Old Fashioned Southern Peach Cobbler Recipe

This Old-Fashioned Southern Peach Cobbler recipe is everything you remember from Grandma’s kitchen—warm, buttery, and bubbling with sweet, juicy peaches. The golden, crisp topping bakes right into the fruit, like a soft biscuit meets caramelized crust.

What makes a peach cobbler recipe old fashioned and Southern, you ask? There’s no cake mix involved. No, it has a biscuit topping that will have you coming back for more!

Watch How to Make This Peach Cobbler Recipe

Peach season is one of my favorites! A fresh juicy peach just does my heart happy! Fresh peaches are one of the best parts about a cobbler in my opinion. What is your favorite part about a cobbler? It’s funny because in a fruit pie, I’m all about the crust, but in a cobbler, I just love the fruit!

I grew up on a very simple cake mix peach cobbler which was almost always made in a dutch oven while camping. But this old fashioned Southern peach cobbler might just beat it out for the best peach cobbler recipe.

Ingredients for Southern Peach Cobbler

Here’s a quick rundown of all the ingredients you will need to make this homemade peach cobbler:

Peach Filling

• Peaches: Fresh, freestone peaches are what you want. They bake up super juicy and are perfectly sweet.
• Cornstarch: Helps thicken the peach filling.
• Cinnamon: Adds warm flavor.
• Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness and deepens the flavor.
• Butter: Adds richness to the filling.

Topping

• Flour: Just regular all-purpose flour is all you need.
• Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to the dough.
• Brown Sugar: Adds more sweetness and rich flavor.
• Salt: Enhances all the flavors.
• Baking Powder: Gives the biscuit topping its rise and fluffiness.
• Butter: Adds richness and moisture to the topping.
• Boiling Water: Binds all the ingredients together in the biscuit topping.

The measurements and details for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make a Peach Cobbler?

This is a very similar recipe to a Bisquick peach cobbler but it really doesn’t take more time to do it completely from scratch and it has an even better flavor. Making this easy peach cobbler recipe can be broken down into two parts – the peaches and the biscuit topping.

Peaches

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel and slice your peaches. See section below for how to peel peaches easily.
2. Stir: Combine the peaches, melted butter, cornstarch, brown sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl and stir together.
3. Cook: You want to start your peaches cooking first which can be done on the stove top or in the oven.
   • STOVE TOP: Cook the peach mixture in a skillet over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Then pour them into a 9×13 baking dish.
   • OVEN: Bake the peaches for 10 minutes at 425 degrees in a 9×13 baking dish and then remove them from the oven to add the biscuit topping. If you bake them in the oven, be sure to reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees to bake the cobbler.

Biscuit Topping

1. Whisk: Combine the flour, sugars, baking powder and salt in a bowl and whisk them together.
2. Blend: Cut the butter into small 1/2 inch cubes and cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until the mixture is pea size.
3. Mix: Add the boiling water and mix everything to combine.
4. Add Biscuit Topping: Drop spoonfuls of the mixture all over the peaches and spread the biscuit mixture to cover the peaches as much as possible.
5. Bake: Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees F until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the cobbler to cool for a few minutes before serving warm with ice cream or whipped cream!

The complete recipe instructions can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Peach Cobbler for a Crowd: Scaling Up Without Sacrificing Flavor

Summer time is all about family reunions, church camps and big gatherings so if you need to scale this recipe up to feed a crowd, we’ve got you covered! You can easily double or quadruple the recipe and then bake them in several 9×13″ pans. That way you don’t have to alter the baking times or worry about getting the right texture in a different sized pan. Just spread the filling and topping evenly across the pans (use aluminum foil pans for maximum ease!) and follow the baking instructions.

The 3 Cobbler Mistakes You Don’t Even Know You’re Making

You’re not the only one whose crust turned to goo, promise. Here’s how we got it right after three tries and a few tears.

1. To get that fluffy golden crust with the crystalized sugar top, be sure to use a fresh leavener in the biscuit topping. For this recipe, we use baking powder. It will give the topping a good rise and that golden, crispy top crust.
2. For the best flavor and texture, use fresh peaches. I know peach season can be short, but fresh peaches really are a must. We love to buy boxes of peaches when they are in peak season and prep and freeze them to use all year using our Food Saver.
3. To ensure your cobbler isn’t a soggy mess, add a thickener to the filling. We use cornstarch to thicken the filling because peaches contain so much natural juice that releases as they cook. The thickener will help give the filling structure.

How to Easily Peel Peaches?

I have a complete write-up on how to peel peaches in our post for Brown Sugar Peach Pie Bars. Head that way for all the details. However, you don’t have to peel your peaches for this recipe. It’s all up to personal preference. We prefer them with the peels removed.

What is the Difference Between a Cobbler and a Crisp?

When it comes to delicious baked fruit desserts, the names can get a little confusing! A cobbler has a biscuit or more cake-like topping that is dropped over the top and looks like cobblestone when it is baked. Have you tried our lemon blackberry cobbler? Heaven!

A crisp has a more streusel-like topping that generally contains oats. As the topping bakes, the oats get crispy, hence the name crisp. I’ve mentioned our peach crisp already, but don’t forget to try our apple crisp recipe!

What are the Best Peaches for Baking?

You want to find freestone peaches because they are sweeter and easier to work with. For a list of my favorite freestone peaches, head to our peach cobbler post!

Fresh vs. Canned Peaches: Which Makes the Better Cobbler?

If you are in a pinch and can’t use fresh, then you can use canned peaches for this recipe. Although I highly recommend doing everything in your power to use fresh. It is just heavenly! If you must use canned, add a little fresh lemon zest and cinnamon to freshen things up and drain all the juices.

How Long Will Peach Cobbler Keep?

If you store your peach cobbler leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it will last for 3 to 4 days. If you freeze this cobbler, it will be good for up to 6 months. Make sure it is covered and wrapped thoroughly in plastic wrap. When you’re ready to eat it, thaw it in the fridge or on the counter and then warm up in the oven per the section below on reheating.

Can You Prepare Peach Cobbler Ahead of Time?

This peach cobbler recipe is best when baked fresh right before serving. If you have to make it ahead of time, bake it and then store it in the refrigerator and reheat according to the reheating instructions below.

We really like to peel and slice dozens of peaches and then freeze them into pre-portioned cobbler ready bags in the food saver. Then we can just pull them out and whip this recipe up in no time!

Can Peach Cobbler Be Reheated?

Peach cobbler should be reheated because it’s so delicious warmed up! Though eating cold is not unheard of in our house! To reheat it in the oven, bake it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Place foil loosely over the top if it starts getting too brown.

If I’m just warming up one serving for me, I zap it in the microwave for 30 seconds. You won’t get the same crispiness on the topping, but it gets the cobbler to your mouth in a jiffy!

When you crave a classic Southern fruit dessert, make this old fashioned peach cobbler recipe! It is completely from scratch and complete juicy deliciousness!

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