Easy Cranberry Banana Bread

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.

slices of cranberry banana bread rest on a wooden cutting board

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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:

slices of cranberry banana bread stacked on a white plate

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).

slices of banana bread baked with fresh cranberries in the batter served on a white plate atop a red striped napkin

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
overhead view of a sliced loaf of banana cranberry bread on a cutting board

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.

butter, sugar, eggs, and sour cream mixed together in the bowl of a stand mixer

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

flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a small mixing bowl

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!

flour mixture being added to the batter in the bowl of the stand mixer

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

fresh cranberries added to banana bread batter in a mixing bowl

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

loaf pan with cranberry banana bread batter in it, ready to be baked

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!

sliced loaf of banana bread with cranberries on a wooden cutting board

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.

Recommended Equipment:

Yield: 1 loaf

Easy Cranberry Banana Bread

a sliced loaf of cranberry banana bread on a wooden cutting board

Cranberry banana bread is an easy, crowd-pleasing quickbread you can serve for breakfast, snack, or dessert!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 6 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 16 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 Tbs sour cream
  • 2 large or 3 medium bananas, mashed well (approx. 1 cup mashed)
  • 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup fresh whole cranberries

Instructions

      1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8x4" loaf pan.
      2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy.
      3. Add eggs and sour cream, mixing on medium speed until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
      4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
      5. With the mixer on low speed, alternate between gradually adding flour mixture and mashed bananas, beginning and ending with flour. Mix only until incorporated.
      6. Gently stir in fresh cranberries.
      7. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes

  • 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!
  • Nutrition Information:

    Yield:

    10

    Serving Size:

    1 slice

    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 300Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 212mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 2gSugar: 25gProtein: 4g

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.

    Want more delicious recipe ideas?

    Check out even more mealtime inspiration on my Pinterest boards!

    a stack of banana cranberry bread slices on a white plate

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    2 Comments

    1. Anonymous says:

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      1. Chrysti Benner says:

        Thanks so much for letting me know–I appreciate it! 🙂

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