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This Old-Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler recipe is a delicious way to enjoy fresh summer blueberries! The warm fruit filling is topped with light, buttery biscuits for a special breakfast or an easy dessert. Don’t forget a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
During the warm summer months, you can’t beat a rustic dessert that’s made with fresh fruit. This blueberry cobbler recipe is made from scratch, comes together quickly, and is a lovely way to showcase your sweet, juicy berries!
Blueberry Cobbler Recipe
Old-fashioned blueberry cobbler is a rustic dessert recipe that’s made with a fruit filling (in this case blueberries) and covered with a batter or biscuit topping before baking. In some cases, the batter is thinner, so it soaks down into the berries and forms a cake-like texture around the fruit. You can find this delicious version in my Blackberry Cobbler recipe (feel free to substitute with blueberries in that dish). You’ll also see cobbler recipes that use canned fruit, pie filling, Bisquick mix, or even a box of cake mix!
By contrast, this classic blueberry cobbler recipe includes a made-from-scratch biscuit topping, which is thicker than the batter version and therefore sits on top of the fruit filling. The biscuits are slightly sweet (taste a lot like scones), and turn a flaky, buttery golden brown in the oven. Paired with a warm and juicy blueberry filling, this not-too-sweet dish works well for both breakfast and dessert. Now you have two excuses to enjoy the summer treat!
What’s the difference between a cobbler and a crisp or crumble?
A cobbler should not be confused with a crisp or a crumble, which are also desserts that feature fruit like peaches, apples and berries. Crumbles and crisps are very similar, as they both include a fruit base with a streusel topping. Originally, an old fashioned blueberry crisp would contain oats in the topping, while a crumble would not. These days, the words “crumble” and “crisp” are often used interchangeably when referring to these desserts. A cobbler, by contrast, is a fruit dessert with a biscuit or cake-like topping.
How to make an Old-Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler Recipe:
This easy blueberry cobbler recipe comes together quickly and will satisfy any dessert craving! Let’s get started…
Ingredients:
- Blueberries
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
- Butter
- Buttermilk
Step 1: Prepare Blueberry Cobbler Filling
First, stir together the blueberry cobbler filling ingredients — blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla extract — and transfer them to a greased deep-dish 9-inch pie plate.
Step 2: Make Biscuit Topping
Now it’s time for the topping! Prepare the biscuit crust by cutting the very cold butter into the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. I use a pastry cutter for this step, but you can also use a food processor or two knives.
Gently mix in the buttermilk, just until the dough comes together — be careful not to over-mix or you will end up with tough, dry biscuits.
Plop the dough on top of the blueberries. I use a 1/4-cup scoop to do this, but it doesn’t need to be perfect and you don’t need to cover all of the fruit. The biscuits will spread in the oven and give the dish a rustic appeal!
Step 3: Bake Blueberry Cobbler
Bake the blueberry cobbler in a 350 degree F oven for about 50-55 minutes, or until the filling is hot and bubbly and the biscuits are golden brown. Make sure that the biscuits are totally cooked through by sticking a toothpick in the center of one. If it comes out clean, you’ll know they’re fully set.
How to serve Blueberry Cobbler:
This recipe is best when served warm. You can serve it for breakfast or brunch with a side of thick, creamy Greek yogurt or a splash of cream. You can also offer the cobbler for dessert, in which case it’s best with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
How to Store Blueberry Cobbler:
If you’d like, you can make the cobbler ahead of time and serve it at room temperature or reheat it just before serving. The cobbler will stay fresh when covered at room temperature for up to 12 hours. If you’d like to keep the cobbler fresh longer, you can store the cobbler in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or keep the cobbler wrapped tightly in the freezer for up to 2 months.
How Reheat the Easy Blueberry Cobbler Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover loosely with foil and bake until warm (about 20 minutes). You can also microwave individual servings of the cobbler for 20-30 seconds, or just until warm.
