Peach Cobbler with Cake Mix

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This peach cobbler with cake mix is about to become your new favorite dessert, especially after you find out how easy it is to make! Simple ingredients produce a sweet, juicy, and summery dessert that’s great for any occasion. Serve it on its own or with dairy-free vanilla bean ice cream!

🧡 Why you’ll love this recipe

• Juicy: Prepare to dig into a mouthwatering peach cobbler with cake mix recipe that’s full of juicy, tender, and sweet flavors.
• Vegan-friendly: Satisfy your sweet tooth in a plant-based way! It’s the perfect option to serve for larger crowds so everyone can join in on the deliciousness.
• Easy-to-follow: This recipe is incredibly simple to prepare, making it accessible for all levels of bakers.
• Customizable: Feel free to swap out the fruits, use store-bought or homemade cake mix, or make a larger or smaller batch to fit your baking dish.
• Seasonal: Enjoy the best taste by using ripe, in-season peaches.

If you love peach cobbler with cake mix, you should really check out our classic vegan peach cobbler, blueberry donuts, tempura ice cream, or tanghulu.

🍑 What is a peach cobbler with cake mix?

Peach cobbler is a quintessentially American dessert. There are many versions, but all of them have one thing in common — a virtually effortless preparation! To make life even easier, we made this peach cobbler with cake mix (anything for less prep work, right?).

At its core, peach cobbler is a deep-dish fruit dessert made up of a pie-like filling and a biscuit topping. It’s jammy, juicy, fruity, and fluffy! Perfect for late summer get-togethers.

There is quite a bit of gray area when it comes to peach cobbler. While some people consider peach cobbler with cake mix to be a dump cake, others call it cobbler.

Regardless of what you like to call it, we’re certain you’ll enjoy this fuss-free, easy-to-make, and mouthwateringly good recipe!

📜 History

It is believed that the first cobbler recipes were derived from English suet puddings. When settlers traveled west, they had to adapt to available ingredients in the Americas. Dried fruits or foraged berries were baked over campfires with a biscuit-like dough on top.

The resulting cobblers had a cobbled stone path appearance, which is one theory as to how the peach cobbler got its name.

Nowadays, there are countless variations — Betty, grunt, pandowdy, slump, grump, buckle, dump cake, or sonker. If you’re thinking of a name, it’s probably already been coined as a new version of cobbler!

🤔 Cobbler vs dump cake

There are a lot of overlapping characteristics between cobblers and dump cakes. In fact, many people use the terms interchangeably. But, we thought we’d set the record straight! Well, sort of.

Cobbler

• Often contains less sugar.
• Usually has a biscuit or crunchier topping.
• Mouthfeel is more crumbly.

Dump cake

• Often contains more sugar.
• Usually uses cake mix as a crust or topping.
• Mouthfeel is cakier.

So, technically this peach cobbler with cake mix recipe is more like a dump cake. But, no need to get caught up on names when both are deadly delicious!

🍰 What is the best cake mix to use?

Any type of cake mix will work in this recipe! Whether you prefer white or yellow, it doesn’t matter. Most recipes call for yellow cake mix since it adds a pop of color, but the flavor profile is essentially the same.

We actually prefer making our own vegan cake mix, but some of our favorite store-bought brands include:

• Miss Jones Baking Company Cake Mix
• Foodstirs Cake Mix
• Simple Mills Cake Mix
• Cherrybrook Kitchen Cake Mix
• Namaste Cake Mix

💦 How to easily peel peaches

For the quickest and easiest method of peeling the skin off peaches, follow these steps:

1. Blanch or soak peaches in hot water for 30 seconds.
2. Transfer the peaches to cold water to cool off.
3. Once cool, the peach skin will easily peel away (you shouldn’t even need a knife).
4. If not, make a shallow cut on the skin and try again.

🌱 Is peach cobbler vegan?

While a typical peach cobbler with cake mix contains non-vegan ingredients, we’ve adapted this recipe to be 100% plant-based. Here are a few quick tips to ensure it meets the requirements:

• Cake mix: A lot of cake mixes contain milk products. However, you can easily find “accidentally” vegan cake mix at most groceries stores, or make your own!
• Butter: Vegan butter works equally as well as dairy-based butter in this recipe. Our favorite brand is Miyokos when it comes to dairy-free butter.

