Honey, my big mama made the best Southern peach cobbler I ever tasted. That Mississippi flavor just hit different. She would start by making the pie dough from scratch with butter or lard, whichever was around, then she would get that fresh peach filling spiced up and thickened over the stove before baking the whole thing up. Plus the recipe is so unfussy, you can make it with fresh, frozen or canned peaches. I grew up craving it with her homemade vanilla ice cream and would beg her to make it whenever I visited. Watch the tutorial video below.
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Peach Cobbler Tutorial Video
How to Make Southern Peach Cobbler
- Add two cans of drained peaches and one with the light syrup to a large pot along with the butter. When the butter melts, stir in the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Allow the peaches to come to a boil. Then add a slurry made with some of the peach syrup and the flour.
- Cook the peaches in the syrup until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 30-40 minutes. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool down and further thicken while you make the pie crust.
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl and whisk together.
- Add your butter cubes to the flour and use your pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles various-sized crumbs. Slowly add the cold water to the flour until a ball of dough forms. Knead the dough quickly to bring it together. Let the dough rest in the fridge.
PRO TIP: Start with a half cup of water and then add more if you need it. You want to add just enough water for the dough to come together.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and add a bit of flour to your work surface or clean counter and place the dough on top. Roll out one ball of dough using a rolling pin until it’s about ⅓ inch thick.
- Place it on the bottom and up the sides of a 9×13 inch baking pan.
- Add the peaches using a slotted spoon. Add the syrup from the pot to the peaches in the crust.
PRO TIP: The amount of syrup you add is completely up to you. You can add less if you like a thicker cobbler. However, I recommend using at least two-thirds of the mixture since it will continue to thicken as it bakes.
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- Roll out the final dough ball and decorate the top of the peach cobbler with a lattice crust, criss-cross pattern, or cutouts. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash then sprinkle the top lightly with ground cinnamon before baking in the oven.
Southern Peach Cobbler Recipe with Canned Peaches
This old-fashioned peach cobbler recipe is a Southern classic made with canned peaches and a homemade pie crust!
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Servings: 12 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Peach Filling:
- 3 can peaches in lite syrup 29 ounces each (if using fresh peaches- see notes below)
- ½ cup salted butter 1 stick
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus more if needed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons all-purpose flour
For the Pie Crust:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut in cubes 2 sticks
- ½-⅔ cup very cold water
- 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon of water.
- Ground cinnamon for garnish
Instructions
For the Peach Cobbler Filling:
- Drain two of the cans of peaches and add just peaches to a large pot. Add the remaining can of peaches with lite syrup along with butter to a large pot over medium heat and allow everything to melt together.
- Once butter completely melts, stir in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla and allow peaches to come to a boil.
- Once boiling, remove 3 tablespoons of peach syrup from large pot and place in a small bowl. Whisk flour into small bowl of peach syrup until completely combined creating a slurry then stir into the pot of peaches.
- Cook an additional 30-40 minutes or until syrup thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Taste and see if you need to adjust sugar or any spices then remove from heat and allow to cool down and further thicken while you make pie crust.
For the Pie Crust:
- In a medium sized bowl, add flour, sugar and salt and whisk together to combine.
- Next add your butter cubes to flour and using your pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until various sized crumbs appear.
- Slowly add the cold water into the flour until a ball of dough forms. Start with ½ cup and add more water if you need it. Knead the dough quickly to bring it together. Don’t worry if there is any flour left in the bowl.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, cut into 2 sections and round into balls. Cover each ball tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 35-45 minutes to rest.
To assemble the cobbler:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Remove dough from fridge and add a bit of flour to a working surface or clean counter and place dough on it. Unwrap one ball of dough. Using a rolling pin, quickly roll dough out to about ⅓ inch thickness and place on the bottom and up sides of a 9×13 inch baking pan.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove just the peaches from the pot and spoon on top of dough. Next pour the remaining syrup to the peaches (if you like less syrup you can use less. Totally up to you but I wouldn’t use less than 2/3s since it will continue to thicken when baked).
- Roll out the final dough ball and decorate the top of the peach cobbler how you see fit with the dough.
- Brush the top of the dough with egg wash then sprinkle slightly with ground cinnamon.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until crust is beautifully golden brown. Cool down and serve.
Video
Notes
Using Fresh or Frozen Peaches
For the equivalent you will need about 3 3/4 cups of peach slices. To easily peel peaches, drop them in a large pot of boiling water for about 20 seconds then quickly transfer them in ice water to cool them down so they don’t continue cooking. At that point, the skin should easily come off.
