This gluten-free peach cobbler is made light and fluffy thanks to a mixture of almond flour and oat flour in the batter, which is added to the bottom of the pan and rises to envelope the juicy peaches. The filling is just sweet enough, allowing the fresh fruit to shine. No one will be mad at a little vanilla ice cream or dairy-free yogurt on top!
I’ll make a confession: I’ve historically preferred fruit crumbles or gluten-free crisps to cobblers. One of the reasons is cobblers tend to be too cloyingly sweet. The other is that if you aren’t making a biscuit topping, the batter can completely cover the fruit, making for a less stunning presentation when you have gorgeous fresh peaches to serve.
In case you were worried, I solved for both of these woes in this gluten-free peach cobbler recipe, which has a little twist to the technique and is a great formula to have in your back pocket for whatever in-season fruit comes your way.
My friend Erin over at Well Plated recently posted her grandmother’s peach cobbler recipe, and I was surprised to see that she puts the batter in the pan first, followed by the fruit. This is the opposite of what most people do when making cobblers and I wanted to see if it would work for a gluten-free batter.
I used a mixture of gluten-free oat flour and almond flour, which is a combination I reach to often (as you may have noticed in my most recent cookbook Carbivore!). The oat flour has a natural vanilla flavor that pairs so well with fruit. You can use AP gluten-free flour if you don’t have any on hand. And the almond flour keeps the batter light and nutty. For those avoiding nuts, you can double up on the oat.
Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Peach Cobber Step-by-Step
To make this peach cobbler dairy-free and gluten-free, I used coconut oil instead of butter. If you’ve made my dairy-free chocolate cake, then you know it can provide just as much richness (I swear people never notice!).
Peach cobbler also tends to be one of the sweetest American desserts involving fruit out there. Of course, if you’re using fresh peaches instead of canned, you’ll have less syrup to contend with. But even with fresh peaches, I like to keep the batter lower in sugar and make the most of what I do use.
I opt for light brown sugar instead of granulated white because it gets beautifully caramel-like as it bakes. This pairs so well with the cinnamon I add to the peaches.
Just like Erin’s version, the batter puffs up around the peaches as they slowly melt below the surface of the cake-like topping. The end result has the visual elegance of a clafoutis or spoon cake, with the lusciousness of a fruit pudding.
The only pitfall to watch out for is ensuring that your pan is baking in the middle of the oven (or top if you have to choose), as the almond flour can brown quicker than other flours on the bottom of a hot, heavy pan.
Otherwise, this gluten-free peach cobbler with almond flour could not be easier.
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler with Almond Flour
The baking vessel is fairly flexible for this dish. I used a 3 quart casserole, which is similar to an 8×8 pan, 9-inch round, or equivalent. Sizing up to a 9×13 will give you a less pudding-like texture.
Ingredients
- ½ cup oat flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar divided
- ¾ cup almond milk or other dairy-free milk
- ½ cup melted coconut oil or plant-based butter plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh ripe peaches about 6 peaches
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a medium baking dish (see note) with coconut oil.
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In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the oat flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in 1/3 cup brown sugar, the melted coconut oil and milk, stirring to combine.
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Thinly slice the peaches and place in another mixing bowl. Toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar and the ground cinnamon.
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Pour the batter in the bottom of the prepared pan. Scatter the peaches evenly over the top.
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Transfer the pan to the center of the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the topping is golden brown and the peaches are soft but haven’t released too much liquid.
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Allow the gluten-free peach cobbler to rest for 10 minutes before digging in. Then serve alongside vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, crème fraiche, plain yogurt or the dairy-free creamy topping of your choice!