This easy gluten free blueberry cobbler is made of a fluffy pastry topping baked to golden brown perfection on top of lots of bright, sweet and fragrant blueberries.
This dish makes even the earliest blueberries taste their very best, and I get rave reviews all summer long when the berries are cheap, sweet and juicy. Or use frozen berries in the winter!
My take
Nicole's Recipe Notes
The filling in this blueberry cobbler bakes to a rich, jammy texture every time, with fresh or frozen berries. It's like an upside-down pie, where the soft topping bakes and browns beautifully no matter how much moisture the filling has.
This recipe is also super adaptable. Make it with any other berry, like raspberries, blackberries, hulled and chopped strawberries or a mixture. They'll cook at the same rate, and give off about the same liquid.
Stone fruits like peaches and nectarines have more fiber, so they don't melt down as easily. For that, try our recipe for gluten free peach cobbler where you bake the filling first.
what's in it
Ingredients & substitutions
- Blueberries: When it's not the height of blueberry season (in NY, that's the summer months), consider using frozen berries. Use full-sized berries, not the mini ones, or they'll melt into almost a jam in the oven. Don't defrost frozen berries first or they'll bleed on the topping. Try replacing blueberries with blackberries, raspberries, or a combination.
- Sugar: The topping has 1/4 cup of sugar in and on the topping; the filling has only 1/2 cup. Taste the blueberries. If they're really sweet, you can use as little as 1/4 cup sugar in the filling.
- Butter: We use cold butter in the topping so it's light inside and crispy outside, and some melted butter in the filling and brushed on top. For dairy free, try using vegan butter like Melt or Miyoko's Creamery brands.
- Buttermilk: This gives the topping great flavor and tender texture. You can replace 1 cup of buttermilk with 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt mixed with and 1/2 cup milk. If you're dairy free, use nondairy unflavored varieties of each ingredient.
- Gluten free flour: For the pastry topping, you need an all purpose gluten free flour blend, like Better Batter's classic blend or Nicole's Best. For the filling, rice flour or tapioca starch works well, but you can use a blend without xanthan gum, which makes the filling gummy.
How to make gluten free blueberry cobbler
The full ingredients and instructions for this recipe are in the recipe card below, but here's a visual overview of how you do it.
Make the pastry topping
Whisk the dry ingredients, like the gluten free flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together. Add cold, shredded butter and mix.
Add buttermilk, and mix into a soft, cold pastry dough. Refrigerate the topping to keep it cold.
Mix the filling
Mix the blueberries, sugar, rice flour (no xanthan gum!), salt, vanilla, and melted butter. Add water by the drop until everything is wet, and transfer the filling to a greased baking dish.
Assemble the cobbler
Scoop the chilled topping on top of the filling, and spread it out (leaving some gaps). Brush with melted butter and sprinkle on some sugar.
Bake and serve
Bake at 375°F until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of just the topping should come out clean.
Gluten Free Blueberry Cobbler Recipe
Ingredients
For the pastry topping
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes or click thru for details)
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled and grated on a standard box grater
- 1 cup buttermilk chilled
For the filling
- 2 pounds fresh or frozen blueberries (about 4 cups)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup superfine white rice flour (or tapioca starch, glutinous white rice flour, or cornstarch all work; Nicole's Best works well, too)
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- water by the drop, as needed
For finishing
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a baking dish with an 8-cup to 10-cup capacity lightly and set it aside. I used an oval casserole pan, but a 9-inch square or round baking pan works fine.
Make the pastry dough.
- In a large bowl, place the gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 2 tablespoons sugar, and whisk to combine well.
- Add the grated butter, and toss to combine the butter in the dry ingredients.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the buttermilk and mix until just combined. The mixture will be thick but much softer than biscuits.
- Place bowl with the topping in the refrigerator to chill briefly, while you make the filling.
Prepare the filling
- In a large bowl, place the blueberries, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup rice flour (or alternative), salt, and (optional) cinnamon, vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of melted butter, and toss to combine completely.
- Mix in water by the drop as necessary just to moisten all of the flour and sugar.
- Transfer the blueberry mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer.
Finish the cobbler.
- Remove the topping from the refrigerator. Using two spoons or a spring loaded ice cream scoop, scatter the topping evenly over the top of the blueberries.
- Using a spatula or knife, spread the topping out into a craggy somewhat even layer, leaving a few small gaps where the blueberries poke through.
- Brush the pastry topping evenly with the 1 tablespoon of melted butter.
- Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar on top of the melted butter.
- Place the baking dish in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 35 minutes or until done.
- The cobbler is done when the filling is bubbling, the top is golden brown all over and a toothpick inserted just into the topping comes out clean.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving, so the filling and topping can set up.
Notes
Nutrition
Alternate toppings
The recipe for the cobbler topping is a lot like our gluten free biscuits dough, just with more buttermilk. You can also use the actual biscuits recipe, roll the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle, cut rounds, and place them on top, spaced evenly.
If you're looking for a nubbier topping, try our master gluten free berry crumble recipe. Be sure to leave some gaps in any topping so the filling can bubble up through. That's part of how you create the “cobblestone” look of a cobbler.
make ahead/leftovers
Storage suggestions
This cobbler is best when enjoyed the day it's been made. You can store leftovers, covered tightly, in the refrigerator for about 2 days.
Reheat it before serving by uncovering it, sprinkling the topping with lukewarm water, and baking for about 10 minutes in a 300°F oven. That will crisp up the crust.
You can freeze the dish, covered tightly, after it's completely cool. Let it defrost at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before reheating the same way.
FAQs
If your cobbler is runny, you may have added too much water to the filling. If you allow the cobbler to continue to sit at room temperature, the pectin in the blueberries should help it set up.
Yes, you can use superfine glutinous (aka sweet) white rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, arrowroot, and even cornstarch. If you use cornstarch, the filling may leak a little liquid as it cools, but it's not a big deal.
Yes, you can double this recipe and make it in a 9-inch x 13-inch rectangular baking dish, or cut it in half and bake it in a couple of small ramekins. The recipe is written to bake in an 8-cup baking dish, so your ramekins should equal 8 cups of capacity. Keep in mind that the filling will bubble during baking.