click on our “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include our tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
- This recipe is part of our series on easy Banana Bread Recipes.
- I like to use frozen cranberries with this recipe because they retain their shape better during the stirring of the batter and baking (less likely to rupture during the mixing & baking cycles). In addition, fresh cranberries can be harder to find in the supermarket (versus frozen cranberries).
- Frozen cranberries do not have to be thawed before baking the banana bread. They can be added directly to the banana bread batter and will thaw during the baking process. However, you need to make sure that you remove any ice attached to the frozen cranberries (or you will be adding too much liquid to the recipe and the banana bread could come out undercooked). I like to wash off the ice off of the frozen cranberries & then dry the cranberries (in order to make sure there is no extra moisture).
- You can also use fresh cranberries. They are delicious but tend to “bleed” a little more (rupture in the bread when mixing & baking).
- You can also use dried cranberries if you want a sweeter cranberry banana bread. However, the banana bread will be a little drier because it will lack the natural “juice” contained in fresh or frozen cranberries.
- Please visit our Banana Bread Glaze page if you would like to learn how to add a vanilla or chocolate glaze to your banana bread.
- Use RIPE bananas for the best taste. Ripe bananas are soft and the yellow peel is covered with many small black spots. Hard yellow/green(ish) bananas are too starchy and have much less banana flavor.
- Make sure to use 3 large bananas (not 3 medium bananas). Otherwise, the banana bread with cranberries might turn out to be a little dry.
- In case, you like to use cups versus banana “sizes”… 3 medium-sized bananas equal roughly 1 to 1 1/4 cups of mashed bananas (not sliced bananas). 3 large-sized bananas equal roughly 1 1/3 to 1 2/3 cups of mashed bananas (not sliced bananas). Of course, banana sizes can vary greatly… and my version of medium and large-sized bananas may differ from yours!
- Use 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas to be exact. This will help to prevent the banana bread from being too dry or too wet.
- Please use the suggested 9 x 5 bread pan to make this recipe. If you start using different sized pans, there is a greater potential for bread top collapses (potentially less bread pan “wall” support for the quick bread as it rises), different interior batter to exterior bread ratios (thus the need for different baking time lengths), smaller pans are more likely to overflow, etc.
- Optional – To prevent your banana bread from sticking to the bottom of the bread pan (especially if you are using “sticky” ingredients such as fresh cranberries), you should consider either “greasing” the bottom of the pan with butter or vegetable oil, using a cooking spray, using a nonstick bread pan or lining the interior of the bread pan with baking parchment paper.
- Baking parchment is probably the safest method for preventing sticking problems. It also allows you to lift the banana bread out of the pan without disturbing the top of the banana bread… in case you have added any special ingredients (such as chopped nuts or chocolate chips) to the top of the banana bread.
- Do NOT use an electric mixer to mix your ingredients (when combining the wet and dry ingredients). Stick to an old fashioned wooden spoon. An electric mixer can overmix the ingredients and the banana bread will turn out rubbery & gummy.
- This doesn’t happen often but if the top of the banana bread looks too moist or under cooked, you should try the “toothpick test”. Gently push a toothpick or long wooden skewer into the top of the bread and see if any batter sticks to the toothpick. If batter is sticking to the toothpick then it hasn’t completely cooked. Place the bread pan back into the still hot oven for another 2 or 3 minutes. Make sure to wear oven gloves because the bread pan will be very hot. After the 2 or 3 minutes, remove the bread pan and test the banana cranberry bread again with a tooth pick.
- In case you are interested, here are some interesting cranberry facts. Cranberries are a decent source of vitamin C, antioxidants and magnesium. In addition, according to Wikipedia, the United States, Canada, and Chile account for roughly “98% of the world production of cranberries” and “95% of cranberries are processed and used to make cranberry juice and sauce”. Juice & sauce? Well, we prefer them in banana bread!
- If you looking for an easy breakfast snack, you can also turn this recipe into delicious Cranberry Banana Muffins.
- For more cranberry-based desserts & snacks, you should try our recipes for Applesauce Cranberry Bread, Cranberry Bread (with Dried Cranberries), Cranberry Bread (with Fresh Cranberries) and Pumpkin Cranberry Bread.
- If you have a problem with a banana bread recipe, please make sure that you are following the recipe exactly (i.e. using the correct oven temperature), using the correct amounts of ingredients (i.e. don’t eyeball the measurements versus using a measuring cup or accidentally add a tablespoon when a teaspoon is called for), using the correct ingredients (i.e. baking soda/powder versus yeast or all purpose flour versus bread flour), etc. Please don’t “wing” things with recipes.
- Use FRESH ingredients (i.e. flour) for the best results. Ingredients that have been sitting in the pantry for months can become stale or pick up weird smells & flavors. Try to keep your ingredients (i.e. flour) in airtight food containers in order to extend their shelf life.
- Airtight containers also help to prevent ingredients (i.e. flour and sugar) from absorbing moisture from the air. This extra moisture can throw off recipes (as it can disrupt the liquid-to-dry ingredient ratio in the recipe) and shorten an ingredient’s shelf life.
- In addition, you should always try to use relatively fresh baking soda & powder for the best results. For example, using baking soda from an open container (that has been deodorizing your refrigerator for months) may lead to subpar results. Old & hard baking soda/powder may lead to rising problems and/or leave small bitter clumps in your banana bread with cranberries.
- Make sure that your oven has been completely preheated. If the oven has not been properly preheated, this banana bread could come out undercooked. Use a portable oven thermometer to check the interior oven temperature.
- Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with hot ovens, baking trays, etc.
- For more easy banana bread recipes (i.e. blueberry, cranberry, chocolate chip, vegan, oatmeal, etc.), please visit Bread Dad’s main Banana Bread Recipes section.
- If you enjoyed this recipe, we would love to see a picture of your masterpiece! Please post a photo of it on Instagram and tag it with @BreadDadRecipes
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Questions – Banana Bread with Cranberries
What is a quick bread?
Quick breads use baking soda and other types of leavening agents. They do not use yeast as a leavening agent (unlike traditional breads used for sandwiches). Quick breads also tend to be moister, sweeter, denser and have a muffin-like consistency. Types of sweet quick breads include banana bread, beer bread, carrot bread and zucchini bread.
Of course, cranberry banana bread is a delicious example of a sweet quick bread!
What is a ripe banana?
A ripe banana generally has a yellow banana peel with some brown spots. The ripe “interior” banana will be sweeter & softer than unripe hard bananas. As a banana ripens, natural enzymes coverts the banana’s starch into sugar. Therefore, unripe green or yellow bananas have more starch and less sugar than ripe bananas. This results in a lower quality banana bread.
For more on the banana ripening process, please read this Wikipedia article.
What is aluminum free baking powder?
Baking powder is used as a leavening agent in some bread recipes (i.e. banana bread). However, some baking powder brands have ingredients like sodium aluminum sulfate. If you would rather not add aluminum into your family’s meals, you should consider using aluminum free baking powder. Aluminum free baking powder is sold in stores or online.
What are dried cranberries?
Dried cranberries are dehydrated fresh cranberries. The reduced water content in dried cranberries makes them sweeter than fresh or frozen cranberries. In addition, many commercially produced dried cranberries have added extra sugar. FYI – Banana cranberry bread can be made with frozen cranberries, fresh cranberries or dried cranberries.
Reference Sources
- Wikipedia, Banana
- Wikipedia, Banana Bread
- Wikipedia, Cranberry
- Wikipedia, Quick Bread
Easy Cranberry Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (softened)
- 2 Eggs (large)
- 3 Bananas (ripe & large sized)
- 2 Cups Flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 Cup White Granulated Sugar
- 1 1/2 Cups Cranberries (frozen or fresh)
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder (aluminum free)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Mash bananas with a fork.
- Soften butter in a microwave. FYI – I semi-melt the butter for better mixability.
- Stir eggs, bananas and butter together.
- Mix in remaining ingredients (except the cranberries). Stir until the batter is fully mixed.
- Add the cranberries after the batter has been completely mixed. Make sure the cranberries are evenly spread throughout the batter.
- Pour finished batter into a nonstick bread pan. Smooth out the top of the batter within the bread pan.
- Optional (for decorative purposes) – Sprinkle some cranberries on top of the batter before placing into the oven.
- Bake in the oven for 70 minutes.
- Take out of oven and let the banana bread cool down in the bread pan for 10 minutes. Do not remove the banana bread from the bread pan during this 10 minute cool down period. Use oven mitts as the bread pan will be very hot coming out of the oven.
- After 10 minutes, remove the banana bread from the bread pan. Place the banana bread on a cooling rack in order to completely cool. This cool down may take 1-2 hours. Gently slide a silicon spatula between the banana bread and the bread pan walls if the banana bread is stuck in the pan.
Notes
Nutrition
If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below & give us a 5 star rating. Your comments help us to improve & clarify our recipe instructions. Moreover, it is ALWAYS great to hear from someone who has enjoyed our recipes!!!
Related Recipes
- Applesauce Cranberry Bread
- Blueberry Banana Bread
- Coconut Banana Bread
- Cranberry Banana Muffins
- Cranberry Bread with Fresh Cranberries
- Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
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