My easy go-to method for making Fig Jam. Perfect for when you have a large crop of homegrown figs to use up. It requires no pectin or canning and is ready in less than 40 minutes. Making jam doesn't have to be complicated!
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Do you know what seems complicated? Anything involving canning. Water baths? No thanks. Pectin? I've never bought it and don't have plans to. But, do you know what isn't complicated? This Easy Fig Jam!
With two fig trees in my garden and such a short and prolific season, making jam is my only option to use up all the figs. We get so many! So I've perfected this recipe over the years and the good news is you don't need to can it and you don't need pectin. It's so simple and the smell while it is simmering is incredible. I can barely wait until it cools down before I'm slathering it on everything!
It's sticky, sweet, full of delicious flavour, and about to make your toast so much better! It's also really versatile and works for sweet and savoury purposes. Spread it on crusty bread, dollop it on your rice pudding, eat it with vegan cheese and crackers, add it to your plant-based charcuterie boards, or make a sticky sauce for your tofu!
Mel x
P.S. Love jam? Give my easy vegan blueberry jam a try too!
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Figs - These must be fresh. Any variety will do. I used Desert King. For peak jamminess, choose fruit that is ripe but not overly ripe. The really ripe squishy figs contain less pectin so the jam won't set as well. You can throw some really ripe ones into the mix just make sure they don't make up the majority.
- Sugar - Essential for sweetness, jammy texture, and setting. The sugar used must be white or cane sugar. See the FAQs if you are wondering about which sugars are vegan. Note that if you reduce the amount of sugar the jam will be runnier and not as "jammy".
- Lemon juice - An essential ingredient when making homemade fig jam. Its tartness and acidity brighten and balance the jam's sweetness while the acid is necessary to help activate the pectin in the figs. Without it the jam won't set and the texture won't be quite right. The citric acid present in lemon juice also helps prevent bacteria from growing, so helps to preserve the jam and give it a longer storage life.
- Vanilla and a cinnamon stick - These are both optional but recommended for extra depth of flavour. they both work so well with figs!
Prefer a more savoury fig recipe? Give my Fig & Black Olive Tapenade or Easy Fig Pasta a try!
Let's Make Fig Jam!
Can't wait to make it? Here's a quick visual rundown of how it's done. See the recipe card for the full and detailed version:
1 - Add everything except the vanilla to a heavy-bottomed pan. A wider pan rather than a tall narrow pan is best to aid evaporation.
2 - Bring to a rolling boil. Once there set a timer and keep it boiling for 2 minutes. This step helps release the pectin from the fig skins and is really important.
3 - Once 2 minutes have passed turn it down to a simmer and cook for another 30 to 40 minutes stirring frequently (don't use a metal spoon!). It must stay at a simmer (gently bubbling) the whole time. Use a potato masher to squash the fruit while it's cooking.
4 - After about 30 to 40 minutes it should look a bit like this. Darker, with the fruit a bit more broken down, but still very thin. It won't thicken up until it cools.
5 - Put a small plate in the freezer for a couple of minutes so it gets cold. Test to see if the jam is ready by putting a small spoonful on the cold plate. Give it a couple of minutes then run your finger down the middle. If it's ready you will create a clear channel that does not fill back in like the picture below. If it's not quite ready let it simmer for another 5 minutes then try again.
4 - Stir the vanilla though then spoon the hot jam into clean jars and immediately screw the lids on tight. Leave some space at the top of each jar (especially important if you are freezing or canning the jam). The jam should last about 3 weeks in the fridge, but if you sterilize the jars it will last for about 3 months. It can also be frozen for a year (be sure to use freezer-safe jars).
How To Sterilize Your Jars
If you don't sterilize your jars the jam should easily last for a couple of weeks in the fridge but it will keep well for a couple of months if you do sterilize the jars. To do this either use the sterilize function on your dishwasher or wash the jars in hot soapy water, rinse them in hot water to be sure any soap residue is gone, then place them on a metal baking tray in a 350°F (175 °C) oven for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and fill the jars with the jam immediately while they are still hot, being careful not to burn yourself. Seal them tightly with a lid, let them cool, and then store them in the refrigerator.
Tips & Tricks
- Stir the jam frequently. This will prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning. Use a long-handle non-metal spoon and be careful not to splatter it as you stir.
- Be careful not to overcook the jam. The mixture will seem too thin, but that's because the hot sugar turns to liquid. The jam will thicken up as it cools.
