Strawberry Cobbler With Frozen Berries

This strawberry cobbler recipe is easy to make and even easier to layer with frozen berries. You can make this cobbler a day or two before serving and no one will be able to tell that you didn’t prep the entire dish right before serving! This is also a great option for a brunch as it’s a combination of warm, fresh baked cobbler with tart, fruity frozen berries.

Strawberry Cobbler

With sweet strawberries in a citrusy sauce tucked into a biscuit-like topping, this Easy Strawberry Cobbler is a simple and wonderful dessert. Fresh or frozen fruit can be used for a convenient year-round treat. Enjoy as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Easy Strawberry Cobbler Recipe

A cobbler is a baked fruit dessert with a thick buttery biscuit-like batter on top, dropped onto the fruit in small rounds, resembling a cobbled road. The topping can consist of biscuit dough, cookie dough, or cake batter.

This strawberry cobbler recipe we’re sharing today starts with a homemade biscuit batter on the bottom and the fruit mixture is spooned on top. As it bakes, the batter wraps around the fruit and soaks up its juices. It’s very easy to make and a family favorite, especially in the summer with a scoop of ice cream!

Ingredients Needed

Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)

• Strawberries – Fresh or frozen fruit can be used (see notes below.)
• Sugars – Both granulated sugar and brown sugar is mixed with the strawberries, which helps create a sauce as the strawberries release juice during baking.
• Citrus – Lemon juice adds a brightness and boost of flavor.
• Vanilla – For flavor.
• Batter – The topping for this cobbler is a batter consisting of dry and wet ingredients. Flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, butter, and milk. These ingredients create a biscuit-like topping with a crisp outside and tender inside.
• For serving: Finishing off the dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream, or some strawberry sauce is optional, but highly recommended. There’s something truly magical about the taste and texture of vanilla ice cream melting into the hot, juicy berries!

Fresh or Frozen Strawberries for Cobbler

Fresh strawberries will give you the best flavor in this cobbler recipe, but we make this dessert year-round using frozen strawberries when they’re not in season. If using frozen berries, they do not need to be thawed before adding them in, but it can increase the baking time slightly and you may need to tent the dish toward the end if you notice the topping is over-browning.

How to Make Strawberry Cobbler

Cobblers are some of the easiest desserts to make! Here’s a summary of what to do:
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)

1. Make the batter: Whisk together the flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Then slowly whisk in the milk and melted butter until combined. Pour mixture into a 9-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.
2. Make the strawberry layer: Toss the strawberries with both sugars, lemon juice, and vanilla. Spoon the strawberry mixture evenly over the top of the batter. DO NOT STIR.
3. Bake: Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 to 40 until batter is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
4. Serve: We like to serve portions with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Strawberry cobbler is best served right from the oven while it’s fresh and warm, but leftovers are certainly enjoyable, too!

• To store leftovers: Store any extra cobbler in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep up to 4 days.
• To reheat: Reheat portions in the microwave until warmed through. You can also reheat in the oven. Remove dish from the fridge and bring to room temp and bake at 350 degrees F about 15-20 minutes until warmed through. (Cover with foil if topping is over-browning.)

Strawberry Cobbler

This Strawberry Cobbler is one of the best strawberry desserts loaded with fresh strawberries and an easy biscuit topping. Delicious topped with ice cream!

STRAWBERRY COBBLER

Cobblers are one of the easiest and most delicious ways to use any ripe, juicy fresh fruit or berry. All you need to make a cobbler is common pantry ingredients and whatever fruit you have on hand. Summer is peak strawberry season so making a fresh Strawberry Cobbler is a must do!

This old-fashioned Strawberry Cobbler recipe is so simple to make, including the biscuit topping made from scratch. If you bake even sometimes, you have all you need to make this delicious cobbler. A stand mixer makes the biscuit dough easier but this recipe can be made by hand too.

While you can absolutely make Strawberry Cobbler with frozen berries, there’s just no beating a plump, fresh berry. A fresh strawberry adds so much texture and sweet flavor and just the right amount of juice. If you use frozen strawberries, be sure to thaw them first and pat them dry.

For an extra buttery, sweet biscuit topping, brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle with turbinado sugar before baking. If the Strawberry Cobbler topping starts to brown quickly from the melted butter, tent with foil and cook until the filling is bubble and test doneness with a toothpick.

Easy Strawberry Cobbler is a great recipe to double to feed a crowd. All you need to do is double the ingredients using the slider tool in the recipe card and bake in a 9×13 baking dish. Strawberry Cobbler can be at room temperature for days so it’s perfect for potlucks, summer cookouts, or any event where it will need to sit out for a while.

