Homemade Peach Cobbler

Made with fresh or frozen peaches, this peach cobbler is buttery and perfectly sweet. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I spent a lot of my life thinking I didn’t like warm, baked fruit desserts. 

But then one day several years ago I had some peaches from the farmer’s market and decided to try making peach cobbler.

This homemade peach cobbler was the recipe that changed my mind and made me a true believer in all things warm, sweet, and fruity.

If you’ve got some summer-ripe peaches on hand, give this peach cobbler a try. It’ll make even the most skeptical person a believer in fruit cobblers.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COBBLERS, CRISPS, AND CRUMBLES?

I am sure that every summer you see tons of recipes like blackberry cobbler, berry crisp, and strawberry rhubarb crumble.

But what exactly is the difference between those desserts? Why all of the different names?

• Cobblers can have a drop biscuit topping (like in cherry cobbler), a pie crust-like topping, or even a cakey topping (like with this peach cobbler). 
• Crisps have a streusel topping that has oats in it, making the topping crispy, like in my cherry crisp.
• Crumbles are similar to crisps but traditionally don’t have any oats in the streusel topping, like in Apple Crumble. Although the lines are sometimes a little bit blurred between crisps and crumbles and the names are often used interchangeably.

This peach cobbler is an old-fashioned recipe that bakes up with a cakey topping. The peaches at the bottom are warm and syrupy and the combination of the two is just the best.

HOW TO MAKE PEACH COBBLER

This is a simple recipe that makes just the right amount of homemade peach cobbler. It’s easy to throw together any night you have some summer-ripe peaches on hand and want a special something for dessert.

Ingredients you’ll need

You don’t need much to make this peach cobbler:

• 2 cups peeled and sliced peaches
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ¾ cup self-rising flour
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup whole milk
• Ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional)

I know, I know – self-rising flour. But don’t stress if that’s not something you keep on hand on a regular basis. I have a tutorial on how to make self-rising flour using all-purpose flour and the substitute works great in this recipe.

I recommend knowing how to measure flour correctly so your cobbler turns out perfect every time.

Most peach cobbler recipes call for cinnamon, but sometimes I like to swap that out for pumpkin pie spice. Why? 

All of the spices in pumpkin pie spice – especially ginger – pair really well with peaches! 

Making this recipe

The first thing you’ll do to make this homemade peach cobbler is cook down the peeled and sliced peaches a bit. 

Add the peaches to a saucepan along with ½ cup of the sugar and the water. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer this for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and set the pan aside.

Preheat the oven; while the oven preheats, add the butter to a 1.5-quart baking dish and place the dish in the oven. This will melt the butter while you prepare the rest of the cobbler.

In a bowl, whisk together the rest of the sugar with the flour and salt. Whisk in the vanilla and the milk until the mixture is smooth.

Once the oven is preheated and the butter is melted, pour the batter over the melted butter in the pan, but DO NOT stir. 

Spoon the peaches and their syrup over the top of the batter, but again – do NOT stir! I promise that everything will bake up perfectly in the oven.

If you’d like, you can now sprinkle the top of the cobbler with some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. The peach cobbler is done when the cobbler is golden and the syrup is bubbly and the top springs back lightly when pressed.

Serve your homemade peach cobbler warm with a scoop of  vanilla ice cream or a dollop of homemade whipped cream. 

FAQS

How should you store this homemade peach cobbler?

If you don’t finish the cobbler the day you make it, cover and store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds before enjoying the leftovers.

What if you don’t have self-rising flour?

I get it – not everyone keeps multiple types of flour on hand. Luckily, you can make self-rising flour from all-purpose flour and two other simple ingredients.

Learn how to make self-rising flour to use in this recipe.

Can you use frozen or canned peaches instead of fresh?

If fresh peaches are out of season, consider using frozen sliced peaches instead. If you use frozen peaches, do not thaw them before you start making the recipe.

I have not tried this particular recipe with canned peaches, but I do have an easy peach cobbler recipe that is made with canned peaches and cake mix.

Do you have to peel the peaches?

I definitely recommend peeling the peaches for your homemade peach cobbler. 

Since you cook the peaches on the stove before adding them to the cobbler, the peels could easily start to come off by the time the cobbler comes out of the oven. It takes extra effort but is worth it to peel them first.

How can you reheat this peach cobbler?

If you’d like to make this homemade peach cobbler ahead of time and reheat it before serving, cover the cobbler with foil and place it in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.

You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.