🛒 Ingredients & substitutions

• Butter: Use your favorite brand of dairy-free butter! We haven’t tested this recipe with coconut oil, so we can’t speak to the results.
• Cake mix: Choose either homemade or store-bought vegan cake mix.
• Plant milk: We prefer the flavor and consistency of soy milk, but you can opt for any plant milk you prefer or have on hand. Cashew, almond, coconut, or oat milk are all great options as well.
• Peaches: We use fresh, ripe peaches in this cobbler. However, you can replace them with frozen or canned. If you go with frozen, let the peaches thaw in a colander beforehand. If you use canned peaches, omit the cane sugar.
• Cornstarch: To thicken the peach filling. Cornstarch is optional, but we always prefer to thicken our filling just a little. You can also use potato starch.
• Lemon juice: Adds a tart, vibrant flavor to help balance the sweetness of the peaches. Lemon juice also prevents too much browning of fruit.
• Cane sugar: To sweeten the peach filling. You can also add an optional sprinkle on top to create a crunchy textural element.
• Cinnamon: We prefer the flavor of cinnamon mixed in with the peaches and on top of the crust. Nutmeg works well with peaches too, or a combination of both.

For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.

📝 How to make peach cobbler with cake mix

Step 1: Melt the butter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F with the rack in the middle. Add vegan butter cubes to a baking dish, and place it in the oven while it is preheating to melt the butter. Keep a close eye on the dish so you don’t end up burning it!

Step 2: Remove the dish

Once the butter is melted, remove the dish from your oven and set it aside for now.

Step 3: Mix the batter

Combine the cake mix with soy milk (or your preferred plant milk). Be careful not to overmix the batter or the final cobbler texture will be dense.

Step 4: Combine the batter and butter

Pour the combined batter over the baking dish with the melted butter, but do not stir the two together. As the cobbler bakes, the batter and butter combine, forming a rich and tender result.

Step 5: Make the filling

In a saucepan, combine the fresh peaches, cane sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and corn starch. Bring the peaches to a low boil until the peaches release their juices and the mixture thickens slightly.

Step 6: Transfer the peaches

Transfer the cooked peaches to the baking dish over the butter and batter, but again do not stir anything! For extra flavor, sprinkle the top of the peaches with a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Step 7: Bake the cobbler

Bake your peach cobbler with cake mix until the top is golden and the peaches are bubbly. Let it cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes, then serve it with optional vanilla ice cream. Happy eating!

If you have questions about making a peach cobbler with cake mix, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!

🍦 What to serve with cobbler

This peach cobbler with cake mix is delicious on its own, but do you know what it pairs incredibly well with? Some classic toppings like these:

• Vanilla ice cream
• Whipped cream
• Vanilla Greek yogurt
• Strawberry compote
• Blueberry compote
• Jam
• Fresh berries

🌡️ Storage & reheating

If you end up with leftover peach cobbler with cake mix, follow these quick storage tips to make sure it stays fresh:

• Fridge: Keep your peach cobbler tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
• Freezer: You can freeze the cobbler once it’s completely cooled in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. This is not something we always recommend since the topping has a tendency to turn soggy, but a soggy cobbler is better than a wasted cobbler!
• Reheating: Remove your cobbler from the fridge and let it warm to room temperature. Bake it at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until it’s warmed all the way through. If the top is browning too much, loosely cover it with foil for the baking duration.

♻️ Variations

• Canned peaches: If it’s not peach season, don’t worry! Canned peaches work perfectly well in this recipe. Just remember to omit the cane sugar.
• Other fruits: If you don’t have any peaches, swap in other fruits like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, or apples.
• Gluten-free: Use Simple Mills Cake Mix for a gluten-free version. This particular mix is made with almond flour.
• Different spices: Try using other fragrant spices like nutmeg, ginger, clove, cardamom, or pumpkin pie spice.
• Nuts: Add chopped pecans or walnuts to the filling or topping for a nutty crunch.
• Sugar: Use brown sugar or muscovado sugar instead of cane sugar for a richer, deeper flavor.
• Chocolate: Mix in some dairy-free white chocolate chips for a touch of sweetness.

🧑‍🍳 Top tips

• Don’t mix: In order for the cake mix to rise and create an irresistible crust, don’t mix it when you add it to the baking dish.
• Rest before serving: Resting the cobbler before serving allows the juices to thicken, creating an irresistibly jammy filling.
• Fill your dish: Adjust the size of the recipe according to how big your dish is. You can measure this by filling up your dish with peaches to your desired height before prepping the rest of the ingredients.
• Use ripe peaches: Choose in-season peaches for the most flavorful peach cobbler with cake mix.
• Add toppings: Don’t forget to add a little cinnamon and cane sugar on top of the peaches for added depth and complexity.
• Don’t overbake: All oven temperatures vary slightly, so keep an eye on the cobbler towards the end of baking to prevent it from burning.

🍴 More dessert recipes

If you enjoyed this peach cobbler with cake mix, be sure to check out some of our other favorite desserts like these:

• Plum crisp: Juicy stone fruit covered with a chewy crust for the most mouthwatering treat ever.
• Strawberry tamales: Light and fluffy dough filled with bursts of sweet, juicy strawberries.
• Carlota de limón: Maria cookies, coconut milk, and cashews are layered together in this lime icebox cake.
• Vegan banana bread: Sweet, tender banana bread without eggs or dairy.

Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.