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Savor the flavor of summer with this super Easy Fig Jam recipe made with just a few ingredients! A great addition to a cheese platter, to top your favorite burger and fry up in a crispy grilled cheese sandwich. This jam is so good you’ll want to try it on just about everything.
I’m obsessed with figs. I don’t know why….probably because they’re like a peach in that you only see a good one for a few weeks of the year before they become a mushy, mealy mess. They make me a little sad when they appear because it’s a sure sign that summer is almost over and the school buses will be making their rounds very soon.
But they also make me happy because, have you ever bitten into a fresh fig? They’re fantastically sweet with an interesting texture from the seeds that make some people shy away. I love the contrast, the crunchiness in my teeth. And they make blue cheese taste like dessert. Really. Especially when made into an Easy Fig Jam.
If you’re lucky enough to have a fig tree in your yard or a friend that will gift you some figs from their own tree, you’re lucky enough. And you should make this jam.
How To Make Fig Jam
It’s incredibly easy to make with just a few simple ingredients and a bit of water. And you can stash it in the fridge for a few months….if it lasts that long.
- Prep your figs. Toss halved figs with sugar, lemon and vanilla.
- Cook. Add the figs to a saucepan and cook over medium heat.
- Add water. Stir in the water and simmer until the fruit is soft with a thickened, jammy consistency.
- Store it. Transfer to jars and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
How to Make Jam Without Pectin
Some fruits are naturally high in pectin so they will come together easily on their own. Strawberries and other fruit that are lower in natural pectin so a little lemon juice, and the zest, will help them become the best jam ever without adding additional pectin.
What are Figs
If you’ve never tried Fig Jam, you’re in for a lovely surprise. It’s not overly sweet and goes so well with both savory or dessert like recipes. It’s a staple on EVERY cheese board I make because it pairs perfectly with everything.
Figs are a soft, sweet fruit with a thin skin and contains many small seeds inside. There are more than 850 kinds fig trees and they grow in warmer climates. They can be eaten when ripe or when dried.
Figs are technically not a fruit, they’re actually inverted flowers. Fig trees don’t flower like other fruit trees. Their flowers bloom inside the pear-shaped pod, which later matures into the fruit we know and love.
Funny thing about figs, they spoil VERY quickly so you have to eat them all within a couple days or find something interesting to make with them like a skillet roasted chicken or Easy Fig Jam.
How to Store Jam
Your fig jam recipe will last up to two years if processed by canning in a hot water bath. Freezer jam will last up to 6 months if stored in an airtight container.
Once opened, your homemade jam will last up to two months in the refrigerator.
More Easy Jam Recipes
Easy Fig Jam takes about 30 minutes to make and is very similar in technique to my Easy Strawberry Jam.
Easy…peasy. And if you’re looking for something another jam recipe you have to try THIS Orange Marmalade!
But seriously…..all my jam recipes are amazing so you should DEFINITELY try this easy Tomato Jam and THIS new Blueberry Jam is totally amaze-balls.
Serving Suggestions
Fig Jam is great for spreading on crostini with goat cheese and chopped nuts or you can heat it until syrupy to use as a flavorful glaze for chicken. It’s also a great topping for baked brie! So versatile, there’s really no limit to what you can do with it.
It makes an excellent companion to a variety of cheeses so if you have some canning skills…you may want to save some for your holiday soirees. It’s amazing on these biscuits or slathered on some lightly toasted bread.
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Fig Jam Recipe
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh figs, cut in quarters and stems removed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- juice of one lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, toss the figs, sugar, lemon and vanilla to coat.
- Cook over medium heat stirring frequently until the sugar is dissolved and the figs are juicy.
- Turn the heat to low, add the water and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the fruity is soft and the juices are beginning to thicken.
- Turn off the heat and spoon the jam into two pint size jars.
- Close the jars and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Store the jam in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love figs! Great, easy recipe I do recommend cutting your figs in smaller than quarter size pieces. It turned out very delicious
You may have larger figs. Our’s here are quite tiny. Thank you for your comment!
This recipe is easy to make and tastes wonderful. BRAVO!
Thank you, Diane!
Hi! This looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. I was thinking of making a jar for a gift for my mother who lives in another state. Would it keep not refrigerated for a couple of weeks?
I don’t think I would keep it at room temperature without proper canning. I’m not a canning pro so you’d have to check out another site like FoodInJars.com for specifics regarding canning safely.
Hi Kellie,
I’ve made this fig jam several times and it is amazing! I cut back on the sugar by 1/4 cup and skipped the water because it’s very juicy on its own. We use an immersion blender also to blend it a little more and cook it twice as long. I’m currently making two double batches and putting in jelly jars to seal it so I can give away as gifts!
Thanks for the recipe!
Eileen
So glad you love it and the immersion blender is such a great idea!
Make this fig jam today and it is delicious! So easy to make and doesn’t require lots of time. The lemon adds a nice twist to the usual fig preserves.
Thank you so much!
Trying this for the first time with one pound of figs we bought at our local farmers’ market in Seabeck, WA. So I cut the recipe in half and added even less sugar because the figs were super ripe. Plus I just prefer to use as little sugar as possible. It’s still coming out perfectly sweet. And for those who have mentioned that their jam isn’t thickening, be sure to cook it without a lid so as much liquid as possible evaporates. If you cook with a lid on, the condensation that forms inside the lid just continues to drip down into the jam, thinning it. I know that for most this is likely common sense, but because a lid isn’t mentioned here anywhere, thought I’d address it. Thanks for this easy peazy recipe.
Thank you so much! Yes, the lid isn’t needed so it gives the jam an opportunity to cook down.
Can this recipe be made using a water canning method?
I haven’t tested it for canning so I can’t say for sure.
Super Easy, I didn’t have a lemon so I used the zest and juice of one orange. I didn’t have vanilla either so I used lemon extract. I increased the amount of figs but kept the sugar the same since figs are so sweet. It’s so yummy! Will serve it with goat cheese, walnuts and crackers!
Thank you for your comment! Orange is brilliant with figs so I’ll definitely give that a try.
Easy easy recipe really delicious. I sweeten it up a bit with an additional quarter cup of sugar.
Thanks for this awesome recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment!
Hi, I live in East of England – my fig tree has lots of figs but not long enough summer for all to ripen – that said I’d like to try this jam – had some once as a child and have never managed to find any since ( 68 now ) not that I’ve looked that hard. Does everyone use jam making sugar ?
Pretty much everyone uses sugar but you can try to make it without it. It hasn’t been tested that way, though.