Blackberry cobbler with fresh blackberries and homemade biscuits topped with course sugar, is a delicious dessert that takes the place of pie in a pinch.
Cobbler is super holiday-friendly and often served as a fall dessert. You won’t believe how easy it is to make the best blackberry cobbler ever so let’s get started!

Why you will love this Easy Blackberry Cobbler Recipe
✔ Old Fashioned ✔ Southern ✔ Homemade
This dessert cobbler is really easy to make! With delicious fresh blackberries and homemade dough, you really do not have to be an expert on this recipe.
One of the best things about cobbler is that it’s amazing to eat as a stand-alone dessert (and super complimentary to holiday dessert menus like Thanksgiving and Christmas) but also that it’s AWESOME to scoop over vanilla ice cream!
No cake mix, Bisquick, or boxed mixes are needed for a homemade, Southern, cast iron fresh blackberry cobbler.
Ingredients
ingredients for blackberry cobbler, full condensed printable recipe at the bottom of the post for ease of shopping
- 1-1/2 cups white sugar, divided
- 4 cups fresh blackberries, washed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, cold
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- coarse sugar for topping
RELATED RECIPES: Crock Pot Blueberry Dump Cake, Crock Pot Apple Dump Cake, Peach Cobbler Dump Cake
Recipe Blackberry Cobbler
Preheat oven to 400.
Add 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, 4 cups blackberries, and cornstarch (dissolved in cold water) to a large ovenproof skillet.
Heat blackberries over medium, stirring frequently until boiling.
Boil mixture for 2-3 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove cast iron pan from heat.

In a mixing bowl, add flour, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, tsp of baking powder, salt, and mix well.
Add butter and use a pastry blender to cut in butter until the mixture is small and crumbly.
Add boiling water and mix just until combined into a dough (do not overmix).

Spoon dollops of dough onto the top of the blackberries.
Sprinkle the dough with coarse sugar on top.
Bake cobbler for 20-25 minutes or until dough is brown on top.
Remove pan from oven and let stand until cooled a bit and serve.

Common Blackberry Cobbler Questions
- Can you make blueberry cobbler with cake mix or Bisquick? The dough in this recipe is like a drop biscuit, kind of crispy on the outside. If you want to use cake mix or Bisquick, you can try. I would go with Bisquick over cake mix personally, but to be honest I haven’t actually tried either one with this exact recipe.
- Tart Blackberry Cobbler or Sweet Blackberry Cobbler? This blackberry cobbler is sweet. If you like something more tart, I’d cut the sugar with the berries in half.
- Can you make cobbler in a casserole dish instead of a cast iron pan? If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet for this, just put the cooked and sugared berries into a GREASED casserole dish and proceed with the remainder of the recipe. I do think a 9×13 would be too big and too thing, so something a bit smaller.
- Can you use frozen blackberries over fresh? Yes, but like most frozen fruits, the blackberries will need to be defrosted and any extra moisture toss prior to putting into the pan.

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Cast Iron Blackberry Cobbler Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cups white sugar
- 4 cups fresh blackberries - washed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - optional
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter - cold
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- coarse sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Add 1 cup sugar, 4 cups blackberries and cornstarch that dissolved in cold water to a large ovenproof skillet (like a cast iron or coated cast iron pan).
- Heat blackberries over medium, stirring frequently until boiling. They will start to change from their dark color to a pink.
- Boil blackberries for 2-3 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
- In a mixing bowl, add flour, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, tsp of baking powder, salt and mix well.
- Add butter ( I find it easier to cut butter into tablespoons) and use a pastry blender to cut in butter until mixture is small and crumbly.
- Add boiling water and mix just until combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Spoon dollops of dough onto the top of the blackberries.
- Sprinkle top of dough with coarse sugar (Note that its fine to sprinkle the whole pan with sugar if you like)
- Bake cobbler for 20-25 minutes or until brown on top.
- Remove from oven and let stand until cooled a bit and serve as is or over vanilla ice cream.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Lemon juice is optional in this recipe, but cuts some of the sweetness for a nice balance.
- If your blackberries come in a container with a bit extra, its fine to use the whole container. My 2 containers had about 1/2 cup extra blackberries and I added with no problems.
- To cut some of the sugar, use only 1/2 a cup in the pan with blackberries instead of a full cup – entirely up to you if you want a sweet or tart cobbler. It also can depend on the berry itself as not all berries have the same amount of sweet.
- Want to add a little flavor? Try a pinch of cinnamon, allspice, or nutmeg for some fall flavors.
- Serve over ice cream or add a bit of whipped cream on top for the full experience.
Mandy Smith says
I only made the topping however, I know for certain if I didn’t already that I prefer a regular pastry crust. I wound up cooking a few more berries the next day, pouring over the biscuit like topping and put it in the oven for about 30 minutes. I liked it much better after that.
Rebecca says
Looks yummy! What size cast iron pan is “large?” I have a 10”. Please respond to my email address. Thank you!
Trisha says
Ill message you too but I use a 12 inch skillet.