My seedless blackberry cobbler recipe is easy and delicious. If the seeds get stuck in your teeth or you find them bitter, you’ll love this version of the old-fashioned southern classic. By using a strainer to get the seeds out of the blackberries, you’re left with juice that’s full of berry flavor but no bitterness. I then added pineapple chunks to give the filling more body and texture, the flavors of the fruits complementing each other perfectly. If you want to learn how to make seedless blackberry cobbler, keep reading!
Can You Make Blackberry Cobbler Without the Seeds?
Yes! Although many southerners go blackberry picking in the summer to make cobbler, some people shy away from this traditional dessert, especially as they get older, because the seeds get stuck in their teeth. Some people with sensitive palates also claim that blackberry seeds make the cobbler filling bitter.
Thankfully, it’s possible to make blackberry cobbler without the seeds. By crushing the blackberries and then straining out the seeds with a fine-mesh sieve or strainer, you can use the juice to make to make the cobbler filling. Even though it’s a bit more work, it’s well worth it.
Why Add Pineapple to Seedless Blackberry Cobbler?
Even though I think you could make seedless blackberry cobbler with juice, I decided to add another fruit to the filling: pineapple. It might sound odd, but I wanted to give the filling more body with actual chunks of fruit, as in my peach cobbler with canned peaches recipe.
Do Blackberries and Pineapple Go Together?
Yes! Blackberries and pineapple are a good mix blended because they’re both sweet and tart, so the flavors play off of each other very well. In fact, if you do a quick Google search, you’ll see a ton of blackberry pineapple smoothie recipes, as well as a blackberry pineapple upside down cake. Since other people on the Internet are using the two fruits together, you know the combination has to be good!
Seedless Blackberry Cobbler Recipe Ingredients
My seedless blackberry cobbler recipe is easy because it only has a few ingredients:
Blackberries – 3 cups (24 oz) blackberries. I used frozen berries, but you can use fresh, too
Pineapple – 2 cups (16 oz) pineapple chunks. Once again, I used frozen, but you can use fresh.
White Sugar – 1/2 cup
Lemon Juice – 1 Tablespoon
Water – 1/2 cup. This water is for cooking the fruit. You will need more water for the cornstarch slurry.
Salt – 1/8 teaspoon
Pie Crusts – 2, 9-inch pie crust. Homemade or storebought is fine, whichever you prefer.
For the cornstarch slurry:
Cornstarch – 1 Tablespoons cornstarch
Water – 2 Tablespoons
Tools:
2 Large Bowls – For crushing the blackberries and then another for collecting the juice.
Fine-Mesh Strainer – For straining out the seeds from the crushed berries.
Hand Held Blender, Potato Masher, or Other Large Object – For crushing the blackberries.
Large Pot – Make sure the pot is large enough for boiling the blackberry juice and pineapple chunks.
Wooden Spoon – A wooden spoon is needed to help strain the berries and stir the fruit on the stove.
8×8 Casserole Dish – This recipe is enough for an 8×8 cobbler.
Can I Use Fresh Blackberries or Pineapple?
Yes! As in my other cobbler recipes, I used frozen fruit in this recipe because it makes everything easy: there’s no prep work, the quality is consistent, and I don’t have to worry about fruit that’s not at its best because it’s out of season (but I don’t think that’s as much of an issue with blackberries and pineapple).
However, juicing fresh blackberries might be harder since thawed fruit releases water / juice much more easily. Later in this article, I’ll address what to do if your fresh berries don’t seem very juicy.
How to Make Seedless Blackberry Cobbler
Learning how to make seedless blackberry cobbler is easy. All you have to do is follow the steps below:
How to Get Seeds Out of Blackberries for Cobbler?
After getting the ingredients together, the first step in the recipe is removing the seeds from the berries. This is how I recommend deseeding blackberries for cobbler without a food mill–just with simple, basic tools you probably already have in your kitchen:
- Crush the Blackberries – First, you have to crush the berries to release the juice. Although you could use a different method, in the video I put the berries in a bowl and then used an immersion blender to crush the berries, releasing the juice, seeds, and pulp.
- Place a Fine-Mesh Sieve / Strainer Over a Bowl – Then, put a fine-mesh sieve / strainer over a bowl. This is where you’ll strain out the seeds and collect the juice.
