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Home » Recipes » Breads

Holiday Macadamia Coconut Bread

Published: Nov 13, 2022 · Modified: Jun 19, 2025 by Marisa Franca

Jump to Recipe
Pinterest image with title overlay for quick bread macadamia nut coconut bread with orange glaze.

This Macadamia Coconut bread is sweet and moist with chopped macadamia nuts, orange zest, and shredded sweetened coconut. A citrus sugar glaze tops the coconut bread adding a special touch to this Caribbean-inspired sweet treat!

So, step aside Christmas fruitcake and make room for this irresistible holiday quick bread! 

A Loaf of Holiday Orange Glazed Macadamia Nut Coconut Bread on a cutting board.
This coconut quick bread is delicious served to family and friends and especially as a gift in mini-loaf form.
Jump to:
  • ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
  • 🛒 Ingredients
  • 🗒 Instructions
  • 🔪 Equipment
  • 🤔 FAQs
  • 👩🏻‍🍳 Tips
  • 📚 Variations
  • 🥫 Storage
  • 📗 Related Recipes
  • 🍽 Serve with
  • 📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
  • 📝 Recipe Card
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

  • This bread is sweet and moist, soft on the inside, with a slight outer crust. 
  • This Macadamia Coconut Bread recipe is perfect as a special holiday treat but can just as easily be enjoyed throughout the year as a sweet breakfast or brunch treat. 
  • Use this recipe to gift mini coconut bread loaves, wrapped in colored plastic wrap, to friends and family over the festive season!

This Caribbean-inspired Macadamia Coconut Bread is deliciously sweet and perfect for the holidays as an alternative to cinnamon buns or traditional fruit cake. 

🛒 Ingredients

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Image of the ingredients needed to make Orange Coconut Bread Recipe.

Note: The full list of this recipe ingredients with their amounts and options are listed in the recipe card below.

  • Coconut -- this is the sweetened flaked coconut.
  • Orange -- freshly squeezed and zested.
  • Butter -- is unsalted
  • Eggs -- are a large size.
  • macadamia nuts -- not salted.

🗒 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the Coconut Quick Bread recipe card below.

Collage of the first four steps to preparing the pan and getting the batter started for Coconut Bread.
  1. Heat the oven and prepare the loaf pans with parchment paper. 
  2. Cream sugar and butter in a larger mixing bowl, followed by eggs, sour cream, orange juice, and orange zest. 
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
  4. Add the flour mixture to the bowl of wet ingredients and mix well. 
Collage of steps five to eight for preparing and baking coconut bread.
  1. Stir in the coconut and nuts into the batter.
  2. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake (35-45 minutes for mini loaves and 45-55 minutes for larger loaves).
  3. Remove the pans from the oven and allow them to cool on a cooling rack.
  4. Remove the baked loaves from the pans and transfer them to a wire rack with a sheet of parchment paper.
Collage of the final steps nine to twelve for topping the baked coconut bread with orange glaze.
  1. Assemble the sugar glaze ingredients.
  2. Combine the powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. Stir until smooth.
  3. Drizzle the orange sugar glaze over the bread loaves.
  4. Slice and serve.

🔪 Equipment

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.

  • loaf pans -- you may use 2 (9X5-inch) loaf pans which we used, or 5 mini loaf pans (5 ¾X3-inch).
  • electric mixer
  • mixing bowls
  • dry measuring cups
  • measuring spoons
  • liquid measuring cup
  • spatula
  • parchment paper
  • microplane - for zesting orange

🤔 FAQs

Questions frequently asked about making our Macadamia Coconut Bread recipe.

What is Jamaican coco bread made from?

Jamaican coco bread is typically made with flour and coconut milk and slightly sweetened with sugar.

Where is coconut bread from?

This bread originates from Jamaica, the birthplace of coco bread, which is considered a national treat.

What does coconut bread flour taste like?

Coconut flour is mild with a slightly sweet taste. Its taste is quite unique, and it might take some time to get used to. However, you can easily mask it with stronger flavors like coffee, cacao, and bananas.

Is coconut bread healthy?

Coconut bread is higher in fiber and protein compared to regular wheat flour. The coconut flour in the bread also assists with regulating healthy blood sugar levels.

👩🏻‍🍳 Tips

  • Slicing this coconut bread before you store it in the freezer is a smart idea. It lets you enjoy just the right amount of bread whenever you want, without having to thaw the whole loaf.
  • Mini loaves typically require 35-45 minutes baking while larger loaves require about 45-55 minutes. You can insert a toothpick into the center of each loaf to check for doneness if you are unsure. 
  • It's important to let the baked loaves cool completely before adding the sugar glaze. If you don't, you'll have a runny mess!
  • For a thicker glaze, add extra powdered sugar. For a thinner consistency, mix in extra orange juice. 
  • A great tip to stop your coconut bread from sticking is to line the loaf pan with a “sling” of parchment paper. You can line the pan with parchment paper, letting some hang over the edges. This creates handles to lift the baked bread out easily. I do this in addition to lining the pan with non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil.
Overhead view of an Orange Glazed Coconut Macadamia Nut Quick Bread.
Every slice of the Orange Coconut bread is studded with sweet flaked coconut and buttery macadamia nuts.

📚 Variations

  • Make this bread in small or large bread pans. You will need to adjust the baking time when using a different-sized pan from what I have used. 
  • Add raisins or other dried fruit into the bread batter for added texture. 
  • Drizzle a vanilla sugar glaze over the cooled coconut bread loaves instead of the orange sugar glaze. 
  • Top each coconut bread loaf with extra chopped macadamia nuts while the orange sugar glaze is slightly wet.
  • You can combine shredded coconut and coconut flakes if you like. 
  • Add a small amount of ground cinnamon as a delicious holiday spice flavor. It goes beautifully with the orange and coconut flavors.

