This cranberry cobbler is so delicious with the traditional cobbler topping followed by a brown sugar pecan crust added on top and baked until golden. This is an incredibly delicious cobbler recipe perfect for the holidays.

Cranberry and orange is one of the most iconic holiday flavors you’ll find. This delicious combination is almost always found in homemade cranberry sauce as well as delicious treats like muffins. I decided to take that classic combo and turn it into a cobbler, and it is delicious. I’ve been making it for the past 5 or 6 years, and it’s always a big hit with everyone. That sweet and tangy filling with a delicious cobbler topping and crust of brown sugar and pecans combines all the classic holiday flavors into one super dessert that just screams holiday spirit. It’s easy to make, loaded with flavor, and an instant classic. It doesn’t get better than that!
Cranberry Cobbler
If you’re looking for a new dessert to serve this holiday season, then look no further – this cranberry cobbler is it. It starts with a sweet, tangy filling made with cranberries, oranges, orange juice, and sugar. Then, I add a classic cobbler topping and finish it off with something a little different – a crust of brown sugar and pecans. What I end up with is a cobbler that’s fully loaded with holiday flavors and a variety of textures. It’s beautiful, it’s easy, and it’s so, so good.
Why You’ll Love This Cranberry Cobbler Recipe
- It’s absolutely delicious and has the classic holiday flavor combination of cranberries and oranges.
- It’s easy to make and is a family favorite cobbler recipe during the holidays.
- The cobbler topping with the brown sugar pecan crust is out of this world delicious!
Tips
- It’s important that your water be boiling, not just very hot, for this cobbler topping to be its best.
- Always inspect your cranberries before using them and discard any that are soft or have dark, soft spots.
- Valencia oranges are my go-to for this recipe because they’re so juicy and sweet.
Variations
- Walnuts or almonds work well in place of pecans.
- If you don’t have fresh cranberries, you can use frozen instead.
What to Serve with Cranberry Cobbler
This cranberry cobbler is loaded with classic holiday flavors, so it pairs well with all your holiday favorites. Serve it alongside:
- Turkey
- Beef
- Casseroles
- Mac and cheese
- Mashed potatoes
- Other holiday desserts
Recipe FAQ
When are cranberries in season?
Cranberries are in season from October through December.
Do you need to cook cranberries before baking?
There’s no need to cook cranberries before baking. Although fresh cranberries are extremely firm to the touch, they bake up very nicely in everything without cooking them first.
Do you thaw frozen cranberries before baking?
There’s no need to thaw frozen cranberries before baking them. Simply add them to your dish in the same amount as fresh cranberries while still frozen. They’ll bake perfectly.
How long will cranberry cobbler last in the fridge?
It will last for 2 to 3 days covered in the refrigerator.
Can you freeze leftover cranberry Cobbler?
Absolutely. Any cobbler freezes very well. Either wrap the original dish in a double layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil or place the cobbler in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Then, freeze it for up to 3 months.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Cranberry Cobbler
Store your cobbler covered in its original dish or in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can freeze it in its original dish tightly wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil or in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
To reheat cobbler, cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until heated through.
Cranberry Cobbler Ingredients
This recipe uses simple kitchen staples to make this recipe. Chances are you already have most if not all of the ingredients in your kitchen. The ones that you don’t have are readily available at your local grocery store.
- Fresh cranberries
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Zest from 2 oranges
- Orange juice
- Cornstarch
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter
- Chopped pecans
How to make Cranberry Cobbler
Although there are 3 distinct parts to this cobbler, it only takes a few simple steps and a few minutes to make it. It’s an incredibly easy dish.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a 2 ½ to 3-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Rinse and sort the cranberries.
Step 2: Make the Cranberry Filling
Combine cranberries, sugar, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Then, stir gently and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes while preparing the flour mixture. Pour the cranberries into the baking dish.
Step 3: Make the Cobbler Topping
Whisk the flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Then, mix the butter into the mixture until crumbly using a pastry cutter or two forks. Finally, pour the boiling water into the mixture and stir until combined. Spoon the mixture over the cranberry filling, gently spreading it to cover all the filling.
Step 4: Make the Brown Sugar Pecan Crust
Combine all crust ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Then, spoon the mixture evenly over the cobbler topping.
Step 5: Bake
Bake the cobbler for 55 minutes. Then, serve warm plain, with vanilla ice cream, or with whipped cream.
Try This Delicious Cranberry Cobbler Today
This cranberry cobbler with brown sugar pecan crust combines all the best holiday flavors into one delicious dessert that’s so easy to make. It’s the perfect addition to any holiday feast, and everyone always loves it. Give this one a try and get ready for everyone at your gathering to ooh, ahh, and ask for more.
