Featuring juicy sweet peaches and a buttermilk biscuit-like topping, peach cobbler is the ultimate comforting homestyle summer dessert. For the best texture, cut the peaches into chunks instead of slices, and add an egg wash and a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar on top before baking. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream for the *best* summer dessert experience.
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos, more helpful success tips, and a bit of ginger to the peach filling.
We don’t usually think of summer fruit recipes as “comfort food”—that’s a term typically used to describe cold-weather fare—but if there is one, it’s peach cobbler. Juicy peaches with a hint of cinnamon and ginger… under a buttery biscuit topping… served hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting on top… it’s like a hug at first bite. 😉
This dessert recipe has been a reader favorite since I first published it a few years ago. It even preceded my popular berry cobbler recipe! I haven’t changed this peach version over the years, but I now add a little ginger to the juicy peach filling because peaches + ginger are a seriously underrated flavor combo.
One reader, P&C, commented: “Once again, a flawless recipe. We bake with confidence when we use your recipes, even when we have made slight mistakes, we always get a good result. This peach cobbler is among the best, if not the best, I have ever had. ★★★★★“
One reader, Wendy, commented: “This turned out so delicious and beautiful! I liked that the recipe calls for less sugar than other recipes; it was still sweet enough for me, and the peaches really shined. Definitely do the egg wash and sugar-cinnamon topping, it added a nice crunch…. Thank you for this fantastic recipe! ★★★★★“
Let’s Have High Peach Cobbler Standards
In all of my peach cobbler recipe testing over the years, I’ve learned that there are several standards for this classic summertime dessert:
- The peach filling has to be rich and sweet, but not overly sweet.
- Chunks are best, just like I recommend in peach pie, blueberry peach pie, and peach crumble pie.
- Lemon juice balances the sweet peaches and sugar, just like in this peach crisp.
- Use minimal cornstarch to thicken the peach filling, because too much weighs it down.
- The buttery biscuit topping should be crisp on top, but soft and moist underneath.
- An egg wash + cinnamon-sugar on the biscuit topping adds a beautiful golden sheen and a little sparkle (just like we do for pie crust), and also makes for the best texture.
- A hint of ginger (just 1/8 teaspoon!) is the BEST flavor booster for peaches.
So, now that we’ve got that all figured out, it’s actually really easy to make this dessert! No chilling, decorating, or special tools are required for this peach cobbler recipe.
What Are the Best Peaches to Use?
The best peaches for peach cobbler are the same I recommend for other peach recipes including peach pie, fresh peach cake, peach crisp, and peach bread. You want slightly firm (not hard) peaches with zero bruises or soft spots. If your peaches are soft, stringy, and mushy, your filling will taste soft, stringy, and mushy.
#1 Success Tip: Use Chunks, Not Slices
For the best texture, cut your peaches into small chunks. Because peaches are so juicy, slices bake into mush, while chunks retain more of their deliciously soft texture. They’re also easier to eat with a spoon!
Overview: How to Make Peach Cobbler
The full printable recipe is below, but let me walk you through each step and show you some photos so you have success when it’s your turn to make this iconic dessert.
- Mix the filling ingredients together. You need peaches, brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and a dash of salt. Since peaches are naturally sweet, you only need 1/4 cup of sugar in the filling. Don’t skip the lemon juice—the filling tastes a little flat without it. Spread the filling into a greased 9×13-inch pan.
- Pre-bake the peaches. Pre-baking the peach filling for about 10 minutes before adding the biscuit topping. Without this step, the peaches could remain firm underneath the topping.
- While the peaches pre-bake, make the biscuit topping. Mix a few basic ingredients together. You need flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter until pea-sized crumbles form, like we do to make pie crust. These flour-coated butter crumbles promise a soft and flaky biscuit topping. After that, mix in the buttermilk.
- Top peaches with biscuit dough. Using your hands, form the dough into little patties and place them on top of the warm peaches. Add an egg wash and sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar on top.
Then it’s ready to bake! A 9×13-inch pan is best for this recipe, but any baking pan that holds 3–4 quarts volume works wonderfully.
Peach Cobbler Biscuit Topping
You need basic ingredients for the biscuit topping. I recommend using buttermilk for an ultra-rich biscuit flavor. It’s what I use to prepare my homemade biscuits and strawberry shortcake, too. If needed, you can use my buttermilk substitute instead.
