This blueberry cobbler is an easy vegan dessert and takes under 10 minutes to prepare. With sweet juicy berries and a tender biscuit topping, this old-fashioned berry cobbler is perfect served warm from the oven topped with a scoop of ice cream!
Along with your potato salad, veggie burgers, and grilled vegetables, this vegan blueberry cobbler is the perfect addition to your summer gatherings and potlucks!
Thank you to Stahlbush Island Farms for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
What is Cobbler?
Old-fashioned cobbler features berries (or fruit) and a biscuit or scone topping which all bake together in a single dish. The fruit filling bubbles up around the biscuits and thickens into a velvety sauce. The biscuits are soft inside with a crisp brown top, and resemble the cobble stones on a road, hence the name “cobbler”.
Depending on where you live, you may be more familiar with berry cobbler made with a cake-like topping over the fruit. Made from a pourable batter, the topping then looks less cobble-like and is thinner. If you’d prefer this type of topping, simply use 1 cup of plant-based milk instead of ⅔ cup as called for in the recipe card below.
This cobbler recipe is a veganized version of traditional blueberry cobbler – with a biscuit or scone topping. But fear not! There’s no biscuit forming or cutting! We’re going the easy route of making drop biscuits using the spoon biscuit method.
Why You’ll Love this Vegan Cobbler
- The Easiest Cobbler: No finicky pie dough, no shaping biscuits – this vegan cobbler recipe calls for one-bowl drop biscuits over a simple blueberry filling. Easy to make, easy cleanup, and an easy recipe for new bakers!
- Heavy on the Blueberries: No skimpy fruit filling here!
- Adaptable: Use whatever berries you have. Prefer raspberry cobbler, blackberry cobbler, or strawberry cobbler? Go ahead and swap out the blueberries for whichever berries (or berry blend) you choose.
- Quick Dessert Recipe: Takes only 5-10 minutes to assemble and then it’s time to bake. The cobbler is ready in just a few minutes out of the oven – let it bake up while you eat dinner so it’s done when you’re ready for dessert.
- Simple Ingredients: Made with pantry staples and your favorite berries, fresh or frozen.
- Dairy-free, egg-free, and has a gluten-free option if needed so everyone at the table can enjoy this vegan friendly dessert.
How to Make Vegan Berry Cobbler
1. Make the Drop Biscuit Batter: Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Then, cut in the cold vegan butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives. Cut the butter until the largest remaining pieces are about the size of peas. Pour in the plant-based milk and vanilla, then fold to mix. Don’t overmix or the biscuits won’t be as tender.
2. Mix the Berry Filling Together: Toss the blueberries with sugar, cornstarch (to thicken), lemon juice, and spread them evenly into a 1.5 quart/L baking dish (or 10”/25.4 cm skillet.)
3. Top the Berries with Scoops of Biscuit Batter. Sprinkle with coarse sugar for a bit of extra crunch.
4. Bake! The cobbler is done when the biscuits are golden on top and cooked through, and the berries are bubbling. Make sure the bubbling happens in the center of the baking dish – the blueberry sauce won’t thicken otherwise. Cornstarch thickens once it comes to a boil, and the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Like all warm pudding-like desserts, this blueberry cobbler is begging for a scoop of plant-based ice cream or whipped cream!
Tip: For easy clean up, place an empty baking sheet or a layer of tin foil underneath the baking dish to catch any blueberry sauce spill over.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Blueberries: I used Stahblush Island Farms frozen blueberries. They are juicy and flavorful – perfect year round so you don’t have to wait until berry season to enjoy this cobbler! Do not thaw the berries before baking – thawing them will yield a thinner blueberry sauce on the bottom because the berries will have released too many of their juices.
If you have fresh blueberries to use up, you can definitely make this cobbler with fresh berries. Other types of berries, or a mixture of berries, will work in this recipe such as blackberries, strawberries, or raspberries. Keep in mind that overripe berries are juicier and so the filling may not be as thick. You may wish to add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch to the filling to make sure it thickens if your berries are super juicy.
Granulated Sugar: Sugar helps coax out some of the blueberries’ juices, and is added for a bit of sweetness…but not too much! We want those berry flavors to shine!
Cornstarch (Corn Flour): Used to thicken the blueberry juices so we end up with a velvety berry sauce. You can use tapioca or arrowroot powder instead although I find they create a somewhat slimy consistency.
Lemon Juice: Summer berry baked desserts always taste that much better with a bit of lemon juice. The acidity enhances and compliments the blueberry flavors.
All-Purpose Flour: Flour is needed for making the biscuit dough. You may use an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour blend containing xanthan gum for a gluten-free option.
Baking powder: As a leavener, the baking powder gives the biscuits rise so they are soft and fluffy inside. Baking soda is not a straight substitute for baking powder.
Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon adds warmth to the biscuits and makes the aroma wafting from the oven even more irresistible!
Vegan Butter: Use vegan butter sticks, not the type of vegan butter (or margarine) that comes in tubs. The latter contains more water and less fat. You may use coconut oil in lieu of vegan butter if you prefer. If you don’t want the coconut flavor, use a refined coconut oil which has had the coconut flavor removed and is neutral tasting. Just make sure the coconut oil is solid or chilled or the biscuits will be greasy and not as tender.
