Lemon Basil Strawberry Cobbler
Quick Look: Lemon Basil Strawberry Cobbler
- ⏱️ Prep: 15 min
- 🍳 Cook: 35 min
- 🕒 Total: 50 min
- 👥 Servings: 6
- 📊 Calories: ~408 kcal/serving
- 🔥 Cook Method: Baked in a 9×13 dish
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Bright, berry-forward, herbal
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
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Table of Contents
What Makes My Strawberry Cobbler So Good
If you love fruit cobblers, you already know the magic of a bubbling, golden-topped pan coming out of the oven. This lemon basil strawberry cobbler is my fresh take on that classic.
- Bright strawberry filling: Fresh strawberries tossed with sugar, lemon zest, and minced basil create a deeply fruity, aromatic filling
- Double lemon zest: Used in both the filling and the batter for a bright citrus lift in every bite
- Fresh basil: The twist that takes this from a classic cobbler to something truly special
- Soft, cakey batter: Bakes up light and golden, soaking up all those sweet strawberry juices from the bottom
- Made for ice cream: Gorgeous served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
Key Ingredient Notes
- Fresh strawberries: Look for berries that are deep red all the way through. Pale or white-tipped strawberries will be underripe and less sweet, even sour.
- Lemon zest: Used in both the filling and the batter. Zest only, no juice. Lemon juice adds unwanted liquid and doesn’t carry a strong lemon flavor in baked goods.
- Want more lemon flavor? Simply add zest of another lemon.
- Fresh basil: Finely mince the leaves so the flavor distributes evenly through the filling. Dried basil will not work here, the aromatic quality is lost once dried.
- Baking powder: Check the expiration date before you bake. Expired baking powder is one of the most common reasons a cobbler batter won’t rise.
How To Make Strawberry Cobbler: Step-by-Step
Make the batter first. Whisk together the egg, milk, sugar, vanilla, and melted butter until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt and whisk until fully combined. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. This rest time allows the baking powder to activate and gives you a better rise.
Prepare strawberries. Prepare the strawberry filling. Wash and dry the strawberries, hull them, and cut into quarters. Combine with sugar, lemon zest, minced basil, and flour and mix well.
Grease a 9×13 baking dish with some softened butter and spread the strawberries evenly into a dish.
Drop spoonfuls of batter evenly over the strawberry filling.
Make sure the batter is distributed evenly throughout so it bakes evenly. Once you’ve dropped the batter over the strawberries, leave it alone, do NOT stir!
Bake at 375°F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the strawberry juices are bubbling up around the edges.
Variations You Could Try
- Mix the berries. Swap half the strawberries for blueberries or raspberries for a mixed berry version. The basil and lemon pair just as well with other summer berries.
- Extra lemon. Add the zest of a second lemon to the batter for a more pronounced lemon flavor. Just zest, no juice.
- Swap the herb. Fresh mint is a wonderful alternative to basil for a more traditional summery flavor profile. You can try some fresh thyme or even rosemary. Just be careful as those are more potent.
Ways to Serve
- Lemon basil strawberry cobbler is best served warm, straight from the oven with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- The contrast of the warm, berry cobbler with cold ice cream is what makes this dessert.
- Freshly whipped cream is a lighter option.
- For a full summer dessert spread, pair it alongside my strawberry cheesecake or finish a meal with this cobbler and start with a bowl of strawberry kiwi fruit salad.
Storing and Reheating
- Store leftovers covered airtight in the refrigerator, either in the baking dish or a container. The cobbler will keep for 4 to 5 days.
- Reheat individual portions in the microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through.
Strawberry Cobbler Recipe FAQs
So this is a little tougher than other berries, frozen strawberries are often whole so you would have to thaw completely and drain. Thawed strawberries are also very soft and sometimes mushy. So using frozen is not ideal but can be done.
You can, but keep it balanced. Basil here should be a supporting flavor, not the dominant one. You can add a couple extra leaves if you’d like to punch up the flavor.
The flour in the strawberry filling is what prevents this. Make sure you measure it accurately and mix it thoroughly with the berries before spreading. Also, letting the cobbler rest for at least 15 to 20 minutes after baking gives the juices time to thicken and set before you serve.
Unfortunately no. The batter can’t be made ahead because of the double acting baking powder. I should be baked right after it’s mixed. Good news is that this is a fast and easy recipe to prepare.
Yes, you can freeze baked cobbler in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that freezing does change the texture of the topping once thawed. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven to help revive the top.
More Strawberry Recipes You’ll Love
If you’re a cobbler fan, my blueberry cobbler recipe and peach cobbler recipe are incredible and use the same soft, cakey batter method and are just as easy to pull together. For more ways to bake with strawberries, try my strawberry pound cake for a beautiful glazed loaf, or my strawberry sauce for a quick and versatile topping that works on everything from ice cream to strawberry pancakes.
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Lemon Basil Strawberry Cobbler Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened to grease the dish
Strawberry Filling:
- 32 oz fresh strawberries
- 1 lemon – zest only
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 6-8 large fresh basil leaves minced
- 3 Tbsp all purpose flour
Batter:
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 lemon – zest only
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish with cold butter, rubbing it all over the bottom and up the sides.
Batter:
- Whisk egg, milk, white granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and melted butter together until smooth.
- Add flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt and whisk until completely incorporated.
- Let the batter stand for about 10 minutes before adding over the strawberries.
Strawberry Filling:
- Wash and pat strawberries dry. Cut off the green leaves and cut strawberries into quarters.
- Combine cut strawberries with sugar, lemon zest, minced basil, and flour in a bowl. Mix it well and then spread it all evenly in the prepared baking dish.
Strawberry Cobbler:
- Drop spoonfuls of prepared batter all over the strawberry mixture. Make sure that there are even amounts throughout the top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top is beautifully golden-brown.
Notes
- Love lemon? You can increase the lemon flavor by adding zest of another lemon to the batter but don’t add any lemon juice. Lemon juice will increase the amount of liquid and throw off the recipe. Lemon juice is also not a strong lemon flavor in baked goods.
- Storing – store leftovers covered airtight in the fridge. You can store in the same baking dish or transfer into a container. Cobbler should last for 4-5 days.
- Reheating – reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until warmed through, then it’ll be good as new!
Nutrition
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Categories:
4th Of July Recipes, Backyard BBQ Recipes, Dessert Recipes, Mother's Day Recipe Ideas, Seasonal Recipes, Strawberry Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
