Juicy sweet berries and a buttery rich biscuit topping come together in this old-fashioned simple berry cobbler. Use your favorite berries and if they’re out of season, swap fresh for frozen berries. The buttermilk biscuit topping is super soft with a deliciously crisp crust. This easy summer dessert is made even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream!
Up close and personal. โ โ
Those syrupy berries, that golden brown biscuit crust, the necessary vanilla ice cream topper. It’s funny that out of the hundreds of recipes on my website, I’m declaring this the one and only dessert you should make this summer. Consider this the easier way to enjoy your favorite sweet summer berries without the work of a full pie and pie crust. Forget the others (but maybe not you, key lime pie) and let’s make mixed berry cobbler!
What the Heck is Cobbler?
Let’s clear this up! Cobblers, crumbles, and crisps fall under the same dessert umbrella. Each are like pie, but without the pie crust. Cobblers are typically topped with a biscuit or sometimes cake-like topping (like my cherry cobbler and apple cobbler), crisps are topped with an oat streusel topping, and crumbles are topped with an oat-less crumb topping. The terms are all pretty synonymous with one another, but cobbler almost always has the biscuit topping. Like a giant strawberry shortcake of sorts. If you like pie, you’ll definitely enjoy cobblers, crumbles, and crisps. (Try my bourbon cherry crisp next because it’s totally out of this world!)
Here’s Why Cobbler is Literally the Best
- Easier Than Pie: With mixed berry cobbler, we’re essentially taking berry pie and replacing the finicky pie crust with an easy biscuit topping. Skip the pie dough chilling and leave the rolling pin in your cabinet.
- Short Cooling Time: As much as I love homemade pie, it comes with a long cooling time. Sometimes we need something a little quicker than a blueberry pie, but just as seasonal and impressive.
- Adaptable: Berry cobbler is totally adaptable to whichever berries you want. You can turn this recipe into a blackberry cobbler or blueberry cobbler simply by using all of that particular berry. Not in the mood for berries? Try my peach cobbler instead. You could even replace the peaches with apples or pears, too.
- Basic Ingredients: No strange ingredients required. Cobbler doesn’t require much, just the usual suspects like fruit, flour, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt.
- Naturally Flavorful: Celebrate the season’s sweetest natural flavors! A lot of the flavor in cobbler comes from the juicy mixed berries.
- And It’s Delicious: What’s better than lush sweet berries and soft cake-like biscuits with a golden crisp crust? Name a better summer duo. I always include it in my lineup of Memorial Day recipes for this reason!
We love this during the summertime and it’s lovely for a 4th of July dessert, BBQs, Father’s Day, family reunion gatherings, and more, but since you can use frozen fruit, it’s great any time of year!
Best Berries for Berry Cobbler
Hit up the farmer’s market or grocery store sales: you need 8 cups of berries total. I used 3 cups blueberries, 2 cups blackberries, 1 and 1/2 cups chopped strawberries, and 1 and 1/2 cup raspberries. Keep in mind that the juicier the fruit (raspberries, strawberries), the more liquid-y your berry layer will be.
You can use frozen berries in this cobbler, too!
How to Make Berry Cobbler
You only need 2 bowls!
- Mix the berry layer ingredients together: Gently mix berries, sugar, cornstarch to thicken, a squeeze of lemon juice (to brighten the flavors), and vanilla extract together. Spread evenly into a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Make the biscuit dough: You need flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, and buttermilk. Mix the first 4 ingredients together, then cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter until pea-sized crumbs form. These flour-coated butter crumbles promise a flaky soft, yet crisp biscuit topping. After that, mix in buttermilk. Buttermilk creates an ultra-rich biscuit. Just like when we make cheddar biscuits, it’s important that the butter and buttermilk are both very cold, otherwise the dough will completely melt down into the berries. This biscuit topping is actually very similar to my homemade biscuits, but includes a little sugar since it’s dessert.
- Arrange dough on top of the berries: Flatten sections of the biscuit dough out with your hands, then place them on top of the berries.
