Peach Cobbler

Peach cobbler is the dessert I make on repeat all peach season. It’s the easy middle ground between a peach pie and a peach cake: fresh, juicy peaches simmered just enough to draw out their syrup, spooned over a cinnamon-scented batter, and baked until the batter rises up golden and fluffy around the fruit. It comes together with pantry staples and almost no special technique. It’s the kind of thing you can put together on a weeknight or carry to a cookout and have people asking for the recipe.

The magic of this style of cobbler is in the assembly: melted butter goes in the dish, the batter goes on top of it (don’t stir them together), and the sweet peaches go on last. In the oven, the batter rises up and around the fruit, crisping at the buttery edges and staying soft and cakey underneath. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you’ve got summer in a bowl.

A reader, Jen, says: “EXCELLENT recipe! Very easy to follow and the entire family loved it. I did add the cinnamon sugar topping before baked for 40 minutes using the 9×13 method. Will definitely use this recipe as my go to the next time I make this.” ★★★★★

Key Ingredients

You only need a handful of ingredients to make this homemade peach cobbler! Get the full list with measurements in the recipe card below.

Peaches — ripe, fresh peaches are the star. I use yellow peaches, but a mix of yellow and white, or all white, works for a softer, floral twist. Look for fruit that’s ripe and gives slightly when pressed near the stem, but is still slightly firm. The peaches should also smell very fragrant.

Two sugars — granulated sugar brightens and lifts the peaches’ natural sweetness. Brown sugar adds a bit of molasses flavor and depth to the filling. Both are used with the fruit and again in the batter. If you only have one kind on hand, you can use it in place of the other without any issues.

Butter — melted in the dish, it’s what gives the cobbler its crisp, buttery edges. Unsalted butter lets you control the salt, but salted works in a pinch. Learn how to make the swap in my Academy lesson: Salted vs Unsalted Butter.

Cobbler batter — all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, a little cinnamon, and milk stir together in one bowl into a pourable batter that bakes up like a soft, cakey topping with a crispy edge.

How to Peel, Slice, and Pit Peaches

Working with fresh peaches isn’t hard, but knowing a few tricks to peel and pit them easily makes this recipe much easier.

To peel ripe peaches, you can often pull the skin away with a paring knife or your fingers after making a slit in the top or cutting the peach in half. For firmer or stubborn fruit, cut a small X in the bottom of each whole peach and drop it into boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then move it straight to a bowl of ice water. The skins will slip right off.

To pit peaches, cut around the peach down to the stone, twist the halves apart, lift out the pit, and slice. I cut mine into roughly ¼-inch-thick slices. During testing, I found the slices at this thickness held their shape beautifully through baking, so you get distinct pieces of peach rather than mush.

Do I Need to Peel the Peaches?

I peel mine for a smoother filling, but it’s not required. If you don’t mind a little texture from the skins, leave them on and save yourself the step.

Can I Use Canned or Frozen Peaches?

Both work, so you can make this year-round. For canned peaches, use peach halves packed in juice and drain them before slicing and cooking with the sugar. If you can only find peaches in syrup, cut the granulated sugar in the filling by 2 tablespoons. For frozen peaches, the frozen slices can go straight into the skillet (no thawing needed). Just cook them a few minutes longer until heated through.

With either frozen or canned, watch the liquid: frozen and syrup-packed peaches run wetter. If the peaches have a lot of runny liquid, mix 2-3 teaspoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and stir it into the skillet. Cook and stir until the juices thicken and turn clear, about a minute.

How To Make Peach Cobbler

Below, I’ve highlighted portions of the recipe in step-by-step process images along with instructions for making the best peach cobbler recipe. You can find the full set of instructions in the recipe card below.

1. Prep the peaches and the baking dish. Peel, halve, and pit the peaches while the oven preheats. Cut the butter into cubes, drop them into a 9×13-inch baking dish, and set the dish in the oven just until the butter melts. Remove it once melted (leave the oven on).

2. Cook the peaches. Slice the peaches ¼-inch thick and place the slices in a large skillet. Sprinkle both sugars over the fruit, stir, and cook over medium heat for just a few minutes, until the sugars dissolve. Pull from the heat. Don’t cook the peaches through here—they will finish cooking in the oven! This step helps the fruit warm up and dissolve the sugar so the fruit is syrupy, and the cobbler bakes up evenly and juicy.

3. Make the batter. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.

4. Pour in the milk and stir with the flour mixture just until combined. The batter will look like a thick cake batter.

5. Pour the batter into the buttered dish and spread it toward the edges. Don’t mix them together, but it’s okay if the butter pools up over the batter in some spots.

6. Assemble and bake. Spoon the peach filling along with all of the syrup over the batter throughout the pan, leaving a few gaps so the batter can rise up through the fruit. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the batter portions spring back when pressed lightly. Let it rest before serving so the juices have a chance to cool slightly and thicken up.

