Embrace the flavors of autumn with this easy Fig Preserves recipe. Made with fresh picked figs and honey, it's packed with the sweet, rich flavor nature intended.
Why You'll Love This Fig Preserves Recipe
Fresh fig preserve is absolutely delicious, perfect for charcuterie platters, fresh baked scones, or even smeared on a pizza or flatbread.
Having some fresh fig preserve on hand makes entertaining a snap. Just pair it up with cheese, crackers, and a variety of fresh fruits and cured meats, and you have an upscale charcuterie spread.
- Simple and easy to follow: This recipe requires just a few basic ingredients and steps, making it perfect for even novice cooks.
- Naturally sweet and flavorful: The natural sweetness of fresh figs comes through beautifully in this jam, making it a delicious and guilt-free treat.
- Versatile and customizable: You can easily adjust the sweetness and spice level of this recipe to your liking.
Ingredients Overview
If you're a fan of figs, you'll love this easy fig preserve recipe. Prepared in the slow cooker or a stovetop saucepan, this fig preserve is perfect for charcuterie boards or topping off our for a breakfast treat!
- Fresh Figs, look for the Black Mission figs, they are extremely flavorful.
- Lemon juice, fresh squeezed.
- Honey, try to get your local honey.
How To Make Fig Preserves
This fig preserve recipe is easy and uses no pectin or sugar. The honey and natural sweetness of the fruit make it a naturally sweet preserve.
Fig preserve is easy to make and tastes delicious. This blog post will show you how to make preserves using fresh figs. You will need sugar, lemon juice, and honey. You can either use a stovetop saucepan or a slow cooker to cook the preserves.
- Trim the tips off the tops of each fig rinse them off. Quarter each fig, if they are big, cut them up a little more. Put them in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the lemon juice to the bowl with the figs. Fresh lemon juice is best, but you can use bottled lemon juice also. The lemon juice is vital, as this is a no pectin fig preserve recipe.
- Let it sit mixed with lemon juice for about 45 minutes.
The acid in the lemon reacts with the natural pectin in the fruit to thicken up when it cooks to a certain point.
- Mix the contents well, so the lemon juice gets mixed in well with the cut up fruit. Add the bowl of fruit and lemon juice to a large stainless steel saucepan or slow cooker and heat to medium until the fruit soften and release more juice.
- Then, turn the heat up to medium high and start to simmer the fruit mixture.
- Add the honey next, when the fruit starts simmer. Keep the saucepan on medium to medium high. If using a slow cooker, keep it on high with the lid off.
PRO TIP: You can use white granulated sugar instead of honey if you prefer.
The natural pectin get activated by the reduction of the moisture and acid reaction from the lemon. You're ready to ladle the hot fig preserve into the prepared jam jars when the preserves drop off the stirring spoon in a smooth sheet of preserve.
- Watch the texture of the cooking preserves. Figs are naturally not as juicy as peaches, so you will have a thicker mixture. But, you want it to coat a spoon and not just slide off. The coating should cling, and either very slowly slide downward, or stay put.
- If using Ball canning jars, wipe the jam jar rims of any fig mixture. This will let the lid get a true seal. Lay the lid on the jar rim and screw the band on. If you are doing the Ball Water Bath Canning method, now is the time to process the jars.
- If you are storing short term with bail jars of small yogurt jars (that is what I'm using in the photos), just put lids on and store in the refrigerator.
Long Term Pantry Storage
The difference in using the refrigerator method vs the Water Bath Canning method is that the later pasteurizes the high acid product and creates a vacuum seal.
The lid sucks down tight and prevents bacteria from forming. You can store a Water Bath Canned product in the pantry for up to 18 months. If you like making your own jams and condiments, be sure to see our Blackberry Preserves and Pumpkin Butter recipes also.
