This easy blueberry cobbler is a delicious way to enjoy fresh summer berries! The cake-like batter puffs up around the fruit, giving the dish that classic "cobbled" texture on top. It's warm, buttery, soft in the center, and crisp on the edges -- thanks to the magic of a cast iron skillet. Serve the old fashioned blueberry cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a simple Southern dessert!
During the warm summer months, you can't beat a rustic dessert that takes advantage of fresh fruit. This easy blueberry cobbler is made from scratch, comes together quickly, and is a lovely way to showcase your sweet, juicy berries!
Fresh Blueberry Cobbler
The kids and I picked a bunch of fresh blueberries at our friends' farm last week, and I instantly came home to make this old-fashioned dessert. The skillet blueberry cobbler is a perfect weeknight option when you want something special to enjoy after dinner, but you don't want to spend much time in the kitchen. The ingredients are simple, there's no cutting biscuits or rolling dough necessary, and you don't need any fancy equipment. Just stir together the batter and pour it into a hot cast iron skillet. You'll have a made-from-scratch dessert that's ready for the oven in about 10 minutes!
What is blueberry cobbler?
Old-fashioned blueberry cobbler is a rustic dessert recipe that's made with fruit (in this case blueberries) and covered with a batter or biscuit topping before baking. In some cases, the topping is a thick biscuit dough, which sits on top of a saucy blueberry filling. There's a little more effort involved in that type of cobbler, and you can find our favorite version here.
For this easy blueberry cobbler, the batter is thinner, so it forms a cake-like texture around the fruit. Use a hot cast iron skillet (if you've got one) to achieve the perfect combination of crispy edges, a soft center, and a golden brown top. The recipe is a slight twist on the best blackberry cobbler from Morning Glory Farm.
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, a 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 (no streusel).
Why is it called blueberry cobbler?
This rustic, old-fashioned dessert gets its name because the top crust is not smooth like a pie crust but rather “cobbled” and coarse. In a biscuit-topped cobbler, the dough is dropped on top of the fruit to create that bumpy texture. In a cobbler with batter (like this one), the cake puffs up around the berries, giving the top its namesake "cobbled" texture.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the simple ingredients that you'll need for the easy blueberry cobbler. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Butter: I prefer salted butter for the best flavor.
- Blueberries: fresh is best! Frozen berries would probably work too, but I have not tested this recipe with anything other than fresh blueberries.
- Granulated sugar: for just the right amount of sweetness!
- All-purpose flour: the base of the cobbler batter.
- Salt: to enhance the other flavors in the dish and balance the sweetness.
- Baking powder: the leavening agent that helps the batter rise.
- Buttermilk: the acid in the buttermilk gives the cobbler a tender crumb, a subtle tang, and some extra "lift." If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can substitute with regular whole or 2% milk.
- Vanilla extract: for warm flavor.
- Vanilla ice cream: for serving with your skillet blueberry cobbler!
How to Prepare Fresh Blueberries for Cobbler
You do not need to cook the blueberries before using them in this easy cobbler, so there's really not much preparation necessary. Just wash the berries well, pat them dry, and drop them into the batter.
How to Make Blueberry Cobbler
This easy blueberry cobbler recipe comes together in just 10 minutes! A cast iron skillet is best (if you have one), but you can also use a deep-dish pie plate or a square baking dish.
- Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet.
- Meanwhile, stir together the batter.
- Pour the batter in the hot skillet.
- Sprinkle the blueberries and a little bit more sugar on top.
- Bake in a 350°F oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and firm.
How to Serve Skillet Blueberry Cobbler
There's no better way to enjoy a fresh blueberry cobbler than when it's served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! If you must, you can substitute with freshly-whipped cream, but it's not quite the same. And if you want to eat the cobbler straight out of the refrigerator for breakfast while it's still cold? I won't judge you!
How to Store Easy Blueberry Cobbler
If you'd like, you can make the cobbler ahead of time and 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 it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze blueberry cobbler?
Yes! Wrapped tightly, the baked cobbler will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
How to Reheat
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Cover loosely with foil and bake until warm (about 10-15 minutes). You can also microwave individual servings of cobbler for 20-30 seconds, or just until warm.
If the cobbler is frozen, you'll need to reheat it even longer (about 20-30 minutes).
Recipe Variations for Old Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler
- This easy cobbler has a soft cake-like batter that puffs up around the fruit. If you're looking for a biscuit-topped cobbler with a saucy fruit filling, try this old-fashioned blueberry cobbler recipe or this blueberry peach cobbler.
- A cast iron skillet is my preference for those great crispy edges and for its even heat distribution, but you can use a deep-dish pie plate or a 9-inch square baking dish if necessary.
- If you don't have buttermilk, substitute with regular whole milk or 2% milk.
- Use any berries that you like, or a combination of berries to total about 1 ½ cups. Blackberries, raspberries or diced strawberries would all be delicious additions to the cobbler.
Tips for the Best Blueberry Cobbler Recipe
- Use sweet, fresh, summer blueberries. I have not tested this recipe with frozen blueberries, so let me know if you give it a shot! I think it would probably work, but I find that frozen berries release a bit more liquid and have a tendency to turn the batter a bluish-green color.
- A pre-heated cast iron skillet yields the best texture: crisp edges, a soft center, and golden-brown top.
- The cobbler is done when the top is golden brown and the filling is set.
- Serve the cobbler warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
What can I do with lots of blueberries?
If you have even more fresh blueberries to enjoy this season, try some of our other favorite recipes that take advantage of the delicious summer fruit:
- Blueberry Jam
- Old-Fashioned Blueberry Buckle
- Blueberry Streusel Muffins
- Blueberry Scones
- Peach Blueberry Cobbler
- Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
- Banana Blueberry Smoothie
- Blueberry Bread
Easy Blueberry Cobbler
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, plus an additional 1 tablespoon for topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup whole buttermilk, shaken (or substitute with regular whole or 2% milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For serving: vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place butter in a 9-inch or 10-inch cast iron skillet. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can use a deep-dish pie plate or a deep 9-inch square baking dish. Transfer the skillet to the oven until the butter melts. Keep a close eye on it so that the butter doesn’t burn or scorch.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together 1 ¼ cups of sugar, flour, salt and baking powder. Add buttermilk and vanilla extract; stir just until combined.
- Once the butter melts, carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Pour the batter into the skillet. Sprinkle blueberries and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar on top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and firm. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- This easy cobbler has a soft cake-like batter that puffs up around the fruit. If you're looking for a biscuit-topped cobbler with a saucy fruit filling, try this old-fashioned blueberry cobbler recipe or this peach blueberry cobbler.
- A cast iron skillet is my preference for those great crispy edges and even heat distribution, but you can use a deep-dish pie plate or a deep 9-inch square baking dish if necessary.
- If you don't have buttermilk, substitute with regular whole milk or 2% milk.
- Use any berries that you like, or a combination of berries to total about 1 ½ cups. Blackberries, raspberries or diced strawberries would all be delicious additions to the cobbler.
Maureen Holt
I've looked at a few of your lovely dessert recipes. They often have what seems, to me a large quantity of sugar, such as this one, with 1and 1/4 cups. Would they work just as well if the amount of sugar was reduced by about half?
Blair
Hi, Maureen! Since baking is a science, I'm always hesitant to recommend altering the ratio of ingredients. Since I haven't tested the recipes with less sugar, I have no idea if they'll "work" or not. That said, for this particular recipe, I think you should be able to reduce the amount of sugar without too much trouble. I'd just start gradually and if you like it with slightly less sugar, you can always try even less the next time. Hope you enjoy the dish, and let me know if you give it a try! 🙂