This vegan cherry peach cornmeal cobbler features two kinds of sweet, ripe stone fruits. It has a tender, cornmeal cake topping that’s easy to make. This is a beautiful summer dessert that’s perfect with a scoop of plant-based vanilla ice cream!

Of all of the many fun summer desserts—crumble, galette, blueberry buckle, etc.—cobbler is my favorite.

There are many types of cobbler. Some have very firm, biscuit-like toppings, while others have cake-like toppings.

Since I’m a huge fan of all things vegan cake, the cake toppings tend to be my favorite. However, I tend to think that they should be a little less delicate and tender than standard layer cakes.

In the case of this vegan peach cobbler, the topping is a cornmeal cake that’s tender, moist, and substantial.

The filling is a mix of not only sweet, ripe summer peaches, but also dark, sweet cherries.

The result is a cobbler with two beautiful colors, orange and red, and a unique, mildly sweet topping. It’s irresistable—especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

What is cobbler?

Technically, cobbler is a dessert with a layer of sweetened fruit and a baked topping, which can be either biscuits or cake.

In the UK, some cobblers are made with a dumpling topping.

Cobbler fillings can be seasoned with spices or relatively unadorned. They can be lightly sweetened or more generously sweetened.

Many types of fruit can become cobbler: apples, berries, pear, and so on. Stone fruits, including peaches, plums, nectarines, and cherries, happen to make wonderful cobbler.

I have a recipe for a classic vegan cherry cobbler that I love. That recipe features a more crumbly, buttery, biscuit-like topping than this one does.

This recipe features peaches, a quintessential late summer fruit. Peaches are also often featured in dessert recipes from the South.

In keeping with that idea, this vegan peach cobbler features a topping that incorporates cornmeal.

How to make vegan peach cobbler with sweet cherries

This cobbler, like most cobbler recipes, is simple and easygoing to make.

That’s one of the joys of a cobbler. Unlike pie, which can be precise and technically a little difficult, cobbler is more rustic. Here are the steps for preparing it.

Step 1: prepare your filling

The filling for this cobbler consists of peaches, dark, sweet cherries, a little flour for thickening, some sugar, and some lemon juice for a hint of acidity.

You’ll mix all these ingredients together in a large mixing bowl as you get started. Then, transfer them to a prepared baking dish.

Step 2: Whisk together dry ingredients

In another mixing bowl, you’ll whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and a little cane sugar.

Step 3: Cut butter into the dry ingredients

The process for making this topping is a sort of hybrid of making cake batter and biscuits. Similar to the process of making biscuits or scones, you’ll cut cold vegan butter into your dry ingredients.

Step 3: Add vegan buttermilk

What’s vegan buttermilk?

It is, quite simply, a mix of non-dairy milk—I recommend soy, oat, cashew, or almond—and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

The acid in the milk helps to make your baked goods rise a bit and achieve a tender, sometimes fluffy, texture. The acid will activate the leavening properties of baking powder or soda.

I have a full tutorial on making super quick, homemade vegan buttermilk. You can whisk it together right before making this vegan peach cobbler!

Step 4: Mix the batter

You’ll use a spatula to fold the buttermilk into the dry ingredients and butter, resulting in a thick, textured batter.

Step 5: Spoon the topping over your fruit filling

Use a spatula or a spoon to spoon your thick, cornmeal cake batter over the fresh fruit in your baking dish.

Step 6: Bake

After 40 or so minutes in the oven, the filling of your vegan peach cobbler will be bubbly.

The cornmeal topping will be a beautiful, deep golden color.

How to serve vegan peach cobbler

To be honest, I think that this dessert is so flavorful and enjoyable that it’s lovely to eat all on its own.

However, I also love to eat the cobbler with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream.

I also love to spoon some of my homemade, vegan cashew whipped cream—which is really just a sweet version of my all-purpose cashew cream recipe—over the top.

Can I use frozen fruit?

Yes, you certainly can use frozen peaches and sweet cherries to make the cobbler.

If you do this, I recommend adding 1 tablespoon of extra all-purpose flour to the filling. Using frozen fruit tends to add some liquid to recipes.

Can the cobbler be made gluten-free?

Yes, it can!

To make the cobbler gluten-free, just use a gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend. I recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure.

Meal prep and storage

This vegan peach cobbler is a great recipe for make-ahead preparation. It can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and stored, covered, in the fridge.

You can also prepare the cobbler and freeze it entirely for up to 6 weeks. Alternatively, you can freeze individual portions for up to 6 weeks.

Finally, the batter can be prepared and stored, covered, overnight in the fridge. The fruit can be chopped and stored overnight as well.

On the day that you plan to bake and share, simply toss your cut fruit with the other filling ingredients and transfer to a baking dish.

Spoon your prepared topping over the fruit, and you’re ready to bake.

Other favorite summer fruit desserts

If you love vegan fruit desserts as much as I do, here are some other favorites. They showcase a variety of fruits, to keep you baking happily through the seasons.

• Vegan cherry cobbler
• The best, classic vegan cherry pie
• Vegan blueberry buckle
• Vegan apple pear cranberry crisp
• How to make vegan strawberry shortcake (with a cake base)
• Vegan plum galette
• Vegan mini trifles with ice cream, berries, and lemon cake
• Blackberry plum crisp
• Strawberry rhubarb crumble bars

I hope you’ll enjoy this wonderful cobbler—and the many other delightful fruit desserts of summer!

xo