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- You can use fresh or frozen blueberries in this cobbler recipe. If you’re using frozen berries, do not thaw them first. The frozen fruit filling will be more saucy and juicy, but it’s still great. You will likely need to increase the baking time by a few minutes.
- The butter and buttermilk need to be as cold as possible for flaky and tender biscuits. You can freeze the cubed butter for about 10-20 minutes before using it or keep it in the refrigerator. I also keep the buttermilk in the refrigerator right up until it’s time to add it to the dough.
- If the tops of the biscuits start to get too dark before they are completely cooked through, you can tent the dish loosely with foil during the final few minutes of baking.
- Use any berries that you like, or a combination of berries to total about 5 cups. Blackberries, raspberries or diced strawberries would all be delicious additions to the cobbler filling.
- Instead of lemon juice, try using orange juice in the filling. For a stronger citrus flavor, add lemon zest or orange zest to the filling, too.
- Don’t have buttermilk? You can make your own buttermilk for the biscuit topping using regular milk and lemon juice. To do so, stir 1.5 teaspoons of lemon juice into 1/2 cup of milk. Let sit for a few minutes in the refrigerator, and then use in the recipe as a substitute for the buttermilk.
More blueberry recipes that you might enjoy:
If you have some fresh blueberries that you’d like to use up before they go bad, or some old blueberries that need to be enjoyed, here are few options…
- Easy Blueberry Muffins
- Blueberry Scones
- Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry Muffins
- Blueberry Buckle
- Banana Blueberry Smoothie
- Blueberry Bread
Old-Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE BLUEBERRY FILLING:
- 5 cups fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ÂĽ teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE BISCUIT TOPPING:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ÂĽ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) salted butter, diced and chilled
- ½ cup cold buttermilk
- Optional, for serving: vanilla ice cream; whipped cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a deep-dish (9-inch) pie plate.
PREPARE THE BLUEBERRY FILLING:
- In a large bowl, gently stir together the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Transfer to the prepared dish.
PREPARE THE BISCUIT TOPPING:
- In a large bowl (or in a food processor), combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal (pea-sized crumbs). You can also do this by pulsing a food processor. Gently mix in the buttermilk, just until the dough comes together. Be careful not to overwork or over-mix the dough, or you will end up with tough, dry biscuits.
- Plop the damp dough onto the blueberries (it won’t entirely cover the fruit, but it will spread as it bakes and give the cobbler that rustic appeal).
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the biscuit topping comes out clean. If the biscuit topping starts to get too brown before it’s cooked through, just tent loosely with foil. Set aside and cool on a wire rack for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- You can use fresh or frozen blueberries in this cobbler recipe. If you’re using frozen berries, do not thaw them first. The frozen fruit filling will be more saucy and juicy, but it’s still great. You will likely need to increase the baking time by a few minutes.
- The butter and buttermilk need to be as cold as possible for flaky and tender biscuits. You can freeze the cubed butter for about 10-20 minutes before using it or keep it in the refrigerator. I also keep the buttermilk in the refrigerator right up until it’s time to add it to the dough.
- If the tops of the biscuits start to get too dark before they are completely cooked through, you can tent the dish loosely with foil during the final few minutes of baking.
- Use any berries that you like, or a combination of berries to total about 5 cups. Blackberries, raspberries or diced strawberries would all be delicious additions to the cobbler filling.
- Instead of lemon juice, try using orange juice in the filling. For a stronger citrus flavor, add lemon zest or orange zest to the filling, too.
- Don’t have buttermilk? You can make your own buttermilk for the biscuit topping using regular milk and lemon juice. To do so, stir 1.5 teaspoons of lemon juice into 1/2 cup of milk. Let sit for a few minutes in the refrigerator, and then use in the recipe as a substitute for the buttermilk.
I always look forward to your recipes. There’s a good variety that are easy to prepare and delicious. Thank you
Thank you so much for your kind note, Gayle! I’m glad to know that the easy recipes help to add some variety to your cooking at home. 🙂