This homemade fig jam has delicious flavor notes of citrus, vanilla and cinnamon. It comes together effortlessly and it's an easy way to preserve fresh figs before they spoil.
Table of Contents
Ripe figs are delicious but they also go bad quickly - a fact I relearn each late summer and fall when the fig tree in my backyard springs into high gear. After making some of my favorite fig recipes like fig and almond cake and roasted figs with potatoes and thyme, I preserve the honey-sweet fruit by making a versatile fig jam.
This simple recipe makes two cups, or 32 tablespoons, of fig jam - enough to spread on toast and in sandwiches, stir into a bowl of yogurt or add to your favorite desserts. You don't even need any special ingredients like pectin, a gelling agent that's often used to thicken jams; just half an orange, lemon juice, vanilla extract, a stick of cinnamon and sugar are enough to add all the flavor.
Why you will love this fig jam recipe
Aromatic, with citrus notes
One of my peeves with fig recipes is that they can be cloyingly sweet. In this jam recipe the honey-like sweetness of the figs is balanced by cinnamon and citrus from two sources - lemon juice and half an orange, which is chopped and added to the pot along with the figs. The amount is small enough not to overpower the figs, but it adds a gorgeous complexity to the flavor.
Beginner-friendly recipe
The fig jam recipe is really simple - put all of the ingredients in a steel pot and let them cook down for a total of 40 minutes, stirring a few times in between. It's foolproof and very beginner-friendly.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Figs: Use very ripe, sweet figs for this recipe and go either with your favorite fig variety or whichever figs you can find at the market. You can also mix and match. Different varieties of figs have subtle flavor differences. For instance, Black Mission figs are very sweet with a classic fig flavor; Brown Turkey figs are milder, earthier; Celeste figs have a caramel flavor; and Kadota figs have notes of honey. These differences, however, won't be obvious in the jam.
- Orange: Instead of adding water to the recipe, I add either ¼ cup orange juice or half a chopped orange. It adds more flavor and cuts through the rich sweetness of the figs, which I love. You can skip the orange and just add ¼ cup water to the jam instead.
- Cinnamon stick: Warm spices like cinnamon and cloves are wonderful with figs. I use a stick of cinnamon that I fish out after the jam has cooked. You can add ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon or ¼ teaspoon ground cloves instead.
- Lemon juice: A small amount of lemon juice adds tang and complex flavor to the recipe, and it plays really nicely with the cinnamon too.
How to make fig jam
Place all ingredients in a steel saucepan
Place the figs, sugar, cinnamon stick, lemon juice, orange and vanilla in a steel saucepan. It's important to use a steel pan for this and other jam recipes because steel is non-reactive. Metals like aluminum and cast iron can react with the natural acids in fruit, discoloring them and/or giving the jam a metallic taste.
Mix and cook
Give all the ingredients a good stir and turn heat to medium-high. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the jam comes to a boil. Cook five minutes, turn heat to medium-low and continue cooking (stir frequently) until the fruit is very soft and pulpy, about 40 minutes.
Test if jam is done
If you have a candy thermometer, cook the jam until it reaches 220 degrees Fahrenheit/104 degrees Celsius, then turn off heat. That's the temperature at which excess water evaporates and the fruit and pectin bond to form a gel.
If you don't have a thermometer, place a couple of spoons in the freezer for 30 minutes. Drizzle a drop or two of the jam on the frozen spoon and wait for a few seconds. If the jam appears thick and moves very slowly when you tilt the spoon, it's done. If it appears runny, continue cooking the jam.
Once the jam has cooled, discard the cinnamon stick. Spoon the jam into glass jars and enjoy!
More homemade preserves
Recipe card
Homemade Fig Jam
Ingredients
- 2 pounds figs (chopped into ¼-inch pieces)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2-inch stick cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ orange (peeled, seeded and chopped into ¼-inch pieces)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Place the figs, sugar, cinnamon stick, vanilla, orange and lemon juice in a wide steel saucepan.
- Mix and turn heat to medium-high. Once the jam begins to boil, continue to cook, stirring frequently, for five more minutes.
- Lower heat to medium-low and continue to cook the jam for 40 minutes more, stirring frequently, until the fruit is very soft and pulpy and mostly broken down. Turn off heat.
- Cool the jam, remove the cinnamon stick and spoon into jars.
Nutrition Information
Recipe FAQs
I serve the fig jam over toast or stir it into my homemade cultured cashew yogurt with keto granola. You can also use it as a spread for sandwiches or add it to your favorite fig desserts.
No. The natural pectin we need for the jam to gel is largely present in the skins, so do not peel the figs. The skins will become very soft as they cook and melt into the jam.
You can make jams with dried figs but the flavor and texture of dried figs is so different from those of fresh figs, you will need to heavily tweak the recipe. The sugars in dried figs are more concentrated and the texture of dried figs is far chewier so you will need less sugar and much more moisture, either in the form of water or more orange juice. You will also have to puree the jam in a blender or with an immersion blender after it has cooled. If you want to make this jam I recommend using fresh figs.
You can go down to ¾ cup sugar for a less sweet jam but I wouldn't advise cutting down further for the best flavor.
If the jam is runny after cooling it means you didn't cook it long enough. Return it to heat and continue cooking. Be sure to test with a thermometer or a spoon (as described above) before you finish cooking.
This could happen if you overcooked it. Warm the jam over gentle heat, adding a teaspoon of water at a time until it reaches the consistency you desire.
Store the jam in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. You can also freeze the jam up to six months.
Because this is a small-batch jam I haven't tested it for canning. It is developed mainly as a refrigerator fig jam.
Comments
No Comments