This sweet fig jam is so easy to make at home! With its unique taste, it goes perfect with either sweet or savory dishes like scones, muffins, breads, or cheeses.
I have this ridiculous amount of ripe figs that I enthusiastically bought since the season started. My solution to this is always jam, so I threw all the figs into a large pot and made homemade jam.
You can make either jam or preserves with this recipe. The only real difference between them is that preserves contain large chunks of fruit, while jam has a smoother consistency. So if you prefer pieces of fruit in your spread, simply cut them to the desired size.
Unlike the more common jams such as strawberry or raspberry, fig jam has a unique taste that is kind of fancier and pairs perfectly with cheeses.
The jam needs to be cooked for a long time on low heat. It may take anywhere between 30-60 minutes, depending on the heat and the amount of liquid that need to evaporate, so be patient (unlike me). Generally, the texture needs to be thick and pour off a spoon in a stream, not drip by drip. It will be noticeable once it starts to thicken. That’s how I test it, but if you want to be even more sure, then there are 2 more ways to check. One is that the temperature has to be over 220F degrees. The second is that if you place some jam on a plate and put it in the freezer for 2 minutes, then run you finger through it, it should stay divided.
You can add flavors to the jam such as vanilla and cinnamon, it’s mentioned in the recipe but it’s optional. You can replace some of the sugar with honey for more flavor, but don’t replace too much since the honey can easily overpower the delicate figs. I suggest starting with 1/4 cup honey instead of 1/4 cup sugar. I find the 1.5 cups of sugar in the recipe sweet enough for my taste, but my original recipe called for 2 cups, so you can choose. Either one is fine.
You can keep the jam for 2 or even 3 months in the refrigerator. If you would like to keep it for longer, then there’s a process for that. Start by sterilizing your jars and lids (10 minutes in boiling water should do the trick). Wipe the rims and fill the jars with jam, leaving 1/4 – 1/8 inch space and seal well with lids. Next, put the jars in a waterbath – a big pot with a rack on the bottom filled with boiling water, enough to cover the jars by at least 1 inch. Process the jars in the waterbath for 5 minutes. Then keep your jam in a dark, cool place until ready for use. This should keep your jam fresh for up to a year. Once you open it, keep it in the fridge. There’s plenty of information online with step-by-step photos on how to do this.
More Fig Recipes:
- 2 pounds figs, stemmed and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 4 cups sliced figs)
- 1½ cups (300 grams/10.5 ounces) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded (optional)
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- In a medium saucepan, large enough to fit the figs, place all ingredients (if you add vanilla, add both the pod and seeds) and bring to a boil until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and cook figs, uncovered and continuing to stir occasionally, for 30-60 minutes or until the liquid is thick and sticky and drops heavily from the spoon (refer to post for more ways to check for being done). Remove from heat and discard vanilla pod and cinnamon stick. For a chunky jam, gently mush large pieces of figs with a fork or potato masher; for a smoother jam, process in a food processor. Spoon jam into jars, leaving ¼ inch space and close with lid. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Store jam in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
91 Comments
Elisa @ Insalata di Sillabe
August 7, 2014 at 10:43 amHi Shiran, I’ve just found your blog and am already completely, absolutely, irremediably in love with it! I love all the gorgeous recipes you’ve posted so far and let me tell you the pictures you take are so beautiful I feel like I could grab the sweets though my computer screen!
I’ll be following you for sure from now on, keep up the good work!
Also, may I ask you from where you are?
xo, Elisa
Shiran
August 8, 2014 at 9:12 amI found it Elisa! As I suspected, it got caught in spam. You are so incredibly sweet, I appreciate the lovely comment and your sweet words! Sure you may ask! I live in Israel – not very far from where you are (Italy?) 🙂
Anita Smith
August 6, 2018 at 2:42 pmCan this recipe be multiplied for a gallon of fog pieces?
Shiran
August 7, 2018 at 7:12 amHi Anita, I’ve never made such a large batch of jam, but it’s possible. It will take longer to cook until it’s thick, so you can double the recipe, and make it in two batches (cooking them simultaneously).
Jacqueline
August 15, 2018 at 10:39 pmHi
I am so happy that I stumbled upon your recipe. My fig jam is wonderful!!! I added some honey 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Blessings
Jacqueline
Nate
September 28, 2018 at 11:56 amNo, last time I tried I mist completely
Vicky
August 8, 2014 at 5:32 pmAbsolutely love this recipe and just shared it on my blog in a Friday Foodie Fave post where I share my favorite recipes finds from around the web.