🥫 Storage

Store this Macadamia Coconut Bread at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days, wrapped and in an airtight container. 

You can also freeze this sweet bread for 3-6 months, wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

📗 Related Recipes

Coconut lovers beware! These coconut-inspired desserts are addictive!

  • Coconut Pineapple Delight - Cream cheese, crushed pineapple, whipped cream, and buttery Graham crackers fill this tropical dessert.
  • Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroon - The perfect blend of sweet coconut and rich chocolate, served as an irresistible handheld treat.
  • Italian Cream Cake - A rich yellow cake filled with pecans and coconut and topped with cream cheese, toasted pecans, and toasted coconut.
  • Easy Bran Flakes Coconut Cookies - Coconut lovers, you've got to make this Grandma-tested recipe! These treats made with bran flakes will redefine your cookie's expectations and keep you coming back for more.
  • Tom Douglas—Inspired Triple Coconut Cream Pie Made at Home—This dessert is all about coconut, times three! It is a true coconut celebration.
  • The Ultimate Fruit Cocktail Cake with a Coconut Twist – This cake, a favorite at family gatherings, features a moist fruit cocktail base with a sweet coconut topping and a drizzle of coconut sauce.

🍽 Serve with

Serve this Macadamia Coconut Bread as is or alongside softened butter, jams, or whipped cream!

📞 Chiacchierata (chat)

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never liked holiday fruitcake! It’s one of those seasonal treats that people either love or hate! Over the years, I’ve tried different options, and this Caribbean-inspired Macadamia Coconut Bread is my favorite! 

This sweet coconut bread is moist and soft with familiar holiday flavors and textures such as citrus orange and chopped nuts.

Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!

A loaf of Coconut Quick Bread with Orange Glaze on a wood cutting board with slices of the brad on the counter.
Coconut lovers will go crazy over this sweet and moist Coconut Bread recipe flavored with orange juice and zest.

What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.

📝 Recipe Card

Macadamia Coconut Bread is a delightful holiday treat. It’s made with sour cream, coconut flakes, sweetened shredded coconut, orange zest, and chopped nuts. To top it off, there’s a sweet orange sugar glaze. Enjoy this coconut bread for Christmas as a delicious alternative to fruitcake. And pinky swear, if you give this bread as a present, it won't be regifted!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

📖 Recipe

A loaf of quick holiday bread made with coconut, orange flavoring, and macadamia nuts.

Holiday Macadamia Coconut Bread With Orange Glaze

Macadamia Coconut Bread is a sweet holiday bread loaded with chopped nuts, citrus flavor, and sweetened shredded coconut. The bread is topped with a simple orange sugar glaze for a special treat.
5 from 14 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Holiday dessert, Sweet bread
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 278kcal
Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
As An Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment Needed

  • 2 Loaf Pans 9x5 or use 5 mini pans (5¾X3-inch)
  • Electric Hand Mixer
  • Dry measuring cups
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Liquid measuring cup
  • Silicone spatula
  • Parchment paper
  • Microplane for zesting

Ingredients

Coconut bread:

  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 2 Tablespoons Orange zest freshly grated
  • 3½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
  • ⅔ cup macadamia nuts coarsely chopped

Glaze:

  • 1 cup Confectioners' sugar
  • 1½ Tablespoons orange juice to reach desired consistency - may need more.
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Coconut Bread:

  • Heat oven to 350 °F. Grease bottom only of 5 mini (5¾X3-inch)loaf pans OR 2 (9X5-inch) loaf pans. Set aside.
    **IF using larger loaf pan, line with parchment paper to remove the loaf without tearing into it. (See notes below on how to do that).
  • Combine sugar and 1 cup butter in a large-size mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, , until creamy.
    Add eggs; continue beating until well mixed.
    Add sour cream, orange juice and orange zest; continue beating until well mixed.
  • In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour to the wet ingredients beating at low speed until well mixed.
  • Stir in the coconut and macadamia nuts into the batter.
  • Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake the mini loaves for 35-45 minutes and the larger loaves for 45-55 minutes.
    A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
  • Let cool for 10 minutes; run a cake release tool or knife around the edges then remove the bread from pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

Glaze:

  • In a small bowl stir together the powdered sugar, orange juice and 1 teaspoon of orange zest. Stir until smooth.
    It should have a drizzling consistency. Add more orange juice to thin it out or powdered sugar to make it thicker.

Notes

How to line a loaf pan with parchment paper ...
  1. Grease the pan - I like to use vegetable spray. 
  2. Cut or tear a piece of parchment paper that's the same length as the LONG edge of the bottom of your loaf pan (about 9 inches if using a 9x5-inch pan, or 8 ½ inches for a standard (8 ½x 4 ½-inch)loaf pan. 
  3. Press the parchment into the bottom of the pan and up the long sides of the greased pan so that there's an equal amount of overhang on each side. Crease the corners so that the paper lies flat along the bottom and sides of the pan. 
  4. Depending on the width of your parchment paper, you may want to trim the edges. I like to leave an inch or two of overhang so I can use them as handles to lift the loaf out after baking and cooling. 

Nutrition

Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 351IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

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    I’m Marisa Franca, a home chef, food writer, and photographer who believes that you can make gourmet quality food at home with simple seasonal ingredients. I’m passionate about family, food, friends, everything Italian, and happy endings.

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