There is just nothing better than fresh homemade peach cobbler in the summertime! Or make it any time of year with canned or frozen peaches. This easy recipe features juicy peaches with a sweet buttery topping! Perfect with vanilla ice cream. Originally published May 22, 2021.
Table of Contents
- Summertime means homemade peach cobbler!
- Easy peach cobbler ingredients
- How many peaches does this recipe for peach cobbler call for?
- How many peaches in a pound?
- How to make homemade peach cobbler
- Cakey topping
- How to peel peaches for peach cobbler
- How to cut a peach
- Peach cobbler recipe variations
- How to make homemade peach cobbler with frozen peaches
- Can I make peach cobbler in advance?
- How to serve up the best peach cobbler recipe
- Does peach cobbler need to be refrigerated?
- Can you freeze peach cobbler?
- How do you reheat peach cobbler?
- The best peach cobbler recipe FAQs
- More perfect summer fruit desserts!
- Peach Cobbler Recipe (Easy) Recipe
I started walking into the bathroom the other day and then actually had the thought, “I don’t have time for this!” and turned around and walked out. You know there is something wrong with the balance of your life when bathroom breaks start getting rationed.
Does anyone else feel super busy lately?? I don’t know if it’s just the end of school or what, but lately I feel like sun up to sun down I am running around like a crazy person. Maybe it’s just life with 4 kids. Apparently I don’t even have time to go to the bathroom anymore, I’m gonna have to start wearing Depends. (And I thought I was almost done with the diaper years!!)
Who else is ready for SUMMERTIME? Growing up, summer was a continually rotating schedule of fruit picking. My parents have a huge yard with tons of fruit trees: apple, peach, cherry, citrus, blackberries, apricots, so much goodness. As much as I hated being out there in 100-degree heat picking fruit, who wouldn’t love the result?
Fresh peach season was always my number one favorite. There is nothing more amazing than a warm, juicy, perfectly ripe peach plucked right off the tree and devoured over the sink, with juice dripping down to your elbows. Heaven. Possibly the only thing better is taking those peaches, tossing them in a pan, and covering them with a sweet buttery cobbler topping. Who’s with me?
Summertime means homemade peach cobbler!
This peach cobbler recipe is summer’s favorite dessert. It has glorious sweetened peaches on the bottom and cakey goodness on top, all baked up in a casserole dish. Peach cobbler usually has some sort of leavening agent in it, like baking powder, to make it rise a bit and form a cake or biscuit-like topping. (Peach crisp on the other hand is, well, crispier, has no leavening agent, and often includes oats in addition to the flour and sugar, like this Apple Crisp. Which you can totally substitute peaches for by the way. See recipe notes for details!)
There are a lot of different ways to make peach cobbler. Some recipes are basically like cake, with the peaches incorporated into the batter. But cobbler, to me, necessitates a super juicy bottom layer of sweetened fruit. This ain’t cake. (If you want cake, though, I happen to have an amazing Peach Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting that you should definitely try out!)
The topping for today’s cobbler is kind of like a mix between a cake mix and a deconstructed shortcake. I took my Strawberry Shortcake recipe and increased the sugar to make it sweeter. Instead of cutting in the butter, we are cutting in buttermilk and an egg, then scattering cut butter on top of the cobbler to give it that crispy, melt-in-your-mouth topping!
Easy peach cobbler ingredients
I really do think this recipe is best with fresh peaches, but if you need to, you can make this with canned peaches. Either way, you´re gonna need a lot of peaches. And get a few more for snacking on as you make this.
Here’s a quick shopping list to help you gather your ingredients. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!
- 5 lbs fresh peaches
- sugar
- flour
- cinnamon
- cardamom (or nutmeg)
- baking powder
- buttermilk (cheater version ok!)
- egg
- butter
How many peaches does this recipe for peach cobbler call for?
