Southern Peach Cobbler
Peach Cobbler is a traditional dessert in the south and all over the world. Made with warm, sweet peaches and a decadent cobbler style crust, it’s the perfect treat for any occasion. Whether you use canned, frozen, or fresh peaches, learn how to make the best southern peach cobbler recipe!
If you’re craving juicy, sweetened and spiced peaches then you have to try this Peach Cobbler Stuffed French Toast for breakfast!
Peach cobbler brings back so many amazing memories for me. Living in the South for over 15 years, I was afforded the opportunity to eat some of the most amazing comfort food, and peach cobbler is one of my favorites.
About this peach cobbler recipe:
Since this cobbler recipe has been in my family for so long, I have learned to make it with my eyes closed! It is truly special to make a dessert from scratch, without having to worry about the outcome. Several generations of aunts and grandmas have helped perfect this treat.
Another one of my favorite cobbler recipes is Ree Drummond’s from the Pioneer Woman on the Food Network. One of the reasons it is my favorite is because she took a couple of easy shortcuts, using frozen peaches being one of them. We love ours with a lot of cobbler (crust) though!
How to make homemade peach cobbler:
This recipe calls for a bit more for the topping- because that’s the favorite part of peach cobbler in this house!
This easy peach cobbler recipe uses frozen peaches instead of fresh peaches. This simple swap cuts out a lot of time and labor. Fresh peaches can most certainly be substituted in place of the frozen, but I can assure you, this is just as tasty!
I have also made the recipe using canned peaches, but try to avoid the ones that are in heavy syrup. Even more important, do not use the ones that are made for “pie filling.”
The cobbler topping may or may not cover the entire dish. Nonetheless, it will spread out when it bakes. Top it with french vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for the ultimate dessert.
My cobbler is too watery what do I do?
Using this recipe should ensure that the cobbler doesn’t come out too watery. Sometimes using fresh and frozen peaches will yield more juices than we want. With that said, the addition of cornstarch helps thicken the juices in this recipe.
Furthermore, baking the peaches prior to adding the cobbler topping will help gauge the viscosity of the peaches. If there is still too much liquid for your liking after it bakes, use a turkey baster to remove it, or gently pour it out. It is also important to remember that the cobbler will thicken up as it cools down.
Cobbler vs. pie crust vs. crumble:
A cobbler is a biscuit (bread) like texture. Cobbler is often used for deep dish style fruit desserts, such as this peach cobbler. The topping for the cobbler is a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar combined.
Pie crust is a dough that is formed and bakes completely. Most pies will have a crust on the bottom, and the top. The crust is typically more firm and crispy than that of a cobbler.
For crumbles, a streusel-like dough is formed and sprinkled on the top of a dessert. Typically crumbles are made with some sort of flour, sugar, butter, and sometimes oats or nuts.
Although all three types of toppings can be used for desserts, this particular variation uses the cobbler style topping. Although the photos may look like the topping is “crumbly,” it is in fact more of a biscuit/dough-like consistency.
How do you store and reheat the peach cobbler:
If (and when) our household has leftovers, we simply put them in an airtight container, or cover the dish with aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator. When it’s time to reheat, simply pop it in a microwave, in a safe dish of course, and reheat for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Can I use canned peaches instead of frozen?
Yes, you can! If you only have canned peaches on-hand, they will work just as well. Both frozen and canned peaches are perfect for when the fruit is out of season so can enjoy southern peach cobbler year-round.
The most important thing though, make sure that the peaches are in their own juices. Do not get the peaches for pie filling, or peaches in heavy syrup. If you get these types, it will drastically change the flavor of the peach cobbler.
Using fresh peaches:
Peaches are in season in the summer so they are prime for peach cobbler. Follow all of the steps exactly as shown. About three fresh peaches (depending on the size), are equal to about one pound of frozen peaches.
You will add an additional five to seven minutes to the pre bake time. This is t ensure that the peaches get nice and tender.
The Best Southern Peach Cobbler Recipe
Ingredients
Peaches
- 2 bags Frozen peaches, 20 ounces each
- 1 cup Granulated sugar, (white sugar)
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Almond extract, (optional but recommended)
- 1/2 tablespoon Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons Corn starch
- 1 teaspoon Cream of tartar
- 1/2 stick Butter, unsalted, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons Water
- 1 teaspoon Fresh lemon juice
Cobbler topping
- 2 cups All purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar, (white sugar)
- 1/2 cup Brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon, reserve 1/2 for garnishment
- 1 stick Butter, unsalted cold
- 1/4 cup Boiling hot water, see notes
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 3 tablespoons Granulated sugar, to dust top of cobbler
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray. In the same dish, add the frozen peaches, white and brown sugars, vanilla and almond extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, corn starch, cream of tartar, butter, water, and lemon juice.
- Mix the peaches together with the ingredients until everything is fully combined. Cover the dish with foil and cook the mixture in the oven for 20 minutes.
- While peaches are cooking, combine the all purpose flour, both white and brown sugars, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 tablespoon of the cinnamon.
- Work the cold stick of butter into the flour mixture by breaking it up with a pastry cutter or with your hands. Work it in until it looks like coarse meal or crumbles.
- Add the hot water and stir together with a spoon until it's just combined. The cobbler should have a drop biscuit-like texture.