- Pour Some of the Pureed Berries in the Sieve – Put some of the crushed berries in the strainer over the bowl. Be careful to not put too much berry puree in the sieve: I wouldn’t put more than 1/4 of the puree in the sieve at a time.
- Push the Blackberry Puree Through the Sieve – Use a wooden spoon to push the berry puree through the fine mesh in order to extract as much juice as possible. Remember to scrape the bottom of the strainer to release the juice stuck on the underside.
- Set the Strained Juice Aside – Once pushing the crushed berries through the sieve doesn’t release any more juice, set the juice aside.
Will a Fine-Mesh Sieve / Strainer Remove All the Seeds?
Maybe not. According to a Leaf.Tv article, a sieve will remove most of the seeds, but not all, so some of the smaller blackberry seeds may still find their way through the fine-mesh and into the juice.
However, when I personally made this recipe, I didn’t detect any seeds in the juice. Maybe I was just lucky, maybe my berries didn’t have any small seeds…but in spite of what the article says, I personally thought the fine-mesh strainer did an excellent job of deseeding the blackberry juice.
What If My Blackberries Don’t Give Off Much Juice?
If you start mashing your blackberries but they don’t give off much juice, here are two solutions:
- Use Ripe Berries – It could be that your berries are underripe. When selecting blackberries to puree and then deseed, the Leaf.TV article already mentioned in this article recommends looking for berries that are a deep purple, with little to no red spots. Otherwise, they won’t be as juicy.
- Try Frozen Blackberries – Although you can definitely make this recipe with fresh berries, you might want to try frozen. As I stated earlier, thawed fruit gives off juice more easily, so it’s probably going to be easier to juice thawed berries.
- Boil the Blackberries – In Tracy of NestFullofNew.com’s recipe for blackberry cobbler with no seeds, she puts fresh blackberries in a pot, covers them with water, and then boils them for 20 minutes to bring out the juice, crushing them as they boil. Although this will work, the water might dilute the blackberry juice, so be sure to boil away as much of the water as you can.
When I made this recipe, 24 oz of blackberries made 1.5 cups of juice. If you’re a bit short, I would add water to make up the difference. However, if you’re off by more than 1/2 cup, I would strain more berries so you don’t dilute the flavor.
Once the juice is strained, set it off to the side so you can continue with the recipe.
Bring the Pineapple, Sugar, Lemon Juice, Salt, and Water to a Boil
With the deseeded blackberry juice off to the side, put the pineapple chunks, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a large pot and bring to a boil. I used high heat, but you can use medium, too.
As the pineapple comes to a boil, use your wooden spoon to break it into chunks. This will get easier as the pineapple cooks.
My pineapple came to a boil over high heat in about 5 minutes. If you start with fresh pineapple and not frozen, it will probably come to a boil in less time.
Add the Blackberry Juice
Once the pineapple chunks and sugar comes to a boil, pour in the blackberry juice. If you taste the mixture at this point and you think it needs a bit more sugar, you can add it now, but I would honestly wait until later in the recipe since the flavor will change as water evaporates out of the syrup.
Cook the Pineapple Chunks and Blackberry Juice, While Mashing
With the heat on medium, continue boiling the blackberry juice and pineapple chunks for 10 minutes, stirring and mashing with your wooden spoon. If some large chunks of pineapple are hard to break apart, do what I did in the video and fish them out, cut them with a knife, and then return them to the pot.
Add the Cornstarch Slurry
After boiling, mashing, and reducing the fruit for 10 minutes, it’s time to add the cornstarch slurry. Mix the 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons of water off to the side, then add the slurry to the fruit filling and stir. Although I didn’t mention it in the video, I turned off the heat before adding the slurry.
Although I turned off the heat before adding the slurry, it might be best not to do so. Cornstarch needs heat to activate its thickening power, so unless you add the slurry immediately after turning off the heat , the filling might not thicken. However, once the filling thickens, turn off the heat since overcooking cornstarch weakens its thickening ability.
As shown in the video, the soon-to-be seedless blackberry cobbler filling thickened up in about 15 seconds. Once you notice the filling as thickened, stop stirring and set the pot aside.
Parbake the Bottom Crust
Now that the seedless blackberry cobbler filling is off to the side, it’s time to start assembling the cobbler itself. First, take one of the 9-inch pie crusts and cut it to fit into an 8×8 baking dish. Next, use a fork to prick the bottom a few times, then bake the bottom crust at 350F, uncovered and empty, for 5 minutes.