The best way to have success with any fruit dessert is to start out with a HECK TON A FRUIT. Don’t be a lightweight. Just like my Apple Pie calls for 5 pounds of apples, we are starting out this peach cobbler recipe with 5 pounds of peaches. That’s about 14 medium-sized peaches. Once you slice them and cut them up, it’s about 9 cups. (See below for details about how to make this recipe with canned or frozen peaches.)
How many peaches in a pound?
Peaches can vary in size, but usually, 3 to 4 peaches make a pound. If you have a kitchen scale you can weigh them to be sure!
How to make homemade peach cobbler
Slice all your peaches. You should have about 9 cups of naked skin-free peaches.
Dump them directly in the casserole dish, no need to grease the pan. Top with sugar, flour and spices.
A note about the sugar: The recipe calls for 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar, but this amount is totally flexible! If you have underripe peaches, they will not be as sweet; add more like 1 and 3/4 cup or even up to 2 cups. If they are very ripe, consider adding only 1 and 1/4 cups. (If using canned peaches, use 1 cup sugar; see below.) If you are short on peaches or are just making a smaller batch of cobbler, you can also use less sugar so it doesn´t overwhelm the dessert. It´s really a foolproof recipe so trust your sugar sense on this one (it’s like a spidey sense but for sugar fiends like me).
Flour: The flour acts as a thickener. As the peaches release their juices when baking, they absorb into this flour and make a nice thickened sauce.
Spices: Go easy on the cinnamon. Hear me out here. I know people just love to dump on the cinnamon when it comes to dessert, and if I am making Cinnamon Rolls then HECK YES I’m a cinnamon dumper. But I find that cinnamon can sometimes overwhelm the delicate peach flavor if you use too much. I like to use about 1/4 teaspoon for a 9×13 pan. Obviously this is a personal preference! The other spice I love to add in is cardamom. Usually, people add nutmeg. But I’m telling you, cardamom is SO good with peaches. Either one will be great! (Or you can omit it entirely.)
Cakey topping
Once you have the peach filling ready to go, it’s time to make the cakey biscuity topping. Add some flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a bowl.
Then, in another bowl, mix together some buttermilk and an egg. (You can use cheater buttermilk, see notes). Then, use a pastry cutter to cut the liquid into the dough. I like using a pastry cutter to get that shaggy, choppy dough that makes for the perfect cobbler topping. If all you have is a spatula, use a chopping motion to incorporate the liquid rather than a stirring motion. It’s okay if there are still dry bits of flour.
Dump the shaggy dough mixture on top of the peaches. Then take a stick of butter, chop it up, and sprinkle over the top. Adding the butter separately like this (rather than cutting it into the dough, as you would for biscuits or cake) gives the cobbler that perfectly crispy topping (rather than a soft, spongy texture.) It’s so good!
Sprinkle the whole thing with sugar. I like to use a mix of granulated sugar and raw (demerara) sugar, for extra crunch.
Then bake it up and that’s it! Then eat warm with vanilla ice cream if you know what’s good for you.
How to peel peaches for peach cobbler
Before you can slice the peaches you must peel them. I saw some recipes out there that said there was no need to peel, “peach peels get nice and tender in the oven.” I don’t know who these sick people are, but they need some LESSONS. Peaches are one of summer’s greatest treasures but there is nothing that makes me feel weirder than those fuzzy little peels. Get outta here.
TLDR: If your peaches aren’t quite ripe: use a vegetable peeler.
If your peaches are perfectly ripe: boil a pot of water, add the whole peaches for about 30-45 seconds, and remove promptly. Ok, now you don´t need to stop the cooking with an ice bath aswe are about to bake them anyway.But if you want to, your peaches won’t fall apart before you get them in the cobbler AND they’ll cool quicker which makes them easier to peel which means you´ll get your cobbler in the oven faster which means you´ll be eating said cobbler faster. But it´s up to you.
Anyways, these babies just need a 30-second stint in the boiler and the peels will magically come right off using your fingers. This is called blanching. It’s quite satisfying actually!
