This cranberry orange bread is soft and moist, with just the right amount of sweetness. It takes just over an hour to make, and it’s vegan!
This recipe for cranberry orange bread is one of my favorite vegan baked goods. The bread is sweet enough to be an afternoon treat or dessert with a cup of tea or a whipped Dalgona coffee , but it could also be a great breakfast food.
Applesauce gives this recipe a subtle, rich sweetness, and also keeps the bread moist. Toasted walnuts add a buttery, nutty flavor, and some great texture, while homemade vegan buttermilk makes the bread slightly tangy. And the cranberries really shine through, with the perfect splash of tartness.
And just in case you needed even more reasons to bake this cranberry orange bread, it’s vegan and easy to make!
Notes on Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients you need to make this tender, vegan cranberry orange bread. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the exact quantities for each ingredient.
- Soy milk – You can use whatever type of plant-based milk you prefer, just make sure that it’s unsweetened and unflavored.
- Apple cider vinegar – White vinegar also works for this recipe.
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar – You can also use cane sugar.
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- Orange juice – To add a subtle touch of orange flavour. If you want more, you can sub even more of the milk for orange juice up to ½ cup.
- Orange zest – Optional, but also boosts the orange flavour.
- Applesauce – Make sure you use unsweetened applesauce.
- Vanilla extract – Try to use a pure extract that doesn’t have any artificial flavors.
- Cranberries – You can use fresh or frozen cranberries in this recipe.
- Walnuts
For the Optional Glaze:
- Powdered sugar
- Orange juice – Make sure you use juice with no pulp.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Bread
Here’s how to make this easy cranberry bread. It takes just over an hour from start to finish.
- Toast the walnuts . Spray a pan with oil, add the walnuts, and cook for a few minutes, until you can smell them. Remove from the heat and let cool. If the walnuts aren’t already chopped, now’s the time to chop them.
- Dredge the cranberries. Coat the cranberries in a little bit of flour, then set aside.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F, and lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Make the buttermilk. Combine the milk and vinegar to make a homemade vegan buttermilk.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a bowl, and stir to combine.
- Add in the wet ingredients. Add the buttermilk, orange juice, orange zest, applesauce, and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl. Stir until the wet and dry ingredients are combined.
- Add the cranberries and walnuts. Fold the cranberries and the walnuts into the mixture.
- Transfer to the pan. Pour the vegan cranberry orange bread batter into the loaf pan. Top with a few more cranberries.
- Bake. Place the loaf pan in the center of the oven, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, and the sides of the bread pull away from the pan. This should take about 55 minutes to an hour.
- Cool. Remove the cranberry bread from the oven, and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then remove the bread from the pan, and cool on a wire rack.
- Make the glaze. Combine the powdered sugar and the orange juice until well combined. Add more orange juice if the glaze is too thick, or more powdered sugar if it’s too thin.
- Glaze the vegan bread. Once the cranberry orange bread has cooled fully, drizzle some of the glaze on top, then serve.
Tips for Success
Here are some tricks and tips for making the best vegan cranberry orange bread.
- Use room temperature milk. If you can, pull your non-dairy milk out of the fridge a few hours before making this recipe, so that it’s at room temperature when you start baking. Room temperature milk will react better to the vinegar when making buttermilk, and will mix better with the dry ingredients in the batter.
- Don’t overmix. When mixing the wet and dry ingredients, stir only until the ingredients are combined. You don’t want to mix the batter for long, and risk overmixing it. If you overmix the batter, you’ll break down the gluten in the flour, and remove some of the air from the batter. This will make the bread hard and dense, instead of tender and fluffy.
- Cool completely. It will be tempting to eat this vegan cranberry orange bread as soon as it comes out of the oven, but make sure you don’t do that. Let the bread cool fully, which will allow it to firm up.
Can You Make This Recipe Gluten-Free?
You can absolutely make this vegan cranberry bread gluten-free. To do so, simply replace the all-purpose flour with your favorite gluten-free flour blend.
How to Store Cranberry Orange Bread
To store leftovers of this vegan bread, place it in an airtight bag or cover it in plastic wrap. It will last for 2 days at room temperature, or for a week in the fridge. You can eat the cranberry orange bread cold, or heat it in a toaster on medium heat.
Can This Recipe Be Frozen?
Yes! You can definitely freeze this cranberry bread for an easy snack later. Store the bread in an airtight bag and freeze for up to 4 months. I recommend slicing the bread into pieces before freezing, so that you can take individual slices out of the freezer whenever you want them. Defrost the frozen cranberry orange bread by toasting it.
