Strawberries. The smell of the Irish Summer. Of roadside stalls overflowing with just-picked, local strawberries. Add in a cobbler topping and bake until golden, bubbling and a bit jammy – This homemade Strawberry cobbler is the sort of dessert that feels like summer holidays and long Irish Sunday lunches all rolled into one.

Love fruit cobblers as much as I do? Try my apple cobbler recipe. It’s the perfect Autumn dessert!

A strawberry cobbler in a shallow Dutch oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the center.

A bit of a backstory…

This year, we spent all of July in Ireland and the UK. The land of rambling hedgerows, crumbling stone cottages, and roads narrow enough to give an experienced driver a heart attack whenever another vehicle approaches from the opposite direction! To say it was lovely is an understatement. We spent four weeks eating breakfast rolls by the beach, visiting family, and enjoying the European Summer!

One of my favorite things about Summer in Europe has to be the food. So much is grown (or caught) literally just down the road. Which is where this Strawberry & Vanilla Bean Cobbler comes in. The local Kerry strawberries were seriously calling my name for days when we first arrived. You could smell them whenever you were in reach of a grocer, and I just knew I had to bake something with them.

I made a rough version of this recipe while we were camped up with family on our recent trip to Ireland, just so I could buy ALL the Kerry strawberries! It’s everything I love about an easy dutch oven dessert. It’s super easy, super seasonal and super delicious!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s a one pot wonder! Aside mixing together the cobbler topping in a small mixing bowl, everthing is done in one pot. My kind of pudding!

Whether you’ve got a glut in the garden or you’ve just hit the strawberry season jackpot at the grocery store, you’ll love how fresh and seasonal it is. It’s bursting with fresh, ripe strawberries and just feels like Summer.

It’s rustic, comforting, and ready in under an hour. Plus, minimal effort required! Whether it’s a Sunday lunch dessert or a Christmas day pudding for a crowd, this strawberry cobbler is about as low-stress and high-reward as it gets.

You’ll Need A Few Simple Ingredients

Fresh strawberries, hulled and halved (or use frozen — no need to thaw), and a lemon.
vanilla bean, split and scraped, plus vanilla extract for the topping
Pantry staples – sugar, almond meal, cornflour, plain, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda.
Cold, unsalted butter, Greek yogurt

Equipment

Ok, so to make this easy strawberry cobbler recipe, you’ll need a few pieces of equipment. Most importantly, an enamel Dutch oven. I’m using a 26cm shallow Dutch oven / braisier, however, it’s also been tested in a 26cm cast iron skillet and a 24cm Dutch oven. It works in all of these. If cast iron isn’t your thing, an oven-proof ceramic dish of a similar size will also work.

You’ll also need a large bowl to make the cobbler topping in, measuring cups & spoons, a spatula, and an ice cream scoop (for serving… or testing, we don’t judge round here!)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat your oven & prep the strawberry mixture by tossing the berries in lemon juice, sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and cornflour and popping into your Dutch oven.

2. Make the Topping by rubbing the butter into your dry ingredients. Add the yogurt and stir gently until a soft dough forms — don’t overmix!

3. Dollop spoonfuls of dough on top of the berries, leaving little gaps here and there so the fruit can bubble through.

4. Bake for until golden brown and the filling is bubbling at the edges.

5. Let it cool slightly before diving in. The filling thickens as it rests — not that anyone ever waits long enough in this house.

The strawberries, sugar, cornflour and vanilla bean seeds in a shallow Dutch oven.

The strawberry mixture macerating in the Dutch oven.

Cooks notes

Don’t overmix your dough – a rustic lumpy dough is what we’re aiming for!
If you use frozen berries, try adding an extra tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken the filling.
When your oven runs hot and the cobbler topping is browning too fast, just cover the whole thing with foil until it’s baked.
Be sure to place a rimmed baking sheet on the oven rack below to catch any overspill – no one wants to clean cobbler off the bottom of an oven!

Let’s Serve It Up!

Serve it straight from the pot, still warm and bubbling, with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of cream, or thick custard. It’s an easy dessert for pretty much any occasion, from a backyard BBQ to a Slow Sunday Roast Dinner and even Christmas Day pudding!

Have Leftovers?

Firstly, bring to room temperature. Then any leftovers can be kept in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap for up to two days and store in the fridge. The next day, reheat in the microwave in 20-second bursts until warmed through.

FAQ’s

I’ll always prefer fresh berries if they’re available, because in-season fruit is always the best. However, you can totally use frozen berries too. Just don’t thaw them first. Add a little more cornstarch to help soak up the extra liquid.

Not usually! While the jammy filling will stick on a bit, a soak afterwards with a little washing up detergent and hot water will remove it easily.

Absolutely! While Dutch ovens are perfect for cobblers, if you don’t have one it’s not a dealbreaker.

A Dutch oven with a strawberry cobbler baked into it. A scoop has been eaten out of it.

Well, that’s it! It’s simple, sweet, and feels like summer in every bite! The juicy strawberries go syrupy, the vanilla makes it smell like a country bakery, and that biscuit topping soaks it all up like it was born to do it. So next time you’ve got a punnet (or three) of strawberries hanging around, grab your Dutch oven and make this. I promise — you’ll be scraping the sides for “just one more bite.”