How to cut a peach
Once your peach skins are removed, your peaches are ready to cut. The easiest way to cut is NOT to slice all the way around the peach from top to bottom and up to the top again. Instead, I like to set the peach on the cutting board, hold it firmly on one side, and slice straight down so it creates a pit-free, flat-on-one-side slice. I rotate the peach a quarter turn and cut the same way again, then twice more. This leaves you with a “core” of sorts with the pit in it, which you can then slice the little piece from top and bottom. I do this for two reasons: first, it eliminates the need to scoop-slice out the red fringey bits that cling to the peach, and second, it creates all flat-on-one-side pieces which are much easier to get thin, uniform slices from.
Whatever you do, don’t boil underripe peaches thinking the skin will magically come off. They won’t, and then you will have to destroy your hot peaches trying to use a peeler on them. No this didn’t happen to me, why do you ask?
Peach cobbler recipe variations
Is it better to use fresh or canned peaches for cobbler?
Okay, so when I started researching this post I knew I would have to at least try making it with canned peaches because peaches have a short season and aren’t even available everywhere. Sometimes the can is all we’ve got!
But I was actually blown away by how much I enjoyed the canned version of this recipe. OF COURSE fresh ripe peaches are going to taste better, but really the canned version totally holds its own, and the good news is that you’re never going to have the fresh version sitting next to the canned version to see exactly what you’re missing out on. It will just taste like delicious sweet peach cobbler to your guests. And you just can’t beat it in terms of convenience. (What, you actually LIKE spending all your patience allotment for the day peeling fuzzy skin off of stone fruit??)
The most important step is to drain the heck out of your peaches. You are going to need four 29-ounce cans; I drained them one at a time in my colander, stirring occasionally. Add them to your casserole dish and toss with only 1 cup of sugar. We are using a little less sugar because canned peaches have been sitting in heavy syrup, so they are starting off way sweeter. Add in the flour and spices as called for in the recipe, and the rest of the recipe is exactly the same, even down to the baking times.
If you don´t have–or–GASP–don´t like peaches, you can always make this as an apple cobbler. Simply swap out the peaches for apples and you got a recipe you can make all fall.
How to make homemade peach cobbler with frozen peaches
No need to thaw! Just toss frozen sliced peaches directly in the casserole dish and you are good to go, follow the recipe as stated. Frozen peaches will release more liquid than fresh, so your cobbler will be a little more juicy. This is not even close to an apology. Start slurping.
Can I make peach cobbler in advance?
Yes and no. Yes, you can make the peach filling completely and add it to your baking dish, then refrigerate until you are ready to bake it. You can do this up to a day in advance. However, it’s best to make the cobbler topping right before you bake it, but it only takes a few minutes
How to serve up the best peach cobbler recipe
Vanilla ice cream is pretty much the only way to go. However, in a pinch, you could serve it with fresh whipped cream, tall cold glasses of milk, or even pour a little cold heavy whipping cream on top (like I do with this Peach Apricot Slab Pie).
Does peach cobbler need to be refrigerated?
No it does not! It will keep on the counter for at least 2 days, just like a pie or cake. After 2 days I would stick it in the fridge if it’s still around! I love to snag bites as I pass through the kitchen or warm up a smidgen in the microwave. Eric thinks it’s a crime to consume ANY amount of peach cobbler without vanilla ice cream. I mean, I can see where he’s coming from.
Can you freeze peach cobbler?
I wouldn’t recommend it. The topping will just get soggy. You can definitely freeze the peach filling layer though; prepare as directed with the flour and sugar and as many spices as you like, then ziplock and freeze! Thaw before baking.
How do you reheat peach cobbler?
To reheat peach cobbler while maintaining its cakey soft texture, the oven is your best option. Preheat your oven to 350°F, place the cobbler in an oven-safe dish, and cover it loosely with foil to prevent over-browning. Let it warm for about 15-20 minutes, removing the foil in the last few minutes if you want a crispier topping.
If you’re short on time, you can use the microwave, though the topping may soften. Place a serving on a microwave-safe plate and heat at 50-70% power for 30-60 seconds, checking and continuing in 10-second intervals if needed.
