This easy cast iron peach cobbler is everything a summer dessert should be: juicy, warm, and buttery, with a golden biscuit topping that crackles when you spoon into it. You make the whole thing in one skillet with pantry staples and ripe peaches, and it goes straight from the oven to the table.
Save this Recipe!
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
I got a lot of peaches at my local farm this year. I bought their “seconds”, the ones with a little bruising or a soft spot, still perfectly good for baking and a fraction of the price. I brought them home, peeled and sliced them, and froze them in batches, which is why you’re seeing a run of peach desserts on the site lately. If you want more, my cherry and peach cobbler, peach cherry crisp, and peach cobbler pound cake all come from the same haul.
I spent a former career in the food industry before I started developing recipes here in my Pennsylvania kitchen, and the one thing I’ll always test for in a cobbler is the filling. Too many go thick and gloppy or run thin and soupy. The fix in this one is tapioca starch instead of cornstarch, and I’ll walk you through exactly why below.
My two kiddos are happiest with a fruit dessert, and this one disappears fast in our house, warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One pan, start to finish. The peaches, the biscuit topping, and the bake all happen in a single 12-inch skillet, so cleanup is one pan.
- A tested filling that sets right. Tapioca starch gives you a clear, glossy filling instead of a cloudy, gloppy one, so the peach flavor stays bright.
- A sugar-topped biscuit. A sprinkle of turbinado sugar gives the biscuits a little sparkle and crackle on top as they bake.
- Made for summer peaches. Ripe, fragrant peaches are the whole point, and this is the easiest way to show them off.
- Oven to table. The skillet goes straight from the oven to the middle of the table, warm and rustic.
Ingredients
- Sliced peaches: Fresh peaches at their peak are everything here. Look for ones that give slightly when pressed near the stem and smell fragrant. You will need 7 to 8 ripe peaches, sliced into about 6 cups. I peel mine, and the recipe card has an easy way to remove the skins.
- Tapioca starch: This is my secret for avoiding a gloppy, thick filling. It creates a delicate, clear gel that lets the peach flavor shine. I like Bob’s Red Mill brand. Can’t find it? Use 2 tablespoons of cornstarch instead.
- Buttermilk: The acidity reacts with the baking powder to create fluffy biscuits. Don’t skip it.
- Turbinado sugar: Sprinkled on the biscuits before baking, it adds a little sparkle and crackle on top.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Peach Selection Guide
I spent years buying produce for a grocery chain, so this is the part I geek out on. Here is how I actually pick peaches for a cobbler.
- Buy the seconds: A bruise or a soft spot disappears once the peaches bake down, and the “seconds” bin at the farm stand or grocery store runs a fraction of the price. I buy them by the box in July and freeze what I do not use.
- Ripeness test: Gently press near the stem end. It should give slightly without being mushy.
- Fragrance check: Ripe peaches have a sweet, floral aroma at the stem end.
- Go freestone for baking: Freestone peaches (Elberta, Red Haven) pull cleanly off the pit, so they are far faster to slice for a cobbler than clingstone. This is the tip that actually saves you time.
- Peak season: Look for locally grown peaches from June through September for the best flavor.
- Ripening at home: Place firm peaches in a paper bag at room temperature for 2 to 3 days to ripen.
How to Make Cast Iron Peach Cobbler
Step 1: Stir the peaches, sugar, tapioca starch, vanilla, allspice, nutmeg, and salt together in a medium bowl until combined.
Step 2: Transfer the peach mixture to a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and spread it into an even layer.
Step 3: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the buttermilk and melted butter.
Step 4: Stir until just combined. Lumps are fine.
Step 5: Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, drop 1-inch pieces of dough onto the filling, spaced about 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle the biscuit topping with the turbinado sugar.
Step 6: Transfer the skillet to a 400°F oven and bake until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is thick and glossy, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the skillet halfway through.
Sarah’s Tips
- Taste the filling before it bakes and adjust the sugar by 2 to 4 tablespoons depending on how ripe your peaches are.
- Tapioca starch over cornstarch. It sets into a clear, delicate gel instead of a cloudy paste, so the peach flavor stays bright. Two tablespoons of cornstarch will work in a pinch.
- Rotate the skillet halfway through baking, since cast iron browns unevenly if you don’t.
- Stir the biscuit dough just until combined. Lumps are fine, and overmixing makes the topping tough.
- Use the center rack for the most even heat.
FAQs
Storage
Serve this warm, straight from the skillet, with vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of homemade whipped cream.
- Make ahead: The day before, mix the dry biscuit ingredients and store them covered. The morning of, prepare the peach mixture but hold off on the topping until you are ready to bake. For the best biscuit texture, assemble and bake the same day.
- Reheat: A 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes beats the microwave every time and keeps the topping crisp.
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in the oven or microwave.
- Freeze: Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and warm in the oven before serving.
Thank you!
If you tried these, I want to hear about it, by leaving a comment below and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. It makes my day to see your kitchen wins.
Tag me on Social!
Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest
See you next time! ♡ Sarah
Recipe
Cast Iron Peach Cobbler
Equipment
- 1 12 inch cast iron pan
Ingredients
- 6 cups peeled and sliced peaches (7-8 peaches)
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (28 grams) tapioca starch or 2 tablespoons corn starch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
Biscuit Topping
- 1 ½ cup (213 grams) all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons (64 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Stir peaches, sugar, tapioca starch, vanilla, allspice, nutmeg, and salt together in bowl until combined.
- Transfer mixture to 12-inch cast-iron skillet.
Biscuit Topping
- Whisk flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl.
- Stir in buttermilk and melted butter until just combined.
- Using spoon, scoop out and drop 1-inch pieces of dough onto filling, spaced about 1/2 inch apart.
- Sprinkle biscuits with turbinado sugar.
- Transfer skillet to oven and bake until biscuits are golden brown and filling is thick and glossy, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream! Enjoy!
Save this Recipe!
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Delish. Easy to prepare.
A big time hit! I used the buttermilk substitute
The best peach cobbler I have ever had!!!