By prebakng the bottom crust before pouring in the fruit filling, you’ll form a kind of seal that’ll help keep the bottom from getting soggy. For more detail, see the YouTube video linked at the end of this article.
After parbaking the bottom crust, set it aside so you can focus on prepping the top crust.
Cut a Square Out of the Top Crust
While you wait for the bottom crust to cool down, cut a large square in the top crust out of the center of the circular crust. Even though the square doesn’t have to be exactly 8x8in, make it will likely come out to roughly that if you start with a round 9-inch pie crust. You will cut the lattice top strips out of this square.
Add Pie Crust Dumplings to the Filling (If Using)
Although optional, I recommend adding dumplings, or small pieces of pie dough, to the fruit filling. As shown in my southern apple cobbler recipe, dumplings add more texture contrast and help thicken the filling–if you like old-fashioned things, you’ll want to add dumplings to your seedless blackberry cobbler.
After cutting a large square in the center of the second 9-inch pie crust, cut some of the excess crust into small pieces and simply drop them right into the blackberry filling. I didn’t use all of the excess pie dough–probably just 1/4 cup–since I didn’t want too much of a good thing.
In the video, I added the dumplings after pouring the filling into the bottom crust, but I usually suggest adding the dumplings while the filling is still in the pot. Honestly, there’s some flexibility with this.
Pour Filling into the Bottom Crust
Whether or not you decide to add dumplings to the filling, once the parbaked crust has cooled down enough for you to be able to handle the casserole dish, pour the seedless blackberry and pineapple filling into the dish. Use a smooth to distribute the blackberry juice and pineapple chunks evenly.
If you decide you want to add dumplings at this point, you can do what I did in the video and add them to the filling now as well. This seedless blackberry cobbler recipe is easy, so some steps are flexible.
Cut Pie Crust Strips for the Lattice Top
Next, cut pie crust strips out of the large square you cut out earlier. Although you can cut as many or as few strips as you want, in the video I cut out 7 strips about 1/2 to 1-inch wide. Wider strips are easier to work with, so I wouldn’t cut many strips thinner than 1/2 inch.
Lay On The Lattice Top
Make the top of the seedless blackberry cobbler by laying the strips on top of the filling. Start by laying vertical strips, then horizontal strips. I didn’t interweave the strips, but you can if you want–but honestly, with such a juicy filling, I think it would be difficult.
Sprinkle on Extra Sugar
Although you don’t have to do this step, I strongly suggest sprinkling the top of the cobbler with 1 Tablespoon of white sugar and 1 Tablespoon of light brown sugar. This will add both extra sweetness and crunch.
While I tried to focus on putting the sugar on the pie crust, it’s OK if some falls into the blackberry filling. Like I said, this homemade cobbler is easy and forgiving.
Bake the Cobbler
Once fully assembled, bake the seedless blackberry cobbler at 350F, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
Serve
After giving the cobbler some time to cool down, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Seedless Blackberry Cobbler Recipe FAQ’s
How Many Servings Does this Recipe Make?
Even though it depends on how big the portions are, this 8×8 seedless blackberry cobbler should give you 9 good-sized portions. These portions are enough to be satisfying after a normal meal or as an afternoon snack with coffee or tea.
What Can I Serve with Seedless Blackberry Cobbler?
Even though my seedless blackberry cobbler is perfectly delicious on its own, it’s also good with:
Vanilla Ice Cream – As with almost all other fruit pies and cobblers, this one is great with ice cream.
Whipped Cream – Skip the storebought stuff in a can and make your own homemade whipped cream–it’s easier than you think, and it tastes better than you could ever imagine.
Cool Whip – If you prefer to taste of whipped topping, go for it!
How to Store Blackberry Cobbler Without Seeds
To make sure your cobbler stays good for as long as possible, it’s best kept in the refrigerator. I would store it uncovered so that you don’t trap in the moisture and make the crust soggy.
How Long Does Seedless Blackberry Cobbler Last?
If stored in the refrigerator properly, your seedless blackberry cobbler should last 2-3 days. After the 3rd day, the moisture in the filling and in the refrigerator air will start making the crust soggy.
What’s the Best Way to Mash Blackberries?