The best peach cobbler recipe FAQs
It depends on whether they’re ripe. Unripe peaches, which don’t feel soft when you gently press with a finger, should be left on the counter to continue ripening. Once they’re ripe, you need to eat them, use them in a peach recipe like this one, or put them in the fridge to slow their ripening. They’ll only last in the fridge for a few more days at most, so only plan on buying or picking the number of peaches you need. (Of course, if you have a peach tree just busily cranking them out in your backyard, you’re going to need some friends…or to host a peach desserts party at your house.)
You may not have added enough flour, or you may just have a juicy cobbler because of the peaches you used (frozen peaches can definitely do this). If you really don’t enjoy the juiciness, I recommend waiting for the cobbler to fully cool before you eat it, when the liquids will have reabsorbed somewhat into the filling and topping.
Yes. Yes, you do. I don’t care what some weirdo has told you about all the nutrition being in the skin or something, we are NOT putting that peel in our cobbler. This is a dessert. If you want to eat the skin when you’re snacking on a peach, go for it, but peels don’t belong in cobbler.
Here are my tips for making sure that your cobbler isn’t a wet sad mess:
Add flour to the filling. It acts as a thickener and the peach juice mixes with the flour to create a sauce with the proper consistency.Let your peaches breathe. You’ll notice in these pictures that I’ve left some of the peaches peeking out through the top. This creates little pockets where the juice from the peaches can do some evaporating. When a topping completely seals the fruit in, all of the juice stays inside the cobbler, where it can make the bottom of the topping gummy.
Cook it long enough. The top of the cobbler should be turning light brown (not just in a few spots) when you pull it out of the oven. A fully cooked crust is less likely to turn into a doughy, gummy mess when the cobbler has cooled.
More perfect summer fruit desserts!
- Strawberry Rhubarb Pie >> one of my absolute FAVORITE pies of all time!
- Homemade Apple Pie >> a classic, and the most popular pie on my site
- Fresh Blackberry Glacé Pie >> I love this fresh, cold pie in hot weather
- The Easiest Mixed Berry Cobbler Recipe You’ll Ever Make >> truly, you won’t believe just how easy it is!
- How to make Strawberry Shortcake >> just like grandma made, it’s perfect for spring and summer
- Easy Homemade Cherry Pie Bars >> like a pie, but in a way easier bar form
- Homemade Blueberry Pie Recipe >> I didn’t think I liked blackberry pie til this one
- Mixed Berry Oatmeal Bars from Pastry Affair
- Strawberry Crunch Cake from Spatula Desserts
- Raspberry Hand Pies from Butter and Baggage
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Peach Cobbler Recipe (Easy)
Ingredients
For the peach filling
- 5 pounds fresh sliced peaches, about 14 medium peaches
- 1 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, or nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the cobbler topping
- 2 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, cheater version okay, see notes
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup cold butter, chopped into chunks
- 2 tablespoons sugar, granulated or raw sugar or both
Instructions
For the peach filling
- Start by preparing your peaches. Peel with a vegetable peeler if they are firm. If they are ripe, a vegetable peeler will bruise them so it's best to blanch: bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the peaches a few at a time so that they are totally submerged. Let boil for 30-45 seconds. Remove from the boiling water. When they are cool enough to handle, use your hands to easily remove the peels. Slice the peaches. You should end up with about 9 cups of sliced peaches. Add your peaches to a 9×13 inch casserole dish (no need to grease the pan).
- Top your peaches with 1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar. You can use a little more sugar (up to 2 cups) if your peaches are under ripe. Or use about 1 and 1/4 cups sugar if they are super sweet.
- Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon cardamom (or nutmeg), and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt on the peaches. Gently stir the mixture together, being careful not to bruise and break the peaches. Set aside.
For the cobbler topping
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients: 2 and 1/2 cups flour, 1 and 1/2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Whisk it together.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg and 1/2 cup buttermilk*. Pour it into the bowl with the flour, then use a pastry cutter to cut it into the flour, making a shaggy dough. You can use a spoon if you don't have a pastry cutter, be sure to use a cutting motion rather than stirring. It's okay if there are still some dry spots of flour, see photos. Pour the flour mixture on top of the peaches and spread around evenly.
