Elana's Pantry

New York Times Bestselling author Elana Amsterdam founded Elana’s Pantry, the go-to website for easy, healthy, grain-free, Paleo recipes, in 2006

cranberry almond bread

Cranberry Almond Bread

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This Paleo Cranberry Almond Bread recipe is packed with nuts and dried fruit and is my own healthy gluten-free version of muesli bread.

Studded with dried apricots and cranberries, as well as crunchy bites of almonds, and sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame seeds, this easy gluten-free bread recipe is a fabulous every day bread, but also great for special occasions. Many fans tell me that they serve this as an Easter bread or as a healthy Christmas fruitcake. Made with low-carb almond butter, this is a flourless bread recipe that can be thrown together in just a few minutes!

Print Recipe
Cranberry Almond Bread
Serves:1loaf
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, blend almond butter, olive oil, and eggs with a hand blender until smooth
  2. In a medium bowl, combine arrowroot powder, salt, and baking soda
  3. Blend arrowroot mixture into wet ingredients until thoroughly combined
  4. Fold in apricots, cranberries, seeds, and sliced almonds
  5. Grease a 7.5 x 3.5 inch magic line loaf pan with olive oil and dust with almond flour
  6. Transfer batter into loaf pan and sprinkle remaining sliced almonds on top
  7. Bake at 350° for 40-50 minutes until a knife inserted into center comes out clean
  8. Let bread cool in pan for 1 hour, then serve

To store this bread, wrap in a paper towel, seal in a plastic bag, and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

We slice this Cranberry Almond Bread and enjoy it as a jazzed up base for Turkey Club Sandwiches. We also love it toasted and dipped in olive oil, with a side of eggs, for a delicious paleo breakfast. Personally, I like Cranberry Almond Bread toasted and smothered in my homemade goat cheese.

I developed this Paleo Cranberry Almond Bread for the Almond Board of California to promote healthy and delicious eating. I’m working with the Almond Board because I love almonds. They are a superfood and of course one of my favorite things to nibble on. In fact, I like almonds so much that I wrote an entire book about them, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook which uses almonds in all of its recipes!

Here are some of my other paleo bread recipes that use almonds for you:

Comments

  1. I am going to attempt to make this year’s Mardi Gras King Cake with an alternative flour like almond flour or coconut flour. Has anyone tried to make a King Cake like this? It’s a yeast cake, and requires two risings.

    Reply

  2. Make this every time we travel. We love it with dijon mustard, roasted turkey and sliced tomatoes. It’s an easy meal for breakfast with fruit when you are eating out of a hotel fridge.

    Reply

  5. Hi,
    I have just found out that I am intolerant to eggs! I have been making and DEVOURING this bread for a while now but since discovering the intolerance to eggs, I am really missing this bread. Can you suggest an egg replacement? Thank you.
    April

    Reply

  6. Diagnosed celiac 5 years ago. This particular bread really seems to agree with both my upper and lower GI tracts. Two slices, 6 oz plain whole fat yogurt and a pear or grapple or cup of berries for breakfast and I am not hungry until 4 or 5 p.m. Been doing this for three weeks and am now off of my 2 Prilosec a day, prescribed by my celiac specialist. Nutrition solution vs RX; bread wins. And I feel so much better, plus I am losing weight (and bloat) because this bread is so filling. Also, remarkably, this bread is not as dense as some of your other recipes…for anyone looking for a lighter texture.

    Reply

    • I shudder when I hear about Prilosec or other drugs used for their GI upsets or heart burn. A chiropractor told me to use apple cider vinegar instead of a drug and it works immediately and is good for us in numerous ways. Take a small shot glass full of non processed apple cider vinegar preferably in one gulp and follow it immediately with something delicious like organic berries and the second it goes down the heartburn is gone. Or make a cup of herb tea, add an ounce or two of apple cider vinegar and a dash of honey and presto, all discomfort is gone!

      I can’t wait to try the almond bread recipe and am thrilled to have found this site! Almonds are definitely stars in healthy eating and stars in taste as well!

