This easy Mixed Berry Cobbler is comfort food at its best! Use any combination of your favorite berries to make this cobbler recipe, and in under an hour you’ll have a bubbling, juicy cobbler with a sweet biscuit crust on top. Don’t forget the whipped cream or ice cream!
🍓 Easy Berry Cobbler Recipe
This Mixed Berry Cobbler is the answer to any summertime dessert dilemma you might have. Bought too many berries at the farmers market? Cobbler. Want to enjoy juicy, bubbling fruit and buttery sugar-topped crust but don’t want to make a pie? Cobbler. Need to make something easy for a BBQ, potluck or picnic? Cobbler, cobbler, cobbler baby! Fruit cobbler is a 10-minute marvel that’s easy to throw together, and it’s so delicious, people will be begging you for the recipe.
❓Cobbler vs crisp vs crumble
Let’s answer the age-old question, what the heck IS a cobbler, and how is it different from a crisp or a crumble?
If we were to make a dessert family tree, I would say that cobblers, crisps, and crumbles belong to the PIE branch of the family because they all involve a fresh fruit base and some kind of buttery, carb-based topping. However, they’re significantly faster and easier than most pie recipes, and they are often made in a casserole pan to serve family style–perfect for feeding a crowd on a lazy Sunday.
So that’s what they have in common. As to the differences? It’s all in how you top the fruit.
How the Toppings Differ
Cobblers are traditionally made with a biscuit topping. Now, that can be very literal (think round biscuits cut out and placed precisely on the fruit) or a more casual interpretation, like this recipe–a buttermilk biscuit-inspired topping that’s plopped willy-nilly on top…or, some might say, cobbled together. (theatrical wink) Cobblers can also be made with a softer, more cake-like topping–some recipes even use a cake mix!
Crisps are made with an oat-based streusel. It’s typically scattered on top of the fruit in clumps, and bakes up buttery and crisp–hence the name. If you’re looking for a killer crisp recipe, this Brown Butter Skillet Peach Crisp is a must-make for my family every year!
Crumbles are also made with a streusel topping, but without the oats. In this case, the topping is usually a combination of butter, sugar, flour, and spices like cinnamon. My favorite Blueberry Crumble Pie recipe includes almonds in the streusel topping to provide a nice crunch.
And, if this whole discussion has left you craving a good old fashioned pie, don’t miss our Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, Blueberry Coconut Tart, or Salted Caramel Apple Pie.
Table of Contents
🧾 What You’ll Need
Ingredients
One of the huge benefits of making a crumble is that the ingredient list is very basic. You probably have most, if not all, of these ingredients on hand already! Here are a few tips as you gather supplies. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)
- Berries: Use whatever looks freshest when you’re at the market! I love a mix of berries, because mixing a few different types provides a lot of different textures and flavors in the dessert, but definitely go for quality and freshness over variety for the sake of variety. Want to use frozen berries? I’ve got you covered in the Tips down below! You’ll need about 8 cups of fruit.
- Lemon juice: The lemon juice helps keep the filling from being too sweet. I always use freshly squeezed if possible, but bottled lemon juice works as well.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps the fruit filling “gel” and binds some of the fruit juices as the cobbler cooks. Without it, you would probably find the cobbler too soggy. If you don’t have cornstarch, you can use flour, ground tapioca, or a gelling product like E-Z Gel (previously named Clear Gel).
- Butter: It’s very important that the butter be COLD when you make the biscuit topping. Keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it–this will get you the best biscuit texture.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is what gives the biscuit topping their traditional slightly tangy flavor. See the Tips section if you want to make your own buttermilk instead.
🥄 Equipment
There’s a reason everyone loves cobblers: no special equipment required! All you really need is a baking pan and your own two hands. I’ve included a few tools if you want to make the process easier, however. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)
- 9×13 baking dish: I love to bake my cobblers in a ceramic baking dish, so the dish looks as pretty as the dessert!
