This rich, spoonable balsamic fig jam slow-cooks ripe figs with balsamic vinegar and black peppercorns into a complex condiment that requires no added pectin for a perfect set! Its deep, sweet-and-savory flavor is achieved entirely by simmering on the stovetop, making it an artisanal pantry staple you can confidently whip up at home.
This versatile balsamic fig jam recipe is the ultimate gourmet homemade spread! When processed correctly, it can last for up to 1 year as a shelf-stable condiment to enjoy as a healthy and delicious alternative to store-bought jams. It also makes an impressive gift for the holiday season.
Use it to make this stunning Baked Brie with Fig Jam appetizer, or add it to a cheese board with sharp cheeses, salty cured meats, and crunchy artisanal crackers. It’s also great to drizzle over Fig Prosciutto Pizza or added as a spread to this Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese. For a sweeter version, simply omit the peppercorns – perfect as a topping for ice cream or yogurt.
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🫐 Ingredients:
This fig and balsamic jam contains a number of basic ingredients, and all of them are easy to find at your local grocery store. Let’s talk about the most important ingredients.
- Fresh figs – The key ingredient for this balsamic fig jam recipe! Make sure to prepare the fruit before adding to the saucepan. You do not need to remove the skin.
- Balsamic vinegar – ½ cup of balsamic vinegar will give the jam a nice tang and noticeable flavor. See the substitutions below to adjust this, depending on your preference.
- Black peppercorns – The peppercorns provide a subtle, aromatic heat and a complex spiciness that contrasts with and deepens the sweet richness of the figs.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Substitutions and Variations
- Reduced tang – For a milder flavor, reduce the balsamic vinegar in this balsamic fig jam recipe to ⅓ cup or even ¼ cup, or add more lemon juice. After the jam has simmered a bit, give it a taste and adjust the balsamic as needed.
- Chunkier balsamic fig jam – A potato masher or immersion blender will help to create a smooth jam texture. For a chunkier, more rustic jam, leave some chunks of the cooked figs in the mixture. You can play around to discover what your preferred consistency is.
- Without peppercorns- You can omit the peppercorns for a purely sweet fig jam, though you will lose their complex, spicy contrast to the fruit.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Prepare 6-7 mason jars and lids by washing and sterilizing in boiling water or running through the sterilization cycle on the dishwasher. Keep the jars warm.
Step 1: Wash the figs well, remove their stems, and cut them into halves or quarters. Place them in a saucepan.
Step 2: Add the sugar, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice to the saucepan.
Step 3: Bundle the peppercorns in a small pouch of cheesecloth and add it to the saucepan. You can also add the peppercorns loose to the jam (see notes).
Step 4: Begin heating the jam ingredients over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil.
Pro Tip: Make sure to remove the cheesecloth pouch with peppercorns before processing the jam mixture when using an immersion blender.
Step 5: Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the jam mixture has cooked down and thickened, about 20 minutes.
Step 6: Use a potato masher or an immersion blender to break any larger chunks of figs down to your desired texture.
Step 7: Ladle the jam into the prepared jars.
Step 8: Wipe down the rims of jars with white vinegar, place lids on top, and secure with rings. Allow to cool completely, then store in the refrigerator up to three weeks.
SERVE: Enjoy this fig balsamic jam with crackers, fresh fruit, cheese, nuts, and deli meat as a delicious platter for parties and other social gatherings.
Recipe Tips for Fig and Balsamic Jam
- To process this jam for shelf-stability, add 1/16 teaspoon of citric acid into each 4 oz. jar before adding the freshly made jam. Bring a tall stockpot of water to a full rolling boil and then submerge the jam jars under the boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove the jars from the boiling water and set them on the countertop for 24 hours. After 24 hours, tighten the lids completely and store your processed jam on the shelf for up to 1 year.
- Always refrigerate your balsamic fig jam after opening the sealed jars. It will last for up to 3 weeks in the fridge.
- You can easily make a larger batch of of this fig balsamic jam by multiplying the recipe. Make sure to use a large enough saucepan to hold the increased ingredients and to avoid spillage.
- Use ripe, but still firm, figs. Overly soft or bruised figs will break down too much and can make the jam watery.
- The sugar in this recipe isn’t just for sweetness. It’s a preservative and essential for the jam’s texture and shelf life. Don’t reduce it if you plan on canning for shelf stability.
- When ladling this jam into the jars, leave about ¼ inch of space at the top. This space allows for a proper vacuum to form during processing.
- Write the date on the lids of your jars. It can be easy to forget whether a jar is from this year or last!
Fun Fact
A fig’s natural pectin, which makes “jam gel”, decreases as it ripens. This is why using figs that are ripe but not overly soft is the secret to a perfect set without adding any extra pectin! – Science of Cooking.
Recipe FAQs
No. Pectin is not required for balsamic fig jam. Using a combination of ripe and slightly underripe figs will give you a great set to the jam since the underripe figs naturally have more pectin. I recommend that you don’t use more than ½ pound of underripe figs (about ¼ of the total figs called for in this recipe).
Absolutely! The skins will cook down and blend fine into the jam. Of course, you can remove the skins if they are especially thick. You may also want to remove the fig skins if they aren’t in good condition. In this case, you can scoop out the insides to cook in the saucepan with the rest of the ingredients.
I’ve used 4-ounce mason jars, but you could use other types of glass jars that have sealable lids. I filled about 6-7 mason jars with this homemade fig jam.