- Chop a stick of butter into 1/2 inch pieces. Scatter evenly over the top of the flour mixture.
- Sprinkle 2 or 3 tablespoons sugar over the top. I used half granulated sugar and half demerara (raw) sugar to give it extra crunch.
- Bake at 375 for 45-55 minutes. The top should be turning light brown. Once it is light brown all over the top (not just in a few spots) and it's bubbling like crazy, it's done. I like to turn on my broiler and broil the cobbler for 1-3 minutes at this point. No need to move the oven rack up. It gives it an extra crisp browning that I just love. Who doesn't want a crispy crunchy top? But don't walk away! Keep an eye on it, I can't tell you how many things I've lit on fire in my broiler. Check it every 60 seconds.
- You are supposed to let it cool completely. Hogwash! Wait 15 minutes to let the juices set up and then dig in! Vanilla ice cream is pretty much essential for serving.
- Store leftovers covered on the counter.
Just some advice on blanching peaches. Once you take them out if hot water. Don’t let them sit until they cool, because the heat from being in the water will still make them keep cooking a bit inside.
What you need to do is dump the peaches straight into a sink of ice water or the coldest tap water you have if you don’t have ice.
This will cool them down fast and makes the peach skins easy to peal and stuff right off easy.
After I do that step I set the peaches🍑 on a big plate on paper towels to dry a bit. Then I slice them up cutting slices around the peach top to bottom, them popping off the slices from the pit with the knife. It makes life easy doing it that way 👍
Happy baking everyone 😃
Thanks for sharing your tips Phil! It means a lot :-)
Could I use the same quantity of a pie filling? So 9 cups of apple or blueberry canned pie filling? It seems like I would just use those as a whole substitute for the peach filling instructions & then follow the recipe for the to crust. Is that correct?
Hello Joy! You can actually use this apple cobbler recipe to make a cobbler from fresh apples. We haven’t tested this cobbler with canned pie filling before, but if you try it, come back and let us know how it turns out!
This is the best peach cobbler recipe I’ve made so far. I will say that I only used 1/2 cup of sugar in preparing the peaches as my husband is a type 2 diabetic. The peaches were bought as a fund raiser and were prepped for the freezer. I followed your directions for frozen peaches. The peaches were already naturally sweet that very little sugar was needed. I plan to make this cobbler for Memorial Day too. Thank you for sharing your wonderful peach cobbler recipe. :-)
Hello,
I am going to use canned peaches. Do I use 1/3 cup of all purpose flour for the canned peaches along with the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg?
I can’t wait to try this homemade peach cobbler using canned peaches. Thanks.
Hi Bonnie! Here are the complete notes for using canned peaches (but long story short, yes, you do use the 1/3 cup flour). Drain 4 (29 ounce) cans of sliced peaches. When drained, this comes out to about 9 cups of peaches. Let them sit in the colander for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make the recipe as stated, but only add 1 cup of sugar to the peach filling (not 1 and 1/2 cups. Canned peaches have been sitting in syrup and are already so sweet.) That’s the only change you need to make! Enjoy.
If using frozen peaches be prepared to bake for over 2 hours. I love this cobbler. I am fortunate to live in the Central Valley of California where great peaches are just down the street. I used some I froze myself and want people to know that cooking the peaches frozen took a very long time to bake. I baked at 375 for 2-1/2 hours in order to get the crust done but so worth it.
Thank you for this info Laura! And hello, neighbor! Central valley fresh peaches are the BEST peaches!
How long and at what temperature should I reheat the peach cobbler?
Hi Emelie! I recommend reheating the cobbler in the oven at 250. The whole cobbler will take 30-45 minutes. If you’re just reheating a single serving you’ll need less time, maybe 10-15 minutes (or you can always just pop it in the microwave). Enjoy!
The cubed butter on top, salted or unsalted?
I use salted butter Sarah but either one is fine!