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This Vegan Peach Cornbread Cobbler is the sweet summer dessert you didn’t know you needed. It bakes in a cast-iron skillet, with golden cornbread and sweet, perfectly spiced peaches on top. Requiring just 10 minutes of active time, this dessert tastes best fresh out of the oven, topped with a heaping scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One pan, no fancy equipment. This recipe uses only a single skillet and one mixing bowl, making it accessible for bakers of all skill levels.
- The layers form themselves. Simply pour the batter over melted vegan butter and arrange the peaches on top. No stirring required! As it bakes, the cornbread rises around the stone fruit, and the butter helps make the bottom and edges nice and crispy.
- The difference is in the cornmeal. The cornmeal’s subtle sweetness, along with its slightly coarse texture, gives this peach cobbler more depth than its traditional counterpart.
- Use fresh or frozen peaches. Don’t have fresh peaches available? No problem. Frozen peaches straight from the freezer also work perfectly well in this recipe!
- Feed a crowd with ease. This recipe makes 8 servings and sits well, making it perfect for cookouts and potlucks.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the cornbread batter:
- Vegan butter: A stick of vegan butter works best in this recipe vs a tub. Our favorite brand is Country Crock Plant Butter.
- All-purpose flour: Helps balance the cornmeal and keep the crust tender instead of crumbly.
- Fine yellow cornmeal: The star of the recipe. We recommend fine-ground cornmeal for a perfectly soft texture.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens and browns the batter. To keep it vegan, choose organic.
- Baking powder: Helps the batter rise while baking. Since this is the only leavener in our cobbler, make sure it’s fresh and not expired.
- Salt: Helps balance the sweetness in the recipe.
- Soy milk: Our top recommendation when it comes to plant milks for baking sweets due to its protein content. Use unsweetened for best results. If you prefer another type of plant milk, that will work too!
- Vanilla extract: Helps enhance the flavor of the cornbread batter.
For the peach topping:
- Sliced peaches: We recommend using yellow peaches that are ripe, but still firm.
- Granulated sugar: Helps sweeten the cobbler and draws juice out of the peaches.
- Lemon zest: Rubbed into the sugar so the oils release. This small step pays off big.
- Cinnamon: Just enough to warm up the fruit without overpowering it.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the peach juices as they bake so the topping stays glossy instead of watery.
Equipment Needed
- 10-inch cast iron skillet (or a 9×9-inch baking dish or 2-quart ceramic dish)
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Microplane or grater (for the lemon zest)
- Knife and cutting board
Tips for Best Results
- Add the butter before preheating the pan. Let the butter melt in the skillet while the oven comes to temperature for the ideal cornbread consistency.
- Skip the stirring. It may seem counterintuitive, but don’t mix the peaches and batter together. This will help create beautiful layers in the oven.
- Massage the zest into the sugar. Using your fingertips, work the sugar and zest together until fragrant. This helps distribute the lemon flavor evenly.
- Let your cobbler rest. After removing it from the oven, allow the skillet to rest for about ten minutes to let the juices thicken and the cornbread fully set.
Serving Suggestions
We recommend serving this cornbread peach cobbler warm, directly from the skillet with a big scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream on top. The mix of the hot peaches and cool ice cream makes for the perfect combo.
If you are bringing this to a potluck or cookout and it needs to travel, bake it in the skillet and don’t transfer it before transporting. It reheats easily in the cast iron skillet and travels perfectly well.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerator: Let the cobbler cool completely, then cover it tightly with foil or transfer it to an airtight container. It should stay good for about 4 days.
- Freezer: Once the cobbler has cooled through, you can transfer it to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat.
- Reheating: Warm individual servings in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, or reheat the full pan at 325°F for about 15 minutes until heated through. The cornbread softens slightly after storing, which is normal.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Add frozen peaches straight from the freezer without thawing them and increase the bake time by 5 minutes. If you allow the peaches to thaw, they will release too much liquid and make the cornbread soggy.
It’s not recommended, but if it’s your only option, you can. You can, but drain them very well and pat them dry first. Canned peaches are already soft and sweet, so consider reducing the topping sugar to about 2 tablespoons.
Yes, you can use a 9×9” or a 2-quart baking dish instead. While you won’t get the crispy edges that you would from cast iron, your cobbler will still bake up great!
Nope! As the peaches bake, the skins will soften. They will also add a bit of color and texture to the finished dessert. The skins soften as they bake, adding color and a little texture.
You certainly can. We prefer soy milk because of the protein content, but if you have an allergy or preference for any other plant milk, by all means use it as a 1:1 replacement; just make sure it’s unsweetened!
More Easy Vegan Dessert Recipes You May Enjoy
If you make this Potato Crust Quiche, let us know what you think in the comments below. If you post photos on Instagram, tag us @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris so we don’t miss them. We love seeing your photos.
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Vegan Peach Cornbread Cobbler
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 Servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Vegan Peach Cornbread Cobbler is the sweet summer dessert you didn’t know you needed. It bakes in a cast-iron skillet, with golden cornbread and sweet, perfectly spiced peaches on top. Requiring just 10 minutes of active time, this dessert tastes best fresh out of the oven, topped with a heaping scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
For the cornbread batter:
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) vegan butter
- 3/4 cup (144g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (80g) fine yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup soy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the peach topping:
- 1/4 cup (48g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 cups sliced peaches (about 3 to 4 medium, cut into 1/2-inch slices)
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Melt the butter. Add the butter to a 10-inch cast iron skillet or similar baking dish and melt it in the oven while it preheats.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
- Mix in the wet ingredients. Stir in the soy milk and vanilla until the batter is smooth with no dry pockets remaining.
- Make the peach topping. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips until fragrant, then mix in the cornstarch and cinnamon. Toss in the peaches until evenly coated, then distribute the peaches evenly over the batter without stirring.
- Pour the batter. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour the batter directly over the melted butter. Do not stir or mix.
- Bake. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the cornbread is deeply golden and the peaches are fork-tender and bubbling at the edges.
- Cool and serve. Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve warm with vegan vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Frozen peaches: Use them directly from the freezer without thawing. Simply increase the baking time by 5 minutes.
- Cornmeal: We recommend fine or medium-grind cornmeal. Coarse cornmeal will make your batter too gritty.
- Pan options: A 9×9-inch baking dish or 2-quart ceramic dish works in place of cast iron, but follow the butter melting instructions the same way with whatever dish you use.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Warm individual servings in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, or reheat the full pan at 325°F for about 15 minutes until heated through. The cornbread softens slightly after storing, which is normal.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 50 Minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