Although I used an immersion blender to crush the blackberries so I could strain out the juice, there are other ways, too:
Potato Masher – Although it will take some elbow grease, it will definitely work.
Large Glass / Jar – Squishing the berries with the bottom of a glass jar or glass would probably work, too.
Blender – A GrowGardener.com article suggests putting the blackberries in a large blender and then pulsing them until they’re totally mashed.
Can I Use a Juicer to Get the Seeds Out of the Blackberries?
Yes! Although I used a mesh strainer to deseed the blackberries for cobbler, you can definitely use a juicer. My only concern is that the juicer strainer may be “too good” and remove most of the pulp from the fruit. Thin juice is fine to drink, but it might make the cobbler filling too loose.
Can I Use a Food Mill to Deseed Blackberries for Cobbler?
Yes! While not specifically for cobbler, a PickYourOwn.org article contains a blackberry jam recipe that calls for using a food mill to get the seeds out of blackberries, so it can be done.
How Long Does Deseeding Blackberries for Cobbler Take?
If you use my immersion blender / mesh strainer method, I think you should allow 20-30 minutes from the time you start crushing the berries to the time when all the juice has been strained out of the pulp.
What Should I Do With the Leftover Blackberry Seeds and Pulp?
Although a Google search will being up various suggestions as to what to do with the leftover blackberry pulp, I’m not sure if there’s a good use since the pulp is so seedy. Food author Rachel Lambert suggests making fruit leather with leftover blackberry pulp, but like I said, I think it will be very seedy.
Since you wanted deseeded blackberries in the first place, I don’t think there’s much you can do with the seeds. Honestly, I think that composting them might be the best option for most people, unfortunately.
Do I Have to Add the Pineapple?
No, adding pineapple isn’t necessary. Like I said earlier, I wanted to add pineapple chunks to give the deseeded blackberry cobbler filling more body: I thought that without actual chunks of fruit, as in peach or apple cobbler, the filling would seem like it was “missing something.”
However, if you want a pure blackberry filling, that’s certainly an option as well. The filling won’t be as thick, so your cobbler won’t be as big, and you might want to add the sugar a little at a time so you can adjust to taste, but other than that, you probably won’t have to make too many changes to the recipe.
Can I Use Storebought Blackberry Juice?
Yes, but I wouldn’t. Although storebought blackberry juice could be used to make the filling–especially with the addition of pineapple chunks–I’d be concerned about the lack of pulp in storebought juice.
Even though a mesh sieve is good for straining out blackberry seeds, it lets some of the pulp through, which is actually a good thing. The pulp-filled juice gives the filling thickness and body: if the storebought juice is made with commercial juicers that are “too good” at removing pulp, the juice might be too thin.
Can I Make this into a Double Crust Cobbler?
Yes! You can make this seedless blackberry cobbler with a double crust, using a full top instead of a lattice. Since less of the filling is going to be exposed, less moisture will evaporate, so the filling may not be as thick unless you add a bit more cornstarch. But honestly, I think it would be fine with no changes.
Can I Use Canned Blackberries?
No. Even though it might be possible, I personally wouldn’t use canned blackberries. As discussed in my peach cobbler with canned peaches recipe, canned fruit is less flavorful than fresh or frozen, so if you do use canned blackberries, you’d have to add spices to enhance the flavor.
Additionally, my chef instincts tell me that the canned berries wouldn’t have as much juice inside them, so the “juice” in your cobbler would mostly be syrup from the can. Like I said, I wouldn’t use canned berries.
Can I Use Canned Pineapple?
You could, but I wouldn’t recommend it. As I explained in my pineapple pie recipe, fresh / frozen pineapple is incredibly more flavorful than canned. Even though using canned crushed or chunked pineapple would make this recipe easier, the resulting filling would have less flavor.
A Chef’s Review
I really liked this seedless blackberry cobbler recipe. Although I didn’t have a food mill or other fancy equipment, I was able to deseed the berries with just a fine mesh strainer. With no seeds to get stuck in my teeth or make the filling bitter, the berry flavor was incredibly strong and delicious.
The pineapple worked well, too. As expected, it added body to the filling, giving it the small chunks of fruit you’d expect in an old-fashioned fruit cobbler. And as predicted, the sweet and tart flavor profiles of blackberries and pineapples complemented each other very well.
The crust was perfectly golden brown, and the lattice top gave the cobbler an old-fashioned look that would make any old-school southern chef proud. I thought the sugar sprinkle was the perfect finishing touch, too.