You will need to add more butter and sugar and lessen the amount of flour to create more syrup when using fresh peaches. You won’t be starting with the light syrup from the canned peaches so you will need to adjust with a bit more liquid. Make sure you taste the syrup and get it to the thickness and sweetness you prefer when making this adjustment.
How to Store & Reheat
Southern peach cobbler is best eaten the day it’s made, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can enjoy it cold, at room temperature, or reheated. If you want to reheat, place the cobbler in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. How long does peach cobbler last in the fridge? It will last up to three days after making it. Cover it well or transfer it to an airtight container for best results. Can I freeze peach cobbler? I truly believe it’s best eaten on the first day, but if have leftovers and want to store them longer than three days you can freeze it for up to one month as long as it’s wrapped well.Nutrition
Calories: 418kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 269mg | Potassium: 242mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 1080IU | Vitamin C: 7.1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1.6mg
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Recipe Tips
- If you use frozen or fresh peaches, you need to add more butter and sugar when making the syrup since you won’t be getting a head start with syrup from one of the cans.
- Don’t over-mix: You wanna keep crumb shapes of butter for the pie crust to create some nice flakiness.
- It is important that you keep all of your ingredients very cold when making traditional cobbler so it comes out exactly like you want it. It’s the key to a flaky pie crust.
Other Peach Dessert Recipes
- Homemade Peach Crumb Bars
- Fresh Peach Pie
- Peach Fritters
- Caramel Peach Dump Cake
- Peach Pound Cake
- Peach Dumplings
- Grilled Peaches with Caramel Sauce
- Peach Cobbler Pound Cake
- Peach Cobbler Cookies
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
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When using frozen peaches that I froze last year from our trees, do I need to thaw them completely since they are going to be cooked?
You can use them frozen in the recipe.
Have not made this yet but I have a question. In step 1 of the peach filling are there 2 separate pots or does everything go into 1 pot? Kind of confusing for me. Wanted to inquire before making this. Thanks!
Just one pot.
Love your recipes. How can I purchase your cookbook?
Hi Dorothy, thank you so much! You can get it off of Amazon using this link!
Made this. The crust was easy to make, was crispy on the outside and tender where it came in contact with the peaches. I will say I wanted just a tad more salt in that crust. I followed the crust recipe as written, but for the peach filling I did experiment. I had to use peaches that were packed in juice, not syrup. The cobbler still set up thick, wasn’t runny. I also used ~3/4 cup of sugar instead of one cup. I wanted to use a bit less butter in the peach filling, so I omitted half of the one stick of butter (57 grams) and replaced that with the same amount (57 grams) of extra canned peach juice I set aside. Clarification: That is in addition to the peach juice you’re already instructed to add! By reducing the butter, it certainly felt less rich, so it’s doable for a lighter taste, but for the full experience and rich flavor, don’t do that. By reducing the sugar, it was sweet enough, but if you want it to taste the authentic, down home way, use the one cup of sugar. My one complaint is boiling the filling for the recommended time was in my opinion, too long, The peaches nearly disintegrated. I didn’t mind, but wasn’t expecting that. Thank you for giving this recipe.
Can you make a bigger version for a crowd? Maybe in a roaster? Maybe 11” x 15”?
I have not made it in that size pan, but I don’t see why not!
This is my second time making this recipe and I have received so many compliments on my peach cobbler. It will be a continued staple in my kitchen
Yay! So happy to hear that, thank you for sharing with your families and friends.
can i use canned peaches in heavy syrup instead of canned peaches in lite syrup?
You can but you will need to watch the additional sugar you add.
Hi there. I’ve already made your crust, popped it in the freezer until I’m able to make the filling. I just want to ask what would you say is the purpose of the butter in the peach filling? I asked a family member who just said “because butter makes it better,” and perhaps this is an acceptable answer, I just want to know if I could get away with either less or none at all? I’m not butter-phobic, if you say it’s a must, then so be it! I’m just wondering if adding the butter has some unavoidable reason, like the way it cooks, mouthfeel, moisture, something vital other than taste.
Hi Divine, the butter actually helps with all the things you mentioned: mouthfeel, moisture,, and flavor. It makes it richer. You can try it without the butter, but it won’t be quite the same.
Love love your recipes
OMG thank you so much!
Can you use milk for the crust instead of water? Or will it mess the recipe up?
Milk will be totally fine.
Hennessy and or Vanilla extract