- Pastry cutter: If you don’t want to make the biscuit dough by hand, you can pick up an inexpensive pastry cutter to get the job done faster.
- Food processor: For maximum efficiency, a food processor makes a killer biscuit dough!
Ready to Make These?
- Get the recipe below 👇👇
- Scroll below the recipe for step-by-step photos
- Read important FAQs and more
🍓 More Fabulous Fruit Recipes
Leave a Review!
If you make this recipe, let us know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe below, and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram @elabau, or use #sugarhero on IG!
Mixed Berry Cobbler
Ingredients
For the berry filling:
- 16 oz blueberries
- 12 oz raspberries
- 6 oz blackberries
- 16 oz strawberries, washed and chopped
- 2.3 oz granulated sugar, (⅓ cup)
- 3 TBSP cornstarch
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
For the cobbler topping:
- 9.5 oz all-purpose flour, (2 cups)
- 3.5 oz granulated sugar, (½ cup)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 oz unsalted butter, (½ cup), cold
- 8 fl oz buttermilk, (1 cup), divided use
Instructions
To prepare the berries:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Wash all of the berries and drain them well. (You should have about 8 cups of fruit.) Pat the berries dry with paper towels.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the berries, ⅓ cup sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Stir well to combine, and make sure all the berries are coated.
- Spread the berry mixture evenly in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
To make the topping and bake:
- Whisk together the flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, and mix well.
- Cut the cold butter into small cubes and add them to the flour bowl.
- Rub the butter into the flour using your hands, until it looks like fine bread crumbs. I like to use a “money money” motion and use just my fingertips to work the butter into the flour. Don't spend too long on this step–you don't want the heat of your hands to start warming up the butter. Alternately, you can use a pastry cutter or food processor to incorporate the butter.
- Once all the butter has been mixed in, add 6 fl oz (¾ cup) of buttermilk to this mixture and stir just until incorporated. Don’t overmix! The dough will be somewhat wet.
- Shape the dough into roughly palm-sized balls, and flatten them into discs.
- Place the dough on top of the berries. Don’t worry if it doesn’t cover the whole surface–it’s best to have some fruit peeking through.
- Brush the remaining 2 fl oz (¼ cup) of buttermilk over the top of the dough, then sprinkle liberally with sugar.
- Bake the cobbler for 45 minutes. The top should be golden brown, and you should see the fruit bubbling around the edges. Check if it is done by sticking a toothpick into the dough–if it comes out clean, it’s ready!
- Let the cobbler cool until it’s warm but not hot. Then scoop it up, and serve it with whipped cream or ice cream on top.
- Store leftovers covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Nutrition
📸 Photo Tutorial: How to Make a Mixed Berry Cobbler
Time to get our hands dirty. Here are the basics for making this mixed berry cobbler. Full printable instructions are included in the recipe card above!
prepare the berries
- Coat berries. Combine the berries, 2.3oz (1/3 cup) sugar, 3 TBSP cornstarch, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1 TBSP lemon juice in a large bowl. Stir gently to coat the berries.
- Put berries in baking dish. Spread the berry mixture evenly in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Make the biscuit topping
- Prepare to bake. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together the 9.5 oz (2 cups) flour, 3.5 oz (1/2 cup) sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt in a medium bowl, and mix well.
- Add cubed butter. Cut 4 oz (1/2 cup) cold butter into small cubes and add them to the flour bowl.
- Work butter into flour. Rub the butter into the flour using your hands, until it looks like fine bread crumbs. I like to use a “money money” motion and use just my fingertips to work the butter into the flour. Don’t spend too long on this step–you don’t want the heat of your hands to start warming up the butter.
- Pour in buttermilk. Add 6 fl oz (3/4 cup) buttermilk to this mixture and stir just until incorporated. Don’t overmix! The dough will be somewhat wet.