- Top with buttermilk & coarse sugar: Because it’s fun to be extra, brush the biscuit dough with buttermilk. This creates a lovely sheen on top. For some sparkle and extra crunch, sprinkle with coarse sugar. You could also use an egg wash like we do with mixed berry slab pie.
- Bake: Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 45 minutes.
- Cool for only 5 minutes: Just enough time for you to get out the vanilla ice cream. ๐
Or you can top cobbler with whipped cream. There are no rules!
Less is More
Here’s the part where I tell you to do less. Something we don’t often hear when it comes to baking, but I know we all appreciate an effortless dish!
Over-working the biscuit dough will prevent it from rising and stretching, creating an unappealing and dense texture. Mix the buttermilk into the dough very lightly. After the dough comes together, flatten sections with your hands and place them on top of the berries. There is no precise method or magic trick hereโjust place flattened biscuit dough sections randomly on top, covering most of the berries underneath.
For this berry cobbler recipe, I actually reduced the biscuit topping from my peach cobbler. I wanted less topping so more of the beautiful berries are exposed. As a result, this dessert is extra fruity and extra juicy. Fresh homestyle comfort foodโsimply the best!
Looking for More Berry Desserts?
- Fruit Pizza
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
- Blueberry Pie & Blueberry Pie Bars
- Berry Galette
- Triple Berry Pie
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Berry Icebox Cake
Berry Cobbler
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Use your favorite fresh or frozen berries. If using frozen, do not thaw. For extra help, read the recipe notes before beginning.
Ingredients
- 8 cups (approx. 1kg) mixed berries* (see note)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (15g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Biscuit Topping
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, cold*
- for topping before baking: 1 Tablespoon buttermilk and coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) and grease a 9×13-inch pan.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl, gently fold the berries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla extract together until thoroughly combined. Spread filling evenly into prepared pan.
- Make the topping: Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal (pea-sized crumbs). A pastry cutter makes this step very easy and quick! You could also use a food processor. While slowly stirring, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup buttermilk. Mix until evenly combined. Take handfuls of dough and gently flatten out. Place dough all over the top of the berry filling. There’s no special trick to thisโjust flatten the dough in sections and cover most of the berries.
- Brush the top of the biscuit dough with 1 Tablespoon of buttermilk and then sprinkle with coarse sugar. These two are optional, but both help achieve a shiny, crunchy, golden brown crust.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until golden brown and biscuit topping is cooked through. Stick a toothpick into the biscuit topping, if it comes out clean, it is cooked through and the cobbler is done. Set the pan on a wire rack, then cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
- Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: I don’t recommend preparing this recipe ahead of time, the biscuit topping wonโt rise as much if it is not immediately baked. You can, however, freeze the prepared berry filling for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator before using. It will be quite juicy, but thatโs not a bad thing in cobbler! You can also freeze the baked cobbler for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) for 20 minutes or until warmed through.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Silicone Spatula | Whisk | Pastry Cutter | Pastry Brush | Cooling Rack
- Berries: Use any berries, fresh or frozen (do not thaw), that you enjoy. I recommend 3 cups blueberries, 2 cups blackberries, 1 and 1/2 cups raspberries, and 1 and 1/2 cups chopped strawberries. Keep in mind that the juicier the berries (raspberries, strawberries), the more liquid-y the berry layer will be. Frozen berries will produce a more liquid-y layer.
- Buttermilk: You can make your own DIY buttermilk substitute if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough cold whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1/2 cup. (In a pinch, cold lower fat or cold nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the topping wonโt taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade โbuttermilkโ will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- More biscuit topping: For this berry cobbler, I reduced and adapted the biscuit topping from my peach cobbler recipe so that the berries were the star of the dessert. If you’d like more biscuit topping, use the biscuit topping measurements from the peach cobbler. (That one includes baking soda.)