You can also find recipes that use a cake-like topping, combining cake batter and peaches. I use this method when I make my easy cherry cobbler and my apple cobbler.
Of course it’s all personal preference, but I definitely gravitate towards the biscuit. There’s more crunchy texture and the whole thing tastes wholesome, substantial, and rich, especially when the warm sticky peach syrup and vanilla ice cream topping (a must!) cross paths.
Don’t Overwork the Biscuit Topping
Like when you’re making any type of biscuits or scones, you should be careful not to overwork the dough. Overworking or over-handling this dough will result in a tough and dense topping. We want to keep it flaky and soft, so mix the ingredients together *just* until combined.
Cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients, and then pour in the buttermilk and mix to combine:
The biscuit dough placement on top of the peaches doesn’t need to be exact or perfect. Some peaches can be exposed underneath. It’s a rustic-looking dish that doesn’t require fussy decorating steps.
Before baking, brush the biscuit layer with an egg wash (egg + buttermilk), then sprinkle it with cinnamon-sugar. These little extras add a gorgeous golden sheen and sweet crunch. Trust me, this additional step only takes a minute, and the results are more than worth it!
This biscuit-topped peach cobbler is one of the most delicious ways to enjoy fresh peaches when they’re in season. The peaches are obviously the star of the show, and the whole dessert won’t leave you with a toothache. It’s pure, peachy-keen summer goodness.
When peaches are slightly firm (not hard) with zero bruises, they’re ready for peach cobbler. If your peaches are mushy, your dessert will taste mushy.
While I usually do, you don’t have to peel the peaches when making this dessert.
Fresh peaches are best for cobbler, though you can get away with unsweetened frozen peaches. If using frozen peaches, thaw, chop, and blot them dry before using. Readers have raved about this dessert using frozen, thawed peaches. Canned peaches are not ideal because they’re already too soft and mushy.
Many readers have asked about mixing in blueberries, cherries, plums, pluots, nectarines, etc. You can absolutely swap fruits, or use a mix of fruits, as long as you have a total of about 10 cups (1.5–1.8kg). I particularly love equal parts blueberries and peaches here. You may also like this mixed berry cobbler.
I brush the biscuit topping with an egg wash (egg beaten with some buttermilk), so it’s golden-brown, crisp, and shiny. You can skip the egg and brush with just buttermilk if desired.
Fresh Peach Cobbler
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Juicy sweet peaches and buttery biscuits come together in this classic summer dessert. Cut the peaches into chunks for the best texture, and use this easy buttermilk biscuit topping for the best flavor. The egg wash promises a golden crisp topping.
Ingredients
Peach Filling
- 10 cups (around 1.8kg) peeled chopped fresh peaches (1- to 1.5-inch chunks)
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (7g) cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Biscuit Topping
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, cold*
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk or buttermilk
- optional: 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Any 3- to 4-quart baking dish works.
- For the filling: Mix all of the filling ingredients together in a large bowl, then spread into the baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside as you prepare the topping. Keep the oven on.
- For the topping: Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or 2 forks, cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse pea-sized crumbles. A pastry cutter makes this step very easy and quick! You could also pulse in a food processor. Pour in the buttermilk, and gently mix until evenly combined. Dough should be slightly sticky once completely combined, but if it’s too dry, add 1 more Tablespoon of buttermilk.
- Assemble the cobbler: Take handfuls of dough and use your hands to gently flatten out into patties. Place dough all over the top of the warm peach filling. There’s no special trick to this—just flatten the dough in sections and cover most of the peaches.
- Brush the top of the biscuit dough with egg wash, then sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, if using.
- Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until the biscuit topping is golden brown and peach filling is bubbling around the edges. To test for doneness, stick a toothpick into the biscuit topping; if it comes out clean, it’s done.
- Remove cobbler from the oven, and set the pan on a cooling rack. 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 because the biscuit topping won’t rise as much if it is not immediately baked. You can, however, freeze the prepared peach filling for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator, mix in 1 teaspoon of cornstarch (it will be so juicy, and this helps thicken it); then pre-bake as instructed in step 2. 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): Vegetable/Fruit Peeler | 9×13-inch Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Pastry Cutter | Pastry Brush | Cooling Rack
- Frozen or Canned Peaches: Fresh peaches are best for cobbler, though you can get away with unsweetened frozen peaches. If using frozen peaches, thaw, chop, and blot them dry before using. Readers have raved about this dessert using frozen, thawed peaches. Canned peaches are not ideal because they’re already too soft and mushy.
