This southern 3-ingredient peach cobbler is the kind of recipe that shows up warm at a church bake sale and disappears in minutes. My aunt actually did that once—walked in with a still-bubbling cast iron skillet, and people were practically licking their plates. It’s inspired by those old-school Southern shortcut cobblers: canned peaches, a sweet buttery topping, and the oven doing all the magic. If you’re juggling work, kids, or just a busy week, this is the kind of dessert you can throw together in minutes and still feel like you brought something special and homemade.
Serve this cobbler warm, straight from the cast iron skillet, with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream so it melts into the caramelized edges. It’s also great with a cup of coffee after dinner or alongside iced tea on a warm evening. If you’re bringing it to a potluck or bake sale, keep it in the skillet so it stays warm longer and looks rustic and inviting—just set out small plates and a big spoon and let everyone help themselves.
Southern 3-Ingredient Peach CobblerServings: 8
Ingredients
2 cans (29 ounces each) sliced peaches in heavy syrup, undrained
1 box (about 15.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place a 10- to 12-inch cast iron skillet on the counter so it’s ready to assemble the cobbler.
Pour both cans of sliced peaches with all of their heavy syrup directly into the cast iron skillet. Spread the peaches out evenly so they cover the bottom of the pan.
Sprinkle the dry yellow cake mix evenly over the peaches, covering the surface from edge to edge. Do not stir; you want the dry mix sitting right on top of the fruit and syrup.
Slowly drizzle the melted butter evenly over the cake mix, trying to moisten as much of the dry mix as possible. It’s okay if a few dry spots remain; they’ll crisp up in the oven.
Place the skillet on a baking sheet (to catch any bubbling overflow) and transfer it to the preheated oven.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top is deeply golden, the edges are caramelized and crisp, and the peach filling is bubbling up around the sides.
Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and let the cobbler rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes. This helps the syrup thicken and the crust set so you get that perfect spoonful of buttery topping and juicy peaches.
Serve warm straight from the skillet, scooping down through the golden crust to get plenty of bubbling peach filling in every serving.
Variations & Tips
If you like a little tang with your sweetness, you can swap one of the peach cans for a can of sliced peaches in juice (still undrained) to cut the richness slightly, while keeping it a 3-ingredient recipe. For a deeper caramel flavor and extra texture, let the cobbler bake until the top gets dark golden around the edges—those almost-crispy bits are what everyone fights over. If you only have a smaller cast iron skillet, bake any extra in a small oven-safe dish alongside it, checking a bit earlier. To make this ahead for a busy day, assemble it in the skillet, cover, and refrigerate up to 4 hours, then bake just before serving (you may need to add 5 to 10 minutes to the bake time if it goes into the oven cold). Leftovers reheat well in the oven at 325°F until warm and bubbly; skip the microwave if you want to keep that caramelized crust intact.