- Individual Cobblers: Instead of baking as one big dessert, you can make individual berry cobblers by dividing the layers and baking in several oven-safe ramekins. Bake time depends on the amount of food in each ramekin. Bake on a large baking sheet until the berries are bubbling and biscuit topping is golden brown. It’s easier to bake as a whole and simply serve in individual ramekins or even parfait glasses, though!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Excellent recipe
I am terrible for not leaving reviews but since I just made this for the third time in 2 weeks I felt I should!
This recipe is fantastic! A pretty straightforward and delicious cobbler that I was able to make even with a nearly-4 year old around. I have used only fresh blackberries and raspberries because they are on sale at our local store (and are my favorite). I used the food processor for the dough and the vinegar/milk recipe (2% today because that’s what I had on hand; whole milk the two previous times). I do recommend the milk/sugar coat because I forgot it the second time — still delicious without but a bit better with. I almost used the peach dough recipe because my husband likes the biscuit part best but I honestly forgot the first time and I am glad I did. It’s the perfect amount of biscuits to berry ratio.
Today’s cobbler is going to a couple who just brought home their rainbow baby.
Easy and delicious!
Im looking at your berry cobbler recipe, if i want more topping to look at peach cobbler recipe. Where do I find that?
Hi Vicky, Here is the link for the peach cobbler recipe.
Looking forward to making this! Can I make it a few hours ahead and put it in the fridge?
Hi Nancy! We donโt recommend preparing this recipe ahead of time, the biscuit topping wonโt rise as much if it is not immediately baked.
Breading is way too heavy. If you decide to make I would thinly roll dough out and then fold a couple of time to create a lighter crust top. Fruit Cobber’s are suppose to be light and refreshing… especially if served for a dessert!
As we often say in our house, “When has Sally ever steered us wrong?”
Love the addition of vanilla in the berry filling, and we used the measurements for the peach cobbler (which we’ve made before!) as we love that biscuit topping! Easy baking project to make with the kiddos, and so delicious! Thanks for yet another great recipe, Sally!
If using frozen berries should I up the cornstarch amount so itโs not real runny?
Hi Lynne, you can use frozen berries without any other changes!
Has anyone subbed cake flour in this recipe? Thatโs all I have in the house. I searched the internet so I know what the result would be according to AI. Just curious if I should just go and buy AP flour or give it a shot.
Hi Dee Cee! We do recommend sticking with all purpose flour for this recipe. Cake flour would be a little too light for the biscuit topping.
Could this be made ahead and frozen?
Hi Jacalyn, see recipe notes for freezing instructions. You can freeze the baked cobbler for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) for 20 minutes or until warmed through.
Can I use cooking spray instead of greasing the pan?
Yes, absolutely.
Can this recipe be topped with a lattice pie crust (no bottom crust) instead of the biscuit topping? If so, would I need to change anything else?
Hi Amanda! We’re sure it could, the bake time may need to be adjusted, but we haven’t tested it ourselves. You may also love this mixed berry pie!
I substituted kefir for the buttermilk because it’s what I had on hand, but this is a great way to use summer fruits when it’s too hot to handle pie crust! Thanks for another winner!
Can I use 1 to 1GF flour? If so, should I alter any other ingredients?
Hi Timothy, I’ve had a few readers report back with success using GF flour. I have not tested it myself though.
I felt like mine was really runny and maybe it needed more sugar. Iโm not sure if I did something wrong or not.
I made this using blueberries, blackberries and raspberries (totaling 8 cups) and then used the biscuit topping measurements from the peach cobbler (linked in the notes) as suggested if you preferred more biscuit topping. Absolutely fantastic! My husband and I both loved it. I don’t think I will ever go to the trouble of making a triple berry pie anymore when this is better!
OBSESSED!
I’m making this for a second time and I know you said not to make ahead – does that apply to the berry filling too? Could I make that ahead and just refrigerate til morning to speed up my time in the kitchen tomorrow?
Hi Ashley, yes, that will work! The filling may be a bit juicier, but not a problem when it comes to cobbler. So glad you enjoyed this one!
Should I adjust the bake temp or time if using frozen berries?
Hi Emma, same temperature and bake time should be about the sameโmaybe just a few minutes longer.