Variations to Try

This recipe is easy to adapt with other spices and toppings:

• Browned butter peach cobbler: Use browned butter in the dish instead of plain melted butter for a nutty, deeper flavor.
• Biscuit-topped peach cobbler: Skip the batter, add the cooked peaches to the buttered dish, and top with biscuit or drop biscuit dough. Bake until the biscuits are golden, about 30-40 minutes.
• A little warm spice: A pinch of nutmeg alongside the cinnamon in the peaches, the batter, or both adds delicious depth (this was a reader tip I’m a fan of!).
• For a spiced top, stir together 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the cobbler before baking.
• Gluten-free: Swap in a gluten-free baking flour blend for the batter. You may need a splash more milk, since those blends soak up more liquid.

Pro Tips for the Best Peach Cobbler

Use ripe but slightly firm peaches. Very soft peaches turn mushy in the oven; rock-hard ones won’t be sweet enough and can stay crunchy after baking. If yours are slightly underripe, cook the filling a little longer to soften them first. Taste a slice before you start as well. If they aren’t very sweet, you can add more sugar to the fruit or vice versa.

Thicken the filling if it’s very juicy. If the cooked peaches look watery (common with extra-juicy or frozen fruit), mix together 2-3 teaspoons of cornstarch with water and add it to the peaches before assembling, so the cobbler doesn’t bake up runny.

Bake in glass or ceramic, not metal. During testing, I found that glass and ceramic dishes prevented the edges from scorching and kept the filling and batter softer. Metal heats up faster and over-browns the edges.

Let it rest for about 20 minutes. The filling thickens and sets as it cools, so it serves cleanly instead of soupy, and you won’t burn your mouth on molten peaches.

5 from 217 votes

Peach Cobbler Recipe

An easy peach cobbler with fresh, juicy peaches baked into a buttery, cinnamon-scented batter that rises up around the fruit to form a golden crust. This is a from-scratch summer classic!

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American, British

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8 servings

Calories 329kcal

Author John Kanell

Video

Equipment

• ▢
  9×13-inch or 3-quart baking dish

Ingredients

For the Peach Filling:

• ▢ 7 tablespoons unsalted butter (100g)
• ▢ 6 large yellow peaches ripe (about 900g)
• ▢ ¼ cup packed light brown sugar (55g)
• ▢ ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)

For the Cobbler Batter:

• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
• ▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¾ cup whole milk (180mL)

Instructions

Make the Filling:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut butter into a few pats and place in a 9×13 baking dish then pop the dish into the oven to warm until the butter melts, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Peel the peaches then halve them, remove the pit, slice into roughly ¼-inch-thick pieces, and transfer to a large skillet.
• Sprinkle brown and granulated sugar over the peaches and mix then place on medium heat while stirring occasionally. You’ll cook the peaches for just a few minutes until the sugars dissolve. Remove from heat and set aside.

Make the Batter and Assemble:

• Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl then pour in the milk and mix until just combined.
• Transfer the batter into your baking dish and spread out toward the edges but do not mix with the butter.
• Transfer the peaches with any liquid into your dish and spread out evenly. Leave some gaps for the cobbler topping to rise through.
• Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes. It’s done when the cobbler is golden brown and springs back when pressed lightly.

Notes

• Don’t overcook the peaches. The stovetop step takes only a few minutes, just until the sugar dissolves. They’ll finish cooking in the oven; overcooking now makes them mushy after baking.
• Customize the dish size. This recipe works in a 9×13-inch baking pan, any 3-quart baking dish, two 8×8-inch dishes, or individual 8-ounce ramekins. The baking time may change slightly depending on how thick the batter is in the dish, so check on it for a golden color and bubbly juices.

Nutrition

Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 206mg | Potassium: 202mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 710IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 1mg

*Nutrition Disclaimer

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Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

Make ahead: This cobbler is best mixed and baked fresh, but you can prep components ahead of time. Cook the peaches, cool them, and refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 24 hours. Whisk the dry batter ingredients and store separately. When you’re ready, combine and assemble.

Storing: Cover and refrigerate leftovers up to 5 days, or freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge).

Reheating: Warm in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes, or a 325°F air fryer for 5-10 minutes, to bring back the crisp top.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Cobblers and Crisps to Try

Try more easy dessert recipes featuring fresh fruit:

• Strawberry Cobbler — the same easy batter-style cobbler made with sweet summer strawberries.
• Blueberry Crisp — juicy blueberries under a brown sugar-oat topping.
• Peach Crisp — sliced peaches and brown sugar under a crunchy oat streusel instead of a batter.
• Peach Pie — a lattice-topped classic for when you want a true summer pie.
• Apple Cobbler — the cozy fall version with cinnamon-spiced apples.

If you’ve tried this peach cobbler recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!