This easy gluten-free peach cobbler is full of jammy peaches topped with a soft biscuit-like topping that gets spread on top before baking. No need to make individual biscuits! The crisp golden-brown topping gives way to a soft biscuit that soaks up the warm peaches and vanilla ice cream making for an absolutely delicious dessert.
You know when a dessert is really good because I stand over the stove, eating it straight out of the pan with a spoon. This is my way of claiming it all for myself. And that's exactly what I did with the first test batch of this gluten-free peach cobbler. ALL MINE.
Why This Peach Cobbler is Easy and Amazing
I've made many cobblers before, but I've always it with individual biscuits neatly organized on top.
For this gluten-free peach cobbler and my gluten-free blueberry cobbler, you'll instead make fluffy buttermilk biscuit-style topping that is simply dolloped on top and baked. Easy peasy. Picture a crisp buttery topping shell that gives way to a fluffy biscuit nestled into jammy peaches.
In all my testing of gluten-free biscuits, I found that the fluffiest most flavorful biscuits were made with almond flour. Why mess with a good thing?!
This soft and tender biscuit-like cobbler topping is fluffy, with a lightly sweetened crumb that is oh so comforting. The biscuit topping expands down into the jammy brown sugar peach filling.
How to tell if my peaches are ripe for cobbler?
For peach cobbler you need ripe but firm peaches. They shouldn't be mushy, but should have some give when you squeeze them. Ripe peaches have the most flavor and will bake up soft and jammy. Your cobbler is only going to be as delicious as the fruit you use, so make sure your peaches have flavor.
Do I peel my peaches for cobbler?
There's no need to peel peaches for cobbler. The peels seem to disappear into the delicious jamminess of the roasted fruit. If you're really averse to peach skin (like my mom), you can quickly peel the peaches by cutting slits in the skin at the top and bottom, blanching them in boiling water for 20 seconds, then into an ice bath. The skins will slide right off.
Can I use frozen peaches?
Yes, you can use frozen peaches! Defrost the peaches and drain off the bulk of any liquid (do not press them) before tossing them with the rest of the ingredients.
Main ingredients for the best gluten-free peach cobbler
Peach Cobbler Filling
- Ripe peaches: Start with peaches that are ripe, but firm and very flavorful
- Brown sugar: Boost the sweetness of the peaches
- Tapioca starch: To thicken the juices that cook off the peaches into a jammy syrup
Gluten-Free Cobbler Topping
- Super-fine blanched almond flour: The flavor booster is the almond flour, adding sweet nuttiness that pairs with the jammy fruit. It also adds loads of moisture.
- Tapioca flour: Tapioca flour rises in the oven, creating fluffiness to the biscuits and lends to the chewiness.
- Gluten-free oat flour: Oat flour gives a soft cakey texture to baking. Here it adds the softness and structure to the oat flour, without being dense. Its flavor complements almond flour, adding warm, slightly nutty, wholesome notes, reminiscent of an oaty streusel-topped crumble.
- Sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt: All the essentials
- Cold Unsalted Butter: Cold butter will melt in the oven, creating little pockets of seam within the biscuit.
- Buttermilk: Using real buttermilk (versus a milk + vinegar sub) gives these biscuits a rich tangy flavor. Go all in.
- Ice cream: While technically this isn't an ingredient, I'd argue that vanilla ice cream for serving is equally essential.
How to make Gluten-free peach cobbler
- Toss the filling together. Mix the brown sugar with tapioca flour, then toss with the sliced peaches, lemon juice, vanilla, and spices. Dump into a 2-quart baking dish.
- Sift dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Work in cold butter cubes. Either with a pastry cutter or your hands, quickly work the butter into the flour until the largest pieces of butter are no larger than a pea and the dough is crumbly.
- Add buttermilk and whisk with a fork until the flour is just absorbed by the buttermilk.
- Dollop and spread topping over peaches. Leave a few spaces in the topping so the steam can cook the biscuits. And sprinkle lightly with sugar.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes until topping is golden brown and peaches bubbly
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!
What's the difference between cobbler, crumble, and crisp?
Cobblers are defined by the jammy-baked seasonal fruit at its core with some kind of topping, usually baked pastry, dough, or batter. You can top it with a pourable batter that bakes up almost like cake, cookie dough, pie pastry crust, or some kind of biscuit. This gluten-free peach cobbler is like a hybrid of pourable batter and biscuit.
If a crumble or a crisp is what you're looking for, here's my gluten-free peach crumble recipe!
Recipe
Easy Jammy Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
- 8 cups (3 lbs) (3lbs) sliced ripe, but firm peaches, about 5-6 peaches, cut into ⅛-1/4 inch slices
- ¼ cup (75 g) + 2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 112 g (1 cup) super-fine blanched almond flour
- 98 g (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- 95 g (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) gluten-free oat flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes (see note for dairy-free option)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Toss the filling together. Mix the brown sugar with tapioca flour in a large mixing bowl, then toss in the sliced peaches, lemon juice, vanilla, and spices. Dump into a 2-quart baking dish.
- Sift dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Work in cold butter cubes. Either with a pastry cutter or your hands, quickly work the butter into the flour until the largest pieces of butter are no larger than a pea and the dough is crumbly.
- Add buttermilk and whisk with a fork until the flour is just absorbed by the buttermilk, using your hands to mix, if needed. Dollop and spread topping evenly over peaches. Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the top.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the peaches bubbly. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!
Karen -
Strategic planning!! THAT'S what we call eating right out of the pan! Perfect, I thought I was the only one 😂😂 This is gorgeous and now all I want is cobbler for breakfast.
Heather -
Fantastic recipe! Best way to use up end of summer peaches! Thank you for always making up delicious GF recipes!
Heather -
This recipe is fantastic!