Strawberry Cobbler has a warm, gooey filling and buttery fresh biscuits that tastes even better with Vanilla Ice Cream. If you want more of a strawberries and cream dessert, top your Strawberry Cobbler with Whipped Cream. If you have extra strawberries on hand, make Strawberry Topping or sprinkle with chopped strawberries.

VARIATIONS ON STRAWBERRY COBBLER

• Fruit: Apples, peaches, cherries, plums, or kiwis all taste great with strawberry! Soften firmer fruits in the microwave for 3-5 minutes so they cook at the same time as the berries.
• Filling: If you like a thicker filling, use 1 tablespoon cornstarch, lemon juice, or ½ cup grated apple. Lemons and apples have natural pectin that will thicken the filling.
• Bisquick: You can substitute Bisquick or your favorite Pancake Mix for the dry ingredients in this recipe to make the biscuit topping.
• Pie Crust: Top the strawberry filling a refrigerated pie curst. Cut vents into the pie crust to allow the filling to cook completely.
• Rhubarb: Use 2 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces, and 2 cups strawberries to make old-fashioned Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler.

Slow Cooker Strawberry Cobbler

• Spray slow cooker with cooking spray or grease with butter.
• Prepare the strawberry filling in the slow cooker, adding 1 tablespoon cornstarch to the mixture. 
• Make the biscuit topping per the recipe card and spoon over strawberry mixture.
• Cover crockpot with paper towels before securing lid.
• Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high to 2 hours, until the biscuits are puffy and cooked through.

HOW TO STORE STRAWBERRY COBBLER

• Serve: This Strawberry Cobbler recipe can be at room temperature for up to 2 days, covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
• Store: Wrap your dish with plastic wrap if it doesn’t have a cover and refrigerate Strawberry Cobbler up to 1 week.
• Freeze: Once the cobbler has cooled completely, you can freeze it in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees until warm and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Using Frozen vs. Fresh Strawberries in Strawberry Cobbler

You can make a strawberry cobbler with fresh berries or frozen berries. If they’re in season, use fresh strawberries; the flavors will be brighter and bolder. Taste and adjust the amount of sugar to your preference.

Frozen strawberries also work for cobbler. Unlike other fruit dessert recipes—like a pound cake or quick bread—the excess liquid from frozen strawberries won’t affect the final texture. The juices will thicken (thanks to a bit of cornstarch) as the topping bakes.

3 Tips for Making Strawberry Cobbler

The best strawberry cobbler features a fruit filling that’s juicy but not too runny and a balanced blend of sweet and tart. It should be crowned with a golden-brown top layer that soaks up the juice without turning to mush.

1. 1. Adjust the sweetness to your preference. Depending on the ripeness of the strawberries you’re using, include anywhere from a quarter cup to half a cup of sugar.
2. 2. Season the strawberries with herbs and spices. Get creative with add-ins. Add lemon or lime zest directly to the biscuit batter or berry mixture for brightness, basil or tarragon for herbal aromatics, or ginger for warmth.
3. 3. Make individual portions in ramekins. If you’re serving a crowd, make the strawberry dessert in one big baking dish, or portion it into personal ramekins before baking.

Easy Strawberry Cobbler Recipe

MAKES

1 9×13 baking dish

PREP TIME

10 min

TOTAL TIME

55 min

COOK TIME

45 min

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 2 quarts strawberries, hulled and halved, or quartered if large
• ½ cup sugar
• Zest and juice from 1 large lemon
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

For the topping:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
• ½ cup buttermilk, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Demerara sugar, for sprinkling
• Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving

1. 1Preheat the oven to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. 2Combine the berries, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Stir to incorporate, and set the berry mixture aside.
3. 3In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the cubed butter, and work it into the flour mixture with your hands until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.
4. 4Whisk the ½ cup of buttermilk, egg, and vanilla together in a glass measuring cup or small bowl. Add it to the flour and butter mixture and stir it together with your hands or a rubber spatula, just until combined.
5. 5Transfer the berries to a large baking dish. Use your hands to tear off pieces of dough, and place them on top of the strawberry mixture. Brush the dough with the remaining tablespoons of buttermilk, and then sprinkle with Demerara sugar.
6. 6Bake until the tops are golden brown and the juices are thick and bubbling, about 45 minutes.
7. 7Remove the pan from the oven. Let the cobbler cool slightly before serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.