More Delicious Cranberry Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Cranberry Cream Cheese Pastry – A delicious dessert filled with a cream cheese and cranberry filling and then drizzled with a homemade glaze. A great recipe even for brunch.
White Chocolate Cranberry Pecan Cookies – A soft, thick, and delicious cookie recipe loaded with white chocolate chips, chopped pecans, and dried raisins. The perfect cookie for cookie exchanges.
Cranberry Orange Scones – A soft, flavorful, and delicious dessert recipe made with fresh cranberries and topped with a homemade orange drizzle.
And, try this Cranberry Raspberry Pie from Deliciously Seasoned. It’s an easy, no-bake dessert recipe that only uses 5 simple ingredients and is super quick to make.
Cranberry Cobbler with Brown Sugar Pecan Crust
Ingredients
Cranberry Filling
- 24 ounce fresh cranberries, rinsed
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup orange juice
- Zest from 2 oranges
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Cobbler Topping
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, 1 stick, cut into small pieces
- ½ cup boiling water
Brown Sugar Pecan Crust
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° and spray a 3-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Cranberry Filling
- Rinse cranberries and place in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle sugar, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and cornstarch over cranberries. Stir gently and let sit for 10 minutes while preparing the flour mixture.
- Pour cranberries into prepared baking dish.
Cobbler Topping
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking powder and salt together until combined.
- Using a pastry blender, or two forks, mix butter into flour mixture until crumbly.
- Pour boiling water into flour mixture. Stir until combined.
- Spoon topping mixture over cranberries and gently spread making sure to cover the cranberries completely.
Brown Sugar Pecan Crust
- In a small bowl add all the brown sugar pecan crust ingredients. Stir to combine.
- Spoon brown sugar pecan mixture evenly over cobbler topping.
- Bake for 55 minutes.
- Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped topping and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
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I made this for Thanksgiving and thought it was delicious. The cranberry tartness ( while I personally enjoy the tartness) was beautifully tempered with sweet vanilla ice cream. I received several compliments on this dessert.
Hi Deb, Thank you so much for sharing and I’m so glad you enjoyed this cranberry cobbler and even got several compliments. It might just be my favorite cobbler of all time, it’s that good. :) Thanks for the 5-star rating too!
I made the cranberry cobbler today, as one of my desserts for Thanksgiving tomorrow…well, no one could wait because it looked and smelled so good. Everyone loved it warm with vanilla ice cream. They said it’s a keeper and have requested it every year going forward.
Thank you for sharing Linda! I’m so glad everyone loved this cobbler recipe. It definitely is so delicious and a favorite at our house too! Thanks for the 5-star rating too! :)
What a scrumptious recipe! Thank you for posting. I make cranberry sauce every year for Thanksgiving, and usually have a half bag of leftover berries. This year will start a new tradition.
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this Cranberry Cobbler. And, thank you for the 5-star rating! :)
Can you make this with almond flour, so it is gluten free?
Hi Linda, I haven’t made it with almond flour. You probably know you’ll need some kind of binder to “bind” the almond flour together otherwise you’ll get a heavy and dense topping. Common gluten-free binders are xanthan gum, guar gum, and psyllium husk. Let me know how it turns out if you end up making it.
Can you use peaches or other fruit for this cobbler recipe?
Hi Tammi, yes you sure can. We made a blueberry one that isn’t posted yet and it was delicious. Peaches would be great! :)
Looks good but question. In the ingredients it says baking power in filling and in the directions it says baking soda. Which is it?
Thank you so much Lorraine. It is baking powder. It has been corrected. Thanks so much for catching that. :)
This recipe looks really delicious. I think I may have to try making it for Christmas.
Hi Diane, thank you! It is absolutely delicious. I hope you and your family enjoy it if you do end up making it. :)
I have been cooking long enough to know that by just reading this recipe it will be absolutely delicious (bring out the vanilla or eggnog ice cream)…
I have recently begun to search recipes for a Christmas Day dessert that is something a little different than the usual for this year…
I can stop searching now – this WILL be dessert after Christmas dinner 2022 :)
Hi Gamma Bakes! Thank you so much and I hope you and your family enjoy this cobbler as much as my family and I do. It is absolutely delicious and one of my all-time favorite cobblers. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. :)
Why do you put the crust on top?
Hi Cathy, this brown sugar pecan crust is made for the top. It’s like what you can add to the top of a sweet potato casserole. :)