Shiran
August 8, 2014 at 10:34 pmThat’s so kind of you Vicky, thank you for sharing!
Amallia @DesireToEat
August 13, 2014 at 9:41 amGreat recipe, nice pictures. Lovely blog.
Shiran
August 13, 2014 at 2:01 pmThank you Amallia! 🙂
Wasantha
January 24, 2015 at 5:05 amHi Shiran,
I love your recipe and the photos. Very tempting!
For the jam, do you use the figs with the skin?
Many thanks.
Wasantha
Shiran
January 24, 2015 at 12:43 pmHi Wasantha! Thank you 🙂 Yes, use the figs just the way they are, you don’t need to peel them.
Sarah
February 29, 2016 at 6:59 pmHello. What do you mean ‘process for 5 mins’ what does this involve?
Shiran
March 2, 2016 at 4:35 amHi Sarah, you can find more information about the process in this helpful guide. It explains everything in detail.
Mary Lynn Horton
September 20, 2016 at 3:36 pmThank you for this fig recipe. I live in Canada and we grow figs in our backyard – yes in Canada! We put them in our un-heated garage to over-winter and they actually survive are ready to go by spring. We had lots left over this year due to a bountiful crop and this fig jam was the perfect and easy answer to use up all the uneaten figs. So thanks again. The jam is just beautiful.
Shiran
September 21, 2016 at 10:23 amThank you so much for your sweet comment, Mary. I’m glad you like it 🙂
Elizabeth
September 23, 2016 at 3:33 pmHi! Love this recipe! Can I can them to make them last longer? And if so, do
I follow the regular canning process? Thanks!
Shiran
September 29, 2016 at 8:06 amThank you, Elizabeth! Yes, if you follow the regular process, it will keep for months. You can read more about it in the post above the recipe.
Jody Maloney
October 5, 2016 at 4:04 pmHello Shiran!
I was excited to use this recipe, love the taste of it, but my mixture is still very watery. What is your recommendation to thicken it up?
Shiran
October 6, 2016 at 3:28 amHi Jody, the water evaporates during cooking so at some point it should thicken up, so try to cook it for longer. Also, it would thicken more once cooled.
Jennifer
August 15, 2017 at 11:47 pmI am so excited to make this, but it has been on low for almost 2 hours now and it is still not thick. I followed this recipe exactly. It smells delicious, but I want to go to sleep!!
Shiran
August 17, 2017 at 2:11 pmHi Jennifer, if it’s watery, try to turn up the heat. The water should evaporate at some point and the sauce will thicken up.
Emily Gordon
January 29, 2017 at 11:17 amHi! First time I have ever made jam and I followed your recipe. Only changes I made was to add some more water, sugar and lemon juice as I used a lot of figs and I cooked it for longer to thicken it up. It tastes delicious and I am so proud 🙂 Thank you!
Shiran
February 2, 2017 at 6:37 amThank you Emily! 🙂
Patricia
June 26, 2017 at 10:49 amCan you boil the jars for a longer shelf life is so how long?
Shiran
June 28, 2017 at 7:03 amHi Patricia, I talk about it in the post above, so please refer to it.
Alisha
July 1, 2017 at 6:19 pmGreat recipe! This is my first time making jam (or fruit preserves of any kind!) The receipt was easy to follow and the jam came out perfect. I can’t wait to pair it with chèvre on a thin slice of crusty french great and a nice glass of wine. Thank you for posting. How can I follow your blog?
Shiran
July 2, 2017 at 2:45 amHi Alisha! Thank you so much! You can subscribe via email here or follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.
Kathy
July 20, 2017 at 9:03 pmThis recipe was easy to follow and turned out beautifully. We omitted the vanilla bean but loved the flavor from the cinnamon stick. Great tasting jam!
Joan
July 26, 2017 at 3:59 pmInstead of a vanilla bean, could I just add a little vanilla? I’m going to try this recipe tomorrow with figs from our yard.
Shiran
July 27, 2017 at 8:12 amYes you can!
Mary
August 5, 2017 at 9:24 amIf using vanilla extract instead of bean, how much extract should be used?
Shiran
August 6, 2017 at 5:05 amHi Mary, I love vanilla so I would go for one teaspoon. Start with 1/2 teaspoon, and add as much as you like!