- 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 nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the topping won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- To Make Without Egg Wash: The egg wash helps the dessert reach that golden-brown, crisp goodness. You can skip the egg and brush with just buttermilk instead.
- Other Fruits: Many readers have asked about mixing in blueberries, cherries, plums, pluots, nectarines, etc. You can absolutely swap fruits, or use a mix of fruits, as long as you have a total of about 10 cups (1.5–1.8kg). I particularly love equal parts blueberries and peaches here. You may also like this mixed berry cobbler.
- Individual Cobblers: Instead of baking as one big dessert, you can make individual peach 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 filling is bubbling and biscuit topping is golden brown. It’s easier to bake as a whole and simply serve in individual ramekins, though!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Sally I love peach recipes and yours are fabulous. I will try any other recipes you have .
I ended up halving the biscuit recipe to make 1.5 the amount of dough because the original recipe did not make enough for the 9×13 pan.
I made this yesterday for company who all raved about it and each had seconds! It warms my heart when people I cook or bake for want seconds. I can always count on Sally’s recipes to be easy to follow and impress my guests. Thank you, Sally!
Can I use cooking spray to grease the pan?
Hi Marianne, yes, absolutely.
Hubby requested peach cobbler for his birthday instead of cake .This one was easy and tasted great
Ok I’d love some tips on peeling and cutting up peaches!
Get a serrated peeler. Mine is messermeister. Works great on tomatoes, too.
Blanch the peaches. Cut an X on the bottom of the peaches drop them in boiling water for 30 seconds, you’ll see the peel rise off a little. Then immediately move them to an ice bath. Peels come right off after that.
I originally tried to use a vegetable peeler to peel them and got frustrated with that pretty quickly.
Thank you so much And may God Bless you. I bake homemade pound cakes
can you use tinned peaches
Hi Jimmy, Fresh peaches are best for cobbler, though you can get away with unsweetened frozen peaches. If using frozen peaches, thaw, chop, and blot them dry before using. Readers have raved about this dessert using frozen, thawed peaches. Canned peaches are not ideal because they’re already too soft and mushy.
Hi Sally!
I use your recipes all the time and they are always SUCH a big hit! I was curious if you knew the ratio I would need if I wanted to add Blueberries to this? I am trying to do your blueberry peach pie, but as a cobbler. Also, would this change the bake time?
Hi Ember, As long as you have a total of about 10 cups of fruit you can mix them up. Bake time should be about the same, depending on how juicy your blueberries are. Let us know how you like it!
Hi! I was wondering if I would replace some or all of the sugar in the topping with honey? Any suggestions?
Hi Hannah, we haven’t tried substituting honey here. Let us know if you do.
I replaced the sugar in the biscuit topping with a tablespoon of honey. It was good, but a little flat (probably due to gluten free flour). Next time I might do more honey because it wasn’t very sweet.
I’m making this later today and know it will be delicious. I couldn’t find fresh peaches, so I’m using frozen. (I’m thawing them right now.) My question is, do I still bake them for 10 minutes as instructed with fresh peaches? Thanks for any help!
Hi Ruby, yes. If using frozen peaches, thaw, chop, and blot them dry before using. All other steps in the recipe remain the same. Hope the cobbler is a hit!
I’d like to make this for a brunch I’m hosting. Any suggestions on making it in individual dishes? I’m hoping to use disposable cups for the mini peach cobblers, but those wouldn’t be oven safe. Ideas? Thank you!
Hi Lisa, great idea! See recipe notes for details on individual peach crisps. Enjoy!
The best yet ! Thank you for your dedication to wholesome great baking.
Unfortunately, this didn’t come out well. There was too much topping for the amount of peaches and the topping/cobbler tasted like biscuits…possibly because of the buttermilk? I don’t know.
This recipe is perfection. I always bake for my family but they’ve never devoured anything like this. My brother had three servings!
Gonna try it with apples next!
I am going to make this. It looks fantastic. Sally’s Baking Addiction is my go-to web site when I need a recipe. I’m always impressed!
Hello! I have made this recipe with peaches and also peaches with blueberries. It’s perfect! Now that peach season is over I want to make it as an apple/pear/blueberry cobbler. I know you have apple cobbler recipes but I really want the biscuit topping. Do you think this recipe will work with apples? Should I adjust the sugar amount or maybe the baking time? What do you think? Thank you!
