fig jam recipe with step by step photos – this easy, delicious and healthy jam is made with fresh figs and powdered jaggery. in the absence of jaggery, you can use sugar though. the jam is made without any artificial preservatives or additives. i have not even added pectin to the jam.
when the figs were in season i had made this fig jam. i had got these fresh figs from the market, only to make a fig jam. i do prepare jams with seasonal fruits and they never get to the blog. this time i was like… at least a few jam recipes should be posted on the blog.
there is no better way to preserve seasonal fruits and their goodness in the form of preserves, jams and marmalades.
just a small jar is enough to suffice for a week. the first few spoonfuls of the jam we had with homemade whole wheat bread. the rest i used to make a fig jam bread roll.
this delicious fig jam can also be used as a topping on muffins, cakes, custards and ice creams. i have used my friend anamika’s recipe. one more jam recipe on the blog made from just 3 ingredients is strawberry jam recipe.
fig jam recipe details below:
fig jam recipe
INGREDIENTS FOR fig jam recipe
- 12 to 15 fresh figs
- ¼ cup organic powdered jaggery or sugar (add more if required. also depends on the sweetness of the figs)
- 2 to 3 pinch of cinnamon powder (dalchini powder)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup water
HOW TO MAKE fig jam recipe
- rinse the fresh figs well and let them dry naturally or dry with a kitchen towel.
- chop the figs.
- in a thick bottomed pan, add the chopped figs and water.
- on a low flame, cook the figs.
- after 4-5 minutes add the powdered jaggery.
- continue to cook the jam mixture on a low flame for a good 35-40 minutes stirring pretty frequently.
- if the mixture looks dry to you, then add some tbsp or about 1/4 cup hot water.
- check for doneness of the jam as mentioned in the step by step post above.
- lastly add the cinnamon powder and lemon juice. mix well.
- cover the pan loosely with a kitchen towel and allow the jam to cool.
- when the fig jam is completely cooled, pour into a clean jar.
- keep the fig jam in refrigerator.
- fig jam stays good for 10-12 days.
making jams or preserves are easy. a few pointers would help:
- care has to be taken about the hygiene. whenever i make jams that will last long for months, i always sterilize the glass jar in hot boiling water. for this recipe, since its a small quantity, you don’t need to sterilize the jar. use a clean jar and keep the jam jar in the fridge.
- use good quality and fresh fruits.
- the fruits have to be rinsed well and then dried with a clean kitchen towel.
- when the jam is done, no water or moisture should fall in the jam. hence cover the pan with a kitchen towel and not with a lid so that no condensation happens on the lid. the shelf life reduces if there is moisture or water in the jam. the jam can also get spoiled easily.
- lemon juice is a natural preservative along with jaggery/sugar.
- the spices added to the jam or preserve not only makes the jam flavorsome but also acts as a preservative.
so here is a step by step fig jam recipe:
1: rinse and dry the figs. chop the figs. you can even mash them.
2: in a pan, add the chopped figs and 1 cup water.
3: keep the pan on fire and let the figs cook. after 4-5 minutes add the powdered jaggery or sugar.
4: stir and let the fig jam mixture cook slowly on a low flame. after 9 minutes.
5 : the mixture will begin to thicken slowly. keep stirring and mash the cooked figs whilst stirring. after 8 minutes…
6: fig jam mixture after 7 minutes…
7: once the mixture has begun thickening, keep an eye. it will begun to thicken quickly and if you don’t keep an eye you might end up with a thick gelatinous mass. after 3 minutes…
8: lastly after 5 minutes. the whole cooking of the fig jam on a low flame has taken about 40 minutes. this is the consistency of the jam we want. when the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan, it means its done. other ways to check the consistency and doneness is by doing two tests.
a: plate test – take a spoonful of fig jam on a plate and let it cool. if it sets on cooling and there is no water separation, this means the jam is done.
b: sheeting – another test is to take the fig jam in a spoon and allow it to fall. if the jam falls in a form of sheet, it is done and ready to be bottled. also toward the end add the cinnamon powder and lemon juice. stir and mix well.
11: cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and let the jam cool. once cooled, fill a bottle with the jam. keep in the fridge. this fig jam won’t stay long since its soooo good, it will get over fast.
ok. thanks for replying ☺
very tempting, can we use dried figs instead
usha, i am not sure how the jam with dried figs will be and also not sure for how long it will remain.
I tried this jam today and turned out yummy. I used brown sugar . I have a fig tree and so will be making this again and again . Thank you .
thanks sonal for this positive feedback. you are lucky to have fig tree 🙂
Nice recipe! , I’m wondering if can I use another variety of fig for this jam because I have a wild fig tree in my backyard (its figs are small and red are also very tasty and its “overflowing” on the branches) and because it bears very often , I just eat them fresh from the tree.
thanks aaron. yes you can use but adjust the sugar as per sweetness of the wild fig.
Thanks for the recipe! I actually used frozen (thawed) figs, and decreased the water to ¾ cup. I’m serving it with baked brie muffins!
welcome brittney. thanks for sharing the feedback and your variation.
Thanks for this recipe… Our neighbours have a fig tree and every season they share a lot with us..i never knew how can use them coz my husband and daughter never eat figs as is. Now i know how to utilize them
welcome anamika. good to know this. i think with fresh home grown figs your jam will be very delicious.
How long will this store for?
about a month in the fridge.
I made this with fresh figs from my tree. It is delicious!! Thank-you
welcome joan
Excellent recipe…..was so good I had to share. Used it as a topping on broccoli pesto and eggplant….perfect compliment. Thank you for sharing…….!!! Par excellence!
welcome
Do you think I can make this with juice? I started making it and then after I started I decided to look up a recipe. We got about 3 quarts of figs in two days and so I am making jam with them. I like to use jaggery in every thing so, I like the fact that this recipe calls for jaggery.
when you say juice, if its with the pulp and all than you can surely make the jam.
I wanted to make this recipe but I just needed a clarification. How much water should we initially add?
sharon, i have added one cup of water and it is mentioned in step by step method. now adding it in ingredient list also. thanks for asking.
Hi,
I have my figs ready to try making this recipe/jam, but I have a question. Do the figs not have to be peeled? Does it make a difference if I do take the skin off? The reason I ask is because I spray my figs with washing up liquid and beer to stop the bugs from getting at them.
Also, can normal sugar be used?
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
John
hi john, there is no need to peel the figs usually as the peels are very soft. but as you have sprayed the figs, i suggest you peel them. you can use regular sugar.
I always soak my figs in soda water (about 1/2 box of soda to a sink full of figs…then add water to cover) for about 30 minutes then rinse off with cold water before cooking.
To answer John’s question……this would take care of the cleaning the figs. NEVER peel figs.
thanks amanda for this tip which has also answered john’s query.
Thank you Dassana for the mention, I am soon going to try figs Jam with Jaggery, it surely is a healthy option :)!
I like it.
so tempting and making with jaggery is good for health
much better than making with sugar.
seems very appitising I will definately try it Thanks.
Nice variation with jaggery. Have never bought fresh figs. Time I did.
thats the apt for BREAD 🙂 infact i would like to take with poori weird combo its oke i like to have !
Wow.. looks so tempting and the detailed step-wise pics helps us not to go wrong in any steps.. Recently I made gooseberry jams the similar way for my kid who is anaemic.. Will try with figs too..
thanks poornima. do try making jam with figs too. in fact the same recipe can be used to make apple or pear jam also.
looks so delicious!just want to have some now 🙂
btw, great clicks!