Serving Suggestions
Fig preserves are perfect for spreading on toast, muffins, old fashioned buttermilk biscuits, or to accompany cheese and charcuterie platters. Try it on our caramelized onion flatbread where it really complements the onions.
Enjoy on croissants with ham and Fontina cheese for a gourmet sandwich. Thin it down for use as a glaze on meats for grilling, or dessert glazes. Use it on fresh, hot buttered scones or even cornbread muffins.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few delicious variations or substitutions when making this recipe.
- The addition of a sprig of fresh rosemary or thyme will transform this sweet fig preserve into a savory sensation, a perfect compliment at the table with roasted meats!
- You can substitute regular white granulated sugar if you prefer it to the honey.
- Don't substitute another fruit though, as not all fruit are high in pectin the way figs are, and you will need another recipe. See our Blackberry Jam recipe for soft juicy fruits that need pectin to jell for jams or preserves.
- Pizza with Fig Jam - fig preserves are a natural fit for thin crust sausage and onions pizza or flatbread. The salty - savory - fruity are complimentary.
- Baked Brie with Fig Jam -Bake a brie wheel of cheese encrusted in pastry, and top it off with fig preserves.
- Balsamic Fig Glaze - thin fig preserves down with some balsamic vinegar until you get a thick syrup texture. This is divine drizzled on pork chops, lamb, or roasted vegetables.
- Fig Jam Cookies - make an oatmeal crumble dough. Split the dough in half, pressing half in the bottom of the pan. Spread fig preserves all on the bottom crust. Top with the remaining crumble dough and bake for a sheet pan version of Fig Newtons.
Tips For Success
Here are a few tips for making this recipe:
- Buy slightly over ripe fruit, as it has more juice and usually more flavor.
- If making a small bath of preserves, use a smaller saucepan so the fruit fills the volume of the pot better. There will be less risk of scorching.
Storage Options
Some recommended storage options for this recipe are:
- Store in mason jars in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 weeks.
- Store in freezer safe containers in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- For longer pantry storage, use the Hot Water Bath Canning method taught at the Ball Canning website.
Related Recipes
- Blackberry Preserves
- Easy Orange Marmalade
- Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles
- Old Fashioned Pickled Beets
- Italian Charcuterie Board
Frequently Asked Questions
Cheese, especially Brie or Fontina. Use the fig preserve to compliment the savory salty flavor of the cheese to make a gourmet sandwich.
They are very similar, especially after cooking. Basically, Preserves are large chunks of fruit, quarters, halves, or full size small fruits.
They are cooked up until the pectin thickens and then called Preserves. Jam is crushed or smashed fruit of any size, cooked up the same exact way as preserves.
Preserving Recipes
Get The Recipe!
Fig Preserves
Equipment
- Canning jars
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh figs, stems removed, washed and quartered
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup honey
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the prepped figs with the lemon juice. All the figs to sit at room temperature for 45 minutes so they can 'juice up'.1 lb fresh figs, stems removed, washed and quartered, 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Transfer the figs along with the lemon juice to either a slow cooker or a stovetop saucepan. Cook at medium heat until the fruit are soft.
- Add the honey and stir well. Cook, stirring occasionally until the figs break down mushy into a thick, granular jam mixture that coats the spoon without sliding right off. Cook time will be between 45 and 55 minutes usually, depending on the diameter of your saucepan or slow cooker.½ cup honey
- This recipe makes approximately one 16 oz pint. Serve immediately, or short term store in bail or yogurt jars in the refrigerator.
- For long term pantry storage, use the Ball Water Bath Canning method and seal up in Ball canning jars with lids and bands. Be sure to visit the Ball website to read their Water Bath Canning method.
Notes
- You can use a slow cooker on HIGH to cook the fruit into the jam stage, makes this an almost hands off process!
- Buy slightly over ripe fruit, as it has more juice and usually more flavor.
- If making a small bath of preserves, use a smaller saucepan so the fruit fills the volume of the pot better. There will be less risk of scorching.
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