More Cranberry Recipes
I’m a big fan of cranberries. If you enjoyed this vegan cranberry orange bread, then try one of my other favorite cranberry recipes!
- Apple cranberry crisp
- Vegan cranberry meatballs
- Winter cranberry gin fizz cocktail
- Orange cranberry waffles with maple cranberry compote
- Vegan cranberry “goat cheese” crostini
Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened soy or other plant based milk , (210mL) room temperature
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar , or white vinegar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour , (240g)
- 1 cup granulated or cane sugar , (200g) (if using a white sugar, make sure it’s organic)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 teaspoons orange zest , optional but does boost orange flavour
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce , (122g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup cranberries , fresh or frozen
- ½ cup chopped and toasted walnuts , (56g)
For the Optional Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
Prep Steps
- Toast the walnuts slightly in a pan sprayed with oil for a few minutes until fragrant. You can chop them before toasting, or after once they’ve cooled slightly.
- Coat the cranberries in about 1 teaspoon of flour so that they don’t sink to the bottom of the pan. Set aside both until needed later on.
For the Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- In a liquid measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar to make vegan buttermilk. Let it sit while you move on with the recipe.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the orange juice, optional orange zest, applesauce, buttermilk mixture, and vanilla. Mix until just incorporated. Don’t over-mix. Fold in the cooled walnuts, followed by the coated cranberries, mixing as little as possible.
- Pour into the prepared pan and place a few more cranberries on top. Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick in the center comes out clean and the sides start to pull away from the pan, 55 minutes to 60 minutes (I did 1 hour).
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Allow the bread to cool completely.
For the Orange Glaze
- Mix together the powdered sugar and orange juice until fully combined. Feel free to thicken if desired with more powdered sugar or thin out with more milk or orange juice depending on which flavor you prefer.
- Drizzle on the orange glaze, ensuring to spread it down the sides too. Slice as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Cranberry Orange Bread with Orange Glaze
Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened soy or other plant based milk (210mL) room temperature
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 1 cup granulated or cane sugar (200g) (if using a white sugar, make sure it’s organic)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 teaspoons orange zest optional but does boost orange flavour
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce (122g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup cranberries fresh or frozen
- ½ cup chopped and toasted walnuts (56g)
For the Optional Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
Instructions
Prep Steps
- Toast the walnuts slightly in a pan sprayed with oil for a few minutes until fragrant. You can chop them before toasting, or after once they’ve cooled slightly.
- Coat the cranberries in about 1 teaspoon of flour so that they don’t sink to the bottom of the pan. Set aside both until needed later on.
For the Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- In a liquid measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar to make vegan buttermilk. Let it sit while you move on with the recipe.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the orange juice, optional orange zest, applesauce, buttermilk mixture, and vanilla. Mix until just incorporated. Don’t over-mix. Fold in the cooled walnuts, followed by the coated cranberries, mixing as little as possible.
- Pour into the prepared pan and place a few more cranberries on top. Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick in the center comes out clean and the sides start to pull away from the pan, 55 minutes to 60 minutes (I did 1 hour).
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Allow the bread to cool completely.
For the Orange Glaze
- Mix together the powdered sugar and orange juice until fully combined. Feel free to thicken if desired with more powdered sugar or thin out with more milk or orange juice depending on which flavor you prefer.
- Drizzle on the orange glaze, ensuring to spread it down the sides too. Slice as desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Cranberry Orange Bread with Orange Glaze https://jessicainthekitchen.com/cranberry-bread-recipe-vegan-orange-glaze/ November 18, 2022
This vegan wellington is a fun plant-based take on a popular high-end meal. With vegan beef, walnuts, and mushrooms, this recipe is rich and hearty. Plus, it’s a lot of fun to make, and goes perfectly with any holiday menu.
Wellingtons are a popular item at steakhouses and other fancy restaurants, as well as at Christmas dinner tables all over the world. But there are two big issues I have with the wellingtons that you see Gordon Ramsay yelling about on TV. First, they’re incredibly expensive to order or make. And second, they’re made out of beef.
That’s why I came up with this vegan wellington recipe, which solves both of those problems. It has everything that makes a beef wellington popular, but it’s fully plant-based, and you can make it at home for a low price. This vegan wellington uses plant-based beef, chopped walnuts, and a lot of mushrooms to replicate the flavor of steak. Herbs and vegetables add depth and brightness to the dish, and the puff pastry makes it look just like a wellington you’d find if you dropped $80 at a high-end restaurant.
Notes on Ingredients
Here’s everything you need to make this juicy, hearty vegan wellington for the holidays. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the quantities for the ingredients.