- Remove the peaches from the oven and spoon cobbler dough mixture over the peaches. Make each dough droplet about the size of a golf ball leaving a tiny bit of space between each one (see photo and notes below) to ensure they cook through.
- Peaches will not be fully covered. Combine sugar and and remaining 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture over dough.
- Place the dish back in the oven uncovered and cook for an additional 30-45 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Check on it after 30 minutes for doneness and remove it once the cobbler crust is golden brown and delicious. And enjoy!
Notes
Equipment
*VIDEO IS A SYNOPSIS OF THE RECIPE MEANT TO SHOW STEPS TAKEN- IT IS NOT THE FULL RECIPE.
I bakes your recipe for family dinner last night. I am not a cook nor a baker and everyone loved the cobbler but my crust did not look like yours. Not sure what went wrong.
Like I said everyone raved about the cobbler.
Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
If I use canned peach do I drain them?
Thank you
Yes you should drain the liquid that is in the can.
Hi,
Just wondering…if using fresh peaches do you take the skin off first? TIA!
Hi Michelle, It is really a preference thing here! I personally like to peel them first. The skin will soften during baking though if you want to leave them on!
Got some fresh peaches today at farmers market. My sister came home, saw them and immediately asked if I was going to make cobbler. Your recipe looks/sounds like the first time I ever made cobbler (50+ yrs ago) so tomorrow I’ll be making your recipe. Thanks for posting.
Yay! I know everyone will be in heaven once you make it! Thanks for sharing Kathie
This is the best peach cobbler I’ve ever had!
I am a GA peach from the country. I know a good peach cobbler. This was excellent!!! The directions were easy to follow and I appreciate the picture. I never could get the cobbler crust like my grandma’s — until now. I made a mistake and didn’t put it in a dish that would allow full spread of my crust balls, but it was still heavenly. Thank you so much!!!!!
Oh I love to hear that! Thanks for sharing the memory with me.
All I have is can peaches. Will this do?
Patricia
Hi Patricia, yes they will. Just be sure to get the ones in juice and not in heavy syrup. I touched on it in the post above as well.
Can this be made a day ahead or better fresh? Thanks
Hello, You can definitely make it ahead of time and just pop it in the oven when you are ready to eat.
Love this! All the peach cobbler recipes are always too much like a cake or like a pie, and a crumble is NOT a cobbler. This is exactly what a cobbler should be! Thank you!
I am so happy you enjoyed it! The cobbler is definitely my favorite part too!
Wow! That’s all I have to say! This recipe was a huge hit in our household! The instructions were so clear and simple and it came out just as pictured but tasted even better! Thanks so much for sharing!
Yay! Thanks for the kind review.
LOVED the texture of this recipe, it has THE perfect moisture content!! Will definitely make it again… But WHOA, is it sweet!! I think I’m going to leave the filling alone, that was just fine, that should be sweet. The biscuit dough, I’m gonna tweak. Probably will half the sugar and omit the brown sugar all together. The cinnamon was a bit strong and overtook all the flavors, as cinnamon usually does…lol. Funny how cinnamon does that. The minute one adds just a little too much cinnamon a cobbler can taste like a pie like a crumble like a doughnut like a…… Same is kinda true of nutmeg. Thank you so much for this recipe, literally I’ve never found such good texture in a cobbler!! Gonna make another on right now.
I am glad you enjoyed it, and that you made it your own!
Oh myyyyy this is so good! We were gifted a load of fresh Virginia peaches so I used them in this recipe. I definitely had to take some of the peach juices out before I put the topping on, and I had to add a fair bit more water to the topping to get the right consistency, but that was likely because I didn’t measure flour properly and put too much in ???? I was very skeptical about the almond extract, but it 110% works, and elevated the complexity of the flavors big time. I can’t wait to have friends over and make this recipe again – it will be a regular in our home from now on!
This review made me so happy Theresa! That is the art of cooking, make it your own, play with the recipe until you are completely happy with it! Thank you so much for stopping by to let me know how it turned out! Send me some pictures of your creation too!!
This was the best cobbler ever!! The filling and crust came out perfectly. I used fresh peaches in mine because that’s what I had. I will definitely be making this again.
Best peach cobbler Recipe! Look no further there’s not a better one out there. My family went peach picking and I had tons of fresh peaches available for this recipe. My family loved it and the house smelled amazing!
Awww! Thanks so much Jeanine, I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed it!
This recipe was so easy to follow and my cobbler came out amazing! My family ate it all before it even cooled down. Definitely recommend trying it out, perfect for a summer dinner with friends
This peach cobbler is really not the best, not even good. It is expensive for ingredients, takes a decent amount of time and lastly is has wayyy to much cinnamon and liquid. I filled up a whole coffee cup with liquid and was still swimming in juice. I would not recommend or make again.
A followed the recipe and let the cobbler sit out overnight. The following morning it was like mushy soup. The peaches were not soft (I used frozen peaches
Can this be made in ramekins? If so, what adjustments would need to be made?
Hey Britt, I have not split it into ramekins so I am not sure as to exact measurements. I would just try to split it evenly amongst them. This may be something I test in the near future for you!
Are you supposed to defrost the peaches before you cook them?
Hey there! Nope, you can cook them from frozen!
Cream of tartar is listed in the ingredients but isn’t in the instructions, does it go in the peaches mixture to thicken it up?
Yep that is correct! I added it to the instructions. Thanks!