      Reply

  7. Absolutely my favorite bread recipe! I love it toasted with goat cheese or grass fed butter. Yum! Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply

  8. I saw your turkey club recipe that calls for this bread and since I had freshly roasted turkey on hand I had to make this bread. Mine came out perfectly and I’m no baker – I knew going into this that it wasn’t intended to be a sweet bread. I couldn’t wait for it to cool, I sliced a warm piece and devoured it, then had one with goat cheese (divine), and lastly, a turkey sandwich – excellent combo! I’m so thankful for this recipe, thank you!

    Reply

  10. One of my besties made this bread and brought it to our pot luck. Absolutely DELICIOUS!!! My husband and I both loved it. I’m going to experiment with making a holiday “fruit cake by doubling the amount of dried fruits, adding a good bit of orange zest, and possibly adding some shredded coconut as well. If it turns out, I plan to make a bunch of mini loafs to send out as Holiday gifts to family and friends. YUMMERS!

    Reply

  12. I got so excited knowing you are coming to California, but you are going to Los Angles…..Sad face, I wish you were coming to awesome San Francisco.

    Reply

  14. I’m curious about using dried fruit. I just began reading about Paleo and I thought dried fruit is not included.

    I have been cooking with your recipes for awhile – my book is nice and worn. Interesting in making this shift to Paleo how it’s back to the beginning for me.

    Thanks.

    Reply

  15. I didn’t have all the ingredients soooo I substituted raw cashew paste for the almonds,and raisins for the apricots..the end result is fabulous, a couple of slices with goat butter or jam makes a wonderful breakfast. Thank you very much for your blog, it has bee invaluable!

    Reply

  17. I’m not sure what has happened but for us, this bread has been a disaster. Inedible. I’ve checked the recipe and our steps four times and we’ve followed it exactly. It’s extremely salty and my youngest child says it tases like “Passover”? (we were invited to taste some Passover cultural cooking and I believe some of the baking items were from a box and tasted funny. maybe they used arrowroot too? I’m not sure). The ingredients were expensive and this was a terrible waste. No one has even been able to swallow a bite- they’ve all spit it out and sworn it off. I know my way around the kitchen but cannot imagine what’s wrong. Some of our favorite recipes are from this site. This did look wonderful out of the oven. The texture and flavor are such a shame. Thanks for the good intentions.

    Reply

    • I am not a professional or anything, but I read her e book and two things she mentions is that the flour has to be a BLANCHED almond FLOUR, no unblanched and not a meal, and she mentions the use of the magic line loaf pan. I made sure to have everything she recommended to ensure a good finished product. Hope this helps, everything has turned out great for me,and I even tried the recipes in a toaster oven that has a baking component to it. :-) I usually have these types of ingredients around the house so the added expense was not there for me, plus she had some other recommendations in her book that helped reduce cost.

      Reply

  19. Just made this tonight and let me just say it was OUTSTANDING! I added some ground cinnamon to it and a few extra cranberries and it turned out great! A little honey drizzle to my slice and it brought out all the flavors. Just ordered your almond cookbook and your new Paleo book! Can’t wait to enjoy more amazing recipes!

    P.S. My grandmother had a little loaf pan the size you called for so I’m lucky I have a grandmother that keeps everything. :)

    Thanks for inspiring me!

    Reply

  20. I realy liked this bread, but the strangest thing happened. I replaced the almond butter with 2/4 cup sunflower-butter + 1/4 cup tahini + 1Tb olive oil and the bread turned out bright green!

    Reply

    • I will definitely have to try the orange zest! I have some orange infused cranberries that I have on hand..I bet this would be amazing.

      Reply

  26. I finally made the time to bake this and the Paleo Breakfast Bread. It is delicious – the first time I have enjoyed bread this much in a long, long time! It is great with a cup of tea in the afternoon as a little ‘pick-me-up’ (I had to work very hard to limit myself to 2 slices today!). I baked the Paleo Breakfast Bread as muffins and they also turned out wonderfully. Thank you for your hard work with these recipes!

    Reply

  27. I (we ) love LOVE your cookbook! The sesame crackers are more enjoyable than Doritos ever were. I could go on. The cookies, lemon bars, cupcakes, etc. We keep the broken cookies for granola. Pure delight to use each time. julie

    Reply

  28. I think I will bake this bread and then slice it very thin and rebake it to make crackers or crisps. I will add kalamata olives and fig to the bread. We will see!

