If you're a fan of figs, you'll love this easy fig preserve recipe. This recipe only takes three ingredients and is perfect for slow cooker or stovetop cooking.
This fresh fig preserve is absolutely delicious, perfect for charcuterie platters, fresh baked scones, or even smeared on a pizza or flatbread.
Why you will love this recipe
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.
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.
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Ingredients
- Fresh Figs, look for the Black Mission figs, they are extremely flavorful.
- Lemon juice, fresh squeezed.
- Honey, try to get your local honey.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Fig Preserves
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.
Prepare the Figs
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.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post
Add the Lemon Juice
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.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Mix to Combine
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.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Add the Honey
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 and lid off.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Cook and Jar
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.
This means the natural pectin has been activated by the reduction of the moisture and acid from the lemon. You are ready to ladle this hot fig preserve into the prepared jam jars.
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.
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.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Serving suggestions
You will use fig preserve as both a jam and as a condiment. In the variations section of this blog post I provide some really great ways to use fig preserve.
Fig jam and brie make a perfect appetizer for your next brunch or Holiday gathering also. Try it on our Caramelized Onion Flatbread.
Spread the fig preserve on croissants with ham and Fontina cheese for a gourmet sandwich. Thin it up for use as a glaze. Use it on fresh, hot buttered scones or even cornbread muffins. So may uses, so little jam!
If you like making your own jams and condiments, be sure to see our Blackberry Preserves and Pumpkin Butter recipes.
Substitutions
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.
Variations
You can use fig preserve in a variety of ways, here are a few that I have used them:
- 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.
Equipment
You will also need canning jars. Use the 4 oz or 6 oz size so that you. You can use the canning jars for short term refrigerator method jam and the longer term Water Bath canning method. Bail jars are only suitable for shorter term preservation though.
Last, you will need some Water Bath processing equipment, and a good book on the details of canning and preserving is important to have on hand as a reference.
- Ball Canning Jars
- Bail Jars
- Water Bath Canning equipment
- Crockpot or Slow Cooker
- Canning & Preserving guide book
- Ball's Water Bath Canning method guide at their website
Top Tips
- 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.
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.
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📖 Recipe
Fig Preserves
Equipment
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.
Nutrition
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