Blueberry Cobbler
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With jammy blueberries and a golden biscuit crust, this blueberry cobbler is simple, summery, and always a crowd-pleaser.
I love rustic fruit desserts, and this easy blueberry cobbler recipe with a lemon-scented buttermilk biscuit crust is one of my summertime favorites. As it bakes, the fruit bubbles up into the topping, creating three irresistible layers: a syrupy blueberry base, a dumpling-like middle, and a crisp, golden crust.
One of the secrets to a great cobbler is getting the fruit-to-topping ratio just right. This one has a generous layer of biscuit topping that’s buttery and just savory enough to balance the sweet-tart berries. Don’t forget the vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream—it’s a must.
“This blueberry cobbler is everything I love about blueberry desserts—fresh fruit tucked under that yummy biscuit topping. Perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!”
What You’ll Need To Make Blueberry Cobbler
- Unsalted Butter: Brings richness and moisture to the fruit filling and helps the biscuit topping bake up golden and crisp.
- Fresh Blueberries: They bubble up into a jammy filling as the cobbler bakes. Feel free to use frozen blueberries if fresh aren’t available.
- Sugar: Sweetens both the blueberries and the biscuit topping, keeping the tart berries balanced and the topping subtly sweet.
- All-Purpose Flour: Thickens the fruit juices a bit and gives the biscuit topping its structure. Measure by spooning into your cup and leveling off.
- Lemon Zest: Adds a pop of bright citrus flavor to the topping.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: The leaveners that help the biscuit topping puff up nice and fluffy in the oven.
- Buttermilk: Adds moisture and a hint of tang to the biscuit topping. If you don’t have any on hand, you can make your own buttermilk.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep the blueberries. In a large bowl, toss the blueberries with ¾ cup sugar and 2 tablespoons flour until coated. Don’t worry if they look powdery—that’s normal.
Step 2: Add to baking dish. Pour the blueberry mixture into the greased 2-quart baking pan and dot the top evenly with 2 tablespoons of butter pieces.
Step 3: Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, stir together 1½ cups flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
Step 4: Cut in the butter. Add the chunks of cold butter, and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work the butter in until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits throughout.
Step 5: Add the buttermilk. Pour in the buttermilk and stir gently until just combined—it should be a bit lumpy.
Pro Tip: Don’t overmix! Overmixing can make the biscuit topping a little tough; a shaggy dough bakes up fluffy and tender.
Step 6: Assemble the cobbler. Use a large spoon to drop 8 to 10 mounds of the biscuit batter over the berries, leaving some spots for the filling to peek through (leaving gaps lets the bubbling filling caramelize a bit around the biscuits). Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over the top—this helps the dessert brown nicely in the oven.
Step 7: Bake until golden. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for about 35 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the biscuits are a light golden brown. If the biscuits are nicely golden but the center needs more time, loosely cover with foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Let the cobbler cool, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Letting it rest helps the juices thicken and makes serving easier (and less runny!).
Blueberry Cobbler Video Tutorial
Pro-Tips for Blueberry Cobbler
- Fruit subs. I generally don’t recommend swapping fruits in baked desserts—different fruits cook differently and may need other adjustments. That said, I have wonderful recipes for both peach cobbler and apple cobbler you may like instead. If you’re curious about another fruit, feel free to email me at jennifer@onceuponachef. I’m always happy to weigh in!
- Make it ahead. You can bake the cobbler a day ahead; cover with foil and keep at room temperature. Reheat in a 300°F oven until warmed through.
More Blueberry Recipes You May Like
Blueberry Cobbler
Ingredients
For the Fruit Filling
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing the pan
- 4 cups fresh blueberries (see note)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
For the Biscuit Topping
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 7 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon packed grated lemon zest, from 1 lemon
- 1¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
- 1 cup buttermilk (see note)
- Vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease an 8-inch square or 2-quart (20-cm or 2-L) baking dish with butter.
- Make the fruit filling: In a large bowl, toss the blueberries with the sugar and flour. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and dot evenly with the 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Make the biscuit topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, 6 tablespoons (75g) of the sugar, and the lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and blend with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized clumps of butter within. Add the buttermilk and stir with a spoon until just combined. It will look a bit lumpy; that's good. Do not overmix.
- Using a large spoon, dollop 8 to 10 spoonfuls of the biscuit batter over the blueberries, allowing the filling to peek through in spots (most of the filling will be covered). Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon sugar over the batter.
- Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the biscuit top is golden, about 35 minutes. Check the cobbler; if the biscuit topping is nicely golden, cover loosely with foil and bake for 10 minutes more (even if the top is golden, the center still needs time to cook through). If it is not yet golden, leave uncovered and bake for 10 minutes more. Remove the foil, if necessary, and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Delish! Like all of your recipes I have made. I didn’t have buttermilk or lemon zest. I used bottled lemon juice in the milk to sour a bit.
You are so right about the recipe! I have made this 3 times since I found it in your cookbook! It’s delicious and so satisfying! I got rave reviews from a recent dinner I had with friends recently. Thanks, Jenn!
Made the blueberry cobbler this morning. I made it exactly as you suggested and it was delicious and, of course, served the cobbler with lightly sweetened whipped cream. The biscuit topping was very delicate!! Thank you for the recipe.
Sylvia T.
Delicious! I had too many blueberries on hand, so when I got the email with this recipe, it was perfect timing. I wanted to make a small desert, so I used a 4×4-inch baking dish and halved the recipe. It halved perfectly. (I followed the recipe exactly. But I did follow the advice in the note, and cut the sugar down in the filling since my blueberries were sweet.) Another wonderful recipe!
Could you make it mid day, refrigerator it and bake at dinner time? Hate the idea of reheating it.
Hi Judy, I think that would be fine. Please LMK how it turns out!
Could I use bisquick for topping?
I think you could but it won’t be as good as the homemade. 🙂
Hi Jen
This looks so delicious! I’m just confused so you need to bake additional 10 minutes regardless and add foil if already browned? Should leftovers be covered and refrigerated?
Thanks
Chris
Hi Chris, Yes even if browned, the center won’t be quite cooked through.
Thanks for passing that on Jenn…thought mine was ready and brought it out..it was still
a bit gooey….glad I read this review and checked! Thanks for all the wisdom you pass on..
Luv your website!!! Oh yeah….another great recipe!! Cobbler was fantastic!!!
Have a great weekend!
Katherine
Can you swap the blueberries with blackberries?
Hi Andrew, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. The blackberries may give off too much juice on their own so if you want to try it, I’d suggest doing a combination of blackberries and blueberries. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you make it!
Delicious! I had frozen blueberries that I picked last year that I wanted to use, so I mixed up the fruit mixture (1/2 cup sugar was plenty) and put that in the oven while I made the topping. Added the topping and continued to bake for the recommended time. The lemon zest adds a subtle brightness to the taste. I love fruit cobblers and will definitely make this again!
Jenn, would you double for a 9×13 pan?
So glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I’d double it for a 9 x 13-inch dish.
Can you make this with frozen blueberries?
Hi Cindy, I haven’t tried it but I think it should work. Hope you enjoy!
I just did and it turned out perfectly delicious.