More Homemade Jam Recipes!
If you tried this Balsamic Fig Jam Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Balsamic Fig Jam
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. fresh figs stems removed and roughly chopped (about 4 heaping cups)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ⅓-½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 4 T. lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare mason jars and lids by washing and sterilizing in boiling water or running through the sterilization cycle on the dishwasher. Keep warm.
- Wash figs, remove stems, and cut into halves or quarters. Place in saucepan.
- Add sugar, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice.
- Bundle peppercorns in a small pouch of cheesecloth and add to the saucepan. You can also add the peppercorns loose to the jam, see note.
- Begin heating over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until mixture has cooked down and thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Use a potato masher or an immersion blender to break any larger chunks down to desired texture (if using an immersion blender, be sure to remove cheesecloth pouch before processing.)
- Ladle jam into the prepared jars.
- Wipe down rims of jars with white vinegar, place lids on top, and secure with rings. Allow to cook completely, then store in the refrigerator up to three weeks.
- To process jam for shelf-stability, add 1/16 teaspoon of citric acid into each 4 oz. jar before adding jam. Bring a tall stockpot of water to a full rolling boil. Submerge jam jars under the boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the boiling water and set on the countertop for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, tighten the lids completely and store processed jam on the shelf for up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening.
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Notes
- No pectin is needed for this recipe. Using a combination of ripe and slightly underripe figs will give you a great set to the jam – the underripe figs naturally have more pectin. Aim for no more than ¼ of the figs to be underripe (so up to ½ pound).
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar will give the jam a nice tang and noticeable flavor. For a milder flavor, reduce the vinegar to ⅓ cup or even ¼ cup, or add more lemon juice. After the jam has simmered a bit, give it a taste and adjust the balsamic.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Debbie Rhodes says
Bumper crop of figs this year. So glad I found your recipe! Have made different things with all the figs but this tops them all. I like the bite of the whole peppercorns left in as well.
girlinspired says
Oh wonderful!! I don’t have figs anymore, but I did plant two trees and will hopefully have my own figs again soon. Enjoy!
Julie says
I’m in England and don’t have access to fresh figs, can I do this with dried figs do you think?
girlinspired says
I think it’s worth a try! I might try soaking the dry figs in water for a bit to rehydrate them. Not sure if that would do anything as I’ve never tried, but that’s what I would try. You’re going to need some moisture to get the jam boiling and a good consistency.
sally says
I just made a batch of this jam & I love it. It is the first time I have made anything with fresh figs as I usually eat them on the way home from the shop. I think I will cook them more often as I am really impressed with the recipe. Thankyou
steph says
how long will this store for? am thinking of making some for presents for family 🙂 im thinking unopened a couple months if i use preserving sugar and a couple weeks in the fridge when opened?
girlinspired says
Hi Steph, If you process the jars in boiling water (15 minutes) like you would with any jam or canned item, they should store for up to a year on the pantry shelf. Once you break the seal, you do have to refrigerate, and I would think a couple months in the fridge would be fine. I’m definitely giving out mine with Christmas gifts this year. Let me know if you need more info on canning and preserving and I’ll point you to a couple great resources. Have fun!
Susan says
I made this jam yesterday. OH MY GOODNESS!! I sure wish I had figs falling from a tree in excess. I added toasted walnuts to half my batch, that worked beautifully. It is super duper delicious on a creamy blue cheese and cracker. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Absolutely delicious!
Kristie says
Shout out to you & this fab recipe on my post (http://minasarah.blogspot.com/2013/09/happiness-isweek-35.html) Thanks again. <3
Charity says
Just finished making this jam… it’s really unique and tasty! Thank you for the recipe. I realized halfway through making it that I prefer a smoother texture, so I just tossed it in the blender and pulsed it until it was less chunky, then finished cooking it. It worked fine! =)
Charity says
I just wanted to add that the smoother jam, with a little bit of walnut oil and some extra vinegar, makes an amazing vinaigrette. =)
girlinspired says
Ooooo, good idea, Charity! I have a feeling your kitchen is looking a lot like mine lately – I can’t stop making jam – I think I’ve made 30 jars in the last week or so. 🙂 I’m going to try the fig as vinaigrette! Also, I did fig with vanilla and cabernet this weekend and it. is. amazing. in case you needed another idea… 🙂
Ros Gauci says
How much would 2 cups be in weight?
girlinspired says
Hey Ros! Good question – I should have included that – 2 cups is about 1 pound. I made another batch yesterday and quadrupled the recipe – it filled 4 – 12 oz. jars plus 1 – half-pint jar (plus a spoon to lick!) If you have more than a pound of figs available, I highly recommend multiplying the recipe – you’ll get so much more for all your hard work!
Lisa McGriff says
Oh this is so going to be made. I love balsamic vinegar so I know this has to be good.
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
If you leave the peppercorns in the jam, do the soften in the final product? Or are you biting into a whole peppercorn?
Thanks!
KK
girlinspired says
Hey K! They don’t soften, but the jam is really chunky – I rarely bite into a whole peppercorn, but when I do it just kind of blends with the other chunks and it doesn’t bother me, but if the thought creeps you out, definitely wrap them in some cheesecloth and fish them out when you’re done!
Kristie says
I can’t wait to try this! My fig tree makes TONS of figs & I never know what to do with them. I’ll be sure to let you know how my jam turns out! <3