Brenda
July 29, 2017 at 11:04 amCan I double this recipe without issues?
Shiran
July 30, 2017 at 2:32 pmIt should be ok, just make sure you use a wide pot. The cooking time may take longer.
Paula
August 2, 2017 at 12:38 amJust made jam using this recipe and figs from my friends tree. It taste fabulous! Thank you for sharing!
Mary Rossi
August 4, 2017 at 9:58 amI am about to make this recipe this weekend. Thank you for sharing. Love figs! Love fig jam!
Holly stewart
August 4, 2017 at 9:48 pmHi Shiran. I too made my 1st jam. We have 2 beautiful black fig trees. This year we have so many figs we didn’t know what to do. Thank you so much. I also made fig bars as well.
Larie
August 8, 2017 at 11:40 amHow many jars does this make. First time jam maker. Want to give some small jars to friends.
Shiran
August 8, 2017 at 1:00 pmIt really depends on the size of the jars. The recipe should yield 3-4 cups of jam.
Val
August 13, 2017 at 12:54 amThis sounds awesome ,iam going to make this tommorow ,as a friend just gave me some figs
Jan Baker
August 13, 2017 at 2:54 pmHi Shiran, Thank you for this recipe. I decided this year to make fig jam instead of fig newtons with all the figs from our tree. I was glad you put the tempertaure of 220 because mine were still watery after 60 minutes – my low on my stove must be too low. So I turned up the heat a bit and waited until I got to 220 and it turned out great!!! Plus, wanted to tell you I enjoyed my trip to Israel in 1998 -beautiful country – best trip of a lifetime!!
Shiran
August 14, 2017 at 4:25 amThat’s so great to hear! You should come visit again!
Ivy
August 17, 2017 at 12:44 amcan I skip water in your recipe?
Shiran
August 27, 2017 at 7:48 amFor the best result, it’s better to stick to the recipe.
Jim
August 22, 2017 at 10:33 pmHello Shiran! Love your fig jam/preserve recipe! It calls for less sugar than most, and it comes out great. I have used your recipe to make about 3 dozen 8oz. jars of fig jam (cookin’ a batch up as I type). I’ve given most of them out to friends, and they all love it! Thank you for the recipe!
Shiran
August 23, 2017 at 5:31 amThank you so much, Jim! I’m so glad that you and your friends enjoy it!
Judy Mann
July 22, 2018 at 7:21 pmPlease share with me how many figs you used for a big batch! Mine was only three jars and I would love to make some to share.
Thank you, Judy
Shiran
July 23, 2018 at 8:03 amHi Judy, you can multiply the recipe as much as you need to make more jars.
Jayne
August 24, 2017 at 6:29 amJust found your blog. I have lots of cheap figs and can’t to try your jam. Thankyou
JANICE
August 27, 2017 at 12:11 amtried your fig jam turned out great
Debbie
August 28, 2017 at 7:30 pmI’m anxious to try your fig jam recipe. I do have a silly question. Do you leave the outside of the fig on when you chop it?
Shiran
August 29, 2017 at 4:30 amYes, there’s no need to peel them!
Patti
September 1, 2017 at 12:55 amMade this tonight turned out well. Thanks for sharing.
Lynn
September 7, 2017 at 6:29 pmLove this recipe and so easy to make! Making my 3rd batch now. I wish I knew how easy and delicious this jam was last summer when my fig tree was full of fruit! I usually just wrap figs in prosciutto stuffed with a little blue cheese and BBQ, another delicious use of figs!
Shiran
September 11, 2017 at 3:52 amMy favorite is to serve it with a toast and blue cheese. Delicious!
Sandy M
September 9, 2017 at 4:39 pmThis is a great recipe and with all due respect for you Shiran, fun to play with. I substituted Calvados for the water and Calvados soaked vanilla bean, and wow! It was all I could do not to sit down with a spoon and eat it right out of the saucepan. Next time I will add a bit of Balsamic vinegar to make a savory fig jam. I also used an immersion blender to break up the bigger chunks of fig. With any hot liquid, though, be careful not to let it splash on you.
Shiran
September 11, 2017 at 3:44 amCalvados sounds amazing! I’ll try it myself!
Vibeke Pell
September 24, 2017 at 1:58 pmIs this recipe conducive to the freezer method? I have a tree going through its second baring, and I so love freezing my jams!! They taste like your eating fresh fruit!! Thanks in advance for any help.