    Reply

    • Did you try this? How did it work? This is exactly what I was looking for after finding a gluten flour recipe of the same type.

      Reply

  29. Is anyone concerned that the pan recommended is aluminum? I’ve read that contributes to Alzheimer’s.

    Has anyone found a pan this size that is glass or ceramic?

    Or if aluminum is not a problem for cooking I’d love to see the data.

    Reply

    • Amazon.com has an annodized aluminum pan this size (different brand at half the price of Magic Pan) that keeps aluminum from leeching into your baked goods. Alumimum is also not good to use if you are celiac.

      Reply

  30. Based on the comments above, I added 2 T coconut oil (to combat the reported dryness) orange zest (because I love cranberry and orange together) and 1/4 c erythritol for sweetner. It is pretty dense, but great after cooling and refrigerating for several hours and spread with cream cheese, IT’S GLORIOUS! Haven’t had a failure with these recipes yet.

    Reply

  31. I just can’t follow a recipe ;)
    I owned this with some changes and they are great. No sesame seeds so I used macadamia chopped. Had a jar of sunflower butter so I used it instead of the almond butter. Used avacodo for oil.
    All done mixing and just had to add in some really small rice, no milk chocolate chips and that led to fresh orange rind.
    It looked like cookie dough and my need for instant gratification gave way to scooping out two medium chunks and cooked at 350 for 12 minutes. Cookies, it makes cookies! They were delicious and now the large muffins are cooking.

    Reply

  32. Where do you find these size pans? I can’t find them anywhere so I can’t make the bread until I do. Suggestions on where to shop for them are welcome. :)

    Reply

    • I found this exact size pan on Amazon.com. But instead of the Magic Pan brand, I found another brand (anodized, so no chance of aluminum leaching into your baked goods) for the half the price. It works beautifully. Wish I would have bought two!

      Reply

  33. I made this last night and ate it today with some goats cheese and turkey! It was the perfect flavor combination and was so festive, as Thanksgiving is approaching next week. I have a Celiac relative coming to my home for the holidays, so I will be making this for her!

    Reply

  34. Great bread! It’s quite salty if eaten alone but it’s perfect with some sort of fruit preserves on it. I will half the salt next time. I cooked the bread on the bottom rack for exactly 35 minutes and then moved it to the middle rack for the last 5 minutes and it came out just perfect. Thank you for the awesome recipe. I bought your book sometime in January but have misplaced the book somewhere so I’ve been coming here for your recipes. Thank you for sharing your awesome recipes!

    Reply

  38. Although this was a bit on the dry side, it’s great with a bit of cream cheese and a drizzle of honey, jam or agave nectar. I like that you can control the amount of sweetener to your treat. Unfortunately, many quick breads are too sweet and are more like cakes. We need to detox our taste buds and reduce our sugar intake. This bread is great with my morning tea!

    Reply

  39. I think that this would be really fun to make with my mom. We are always looking for new gluten free recipes to make.

    Reply

  40. I have all the ingredients now but am concerned that maybe almond flour was left out. Seems to me a loaf of this needs more than a 1/4 cup of arrowroot.

    Reply

    • First attempt at GF baking although as a teen I was employed in a bakery that specialized in GF products. Am also concerned about the lack of flour… Recipe says “pour” the batter into pan…? Could not have done so ever as dough rather thick and not at all fluid. Loaf is currently in the oven and I am anticipating a taste if this beautiful looking bread. Will post results once complete.

      Reply

  41. I love almonds, too, so I am doubly thankful I found your blog since we recently discovered some wheat/gluten issues in our family. I can hardly wait to try this recipe! It looks amazing. Thank you for sharing your talents and your recipes.

    Reply

  42. PACKED with NUTRITION!!! Looks delicious. I am imagining it slathered with melted (ahem) butter! Beautiful recipe. The almond board couldn’t have picked a better chef.