Although this seedless blackberry cobbler was definitely a big success, I was a bit disappointed that the pineapple chunks didn’t absorb more of the blackberry flavor. Deseeding the blackberries is time-consuming, too. But considering how good this dessert was, these two critiques are fairly minor.
In short, if you like southern blackberry cobbler but you don’t eat it because the seeds get stuck in your teeth or you find the seeds bitter, this recipe is for you. And best of all, since this recipe can be made with either fresh or frozen fruit, you can enjoy this version of a southern summertime treat whenever you want.
Possible Changes to the Recipe
Even though I thought this cobbler turned out great, possible changes in the future include:
Light Brown Sugar in the Filling – Although this might negatively affect the color of the filling, it would add more depth of flavor.
Cinnamon or Nutmeg – I’m curious how 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon or 1/8 of nutmeg would change things.
Seedless Blackberry Cobbler Recipe Variations
Possible variations to this recipe in the future include:
Just Juice for Filling – Although the cobbler wouldn’t have chunks of fruit, the flavor would be 100% blackberry.
Reduced Seed Cobbler – Instead of deseeding all the blackberries, mashing and straining 12 oz and leaving the other 12 oz whole might be interesting. In addition to being quicker to make, this version would have small chunks of fruit, too.
Cake Top Cobbler – Similar to my strawberry cobbler with frozen strawberries recipe, using a fluffy, cake-like top instead of pie crust would be a good way to switch things up with this cobbler.
More Blackberry Recipes
If you like blackberries as much as I do, here are some other recipes you should check out:
Southern Blackberry Cobbler – This traditional version has a lattice-top and pie crust dumplings.
3-Ingredient Blackberry Dump Cake – For beginner cooks who need to feed a crowd quickly and easily.
Other Cobbler Recipes
There’s nothing like a juicy, syrupy fruit filling and crispy, golden brown pie crust:
Peach Cobbler with Canned Peaches and Pie Crust – Using canned fruit makes this recipe easy.
Cherry Cobbler with Pie Crust – Made with frozen sour cherries, this is one you should try.
Seedless Blackberry Cobbler Recipe Instructions
Seedless Blackberry Cobbler
Ingredients
- 3 cups, 24 oz frozen blackberries (680g)
- 2 cups, 16 oz frozen pineapple (454g)
- 1/2 cup white sugar (120g)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 9-inch pie crusts
- Cornstarch Slurry:
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch (20g)
- 2 Tablespoons water (30g)
- Sugar Sprinkle:
- 1 Tablespoon white sugar (15g)
- 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar (15g)
Instructions
- Crush the blackberries to release the juice. I used an immersion blender, but a potato masher or other tool would work, too.
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and pour 1/4 of the mashed berries into the strainer.
- Use a wooden spoon to push the berry juice through the strainer and into the bowl below. Scrape the bottom of the strainer to release even more juice. Continue with the rest of the blackberry puree, making sure to not overfill the strainer. Once the blackberries are deseeded, put the juice off to the side.
- Put the pineapple, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a pot on the stove and bring the mixture to a boil in about 3-5 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to start breaking up the pineapple as the mixture comes to a boil.
- When the pineapple comes to a boil, add the blackberry juice and boil the filling on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring and breaking up the pineapple as the filling reduces.
- At the end of the 10 minutes, mix together water and cornstarch to make a slurry off to the side, then add the slurry to the seedless blackberry filling. If the filling is warm, it should thicken in about 15 seconds. Once thickened, set the filling aside.
- Cut one of the 9-inch crusts to fit the bottom of the 8×8 dish, prick it with a fork, and parbake at 350F, uncovered and empty, for 5 minutes.
- Cut a large square out of the other pie crust. If desired, use the excess dough around the edge to make dumplings. Add the dumplings to the filling either while the blackberry filling is still in the pot once it’s in the bottom crust.
- Pour the seedless blackberry filling into the bottom crust and use a spoon to distribute it evenly.
- Cut strips for the lattice top, then lay them on top of the filling.
- If desired, sprinkle the top of the cobbler with 1 Tablespoon white sugar and 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar.
- Bake the cobbler at 350F, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
- Let the cobbler cool down, then serve and enjoy!
YouTube Video
Be sure to watch my video tutorial, too:
