Adding plump, juicy cranberries to moist and tender banana bread is such a delightful combination!

You’ll love this cranberry banana bread for its tender crumb and the contrast of sweet and tart cranberries dotting each slice.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase, this site may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Quickbreads are one of my favorite things to make from scratch. Not only are they easy to make, but they’re also so incredibly versatile.

My sour cream banana bread is a crowd-pleasing favorite, because it’s never gray or dense. Instead, it’s light in color, with a tender interior. In my opinion, that’s how the best banana breads should be.

And of course, around the holidays, I love to buy extra bags of cranberries from the grocery store and make my classic cranberry cream cheese bread.

So I figured, why not combine these two favorites into cranberry banana bread?

I have to say, it was the perfect choice. It’s definitely going on my list of the best banana bread recipes!

More Delicious Quick Bread Recipes:

• Banana Pear Bread
• Cranberry Pistachio Bread
• Pistachio Banana Bread
• Strawberry Banana Bread
• Bisquick Banana Muffins
• Cream Cheese Cranberry Muffins

Baking Banana Bread with Fresh Cranberries

Fresh cranberries, when raw, are super tart and not very appetizing on their own.

However, when baked, they become sweeter, softening and bursting with flavor. They pair especially well with sweet desserts and side dishes.

I’ve been a fan of cranberries for a long time, whether it’s classic cranberry sauce, enjoying them in Nantucket cranberry pie, or even as a fruit pie filling in this cranberry streusel pie.

I use whole cranberries in this recipe, but if you prefer smaller bits of fruit in your bread, you can definitely pop them into a food processor and chop them. I do this with my cranberry orange and pecan muffins, but it’s an optional step.

When you’re adding them to your batter for this banana cranberry bread, be sure to stir them gently so they don’t pop prior to baking (and stain your batter pink).

Cranberries are often very inexpensive around Thanksgiving and Christmas, and they can be hard to find during the spring and summer months.

The good news is, you can buy extra and freeze them for later! You can use frozen cranberries in this recipe (don’t thaw them ahead of time).

Adding cranberries to banana bread also gives the bread a festive feel, making it extra lovely.

You could easily give these loaves away as handmade gifts for teachers, coworkers, neighbors, etc.

How to Make Cranberry Banana Bread

It’s really easy to make this simple yet delicious bread!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• Butter
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Sour Cream
• Flour
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Baking Soda
• Ripe Bananas
• Fresh Cranberries

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe is available below)

Combine wet ingredients. First, you’ll cream together the butter and sugar, mixing with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and sour cream, mixing well until combined.

Combine dry ingredients. Next, in a separate mixing bowl, you’ll whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

Mix the batter. Alternate adding mashed bananas and the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Be sure not to over-mix!

Add cranberries. Gently stir in the fresh cranberries, mixing just to incorporate.

Bake. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan, smoothing out the top.

Bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes or so, then turn out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Slice and enjoy!

Notes and Adaptations:

• If you prefer, you can chop the cranberries before adding them to the batter.
• Frozen cranberries will work just fine—no need to thaw first.
• These loaves freeze well. Simply cool completely, then double-wrap with plastic wrap and freeze.
• If you want to enjoy this as cranberry banana nut bread, simply add some chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter—I’d recommend adding ½-1 cup, depending on how much you prefer!
• For another fruity favorite, try my banana pear cake recipe.