    Reply

  43. HI ELENA:

    THIS IS THE 7th LOAF OF BRAD I’VE MADE USING YOUR RECIPES, AND THE 4th ONE THAT I’VE MADE USING 1 & 1/2 TIMES YOUR RECIPE, I MADE THE BANANA , BREAD/CAKE;I USED 1/2 CUP CHOPPED PEACANS AND 3/4 CUPS FINELY CHOPPED 72% DARK CHOCOLATE. IT TURNED OUT GREAT, AS DID THE LAST VERSION OF YOUR SANDWICH BREAD.
    I USE PARPARCHMENT PAPER IN THE BOTTOM OF MY PAN, WHICH I GREASE 1st.
    I ALSO MADE YOUR OTHER CRANBERRY ALMOND,BREAD THAT WAS EXCELLENT!
    I just MADE YOUR NEW CRANBERRY ALMOND LOAF, YOUR RECIPE TIMES 1/2 MORE TO FIT INTO MY 9″X5″ TIN LOAF PAN, IT COULD USE ANOTHER TEASPOON OF SWEETNER, AND IT WAS DRY, COULD USE MORE LIQUID! THIS WAS THE ONLY RECIPE THAT TURNED OUT DRY!
    THANKS FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL RECIPES!
    BUBBIEFAY

    Reply

  44. elana,
    I spent quite a bit of money getting the exact ingredients for this recipe. My criticism is that it was overly salty, not sweet at all and very dry. As an adept baker, I’m curious what I could have done wrong. I followed the directions with attention and still the product was terrible. This rarely happens to me. I’m terribly disappointed and wondered if others have had better luck with this recipe.

    As an aside, you also refer to using almond flour to dust the pan yet it isn’t in the list of ingredients (I pay attention to details.)

    Thanks for your effort but no thanks. I have other gluten free recipes that are far more tasty than this was. Overall it was an expensive failure.

    Reply

    • Hello LuLu,

      I’m surprised by your experience with this loaf. I just pulled it out of the oven and it turned out fabulous. These muesli type breads can be a little drier but I like how sturdy they are and the cranberries make it pretty moist. I’m eating it right now and could eat it all day!

      Did you use all the ingredients she specified in the recipe?- like creamy roasted almond butter? Because if you did, it will turn out perfect like mine!

      Reply

      • Jennifer, Yes, I used every ingredient, exactly, as specified. I’m baffled. I’ve been cooking gluten free for several years so I’m no stranger to the difference in textures when it comes to grains and flour substitutions in breads and baked goods. If it wasn’t so costly, I would try it again but frankly I just don’t trust that the recipe is sound. I’m glad it worked for you though.

        Reply

        • I used blanched almond flour instead of arrowroot powder. And added 2 tablespoons of B grade maple syrup (for moisture). You can slice and store in a plastic oontainer which tends to dampen the bread, making it
          more moist. I keep my container in the refrigerator. FYI I do not store any of Elana’s other breads in a plastic container.

          Reply

  45. I tried this today. I would like a bit sweeter, and would add Agave nectar or honey if I made again. Also, it was a bit dry. Try testing before the 40 minutes.

    Reply

  46. Hello Elana!!

    I so love your COOL foodblog & your tasty & fab recipes!!
    I have tried a few because since 4 weeks, I am eating gluten free because I am gluten sensitive. I have lots more energy, I feel a lot better & I lose weight at the same time too!

    This almond & cranberry bread aka cake looks just STUNNING!!!

    Many greetings from a foodie fan from Brussels, Belgium!!!

    Reply

    • I live in Paris and in Paris I cannot find the sour real Californian dried apricots.
      (Not the sweet Turkish variety)
      Next week I have to travel to Brussels, and I had some hope that I could find those sour californian apricots in Brussels, since I remember having found them in Holland.

      Do you give me the good news that indeed I might find that apricot variety in Brussels?
      Where to look ?

      your grateful
      Anton
      (my wife while writing and telephoning) nearly LIVES on californian sour apricots.

      Reply

  47. Hi Elana. I have started reading “The Gluten-Free Almond Flour cookbook” as well as checking some of the recipes on your website. What is the purpose of arrowroot in this recipe, and in some of the muffin recipes in your cookbook?

