This gluten free blackberry cobbler is one of my favorite summer desserts. It’s more decadent than a crisp or crumble with a paleo, grain free, and dairy free biscuit topping.
It comes together so quickly and can easily be made with fresh or frozen blackberries or your favorite summer fruit. It’s delicious!
Why you’ll love this healthier cobbler recipe:
1. It’s an easy summer dessert that’s sure to impress! It can be made ahead to bring it to a barbecue or dinner party, but it’s best when hot out of the oven.
2. This recipe is gluten free as well as paleo, grain free, refined sugar free and it can be made dairy free, making it great for anyone with food sensitivities! Inspired by Bojon Gourmet’s paleo peach cobbler, I made a few tweaks for a lower carb version with blackberries.
If you opt to make it completely dairy free, I recommend using Forager unsweetened cashew yogurt and Miyoko’s vegan butter. They have the cleanest ingredients without many fillers.
3. This cobbler is minimally sweetened with coconut sugar, letting the fruit take center stage!
Sugar is found everywhere in the standard American diet. This contributes to illness and disease, especially diabetes. Being more mindful of sugar consumption, especially refined sugar consumption can be transformative to people’s health.
As a Nutritionist I’ve seen a number of clients be able to resolve digestive issues, lower HbA1c and cholesterol levels by being more mindful of what they’re consuming, especially excess sugars.
But, that doesn’t mean there isn’t space for sweetness in your diet. This recipe, and others I share, are lightly sweetened for a hint of sweetness so you can fully enjoy a sweet treat, instead of feeling guilty, bloated or weighed down by a more processed dessert loaded with sugar.
Also, because this recipe uses almond flour instead of a processed white flour, and coconut milk and butter for healthy fats, this also keeps the glycemic index lower and better for balanced blood sugar.
4. Blackberries are the star of the show in this easy gluten free dessert! Not only are they my favorite berries, but blackberries have a number of health benefits:
- Blackberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, K, manganese and antioxidants that help fight inflammation.
- They are low glycemic, which means they have less sugar content and will have less of an impact on blood sugar levels.
- They also have good fiber content of 7.75 grams per cup. Fiber is great for digestion and gut health, but it also supports balanced blood sugar levels by slowing the digestion of sugars. This is especially helpful so it doesn’t add to inflammation and metabolic triggers.
What you’ll need for this gluten free blackberry cobbler:
- Blackberries – Obviously. Feel free to use fresh or frozen blackberries. If you don’t like blackberries you can easily swap them for your favorite berry like blueberries or raspberries. You could really use any fruit, but I’d recommend berries if you’re looking to keep the glycemic index down. Using another fruit for a gluten free apple or peach cobbler may increase the initial cooking time.
- Lemon juice and zest adds another layer of tart and sweet, to lend more flavor without excess sugar.
- Coconut sugar. If you’re new to coconut sugar it’s a dried and granulated form of coconut palm sap.
- Coconut sugar is minimally processed which may retain some mineral content and it has a slight caramelized flavor compared to traditional cane sugar. While some will say it has a lower glycemic response, it’s still a sugar and has a very similar effect on your blood sugar and should be consumed mindfully.
- I prefer to use coconut sugar in this recipe but you can use any unrefined sugar you prefer like maple syrup, honey or even monkfruit to further decrease the glycemic index.
- I love butter. It’s richness lends the perfect subtle sweetness to desserts without any sugar. Pasture raised butter is especially nutrient dense. It’s a good source of healthy fats, absorbable vitamins D, A and E, butyrate (which is an essential short chain fatty acid that supports gut health)
- Almond flour is simply finely ground almonds. It’s an excellent gluten and grain free baking flour that provides a moist crumb and mild flavor. Its low carbohydrate content, compared to grain flours, also makes it a great alternative supporting blood sugar and gut health.
- Arrowroot flour is another gluten and grain free flour that helps provide structure and a finer crumb that is usually lacking in gluten free baking.
- Yogurt provides moistness and a tiny tang to the biscuit topping. I like using Forager’s unsweetened cashew yogurt for a dairy free option, or a plain goat or sheep yogurt.
- Coconut milk also provides moisture and a little richness, while keeping the recipe dairy free. Use the full fat canned coconut milk here. If you have leftover milk that you don’t know how to use – pour it into ice molds, freeze, and then use in smoothies or soups.