Sincerely Vibeke
Shiran
September 26, 2017 at 6:12 amHi Vibeke, you can read this helpful guide on how to freeze jams. In my experience, it’s perfectly fine to freeze them.
Donald Roberts
October 11, 2017 at 2:21 pmMy neighbor can’t keep up with all her figs and every morning she leaves me some on my porch. Decided to try something different with them and came across your recipe. I cut back on the sugar and added a little honey. It is AWESOME!
Ned Dragston
October 18, 2017 at 4:30 pmJust for the heck of it, I pushed my figs through a chinois this year and made fig jelly per your recipe but also with a bit of orange juice and zest. If you like to eat figs with brie or other soft cheese—it’s a dream! Turned out fantastic. Then I took the bits that didn’t go through the chinois and added a lot of sliced orange, pulp and peel, plus honey instead of sugar. And WOW. Superb toast jam.
Chaitra
April 19, 2018 at 3:21 pmOf all the fig jam recipes I have researched, yours seems to be the simplest and the most popular. Do you have any suggestions on how to go about this with dried figs? I have a full bag of it.
Shiran
April 20, 2018 at 3:21 amI haven’t used dried fruit in jams, so I don’t have a recipe for it. I’m guessing that you’ll need to place the dried figs in water first and let it sit for a while until figs are plump.
Liz Mcillece
July 10, 2018 at 5:47 pmHi Shiran, I was gifted about 3lbs of figs and am going to use your recipe. I’m wondering if you’ve ever added peppers to this to get a sweet & spicey combo, would you recommend trying this? What type of peppers do you think would work best?
Shiran
July 11, 2018 at 8:45 amHi Liz, I’ve actually never used peppers to make jam before so I don’t know which ones work best.
Judy Mann
July 22, 2018 at 7:18 pmHello, I wanted to say thank you for a very straight forward recipe. The Fig Jam or preserves turned out very well. I wanted to comment on the addition of honey. I substituted 1/4 cup of honey for 1/4 part of the sugar, because I love honey. However, for me, it overpowered the taste of the figs and that is the main taste in my jam. I will try the recipe next time using only sugar. I wanted to warn people of that since it is a lot of time and effort to not taste the delicate fruity taste of the fig.
It looks beautiful and the texture is perfect. It took an hour and a half on the burner to get to the perfect texture and temperature. Thank you again! Any fig Scone recipes?
Shiran
July 23, 2018 at 8:06 amHi Judy, click here for my fig scones recipe!
Rossafini
July 27, 2018 at 1:03 pmI making this for the second year in a row. And I love it. Brought it to a potluck served it with different cheeses and crackers and everyone raved about it . The only substitute I made was to swap out the water for white wine . Yum! Also I froze half of it and it lasted for a year
Patty R
July 28, 2018 at 7:17 pmHi Shiran, I made a double batch of jam today, and it came out delicious. I used apple juice in place of water though because I had an open container and wanted to use it up, Love that it has less sugar than most recipes. Thanks for sharing it, Patty R.
Tammy
August 1, 2018 at 1:59 amHi I will try your recipe can you explain how many actual figs is needed for your recipe 4 cups? How many jars does that make ? Also I’ve never cooked figs do I peel the skin off? Thx
Shiran
August 1, 2018 at 9:19 amHi Tammy, it depends on the size of the figs, so I can’t say exactly how many. The recipe makes approximately 3-4 cups of jam (1 cup is 240 ml).
wcoastmom
August 1, 2018 at 12:46 pmThank you for the recipe! We have a decent crop this year. I cut the sugar down to 1 cup & added 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract since I didn’t have any vanilla beans. I cooked it for 3 hours to really get it to thicken up.
Vlatka Rideout
August 5, 2018 at 9:40 pmOmg tastes like pure sugar and I only used half the amount. I am going to pick more figs tomorrow, can I just boil figs with lemon and water and no sugar and add to the first batch ? Or, will it not thicken without sugar ?
Shiran
August 7, 2018 at 7:22 amHi Vlatka , the sugar is essential for successful jam-making. It doesn’t just give flavor but also texture, and without it the jam won’t set as well. It also acts as a means of preservation.
Sharon
August 28, 2018 at 12:15 amHello Shiran, can you use powdered pectin to speed up the processing time and insure gel?
