I am going to start things off by saying this is THE BEST SUMMER DESSERT EVER. I have made it three times in the last 8 days, which is absurd because I am moving in less than 3 weeks and I should really be using my spare time to pack and not bake.
But, thatโs how good this Vegan Brown Butter Peach Cobbler is. A rich cobbler batter gets swirled with vegan brown butter, then topped with fresh summer peaches and juicy blueberries coated in a warming sugar-and-spice mixture. The result is a texture that is sticky and caramelized on top, yet fluffy and tender on the inside. It feels like part peach cobbler, part cake in the best way possible.
Why youโre going to LOVE this Vegan Brown Butter Peach Cobbler
Texture, texture texture. This vegan peach cobbler has the best of texture worlds. The brown butter bubbles up in the oven, and transforms the cobbler batter into a sticky, caramelized cake with edges and bits that are almost crunchy. Meanwhile, the inside of the cake is fluffy, tender, and melts in your mouth.
Pure Decadence. This is the most decadent dessert you can imagine (hello, brown butter)! Imagine the most buttery, most indulgent cake ever. This is it! I promise no one will ever guess this peach cobbler is vegan, which means itโs the perfect dessert to bring to an event, whether itโs a potluck, barbecue, or any other socially distanced summer gathering.
Easy to make. While this recipe might sound complicated or challenging, itโs actually very easy and quick to prepare. Especially with the handy step-by-step photos and video instructions. No pastry dough required, the cobbler batter simply involves whisking together a few ingredients (flour, sugar, milk), and itโs 10 times easier than making pie! But just as tasty as pie, if not tastier.
Summer heaven. Peaches are at their peak right now, and this is such a fantastic way to enjoy them. Peaches get married with coconut sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and fresh nutmeg for delightfully warm and rich flavors.
Ingredient Rundown
Vegan Butter
While vegan butter doesn’t brown in the same exact way as dairy-based butter because it lacks milk solids, it does get browner and richer in flavor.
After vegan butter is toasted for several minutes, it becomes noticeably deeper, richer, and toastier in flavor, which makes the cobbler so incredibly delicious and packed with flavor. Plus, once you start browning the butter, an intoxicatingly nutty aroma will waft throughout your kitchen.
This recipe calls for a generous amount of vegan butter (10 tablespoons, to be precise), but I already told you it was decadent!
Peaches. This is a peach cobbler! You want to use ripe but slightly firm peaches so they donโt totally disintegrate during baking.
Blueberries. Technically this is a blueberry-peach cobbler, but if you donโt have blueberries, donโt let that detract you from making this. You could also substitute them with blackberries or raspberries.
Coconut Sugar and Spices. The peaches and blueberries macerate with coconut sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and nutmeg. I like using coconut sugar (or brown sugar) instead of white sugar since it pairs beautifully with these warming spices. The cardamom is optional, but if you can, use freshly grated nutmeg. It makes a difference, I promise.
All-Purpose Flour. All-purpose-flour brings the structure to this cobbler. If allergic to gluten, a gluten-free all purpose flour (with xanthan gun) should work well.
Rolled Oats. Oats arenโt traditional in a cobbler, but I love the subtle texture they bring to this rustic cake/cobbler hybrid.
How to Make Brown Vegan Butter
Browning vegan butter is fairly similar to browning regular butter! All you need is a skillet and vegan butter.
First, slice your vegan butter into even sized pieces. I sliced them into ~1 tablespoon pieces. Even-sized pieces means the butter will cook evenly.
Second, heat a skillet (a cast iron skillet or stainless steel skillet works great) over medium heat. I like using a cast iron skillet because it keeps this a one-pan recipe.
Next, add your vegan butter pieces, and once theyโre melted, stir the butter frequently. Frequent stirring is important for even browning and to prevent burning. Also, frequent stirring or swirling the pan allows you to see your browning progress. The butter will start to foam after several minutes, and then shortly afterwards, it will become this beautiful amber-golden brown color. Youโll also start to smell that toasty, nutty aroma.
Finally, as soon as the butter is browned, take it off the heat to stop it from overcooking.
Step by step instructions
Slice your peaches into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices. Mix in some blueberries, and toss in the coconut sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and nutmeg. Gently toss (donโt smash the peaches) and let the mixture macerate for 30 minutes. This softens the peaches but also helps the fruit absorb the flavors of the sugar and spices.
Then, make the cobbler batter. This part is remarkably easy! Just whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Then whisk in the oat milk and extracts and mix until thickened and well-combined.
Now comes the fun part! Using a ladle or measuring cup, dollop the batter in blobs on top of the brown butter. The cobbler will eventually swirl into the brown butter. Ladling, instead of pouring all of the batter on top of the browned butter at once, helps the butter swirl and mix into batter.
Finally, gently spoon the peach-blueberry mixture on top of the brown butter cobbler mixture. In the photos below, I just randomly spooned the fruit on top. In the video, I neatly arranged the peach slices in a row.
Guess what? They both tasted delicious. I couldnโt tell the difference lol.
Bake the cobbler at 375ยฐF/190ยฐC for 45-50 minutes, turning the pan 180ยฐ halfway through to ensure even browning (most ovens are hotter in the back). The cobbler is done when it is bubbling around the edges and deeply golden brown on top.
Tips for making this Vegan Brown Butter Peach Cobbler
Keep an eye on the browning butter. You canโt just walk away from the kitchen when youโre browning butter. You need to keep your eyes on the pan to ensure the butter browns evenly and doesnโt burn.
Adjust the sugar amount as needed. If your peaches are very sweet, you can slightly reduce the amount of sugar in the cobbler batter.