How to make this delicious gluten free blackberry cobbler in 10 easy steps:
- First, preheat the oven.
- Toss blackberries with the arrowroot, sugar, lemon and salt inside of the pie plate.
- Pre cook the berries to get soft.
- While the fruit is cooking, mix the gluten free flours including almond and arrowroot flour to start the biscuit dough. Add baking powder and salt and set aside.
- Cut the cold butter into the flour.
- Melt the yogurt, coconut milk and vanilla together in a small saucepan. Heat it gently, do not boil.
- Gently mix the liquids into the dry ingredients until just combined. Don’t over mix. There should be little chunks of butter.
- Take the blackberries out of the oven and scoop the biscuit dough on top.
- Return to the oven for another 22 minutes, until the berries are bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown.
- Finally, let the cobbler cool for 10 minutes, if you can, and scoop to serve. Enjoy with dairy free ice cream if you wish.
Make gluten free cobbler with these simple substitutions:
→ Add 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, or fresh basil for sophisticated depth of flavor.
→ Use fresh blackberries, or frozen blackberries. If using frozen, you do not need to defrost. Unless you can pick your own wild blackberries or can buy in bulk, fresh blackberries can be pricey. Frozen fruit and veggies are so underrated, but they are just as good quality and can be quite a bit cheaper.
→ As a matter of fact, feel free to swap the blackberries for your favorite fruit! Make a gluten free apple cobbler in the fall, or a vegan strawberry cobbler in the spring. However, cooking times may vary.
FAQ
How do you thicken a gluten free fruit cobbler?
Thicken a gluten free fruit cobbler using arrowroot flour. This is a gluten free flour that when mixed with the lemon juice, sugar and fruit, will create a luscious jam-like consistency when the fruit cooks.
What makes a cobbler a cobbler?
A cobbler is a fruit filling topped with a biscuit or batter dough on top.
Is cobbler the same as crumble?
A cobbler is not the same as a crumble and is topped a biscuit or batter dough instead of a streusel or oat based topping. This gluten free blackberry cobbler uses almond flour for a paleo biscuit topping.
How to store your cobbler or make ahead:
Honestly, this gluten free vegan blackberry cobbler is best when served hot, fresh out of the oven. However, it will keep in the fridge, covered for up to 3 days. To reheat, place in the oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes or so.
Serve with these dishes for the perfect summer dinner menu!
Zucchini salad
And
Mediterranean Chicken and Vegetables Sheet Pan Dinner
Or
Other low sugar dessert recipes you’ll love:
If you like this cobbler, you’ll love these other popular low sugar treats!
ENJOY!
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If you make this gluten free blackberry cobbler, please share a photo with me! It would make my day! Tag me on Instagram or Facebook @alannadesalvonutrition or email me directly at hi@alannadesalvo.com.
Gluten Free Blackberry Cobbler
Ingredients
- 5 cups blackberries fresh or frozen
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves optional
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ cups fine almond flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 tablespoons cold butter cubed
- 1/3 cup yogurt
- 1/3 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees with a rack set in the middle.
- Add the berries, lemon zest, juice, coconut sugar, arrowroot flour, thyme (if using) and salt to a bowl and stir to evenly coat the berries.
- Pour the berry mixture into a 9 inch pie dish and bake for 15-20 minutes until the fruit is soft but still in one piece.
- While the fruit cooks prepare the biscuit dough. Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl including the almond flour, arrowroot, coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine, to eliminate any lumps. Add the cold butter to the flour mixture and using clean hands, or a spatula, rub the butter into the flour until it looks like coarse sand and the butter resembles pea sized granules. Keep in the refrigerator until your berries are done.
- In a small saucepan warm the yogurt and coconut milk on medium low heat until steaming, but not boiling. Once steaming, immediately remove it from the heat and pour over the flour-butter mixture. Gently fold the mixture to incorporate the liquids until just combined.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, dollop the biscuits over the berries in a rustic pattern. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 22-26 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown.
- Let the cobbler cool for 10-25 minutes then scoop into bowls to serve. If you’d like, top with a scoop of ice cream and enjoy!
Nutrition