Shiran
August 28, 2018 at 7:44 amHi Sharon, you can use pectin, but I don’t know the exact amount you’ll need for this recipe because I haven’t used it.
Charlie
August 28, 2018 at 12:25 amHello and thank you for this delicious recipe. I’m not a big fan of figs but when my neighbor gave me just over 2 lbs of figs I went looking for a recipe and found yours. The first batch I made with just the cinnamon stick because I had them. The consistancy was like apple butter. Then more figs arrived. I cooked the second batch a little longer. It is more like a nice jelly. Both wonderful. Thanks again for sharing your recipe.
Sharon Mills
August 28, 2018 at 3:58 amOMG! Soooooo delicious! I used 2.75lbs of figs and adjusted the recipe accordingly. This gave me 5oz of lemon juice so I used 4oz of lemon juice and 1oz of Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar. I also used 2tps of vanilla in place of the bean (too expensive). Cooked for nearly the full hour, but boy it is GREAT! I used Punch Berry Figs.
Polly
September 4, 2018 at 6:48 amI made a huge quantity of this jam the other day adding a whole stick of vanilla and half of one of cinnamon. It took two hours to thicken as I was using double the quantity but it was well worth the wait! Delicious! I then tried to vary the recipe with my next batch (we have a huge fig tree !) , adding some Reine-Claude (greengages), omitting the vanilla and cinnamon but adding grated fresh ginger instead, a small glass of local liquor d’armagnac à l’orange and substituting half of the white sugar for brown cane sugar. The result is very different – also delicious – the ginger goes well with the figs and the jam is less sweet. However, it sealed into the jars (the ones with the rubber seal) leaving condensation on the top of the jars. I have looked this up and apparently it isn’t a problem and the jam should keep as well. I used the additional immersion in boiling water to ensure a longer shelf life.
Laura G2
September 4, 2018 at 4:24 pmI followed this recipe and made the most amazing fig jam – thank you so much! My first jam ever.
Then…I got ambitious, spent 2 hours picking and scaled up to a 3kg batch. It cooked for hours before getting sticky and then…tasted terrible! Very bitter. After researching online, I think it’s because I had a few underripe figs in. Next time I will be much more selective! Just a warning to other newbies to figs…smaller batches to reduce risk and no under ripe figs! Turns out they are not like apples, and do need to be ripe. Fabulous recipe if you’re not as daft as I was though.
Shiran
September 5, 2018 at 11:24 amThank you for the advice, Laura!
Denise Stelzig
September 7, 2018 at 12:20 pmDo i need to peel my figs before cooking for jam
Shiran
September 8, 2018 at 11:09 amThere’s no need to peel them.
Denise Stelzig
September 10, 2018 at 12:27 pmCan i just add honey or do i need to add refined sugar. I was going to just use 1/2 cup of honey…whats your thoughts?
Shiran
September 11, 2018 at 5:15 amI personally think that the honey can overpower the flavor of the figs so I don’t recommend using only honey. Also, sugar is a necessary ingredient when making jam.
Lee Nelson
September 15, 2018 at 5:02 pmIt’s been our first time making jam of any sort and together me and my girlfriend decided to make strawberry jam, blackberry jam locally picked of course!! 🙂 and also used this recipe for a fig jam. We have to say it’s turned out ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS and we love it!! Gona try tweaking around with other fruits and see what we discover 🙂
Denise Whitacre
September 24, 2018 at 8:20 pmHi Shiran: I just made your jam recipe, and it turned out beautifully. I had found a similar recipe on a Pinterest, but I wanted directions for placing it in a hot water bath, to keep the jars longer, so I used your recipe. The other recipe called for 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, but not 1/4 cup of water, so I put the 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar into the 1/4 cup, then filled the cup the rest of the way up with water. I thought you might like my substitution, so that you could try it for a variation. Next time I make the recipe, I will just use 1/4 cup of the balsamic vinegar since the two tablespoons were very subtle.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe! ❤️
Shiran
September 25, 2018 at 10:57 amThank you for sharing Denise!
Denise Miceli
October 11, 2018 at 6:52 pmHi,
I am in the process as I write to ask you about the sugar/honey ratio? If I use 1-1/2 cups sugar do I use 1/2 honey?
Thanks!
Shiran
October 14, 2018 at 7:52 amHi Denise, personally I don’t like a strong honey flavor, but it’s really about personal taste. I suggest to replace 1/4 cup of the sugar with 1/4 cup honey.