This blueberry cobbler is pure summer comfort, with a warm, bubbly blueberry filling baked underneath golden Southern drop biscuits. It’s one of my favorite easy summer desserts, especially when it’s served with scoops of vanilla ice cream or dollops of whipped cream on top.
I can think of only a handful of desserts worth cranking up the oven for in the blistering heat of summer, and a cobbler is definitely one of them. It’s easy to make and one of my favorite ways to enjoy peak-season summer fruits. Whether it’s this old-fashioned Peach Cobbler, this Blackberry Cobbler made with berries picked fresh from the vine, or this Southern-style Blueberry Cobbler, I’m game for a scoop. Just hand me a fork and the ice cream!
Old-Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler
Whenever I get my hands on fresh summer blueberries, I’m always torn on whether they belong in a crisp or a cobbler. In the end, it all comes down to what kind of topping I’m in the mood for: a streusel-style classic crisp topping or a sweet and doughy cobbler topping? Needless to say, the blueberry cobbler won this time.
While some recipes rely on boxed cake mix for the topping—which usually collapses into a soggy mess—I spent a few extra minutes making sweet Southern drop biscuits from scratch. They bake into a buttery, golden crust while the bright, vanilla-infused blueberry filling bubbles underneath, soaking up all that rich flavor without turning mushy.
Making my own vanilla bean ice cream and whipped cream to serve alongside it was worth every bit of effort. Between my wife, my daughter, and her friend, the entire pan was completely demolished in two days flat.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The beauty of a classic Southern blueberry cobbler is that it relies on nothing more than fresh or frozen blueberries and everyday baking staples. Here is everything I used, including a few substitution ideas:
- I made the filling with fresh, in-season blueberries, but frozen blueberries are totally fine, too. No need to thaw them first.
- Vanilla Extract adds a distinct warm and floral aroma.
- Sugar – I went with granulated white sugar in both the filling and the biscuit dough.
- Cornstarch thickens the filling. You can also use flour, tapioca, or arrowroot starch here.
- Lemon Juice and Zest – The citric acid cuts through those sweet blueberries and helps activate the natural berry pectin for the best jammy filling.
- All-Purpose Flour forms the base of the drop biscuits.
- Baking Powder – The leavening agent that gives drop biscuits their light, fluffy rise.
- Salt helps all of the flavors pop.
- Butter – You’ll need a full stick of ice-cold butter for the biscuit dough. I like baking with unsalted butter so I can control the sodium content.
- Eggs, chilled or at room temperature. They give the biscuit dough a light, tender crumb.
- Milk – I used cold whole milk to bind the dough together, but buttermilk works, too.
How to Make Blueberry Cobbler
Make the filling: Mix the blueberries, vanilla, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a large bowl.
Transfer the mixture into a baking dish.
Make the topping: Whisk the remaining sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl.
Work in the grated butter until well combined.
Whisk the eggs and milk together in another bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the flour mixture. Fold until just combined.
Add large dollops of the biscuit dough on top of the blueberry filling.
Bake the cobbler until the biscuits are golden brown.
Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
Chef Tip + Notes
The grated butter has to be cold if you want your crumble topping to be soft, buttery, and flaky. Just like when I make my homemade pie crust, I freeze my stick of butter for 15 minutes before grating it on my box grater. Trust me, frozen butter is way easier to grate than room temperature butter.
- Use your favorite baking dish: I like to bake fruit cobblers in a large 10-inch cast-iron skillet, but a glass or ceramic 13×9 casserole dish works just as well.
- Taste the fresh blueberries before you start baking. Their flavor can vary, especially when blueberries are in season. If the berries are too tart, stir 1 extra tablespoon or two of sugar into the filling. If they’re too sweet, add an extra squeeze of lemon juice.
- Do not overmix the biscuit dough: I recommend folding the ingredients together with a rubber spatula just until the dry flour is absorbed, leaving a shaggy dough.
- Rest the baked cobbler for 10 to 15 minutes to give the filling more time to thicken up. If you cut into it immediately, the hot fruit juices will be too runny.
- Pair the blueberries with other fruits: You can swap 2 to 3 cups of blueberries for sliced fresh peaches, pitted dark cherries, blackberries, or raspberries.
Serving Suggestions
I serve the warm scoops of blueberry cobbler with one or two scoops of my homemade vanilla ice cream or dollops of whipped cream on top. The way the cold cream melts into the hot, gooey blueberries and golden, sweet drop biscuits is literally heaven. If you want something a little lighter, I bet a scoop of vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt would hit the spot.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: For the best bites and to melt the ice cream, serve the cobbler while it’s still hot from the oven. Or, bake it up to 1 day ahead and reheat it in the oven before serving.
How to Store: I keep the covered cobbler in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to Freeze: The baked and cooled cobbler also freezes well for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
How to Reheat: I’ll cover as much dessert as I plan on eating with foil and warm it in a 350ºF oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbling.
More Summer Desserts
Blueberry Cobbler Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups blueberries
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided
- ¼ cup packed cornstarch
- Juice of ½ lemon, about 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons
- Zest of ½ lemon
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, grated
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup cold whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- In a large bowl, gently mix together the blueberries, vanilla, 1 cup of sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest until completely combined.
- Transfer the mixture to a 10-inch cast iron skillet or a 13×9 casserole dish.
- Next, in a separate large bowl, whisk together the remaining ½ cup sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add in the grated butter and, using your hand, toss it around until it is coated and spread throughout. Set to the side.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and whole milk. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredient bowl and, using a rubber spatula, mix and fold the ingredients together until just combined.
- Using two spoons, take 3 to 4 tablespoons of the batter and make large dollops on top of the blueberry mixture in the cast iron skillet. Feel free to flatten the batter a bit with the back of a spoon to spread it out.
- The blueberries should be covered, except for maybe the outside edge, by about a half-inch or so.
- Place the skillet on the middle rack in the oven and bake at 375° for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through.
- Cool slightly, then serve with optional whipped cream and ice cream.
Blueberry Cobbler Recipe