This easy Cherry Cobbler recipe has delicious (fresh, frozen, or canned) cherries in a warm, tender cake. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Cherry Cobbler is the summer dessert that never disappoints.
Cherry Cobbler is the summer dessert that never disappoints.This cherry cobbler recipe is as easy as it is irresistible, and although I love fresh cherries best, it will taste great with frozen or canned cherries, too. We make the juicy cherry filling and pour it right on top of the batter. Then while it bakes the batter will rise up over the filling, leaving a cake-like cobbler topping with juicy cherries throughout. Nothing beats serving it warm with a melty scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Don't miss my other cobbler recipes like Peach Cobbler, Blackberry Cobbler, Pecan Cobbler, Blueberry Cobbler, or Apple Cobbler!
How to make Cherry Cobbler:
Prep the Cherries: In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extract. Stir in cherries and cook for a few minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. (See notes for canned or frozen cherries.)
Make the Batter: Preheat oven to 350°F. Add sliced butter to a 9×13-inch dish and place in the oven to melt. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk just until combined, then pour batter over the melted butter.
Assemble and Bake: Spoon the cherry mixture over the batter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
What Type of Cherries Work Best for Cobbler?
You can use sweet cherries (the big, dark red kind), sour cherries, or even a mix of both for this recipe. I love the balance of flavor when combining the two! If you’re using sour cherries, consider adding a bit more sugar to the filling to offset their tartness. For canned cherries, make sure to use plain sour cherries, not cherry pie filling, which won’t work well here. Frozen cherries are also a great option—just prepare them as directed, but stir in an extra tablespoon of cornstarch to help thicken the sauce.
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Recipe
Cherry Cobbler
Equipment
Ingredients
Cherries:
- 4 cups fresh cherries* (600g), pitted and halved (a little over 1 lb)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar (135g), (more or less depending on sweetness of cherries)
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch (16g)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (30ml), about ½ a lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5ml)
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Batter:
- 6 Tablespoons butter (85g)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (8g)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk (180ml)
- ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Make Cherry filling: Add sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract to a saucepan and stir. Add cherries and cook for a few minutes, until sugar is dissolved into a sauce and sauce has slightly thickened. (See notes if using canned or frozen cherries).2/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, 4 cups fresh cherries*
- Melt butter in pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice butter into pieces and add to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Place the pan in the oven while it preheats, to allow the butter to melt. Once melted, remove the pan from the oven.6 Tablespoons butter
- Make the batter: In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the milk, just until combined. Pour the mixture over melted butter in pan and smooth it into an even layer.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¾ cup milk
- Bake: Spoon the cherries and sauce mixture over the batter. (the batter will rise up and over the cherries, while baking.) Sprinkle cinnamon generously over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.ground cinnamon
- Serve warm, with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.
Notes
- Frozen Cherries: Prepare as directed but add 1 tablespoon additional cornstarch to saucepan.
- Canned Cherries: Use two 14.5 oz cans of cherries canned in water (or light syrup if necessary). Do not use canned cherry pie filling. Drain the juice from the cans of cherries, reserving ¼ cup. Stir cornstarch into reserved juice, then add to a saucepan with sugar, vanilla and almond extract. Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in cherries.
- Uncooked Cherry Filling: you can mix the cherry fillings together and add to the cobbler without cooking in saucepan, but I think cooking first produces a better result.
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe July 2022. Updated July 2025.
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I made this cobbler recipe 2 days in a row. I compared it to my Blueberry Cobbler and they were very almost exact, with the exception the B. Cobbler used 1 egg in the batter and the cherry mixture was on on the bottom of a buttered glass dish and the batter was dolloped on the top of the cherry mixture. The butter was used in the batter, not just placed and melted on the bottom of the glass dish. First time I made it I put the batter on the bottom of the glass dish that I buttered, then I poured the cherry mixture on top and spread it out. After baking, the batter did not rise above the cherry mixture; it stayed on the bottom and baked just fine, like a fluffy cake. It tasted good. Also, I added 1 tsp of cinnamon directly to the cherry mixture, I didn’t sprinkle it on top. Second time I made it, I did like my B. Cobbler. I poured the cherry mixture on the bottom of the buttered glass 9X13 baking dish. Then I spooned the batter on top and gently used a knife to spread it out across the top of the cherry mixture. I baked it the same. The batter baked up nicely, but it was a more dense cake. The cherry mixture baked through in places and it seemed to have thickened more than when it was poured on top. Both tasted good. You could add 1T of Kirsch Liqueur. I gave it a 4 star rating, because I preferred the B. Cobbler way, to pour the cherry mixture on the bottom and drop spoonfuls of batter across the top.