Fig Jam

This easy Fig Jam recipe is just wonderful and can be enjoyed in so many ways including on toast, as an appetizer with cheese and crackers, or as a glaze for pork. Use right away or store for later.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fig jam, fig jam recipe, fruit condiments

Servings: (1 & 1/2 cups - 2 tablespoons per serving)

Ingredients

1 pound fresh ripe black mission figs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons orange zest
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Wash and dry the figs, remove the stems, and cut into quarters. Place them into a bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until mostly smooth (but not completely pureed - you still want some texture.)
Transfer the blended figs to a medium-sized pot. Add in the sugar, water, lemon juice, orange zest, and salt.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle bubble. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently until the fruit is soft and the juices begin to thicken with a jam-like consistency (see note below.)
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Carefully spoon the jam into a small clean jar/s, leaving some clearance from the top for expansion. Loosely seal with the lid, but don't tighten completely. After it's completely cool, you can tighten the lid.
Use as desired (lots of suggestions in article!) If not serving right away, store in the fridge, freezer, or process for canning (details and instructions included in the article.)

Video

Notes

Avoid cutting back on the sugar. The sugar is necessary for the jam to come together and set properly, so try not to cut back too much or you'll end up with soupy jam. This recipe has not been tested with sugar substitutes.

Don't omit the citrus. To set properly, jam needs the right balance of acid and sugar. Since figs are a low-acid fruit, you need the lemon juice and orange zest.

How do you know when jam is done? You can tell your fig jam is ready when most of the liquid has been absorbed, it looks shiny and falls off the spoon in bigger clumps instead of drips, with a jammy consistency. Try dragging a spoon through the middle – if it fills back in slowly, it’s ready.

What if I don't own a food processor? For the best texture, partially blending the figs in a food processor before simmering is ideal, but if you don't have one, there's a work around. Very finely chop up the figs with a sharp knife. Then at the end of simmering, use a hand held immersion blender to get a smoother, jam-like consistency.

Nutrition