Hi Eden, we tested making an apple cobbler with a biscuit topping, and the results just kept coming out dry. If you want to try it, I suggest cooking the apple filling on the stove for a bit first, to soften up the apples and release some juices.
Hi! Is it possible to make this with canned peaches? What substitutions are necessary?
Hi Isabel, Canned peaches are not ideal because they’re a bit too soft and mushy. We strongly recommend sticking with fresh peaches, but if you do use canned, keep in mind that you may want to tinker with the other filling ingredients since the peaches are canned in liquid.
Followed recipe to a ‘tee’. It’s good – I’ve made better. I’d recommend at least 4-1/2 lbs of peaches, and I’d add 1/4 cup more sugar to the ‘biscuit topping’ mix. If you have coarse sugar, that will look nicer than regular sugar on top.
Update: I was absolutely right when I predicted it it was going to be delicious! It’s very easy to make, and I appreciate the reduced amount of sugar that’s added to the peaches. It’s just enough to make the peaches shine in flavor without losing the natural sweetness of the fruit! And the biscuit-like topping is delish and the cinnamon sugar topping kicks it up a notch. Thank you so much! This recipe is a keeper
By far the best peach cobbler ever, I’ve made so many different recipes and this one was my absolute favorite!!
Even before trying it, I KNOW it will be good! (I tried your no bake fabulous cheesecake, thus my positive comments on this recipe and any others you provide!!) We picked 70 beautiful peaches from our trees and we have been enjoying them fresh. But why not create a beautiful dessert such as this cobbler? It will happen this weekend! :0) Thank you!!
Forgive me if you’ve answered this already, bit can I substitute sour cream for the buttermilk for the topping?
Hi Kelly, we recommend using buttermilk for an ultra-rich biscuit flavor. See recipe Notes about using a DIY buttermilk substitute if needed.
This is exactly the cobbler I’ve been looking for — thank you for such a great recipe! The biscuit topping is crisp and tender, and the spices flavored the fruit perfectly. I used a combination of peaches and nectarines, and left the peel on for the color and texture. I don’t peel anything but bananas 🙂
I had some peaches that weren’t very sweet. I came across your recipe. I halved the recipe because I only had half the amount of peaches that the recipe asked for. It turned out amazing. The topping was like a fluffy cake texture. This one’s a keeper.
We made this peach cobbler this past weekend. Followed the recipe as written, and it turned out AMAZING! We loved it and will make it again.
I have made this recipe multiple times, with great success each time!
If I want to deliver to someone, that I don’t need the dish back, what kind of pan could I bake this in? Aluminum baking pan?
Hi Kylie, yes, a 9×13-inch aluminum foil baking dish is great here. No need to alter the recipe or baking time if using it.
I like to pick up extra baking dishes at second hand stores & garage sales to gift food items. They are great for potlucks too because I don’t have to worry about getting the dish back.
Hi there! Can oats be added to this ?
Hi Alex, it would take some testing to incorporate oats into the biscuit topping, as you’d likely need to replace some of the flour with the oats rather than adding them in. If you’re interested, here is our peach crisp with oat topping instead!
I have a premade (not frozen) puff pastry..light & fluffy I want to use as the topping. Will this work
Hi Benne, we have never tried using puff pastry as a topping for peach cobbler, so are unsure of the results. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Can I double or triple the cobbler topping?
Hi Jennifer, so glad you love the topping! You certainly could double it, but keep in mind that it might take a little longer to cook through and be golden brown. We’d recommend keeping an eye on it after the initial 40 minutes and checking with a toothpick for doneness. Enjoy!
Sally, this is an awesome recipe, thanks!
Do you have any recommendations for scaling it down to a 9×9 pan. I’m guessing 4 c peaches and only slightly decrease the other peach filling ingredients. And then cut the biscuit topping in half?
What about baking time?
Hi Karen, you can halve the recipe and use a 9×9-inch square baking pan. We’re unsure of the exact bake time. Hope you enjoy the cobbler!
I used a 9×9 Pyrex pan. Cooked at same temperature and for the 40 mins. I do recommend checking after 30.
Initial recipe, for me, used about 14 peaches. I reduced this to 12 peaches, but used all other same amount of ingredients. I also didn’t need all the crust/topping that I made.