- Use a potato masher to mash up any larger pieces of fig as the jam cooks. If you like a smoother jam, you can pulse the figs in a food processor to break them down into very small pieces before cooking. I don't recommend blending the hot jam in a blender or with an immersion blender because it is so hot it could melt the appliance, and it could also cause serious burns if it splatters.
- Boiling sugar is incredibly hot so use caution when stirring and filling the jars. Again, you do not want to splatter it and risk burning yourself.
Ways To Use Fig Jam
My favourite way to use fig jam is spread on freshly baked, thickly buttered sourdough or toast. It's also very good used as a filling for cakes or my Fronut recipe, on oatmeal or yogurt, with pizza, in homemade salad dressings, or with cheese. I love it with Miyoko's sharp cheddar and crackers!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use plastic containers, but unlike when using mason jars, it's important to let the jam cool until lukewarm before pouring it in. Jam gets ridiculously hot and will cause your containers to melt or warp.
Here in Canada the 2 biggest sugar producers, Rogers and Red Path, are both vegan, and in the UK and Europe sugar is also vegan. If you are in the US you need to be more careful, but all organic sugar is vegan, and other common brands that are vegan and you should be able to find easily include Wholesome Sweeteners, Kirkland Organic Cane Sugar, Trader Joe, Bob's Red Mill, Florida Crystals, Billington's, Michigan Sugar Company, Imperial, Now Foods, and In The Raw.
You've probably heard the stories about wasps and figs. There is so much misinformation flying about. What you might not realize is that nearly all commercially grown fig trees (over 99% in North America) are parthenocarpic. This means they can produce fruit without pollination so no wasps or other insects are involved.
Recipe
Easy Fig Jam
Author:Ingredients
- 2lb (907 grams) fresh figs , (19-20 medium figs)
- 2 slightly heaping cups (1lb or 454 grams) white or cane sugar
- 1 medium lemon , zest &juice
- 1 cinnamon stick , optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
INSTRUCTIONS
- Dice the figs into small pieces. Use a potato peeler or sharp knife to strip some zest from about half of the lemon (or grate it). Then cut the lemon in half and juice it. Add the figs, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and cinnamon stick to a large non-reactive heavy-bottomed pan.
- Put the lid on the pan then turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. The lid will trap the steam to create some liquid to get things going. Once it's at a rolling boil take the lid off and set a timer for 2 minutes. Keep it boiling very vigorously for those 2 minutes (important), then turn the heat down to a gently bubbling simmer.
- Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes with the lid off, stirring every 10 minutes or so (not with a metal spoon), so it doesn't stick. It's important that it keeps simmering so the pectin is released from the fig skin.
- While this is happening put a plate in the freezer.
- If you want to break the fruit down a bit more you can mash it with a potato masher. The cooking time will depend on the material of the pan used, the width of the pan, and the heat applied to it but I recommend testing the jam at about 30 minutes. It will still be very runny but the color should have darkened. See my pictures in the post above for reference.
- Take the jam off the heat. Remove the plate from the freezer and spoon a small amount of hot jam onto it. Leave for a couple of minutes, then swipe your finger through the middle of the jam on the plate. If it's ready a clean track that does not fill back in will be created (see my picture in the post above). If it's not quite ready put the pan back on the heat, a plate in the freezer, simmer for another five minutes then test again.
- If the strips of lemon have not dissolved fish them out and remove the cinnamon stick. Add the vanilla and stir through then spoon the jam into clean jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, or the freezer for up to a year (be sure to use freezer-safe jars).
- If you sterilize the jars the jam will last for 3 months in the fridge. To do this either use the sterilize function on your dishwasher or wash the jars in hot soapy water, rinse them in hot water to be sure any soap residue is gone, then place them on a metal baking tray in a 350°F (175 °C) oven for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and fill the jars with the jam immediately while they are still hot, being careful not to burn yourself. Seal them tightly with a lid, let them cool, then refrigerate.
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Roz Stuttard says
Hi, can I make the fig jam with reduced sugar or will it not set properly.
Will make it later in the year when I visit my son in NW France. He has an amazing fig tree.
Thanks Roz
Melanie McDonald says
The sugar is necessary to help set it, and it's already a pretty loose jam, so I don't think it would do well if you were to reduce it. Hope that helps!
Kris says
I made this last year and the vanilla was just the touch that made the flavor pop.
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you enjoyed it, Kris!