Adjust the salt, as needed. Many vegan butters have salt added, but if your vegan butter doesnโt have salt in it, slightly increase the amount of salt.
Use a cast iron skillet if you have one. You get maximal caramelization and the most delightful sticky, crunchy edges. It’s still great in other pans, though. I used a deep 2-quart pan in these photos and it worked wonderfully. A 3-quart pan also works, but will produce a thinner cake.
Substitutes for this this recipe
No coconut sugar for the peach-blueberry filling? Brown sugar works the same.
While this is a peach cobbler, in the event you have nectarines instead of peaches, Iโm sure this would be an equally delicious nectarine cobbler.
No blueberries? Substitute with blackberries or raspberries.
If peaches are no longer in season, you can try making this with frozen peaches. One reader who did so recommends defrosting the peaches a bit and pat somewhat dry before mixing with the spices and blueberries.
PS: There is no substitute for the vegan butter in this recipe! This is a BROWN BUTTER peach cobbler, not a coconut oil peach cobbler or olive oil peach cobbler. Just saying.
Watch! How to make Vegan Brown Butter Peach Cobbler
If you give this Vegan Brown Butter Peach Cobbler recipe a try, be sure to tag me on Instagram with your recreations and please comment with your feedback below!
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Vegan Brown Butter Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454g) ripe but relatively firm peaches
- 1/2 cup (80g) fresh blueberries
- 1/3 cup (55g) organic brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Scant 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
- 10 tablespoons (140g) vegan butter (see Note 1)
- 1 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour
- Scant 2/3 cup (65g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup (200g) organic cane sugar
- Scant 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (see Note 2)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/4 cups (300 mL) full-fat oat milk (see Note 3)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract (optional)
- For serving: vegan vanilla ice cream (optional)
Instructions
- Arrange a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat it to 375ยฐF/190ยฐC.
- Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits, then cut the peaches into ยผ to ยฝ inch thick slices (~ 1 cm thick). Transfer the peaches to a medium or large bowl. Add the blueberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom (if using), and toss gently to combine.Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the fruit to absorb the flavors.
- Toast the butter. Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the vegan butter to the pan, and use a spatula to spread it across the sides of the pan. Once itโs melted, foamy, and at a bubble (it should take 2 to 3 minutes), heat for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning, then take the pan off the heat.NOTE: If the butter doesnโt turn golden but still smells nutty in aroma, thatโs fine. See Note 4 if you don't have a cast iron skillet.
- Make the cake batter. In a medium or large bowl, combine the flour, oats, cane sugar, salt, and baking powder. Whisk well to combine. Add in the oat milk and vanilla extract and almond extract (if using) and fold with a silicone spatula until combined.
- Using a ladle or measuring cup, ladle the batter on top of the brown butter in the pan in different spots (ladling, instead of pouring all of the batter on top at once, helps the butter swirl and mix into batter). Arrange the peaches on top, then the blueberries, and spoon on the reserved juices.
- Bake the cobbler for 45 to 50 minutes, rotating the pan 180ยฐ halfway through to ensure even browning, until the top is deeply golden brown and bubbling.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 to 20 minutes, then serve warm. If desired, scoop some vegan vanilla ice cream on each slice before serving.
Notes
Third time I am making it in 6 weeks. Perfect autumn/winter treat for me! Weird in my last comment it didnt register my 5 star review so hereby!
Third time I am making it in 6 weeks. Perfect autumn/winter treat for me
Hi Thari, weโre thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
This cobbler is heavenly! I was not good about sharing it with my family! ๐ Since changing my diet to vegan, I havenโt been able to find any baked goods that truly hit the spot. This recipe did that hands down!
Nisha – I have your new cookbook and love it! Would you consider doing a more robust book with just baked goods and desserts? This is the one area where I struggle to figure out the best substitutions for ingredients. Thank you so much!
Hi Megan, weโre thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe and are loving the cookbook! I’m sure creating a sweets-only cookbook in the future is not completely out of the picture :)
Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
Absolutely Delicious! I used GF flour and GF oats (Bobโs Red Mill). My grandkids loved it. I hated to cut into it because it was so beautiful but not possible since the aroma was so irresistible after it came out of the oven. Will definitely make this again and again.
We’re over the moon to hear you enjoyed the recipe, MiMi. Thanks for your kind words!
Yummy! What a great way to celebrate summer’s harvest. I picked both my fruits this morning so I could make this treat for my family. Sadly, my measuring spoons disappeared so I had to guess on my spices. It was a bit off…but, totally my fault. Follow Nisha’s measurements perfectly for a well balanced delight! New measuring spoons are now on order.
Thank you for your lovely comment, Lisa! It makes us happy to know that you enjoyed the recipe.
OMG…made this yesterday for some friends. So good. Will be making this one again and again and again.
We’re over the moon to hear everyone enjoyed the recipe, Brenda. Thanks for your kind words!
Absolutely delicious! My daughter and her husband came over for dinner. This was dessert. I left out the cardamon, but did add the Almond extract. I couldn’t find fresh nutmeg to grate, but I did have it in my spice rack, so I used that. I used Country Crock stick plant butter – it always works well in any recipe that requires butter. The bake time and temperature were spot on. 23 minutes, rotate 180 degrees, then another 23 minutes – perfect. The enhancement is the Vanilla ice cream – Oat-ly is what we used – very impressed. I’d love to have added a picture. It looks just the one Nisha shows in her recipe. Another 5 star recipe from RainbowPlantLife.
We’re over the moon to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Gary. Thanks for your kind words!