    I ask because I need to figure out a suitable substitute for the arrowroot, given that I have to adhere to the rules of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I used to use arrowroot as a substitute for cornstarch when I made my own baking powder, because I am allergic to corn. Now that I am on SCD, I use only baking soda and not baking powder.

    By the way, I have baked your recipe for breakfast bars a few times, substituting clear honey for agave nectar, with excellent results. I don’t have celiac disease or diabetes, so I don’t have to worry about the glycemic index of honey. I am allergic to sunflower seeds, so I have been substituting coarsely chopped pecans for the sunflower seeds in that recipe.

    Thanks in advance.

    Reply

    • Hi Ellen,
      Im guessing you may have found out by now but tapioca flour is an ideal substitite for arrowroot flour. It has the same fineness, consistency etc, and here in NZ much more cheaper to buy. We stock at the specialty store I work at or it can be found in asian or south american foodstores too as it is a common and traditional ingredient.And lets not forget, still grain free, tapioca/cassava is a root food source too.

      Reply

    • I also eat Gf/SCD. I use all Elana’s recipes.I sub small amounts of
      coconut flour for arrowroot with perfect results.
      In Elana’s lemon biscotti recipe which I doubled, I use 1 1/2 tblsp. of coconut flour instead of the arrowroot.I use honey instead of agave. I increase the baking soda to 1 tsp. I also increase the lemon zest to 2+ tblsp. Equally nice with orange zest. Cinnamon is another fav- 1 to 1/12 tblsp.

      Reply

  48. This bread is awesome! I made some last night and it is outstanding! I used my all purpose gluten free flour with millet, in place of the ones called for in the recipe and it is fabulous! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  49. I would really like to know if you can give a calorie count for your recipes you have wonderful recipes!!!!

    Reply

  50. Congratulations on your new endeavors! How exciting!

    This looks delicious – and I think I have all the ingredients in my pantry and frig. I am bookmarking this one to make sometime soon. I think I will try it with some goat cheese…

    Reply

  51. I really want to try this. I know I don’t have that much arrowroot around. I’ll look for a sub option, otherwise this will have to wait a bit. Now I’m hungry for apricots!

    Reply

  54. Great to hear that you will be in Davis in August. I usually go to the Sacramento Celiac Sprue Assoc. Meetings but I’ll definitely plan to come to Davis to meet you. Can’t wait. Your cookbook has been such a blessing for my health!!

    Reply

  56. Arrowroot powder is too starchy for me… Do you think this would work with coconut flour instead?

    I’ll have to experiment because it sounds wonderful!

    Reply

  57. This looks delicious!! I can’t wait to try ii, though I may substitute coconut oil.
    Enjoy your talk at Erewhon, that is my favorite health food store in LA.
    I would have loved to come to your signing, but Saturdays don’t work for me.
    Lisa

    Reply

  59. Dear Elana

    I’m happy that you are working with the Almond Board. Are you aware that California almonds must now be “sterilized” before going to the consumer? This is either a heat process or a chemical process that is not totally safe.

    I only use almonds from Italy or other countries so as not to have to use these almonds. The Almond Board insists there is no degradation of nutrients but I don’t believe they carry their analysis far enough to be credible.

    I do make an exception using Almond Flour for your recipes but believe me if I could get another source I would do so.

    I am among the consumers working to create an end to this process or at least honesty in labeling. The Board does not differentiate the treated almonds from totally raw and insists on calling them raw even though they have been treated. I believe the problems come from poor handling and not an intrinsic problem with California almonds.

    Keep up your good work.

    Aloha,
    Ellie

    Reply

    • Aloha–

      I totally agree with your statement about wanting to make sure that your nuts are truly raw. The pasteurization process for these almonds as a “rule” seems pretty absurd. I would suggest using a food processor or high speed blender to make your own almond flour out of the truly raw that you purchase. It is cheaper than some almond meals/flours that you can buy, and it will guarantee that they have not been pasteurized. Of course if you’re going to bake this flour in the oven, you will not be keeping the enzymes fully intact in your recipe anyways, so it is not necessarily worth the extra step.
      Love the website! Happy baking!

      Reply

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