- Shape and flatten dough. Shape the dough into roughly palm-sized balls, and flatten them into discs.
- Cover fruit with dough. Place the dough on top of the berries. Don’t worry if it doesn’t cover the whole surface–it’s best to have some fruit peeking through.
- Top dough with buttermilk and sugar. Brush the remaining 2 fl oz (1/4 cup) of buttermilk over the top of the dough, then sprinkle liberally with sugar.
- Bake. Bake the cobbler for 45 minutes. The top should be golden brown, and you should see the fruit bubbling around the edges. Check if it is done by sticking a toothpick into the dough–if it comes out clean, it’s ready!
- Cool and serve. Let the cobbler cool until it’s warm but not hot. Then scoop it up, and serve it with whipped cream or ice cream on top.
- Enjoy!
💡 Tips and FAQs
YES you can use frozen berries in this recipe! In fact, frozen berries are sometimes preferable. If fresh berries are out of season, frozen ones are likely to be more sweet and juicy.
To use frozen berries, you can use them as-is, no need to defrost. The exception is if you have whole frozen strawberries you will want to defrost them so you can cut them into smaller pieces. Increase the cornstarch by 1 TBSP (a total of 4 TBSP) to account for the extra liquid the frozen berries will release. The baking time might also need to be adjusted, so be flexible with the time, and keep a good eye on the cobbler while it bakes.
If you don’t have buttermilk, make your own by mixing together 1 cup of milk and 1 tsp lemon juice. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using it in the recipe (and only use as much as the recipe specifies.) You could also make your own buttermilk using powdered buttermilk. Again, only use as much prepared buttermilk as the recipe calls for.
This is not a good make-ahead recipe. The biscuit topping isn’t meant to be frozen, and if you try, you will find it doesn’t rise well and has a tough texture.
On the bright side, leftovers DO keep well, and this cobbler is just as delicious several days after it’s made! Wrap any leftovers well, and store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
💭 Variations
You don’t have to use berries — cobblers are great with stone fruit (pitted fruit), too! Use about 8 cups of sliced peaches, nectarines, plums, or apricots in this recipe. You can peel the fruit, but it’s not necessary (skin just adds to the rustic appeal.) Keep in mind that if your fruit is very sweet, or very sour, you will want to adjust the sugar amount in the filling to compensate.
If you want to turn this into a crisp or crumble, skip the biscuit topping and swap in this crisp topping recipe or this crumble topping. Double each of those recipes to be sure you have enough for this pan.
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I made this for dessert tonight and couldnt stop eating it fabulous recipe !
Thank you Claudia, I’m so glad to hear you loved it!
So delicious! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I’m thrilled to hear that Shadi! Thank you!
Love how this turned out! The flavor is amazing with all of the berries!
Thank you, Suzy. 🙂 I recommend trying it with stone fruit next!
We are never tired of trying a new cobbler. We love red berries, and this new tasty experiment with fresh berries was perfect. I loved it and will be making it again!
Irina, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you!
This cobbler was so delicious and easy! We used mostly raspberries and blackberries because that’s what I had, but next time I want to add cherries and see how that is.
Thanks Megan! I think cherries would be DELICIOUS. Let us know how that turns out!
I love this mixed cobbler it’s healthy
Thanks, Denise! I love this cobbler too!
Oh yeah Elizabeth, I have made this 3 times already this year. I’m in California and the fruit comes in early for us because of the weather. I made it for a BBQ my son Hosted. It was a show stopper for sure. I made 3 of them for the amount of people we had. It was a huge hit. Everyone loved it and we made homemade ice cream to go with it. WOW…Now we are invited to everyone’s party and get together all Summer long and we have been asked to bring this delicious Cobbler to everyone’s party. Thank you so this easy but very delicious recipe…
Donna you are a rockstar! 3 times already! I bet your friends and family are loving you. So glad you’ve been enjoying the recipe. Thanks for the review and awesome comment.