This is the best Libby’s pumpkin cranberry bread with dried cranberries recipe. Serve as a Fall breakfast or dessert with a light glaze or frosting on top. We started with our moist pumpkin bread recipe and added all the add ins from there.
Let me share the most important tip in baking the moistest loaf of pumpkin cranberry bread, or Libbys Pumpkin Muffins even quicker! Once you have this down you can use this base and add anything else like chocolate chips or nuts.
If you haven’t tried this with dried cranberries, it’s beyond yummy. Let’s start with a good ol’ can of Libby’s Pumpkin to begin with. If you like your hand mixer, by all means use that. I love my KitchenAid because it just makes baking so much easier. I even got a pull out stand when we renovated our kitchen which I LOVE.
This is the most popular brand by far. Your store will likely have theirs too, both are similar so make your choice. I buy them in bulk during the holidays so I can make this year round. Using my mixer I can just throw everything in, mix and there’s no moving necessary. Even my teenage girls bake more often with this now.
How do you make homemade pumpkin bread with real pumpkin?
You would want to use this same recipe here, but substitute the canned mixture after cooking and mashing pressure cooker pumpkin. I will say that you’ll need to add more seasonings like nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice to this though.
How Long to Bake Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
When you use this recipe below it will fill a loaf pan, 3/4 full is ideal so it doesn’t overflow. You want a bit over 1 hour to bake so that the center is cooked thru but still moist. This may vary slightly depending on your altitude so check at 60 minutes.
Muffin Bake Time
If you wanted to make these quicker I would follow our 2 ingredient pumpkin muffins and fold in 1/4 cup of dried berries. Then bake according to those directions and in about 18 minutes you have the most deliciously moist grab and go breakfast.
Can you use fresh cranberries?
I mean you could but they are quite tart so you would need to know that right off the bat. If you really wanted to make this swap I would slice each one in fourths and fold in that way. Use a handful of them so diced it should spread out to get a few in each bite.
Tips for Success
You are going to use a 9×5″ loaf pan and I like a piece of parchment paper inside to lift it out easier. Or you can grease and flour inside so it slides out. Great add ins to this are dried cranberries (not fresh cranberries), you could swap out for canned too, chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts. Walnuts are usually best.
Of course you can use a muffin tin like our pumpkin zucchini muffins too which cuts the bake time to 18 minutes. This is a nice size to have with little hands or for an on the go busy morning.
I like to go just one step further and melt a bit of vanilla or cream cheese frosting. Pour some on top of each piece when served for a delicious dessert or breakfast treat during the holidays.
If you want to know how to half a recipe to make less, read this post. Tip: Spray your pan with non stick spray to clean a pot.
Pumpkin Cranberry Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9×5 loaf pan
- 2 bowls
Ingredients
- 1 can pumpkin, 15 oz.
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup milk, vitamin D is best
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2-3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup vanilla frosting, melted, optional
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl add eggs, sugars, oil, milk and pumpkin. Mix on low until incorporated.
- Mix dry ingredients in another bowl and then add 1/2 of this into pumpkin mix. Mix on low. Add second 1/2 of dry ingredients and mix. Use spatula to make sure all dry is mixed in.
- Fold in dried cranberries. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Line 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper and pour batter inside.
- Bake on middle rack for 1 hour 10 – 15 minutes. Use toothpick when done, should come out mostly clean (a small bit of wetness is okay)
- Take out and leave in pan. Cool on cooling rack until room temperature or at least 25 minutes before removing.
- Lift out, remove paper and slice on cutting board.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Now, what are you waiting for??? If it’s Fall I know you’re ready to get “all things pumpkin” going on. It is our favorite time of year as far as the weather outside goes, and the comfort foods are out of this world. You can print recipe below if you’d like to store it in your recipe book. Of course we love seeing you so feel free to come back time and time again to get the ingredient list.
Why did my pumpkin bread sink?
The typical answer would be that it wasn’t baked long enough. If it is still overly moist in the center it will sink. Make sure to use a knife or toothpick to test before removing it. If batter comes out, bake longer. Other reasons could be the leavening agent was expired, or not enough was used. Third, may be the batter sat out too long before baking it.
What else can you make with pumpkin puree
We have made pumpkin cake mix cookies with only a few ingredients before together. You can make pumpkin monkey bread for breakfast some time.
- Have a cup of coffee with pumpkin coffee creamer on the side. Homemade is so much better and extremely easy to throw together for Christmas brunch or on the weekend.
FAQ
The biggest tip is to not over-bake it!! Bake just until the toothpick comes out MOSTLY clean, cool on cooling rack INSIDE the pan and remove when cool. It needs at least 30 minutes to rest inside the pan. Baking it at a lower temperature is best too. Instead of preheating oven to 350, bake at 325 instead for a bit longer.
If stored properly: wrapped in plastic wrap and then stored inside foil or a freezer bag free from air it will last 2 days room temperature. If you put it in the fridge after wrapped it will last a week but will dry out easier. I suggest you leave it on the counter properly wrapped to keep it as moist as possible. If after 2 days it isn’t consumed, then put it into the fridge for up to 3 more days.
As long as you wrap it properly with plastic wrap, and then store in an airtight freezer bag you can. When you’re ready to thaw it out, leave it on the countertop until it reaches room temperature. Then slice and enjoy.
If using canned cranberry sauce, would you mix it with the wet ingredients or still add it after you’ve mixed in the dry?
Canned wouldn’t work, there would be too much liquid
The flavors just jumped! Such a winning combo! A new fall fav!!!
This was such a delicious recipe that does not disappoint! Turned out light, fluffy and delicious; easily, a new favorite recipe for fall!
Pumpkin and cranberry is one of my favorite flavor combos, best bread ever!
This quick bread is so delicious during the fall!! Made it for breakfast this morning and it made my house smell amazing, and turned out moist, dense, and perfectly sweet.
A decent recipe ruined by a bunch of irrelevant nonsense. I don’t want to scroll through pages of blah blah blah. Just put the recipe on the top!