Turbinado Sugar: Turbinado is a large grain type of sugar with a light caramel flavor. Sprinkle a little over the tops of the biscuits for a nice crunch and a bit of sparkle. Demerara sugar is a good substitute for turbinado. If you don’t have any large crystal sugar, you can use any other kind of sugar or forgo it altogether.
Make Ahead Option
This vegan fruit cobbler is best served warm from the oven. However, this classic berry dessert can be baked a few hours in advance of serving. Serve it either at room temperature or reheat in the oven until warm. See below for freezing it once baked.
I don’t recommend preparing cobbler without baking it right away. The biscuits won’t rise and puff as much, and the blueberries will release too many of their juices so the fruit bottom may be runny.
Storage & Reheating Suggestions
Refrigerator: Like most fruit desserts and berry pies, this old fashioned blueberry cobbler should stay fresh for a few days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The biscuits will absorb some of the blueberry juices over time so their undersides will be somewhat like dumplings in texture.
Freezer: Freeze baked cobbler for about 6 months – wrap the baking dish so it is airtight. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then, place in preheated oven (350°F/177°C/gas mark 4) until the cobbler is heated through. The undersides of the biscuits will be more saturated with blueberry sauce. Thawing is essential especially if using ceramic or glass bakeware which will crack or shatter if frozen (or very cold) when placed into a hot oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are many types of classic baked fruit desserts that resemble pie without a bottom crust. While cobbler has a biscuit-type topping baked over a fruit filling, crumble usually has a streusel-type topping.
Cobbler is a British dessert, and over time has been adapted in some regions to have more of a cake-like topping made from a pourable batter. If you prefer this type of topping, use 1 cup of milk for a thinner batter. If you’re interested to learn more, check out this article other classic baked fruit desserts like cobblers, crumbles, crisps, grunt, pandowdy, slump, betty, and buckle (to name just a few!)
Your berry filling may be runny if you:
– don’t use the full amount of cornstarch,
– use more berries than the recipe calls for,
– use berries that are extra ripe and juicy (add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch),
– thaw frozen berries before baking,
– use a very narrow deep baking dish, or
– under-bake the cobbler. The center of the berry filling must be bubbling (an indication that the temperature has reached boiling to activate the thickening power of the cornstarch.)
While the berry base will thicken in the oven as the cornstarch plumps up, it will continue to thicken as it cools.
Yes!
Yes! Other types of berries, or a mixture of berries, will work in this recipe such as blackberries, strawberries, or raspberries. Keep in mind that overripe berries are juicier and so the filling may not be as thick. You may wish to add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch to the filling to make sure it thickens if your berries are super juicy.
More Easy Vegan Berry Dessert Recipes:
- Blueberry Ginger Galette
- Blueberry Earl Grey Popsicles
- No-Bake Vegan Cheesecake Jars
- Berry Vanilla Layer Cake
- Blackberry Cinnamon Crisp
- Berry Chocolate Tart
If you make this Easy Blueberry Cobbler, please give them a rating in the recipe card and leave a comment below! Follow along on Instagram where you can tag me in your creations using my recipes! You can also follow me on Pinterest for vegan recipe inspiration and on Facebook. Thank you for reading!
Easy Blueberry Cobbler (Vegan)
Recipe Video
Ingredients
For the Cobbler Topping:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt (use ½ tsp if using coconut oil instead of vegan butter)
- ½ cup vegan butter sticks, cold (or chilled/solid refined coconut oil)
- ⅔ cup plant-based milk, cold
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tbsp coarse sugar (e.g. turbinado)
For the Blueberry Base:
- 6 cups frozen blueberries – do not thaw (See Notes for substitutions)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
Cobbler Topping:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C/gas 5.
- In a medium bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together. Whisk well. Cut in the vegan butter using a pastry cutter or two butter knives, working it into the flour until the largest pieces of fat are about the size of peas.
- Stir the vanilla into the milk in the cup you measured in. Add the vanilla milk to the flour mixture, and gently stir just until the dough comes together. Do not overmix.
Blueberry Base:
- Place the blueberries into a 10” (25.4 cm) round baking dish or oven-safe skillet (see Notes for other baking dish size options). Toss the berries with the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.
Assemble the Cobbler:
- Scoop the biscuit batter all over the fruit – I use a large cookie scoop (3 tbsp/45 mL.) Keep in mind the larger the drop biscuits are, the longer they will take to bake through. Sprinkle coarse sugar over the biscuits.
- Bake the cobbler for 45-65 minutes in the center of the middle oven rack, loosely covering with foil at around 35 minutes if the biscuits are browning already to prevent them from burning on top. For easy clean up, place an empty baking sheet or a layer of tin foil underneath the baking dish to catch any blueberry sauce spill over. The cobbler is baked when the biscuits are cooked through (use a fork to gently lift one in the center to check for uncooked batter) and the blueberries are bubbling in the center. Serve warm with dairy-free ice cream or whip, if desired.
Nutrition Info:
Notes:
The Nutrition Information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the Nutrition Information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
Post may contain affiliate links which means if you click on the link and make a purchase, I’ll get a very small percentage in commission. There’s never any extra cost to you, and I only link to products I actually use and enjoy. Thank you for your support!