Southern Peach Cobbler with Fresh Peaches is an easy, old-fashioned recipe full of sweet, juicy peach slices. It’s the perfect summer dessert!
Who can resist a bowl full of homemade peach cobbler served warm right out of the oven? I know I can’t! And, when it’s topped with one or more scoops of vanilla ice cream, well it’s nothing short of a peach lover’s dream.
What about the topping:
All cobbler recipes contain fresh, frozen, or canned peaches. There is no debate about that. Where they differ is the topping. Toppings can be variations of cake mixes, oats, cookie dough, pie crusts, biscuits, and even Bisquick.
It seems everyone has a favorite topping, most likely because it’s what they grew up eating; and I’m no different. My absolute favorite topping is what’s included in this recipe. It’s the easiest by far and consists of little more than some butter, sugar, milk, and flour.
Why this recipe works:
- It is ridiculously good and so EASY!
- You add everything to a baking dish, and the batter miraculously turns into a sweet crusty topping.
- It only takes 5 minutes to throw everything together and then your oven does all the work.
- Not only is this a great dessert, but the leftovers are outstanding. A few scoops of it cold right out of the refrigerator in the morning also makes a DELICIOUS breakfast. Yes, I admit it; sometimes I eat dessert for breakfast.
- This sweet dessert is welcome wherever you take it. It’s a neighborhood or work potluck favorite, sure to bring out the compliments.
- You can use fresh, frozen, or canned peaches.
What variety are best?
I usually use classic yellow Elberta peaches, which are the most common in our area. And, I prefer peaches from Georgia or South Carolina. However, you can also use white peaches and even nectarines in this recipe. Each has a slightly different taste but all are delicious.
It doesn’t matter if they are freestone or clingstone. Although, I think freestone peaches are less work and they do make prettier slices. Freestone just means that the flesh doesn’t cling to the stone (pit), while a clingstone does.
How to make it:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the butter up into cubes and add to a 2-1/2 quart or 2.8-liter baking dish. Place the dish in the oven and let the butter melt. Watch it carefully, this will only take a few seconds.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and set aside.
Add the peaches, one cup of sugar, and the lemon juice to a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat.
Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook and stir for about a minute more or until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Combine the flour, one cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add the milk and stir until all ingredients are combined. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter over the melted butter. Do NOT stir.
Use a spoon and drop the peaches and juice evenly over the batter and melted butter. Do NOT stir.
Sprinkle the nutmeg and cinnamon evenly over the peaches, if using.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and bubbly. If you use a larger baking dish it will take less time, and a smaller baking dish might take a little more time.
Serve this cobbler warm or cold, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Sharon’s Expert Tips:
- When choosing your fruit, look for fruit that is not bruised and gives just a little to the touch. They should also have a fragrant peachy aroma.
- If they are not ripe, place them in a brown paper bag and leave at room temperature for a day or so. The total time it takes will depend on how firm the peaches are when starting.
- I usually peel my fruit when making peach cobbler, but there is no reason you can’t leave the peel on if you prefer. It’s totally up to you.
- If your fruit is really soft, sometimes it’s easier to peel them if they have been blanched first. To blanch them, cut a shallow X at the end opposite the stem and place them in boiling water for about 20 seconds. As soon as the skin starts to split remove them with a slotted spoon. Immediately place them in a bowl filled with water and ice to stop the cooking process. You should then be able to easily remove the peel with your fingers.
- If you don’t have fresh peaches, you can substitute the same amount of frozen peaches and follow the recipe as written.
- To substitute canned peaches, omit one cup of sugar and use one 29 oz can of sliced peaches in heavy syrup. Drain all but 1/4 cup of the syrup and add it to the batter along with the lemon juice. Add the peaches to the batter just like you would the fresh peaches.
- Want something just a little different? Feel free to add an additional handful of fresh blueberries or blackberries when you add your peaches to the batter. Delicious!
Related recipes:
You can guess that as much as I love them, I would have more recipes on my blog. Here are some of the most popular. I hope you love them as much as we do!
- Southern-Style Fresh Peach Pie
- Easy Southern Fresh Peach Salsa
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Peach Salsa
- Homemade Fresh Peach Ice Cream
- Easy Southern Peach Bread
- Homemade Peach and Blackberry Crumble
- Southern Peaches and Cream Pie, and
- Grilled Chicken with Peach Glaze
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Southern Peach Cobbler Recipe with Fresh Peaches
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar divided
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup milk
- 4 cups peaches peeled and sliced (about 6-7 medium-sized peaches)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice fresh
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon optional
- pinch of ground nutmeg optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cut the butter up into cubes and add to a 2-1/2 quart or 2.8-liter baking dish. Place the dish in the oven and let the butter melt. Watch it carefully, this will only take a few seconds.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and set aside.
- Add the peaches, one cup of sugar, and the lemon juice to a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook and stir for about a minute more or until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- Combine the flour, one cup of sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add the milk and stir until all ingredients are combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter over the melted butter. Do NOT stir.
- Use a spoon and spread the peaches and juice evenly over the batter and melted butter. Do NOT stir.
- Sprinkle the nutmeg and cinnamon evenly over the peaches, if using.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and bubbly. If you use a larger baking dish it will take less time, and a smaller baking dish might take a little more time.
- Serve Southern Peach Cobbler warm or cold, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Notes
- When choosing peaches, look for fruit that is not bruised and gives just a little to the touch. They should also have a fragrant peachy aroma.
- If your peaches are not ripe, place them in a brown paper bag and leave at room temperature for a day or so. The total time it takes will depend on how firm the peaches are when starting.
- I usually peel my peaches when making peach cobbler, but there is no reason you can't leave the peel on if you prefer. It's totally up to you.
- If your peaches are really soft, sometimes it's easier to peel them if they have been blanched first. To blanch peaches, cut a shallow X at the end opposite the stem and place them in boiling water for about 20 seconds. As soon as the skin starts to split remove them with a slotted spoon. Immediately place them in a bowl filled with water and ice to stop the cooking process. You should then be able to easily remove the peel with your fingers.
- If you don't have fresh peaches, you can substitute the same amount of frozen peaches and follow the recipe as written.
- To substitute canned peaches, omit one cup of sugar and use one 29 oz can of sliced peaches in heavy syrup. Drain all but 1/4 cup of the syrup and add it to the batter along with the lemon juice. Add the peaches to the batter just like you would the fresh peaches and follow the recipe as written.
- Want something just a little different? Feel free to add an additional handful of fresh blueberries or blackberries when you add your peaches to the batter. Delicious!
Can this be Frozen? If yes, do you freeze it before or after you bake it?
Hi Loretta, I have never frozen it so I can’t say for sure, but I think freezing might negatively affect the texture of this dish. If you do decide to freeze it, please let me know how it goes.
All the best,
Sharon
I made this for Sunday dinner with fresh peaches from the farmers market. It was fantastic! I followed the recipe with one modification – I added 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the batter. I always find the prep times in recipes to be largely inaccurate. My prep took much longer than five minutes. Ha!
Hi Sharon,
I’m so glad you liked it and thank you too for letting me know. I’m in the middle of trying the same recipe but substituting blackberries for the peaches. We’ll see how it goes…
All the best,
Sharon
There is nothing as heavenly as fresh peach cobbler. And when you add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, well, it’s just over the top yummy. I love how simple your recipe is and how luscious your photos look. I will definitely have to try this before the summer is out. Thanks so much for sharing.