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. ↑ ↑
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!
Video Tutorial
What the Heck is Cobbler?
Let’s clear this up! Cobblers, crumbles, and crisps (like apple crisp) fall under the same dessert umbrella. Each are like pie, but without the pie crust. Cobblers are typically topped with a biscuit or cake-like topping, 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 4th of July, 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, a little 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. 🙂
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 here—just 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 food—simply the best!
Looking for More Berry Desserts?
- Mixed Berry Galette
- Fruit Pizza
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
- Blueberry Pie & Blueberry Pie Bars
- 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)
- 1/3 cup (67g) 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 350°F (177°C) 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 this—just 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 won’t 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 that’s not a bad thing in cobbler! You can also freeze the baked cobbler for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm in the oven before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Rubber 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 version of buttermilk 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 won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” 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!
Amazing texture and flavor. Great reheated also. Use up whatever fruit you have. I take it to parties and people devour it.
Cinnamon is such a wonderful addition! In my opinion you can’t go wrong adding Cinnamon, but more than a sprinkle. Great idea.
Fabulous! Used tart & sweet cherries. Probably the easiest cobbler I have ever made. I recall my mom making cherry cobbler with the cherries my brother & I picked from our neighbors tall cherry trees. One of my favorite summer desserts!
I am not a baker and I made this most delicious dessert no problem! It was so easy and SO good! My husband was shocked! 🙂
Lol UK here. Tesco delivered a bag of frozen mixed berries which is something I never buy and had no ideas for. Was looking for inspiration and came across this page. I’ve made buttermilk biscuits before so am giving it a try. Halved the ingredients since it’s only for me and DH. It’s in the oven right now, wish me luck!
Is it OK to serve this cobbler at room temperature?
Yes it is!
Hi! This looks amazing!
Could I use this filling in a double-crusted pie? I am not too worried about having leftover filling (there’s always something to be done with leftovers! :D), and I watch my oven like a hawk anyways, so I’m sure I can figure out baking time. I just don’t have a ton of experience with pies and want to make sure this filling would hold up! It sounds delicious!
Thanks so much!
Hi Amy, this should work as a pie filling! When you spoon the fruit into the pie crust, just leave out any juices that have accumulated in the bottom of the bowl so that the crust doesn’t get soggy.
Dear Sally,
Would it be okay to substitute almond flour for regular flour (equal proportions and coconut sugar for regular sugar (equal proportions)?
Hi Christina, Coconut sugar should be ok however it’s best to stick with all purpose flour for the biscuits.
Hi Sally! This looks awesome! I’m visiting my dad for Father’s Day and he has requested cherry cobbler. Would this recipe work with all cherries? Would you recommend still using lemon juice or using almond extract instead? Thank you!
Yes, you can use all cherries! Almond would be a wonderful flavor for the extract.
Perfect timing! My husband picked up berries on sale at our local market. And I was at a loss as to what to do with all of them. In this morning’s email I found your recipe. I stared washing the berries. Played around till I found the perfect combination and quantity. I found the biscuit layer rather easy to make. I cut the butter and put in back in the freezer till I needed it. This was so yummy looking going into the oven I can’t wait to taste it! Much easier then pie, and I love the way you can combine what berries you have on hand. Another perfect recipe! Thanks Sally!
Hi Sally,hope everything is going well with you on your last weeks of pregnancy!
What a joyful time for you and your family.
I made the cobbler using mostly blackberries and a little bit of strawberries and divided them in ramekins made sure the biscuits didn’t cover the fruit completely. They came out looking beautiful and were absolutely delicious!
Baked them for 30 minutes.
Thank you for giving us delicious recipes.
Can you use canned pie filling instead of fresh berries?
Hi Shirley, In most canned pie filling the fuit is packed in a heavy sugar syrup – here we use a lot of fresh fruit and there is only 1/4 sugar in the filling. You can certainly try canned filling but I’m unsure of the results.
Great cobbler. I cut it in half and it’s just right for 2 people. Recommend wetting hands before adding the biscuit topping as it sticks to be very sticky. It came out great both times I made it.
I looked ar 20 cobbler recipes and used this one because of previous experience with your posts. Loved it. The only change I made was to include lemon zest because I used a very ripe Meyer lemon for the juice. I also skipped the strawberries because the store did not have nice ones, so I used extra blue and black berries. I didnt have buttermilk so i used the substitution of whole milk and vinegar, duh I should have used lemon juice. The biscuit topping was so tender and delicious we didnt need vanilla ice cream. Bookmarked! I grated the butter on a box grater, the butter has to come from the freezer.
Hello, thank you for your recipes! I have made several and they never fail me! Could I use rhubarb in this recipe? If so how many cups would you recommend?
Hi Natalie, you can turn this into a rhubarb cobbler. You can use all 8 cups of sliced rhubarb, but I would slightly increase the sugar. Or use 4 cups of sliced rhubarb with 4 cups of berries. (Keep the sugar the same as directed if using a mix.)
I made this beautiful dish this morning. Such a simple recipe to follow. I actually did 1 1/2 × the recipe. I made the 13×9 for my daughter and a smaller one for my husband and I. I love your recipes!!
Excellent recipe! I used my tart cherries to make the base the same as I would for cherry pie. The biscuit top was very light and wonderful and I am not usually a fan of biscuits (as in strawberry shortcake). Next time I will add a small amount of almond extract to the topping. Can’t wait to make this with berries!
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
I just made this delicious and beautiful berry cobbler. It’s easy to make, and tastes divine! I used frozen berries in my dish, and it may be a little more tart because one of the bags of berries had cranberries in the mix. (Next time I will make it with fresh fruit, and add the strawberries that were missing in my bag of frozen berries) This is a very attractive dish, with the dark purple berry juice showing through the islands of biscuit topping. It tastes simply wonderful! We love this–a delicious, old fashioned dessert that looks as good as it tastes!
I love this recipe! I made it for my father and he absolutely loved it! He wanted it more pie like so I put the topping on the top and the bottom and used less berries. The cook time was a little longer for the bottom to cook fully but I expected that.
This was absolutely delicious. Brought it to a friend’s house and they said it was the best cobbler they had ever had! Will be making this again and again. Thank you.
Any suggestions if you don’t have a pastry cutter? Also – can this be prepped and put in the fridge a few hours before you put it in the oven? Thanks!
Hi Sally, you can use a food processor or even 1-2 forks to cut in the butter. The fork will take quite a bit of arm muscle and a few extra minutes, but it works in a pinch. I don’t recommend prepping this too far in advance since the baking powder is initially activated once wet.
This recipe was DELICIOUS! I didn’t have butter milk so I improvised with milk and some lime juice but it came out phenomenal. Do we know how many calories per serving this is?
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Liana! I’m unsure of the nutritional info of this recipe, but there are many great online calculators like this one: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
I bought a bunch of delicious fresh berries early this week and decided to give this recipe a go. I was a little nervous preparing the cobbler since I didn’t want to mess it up, the berries are quite expensive and I’ve never made cobbler before. The recipe was so straightforward and simple and the results were unbelievably delicious and a whole baking dish was finished in less than two days. My partner loved it so much he went to the grocery store and bought more berries the next day so I could make another one. I’ve baked cobbler twice this week thanks to this easy recipe. Side note, we don’t like our desserts too sweet so I substituted brown sugar for the berries and used 45g of organic cane sugar for the biscuit topping. I also opted to make my own buttermilk and it was super easy and delicious. I can’t wait for peach season so I can try my hand at the peach cobbler recipe.
Sally, we are going to make this for a live cooking class with a bunch of teenage girls from my church. Do you think you can substitute frozen peaches instead?
Absolutely. The bake time may be a little longer if using frozen fruit.
Made this today for friend’s birthday! Used all frozen strawberries and increased the biscuit dough by 1/2. It smells and tastes heavenly!
Tried this today. It’s actually very easy and sooo yummy. Any suggestions if I want to make it a little less tart? I only cooked half to test it for a bake sale and might try to sweeten it up a little bit.
Hi Jen, depending on the berries you are using and if they are in season or not can certainly change how sweet it is. If your berries aren’t already sweet feel free to increase the sugar a little bit.
Yes, those were my assumptions. I took a small batch to my Bible study group this morning and they loved that it was a little tart. I’m going to keep it as it is. Thank you for all the yumminess! Jen
Hi!
If I half this recipe, would it fit in a pie pan? Are there any special modifications I would need?
A pie pan should work for half of this recipe. I’m unsure the exact bake time as it will depend on how full/deep your pan is.
Seriously delicious. I was perfect consistency and slightly tart. I used blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Thank you!
Looks amazing!! If I wanted to take it to a someone’s house, could I bake it in the afternoon and then reheat in the oven during dinner? any temp and time suggestions for rehearing? Thanks!
Thanks Megan! Yes, definitely! Reheat in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 minutes– or longer depending how cold it was.
This dessert was easy, beautiful, and delicious! Perfect for 4th of July!
Thank you for this recipe! I made this two times and both worked out very well. The second time, I added very little cinnamon powder and nutmeg in berries mixture and since I added too little I did not taste any of them but it tased good anyways as well as the first time.
Such a great summer dessert! I love berry cobbler!
I am so glad you explained the difference between a cobbler, a crisp, and a crumble. I see recipes all the time with the names that do not match. A crisp always has oatmeal. This looks yummy. I have never made a cobbler with mixed fruit. I always just use one fruit. Peach or blackberry are our faves.