- Puff pastry – Make sure to thaw your puff pastry before making this recipe.
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion – You can use a white onion or a red onion if that’s all you have.
- Carrot
- Celery stalks
- Button mushrooms
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
- Dried rosemary
- Dried thyme
- Low-sodium soy sauce – Soy sauce may seem like an unconventional ingredient, but the umami flavor helps the dish taste more meaty.
- All-purpose flour
- Frozen petite peas
- Ground vegan beef – Use whatever brand you prefer.
- Walnuts
- Vegan butter – You’ll want to use unsalted vegan butter for this recipe.
How to Make a Vegan Wellington
Here’s how to make this fun dish. It might look fancy, but it’s surprisingly easy to make.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cook the vegetables. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms, and salt. Stir the mixture occasionally, and cook until all of the veggies are soft, and the mushrooms have released their liquid. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Then add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and soy sauce. Cook while stirring until the mixture becomes fragrant, which should take about a minute. Transfer the veggies into a mixing bowl.
- Roll out the puff pastry. Take your puff pastry and roll it into a rectangle that’s roughly 13×10 inches.
- Make the filling. When the veggies have cooled down a little bit, add the vegan ground beef, chopped walnuts, peas, and flour to the mixing bowl. Combine the ingredients with the vegetable mixture using your hands.
- Shape the filling. Place the mixture on top of the rolled out puff pastry. Use your hands to shape the filling into a log shape in the middle of the pastry.
- Wrap the filling. Fold the long edges of the puff pastry over the top of the filling. There should be some overlap in the center. Get water on your finger, and run it over the seam to seal the puff pastry. Repeat the process with the short ends of the pastry, then flip the vegan wellington over so that the seams are on the bottom, and place on the baking sheet.
- Score the vegan wellington. Brush vegan butter over the top of the puff pastry, and then use a paring knife to score three X’s on top of the wellington.
- Bake. Cook the vegan wellington until the pastry is golden and flaky, and the filling has reached 165F. Let the wellington rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and eating.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tricks and tips for you when making this vegan wellington.
- Experiment with different mushrooms. I usually use button mushrooms for this recipe, because they’re readily available, affordable, and taste great in this dish. However, button mushrooms are very basic, so if you feel like adding some extra flavor to this hearty plant-based wellington, try mixing up the mushrooms and using ones that have more flavor.
- Tent the wellington. Keep an eye on your vegan wellington while it’s in the oven. You want to make sure that you cook the dish all the way through, so that the pastry isn’t raw, and the filling reaches a temperature of 165F. If you notice that the puff pastry is getting pretty dark, but the wellington isn’t done cooking, then cover it with aluminum foil. This will allow you to keep baking the vegan wellington without burning the puff pastry.
- Let it rest. You always hear that you should let meat rest after cooking, but that’s also true with vegan meat and mushrooms. As you cook the vegan wellington, the juices from the vegan beef and from the vegetable mixture will start to move towards the surface of the wellington. By letting the dish rest, you give those juices time to get reabsorbed by the filling. The result will be a vegan wellington that’s firm, but still remarkably juicy.
How to Store and Reheat a Vegan Wellington
This vegan wellington will last in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, cover in aluminum foil and bake in a 400F oven for 5-10 minutes, until warmed all the way through.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
You can definitely freeze this vegan wellington. Just place it in an airtight container, and it will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reheat the wellington directly from the freezer, though it will need a slightly longer cooking time.
More Vegan Meat Recipes
I hope you like this vegan wellington as much as I do. If so, then check out some of my other recipes that star vegan meat.
- The Best Vegan Lasagna
- Biscuits and Gravy
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
- Vegan Naan Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry , thawed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion , diced
- 1 carrot , diced
- 1 celery stalk , diced
- 1 pound button mushrooms , chopped finely
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup frozen petite peas
- 1 pound ground vegan beef
- ½ cup walnuts , finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, and soy sauce, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Transfer the cooked vegetables to a mixing bowl to cool until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, roll the puff pastry into a 10×13-inch rectangle.
- Add the flour, peas, ground beef, and walnuts to the vegetable mixture. Use your hands to combine everything evenly.
- Transfer the filling to the pastry, then shape it into a log in the center of the pastry. Wrap the long edges of the pastry over the filling so they overlap in the center. Wet your finger and run it along the seam to help it seal closed.
- Fold the short ends up and seal the same way. Flip the wellington over onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush with melted butter. Use a sharp paring knife to score three X’s in the top of the wellington to vent.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden and the pastry is flaky and cooked through. A thermometer in the center should register 165°F. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
