This easy strawberry cobbler recipe is made with fresh strawberries and buttery biscuits made completely from scratch.
Homemade Strawberry Cobbler
I was never much of a fan of cobblers until well into my adult years. Had I fully appreciated that they are a celebration of sweet fruit and biscuits, I feel sure I would have embraced them far sooner. Now, I just try to make up for lost cobbler time by making them as often as possible.
One of my cobbler obsessions is this simple Strawberry Cobbler that features a quick and easy filling topped with soft, sweet cream cheese biscuits. That simplicity and the amazing flavor make this one of my favorite strawberry recipes!
Of course, strawberries and lemons are BFFs, so I couldn’t resist adding a good bit of lemon to this cobbler. There’s lemon juice in the filling, as well as lemon zest in the topping. That double dose is just the thing to make this dessert really outstanding.
What You’ll Need
Here’s a quick recap of the ingredients you’ll need to make this strawberry cobbler. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for specific amounts.
For the Strawberry Filling
- Strawberries – I recommend using fresh strawberries that are in season for the most flavor.
- Granulated sugar
- Cornstarch – This will help thicken the liquid in your filling.
- Lemon juice – For the best flavor, use fresh lemon juice, not bottled.
For the Biscuits
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Lemon zest – Fresh lemon zest really complements the strawberry filling, which also has lemon in it.
- Salt
- Cream cheese – Softened and cut into small pieces
- Unsalted butter – Cold and cut into small pieces
- Milk – Any kind of milk works.
- Sanding sugar – You all know about my love of sanding sugar. I simply adore how just a sprinkle of that coarse sugar adds a little sparkle and a crunchy bite of sweetness to the tops of baked goods. This biscuit topping is the perfect excuse to get out the sanding sugar.
Why Add Cream Cheese to the Biscuits?
I strayed a bit from the traditional biscuit topping for this cobbler. While the topping is still a biscuit dough, I added a little cream cheese to the dough for a different flavor and a super soft texture. Plus, there’s that bit of lemon zest I mentioned for a hint of tartness to complement all those sweet strawberries.
Can I Use Frozen Strawberries?
Frozen fruits generally perform well in things like cobbler. While I recommend using fresh whenever you can, frozen should work here, too. You won’t need to thaw the strawberries before using them. Keep in mind that they’ll have more moisture than fresh strawberries, so you may have a thinner, runnier filling. You can try to combat that by adding a bit more cornstarch. An extra 2 or 3 teaspoons may do the trick.
How to Make Strawberry Cobbler
Prepare for baking. Heat the oven to 375°F. Set out a 1-quart baking dish.
Make the filling. Stir together the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a large bowl.
Begin making the topping. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt.
Add the cream cheese and butter. Use a pastry blender, a fork, or your fingers to mix the topping until the butter is about the size of small peas.
Add the milk. Pour about two-thirds of the milk into the topping mixture, and combine. Continue adding small amounts of the milk while mixing. Add just enough milk so that the dough comes together.
Assemble. Transfer the strawberry mixture to the baking dish. Drop the topping in 1-tablespoon portions over the top of the strawberries. If you like, sprinkle the top with sanding sugar.
Bake. Place the pan on a lined, rimmed baking sheet to catch any potential filling that might bubble over the edges of the baking dish. Place both pans in the oven, and bake 40 to 45 minutes. The cobbler is done with the top is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.
Serving Suggestions
I prefer to top this cobbler with a bit of sweetened whipped cream. Vanilla ice cream, of course, is always a good idea, too. Whether you serve it warm, at room temperature, with whipped cream, or straight out of the pan, I think you’ll find that you’ll serve it often.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Let your cobbler cool to room temperature, then cover it with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It will keep for up to 5 days. When you are ready to eat some cobbler, simply spoon the amount you want into a bowl and zap it in the microwave until heated through.
Strawberry Cobbler
Fresh strawberries combine with tart lemon and sweet cream cheese biscuits to make this fantastic Strawberry Cobbler!
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 32 ounces (907g) strawberries, trimmed, hulled, and quartered
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- juice of 1 medium lemon
For the topping:
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- zest of 1 medium lemon
- pinch of salt
- 2 ounces (57g) cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup milk
- sanding sugar, optional
- sweetened whipped cream or ice cream, for serving
Instructions
To make the filling:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Stir together the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Set aside while you make the topping.
To make the topping:
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt.
- Add the cream cheese and butter. Mix with a pastry blender, a fork, or your fingers until the butter is about the size of small peas.
- Add about two-thirds of the milk, and mix to combine. Continue adding the remaining milk, and mix just until the dough comes together. (It's fine if you don't need to use quite all of the milk.)
- Transfer the strawberry mixture to a 1-quart baking dish.
- Drop the topping by about 1-tablespoon portions over the strawberry mixture. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.
- Place the pan on a lined, rimmed baking sheet to catch any leaks. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.
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14 Comments on “Strawberry Cobbler”
I was obsessed with peach cobbler when I was younger. There was a diner that made an amazing one. I’ve tried to replicate it, but haven’t had success yet. Strawberry is a great cobbler flavor and I’ll have to try this with some fresh, local berries 🙂
I’m so excited about this recipe! Â My strawberry patch is ready to pick and I can’t think of a better recipe to start with! Â We are so lucky in my area to have strawberries for 6 months. Â This year our spring is a good one with a nice balance of wet and dry and cool and warm. Â The berries are doing great and are early. Â I’m out with my basket in the morning and next stop will be the kitchen to wash, prep and bake. Â My favorite gardeners will hopefully be as excited to eat it as I am to make it for them. Â First strawberries of the season! Â Thanks, Jennifer!!
I hope you like it, Linda!
It was a big success. Â Mine was a little runny but they cut into it pretty warm which was ok with me. Â They didn’t want to wait. Â HAHA Â Thanks again for a keeper recipe! Â
Where I came from Cobblers were made by putting the fruit, sugar and water in a pan bringing to a boil.  Rolling out dough, cutting into strips dropping 1×1 pieces into boiling fruit water, then making a solid size topping from the dough to cover the pan, butter that, sprinkle with sugar, , cut slits, bake until crust I golden brown.  That is the real cobblers.Â
Can I use gluten free flour for the cobbler?Â
Hi, Margaret. I don’t have much experience with gluten-free flours. I’d recommend following the manufacturer’s recommendations for substituting.
When recipe calls for zest of 1 lemon….do i zest entire lemon?
Yes, you’ll need the zest of 1 medium lemon.
Will be trying two of the cobblers
and cupcakes for the little ones…
I made this last night for my family and it was gone in one night! Â My cobbler looked just like the picture and I did not tweak it at all. Â 5 stars!
I’m so glad it was such a hit!
One problem I find with biscuit cobblers is that the biscuit is often not completely cooked underneath, even when the biscuit isn’t very thick. I usually to a crisp to solve that problem. Thoughts?
Hi, Kathryn. I think it depends on the recipe. Usually, the filling should get hot enough to help bake the topping all the way through. I would also suggest taking care to measure accurately and making sure the topping isn’t too thick. If the topping isn’t browning well either, then you might want to check the accuracy of your oven’s temperature or try baking a bit longer. If the top begins to get too brown, you can loosely tent the baking dish with foil.