Spiced Fig Jam Recipe for Canning

This fig jam recipe is made with fresh ripe figs and spiced with the warm spices of cardamom, cinnamon., ginger and nutmeg for a perfect fall treat. An apple is included for pectin.

The instructions include directions for canning these fig preserves to enjoy all through autumn, and makes a great hostess gift.

Jump to Recipe

Want to make this recipe perfectly the first time? I want to help with that. So, check out this Table of Contents to see which sections of this post will help you the most.

Jump to:

• 🤷‍♀️ What is the difference between jam and preserves?
• ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
• 🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
• 👩‍🍳 How to Shell Cardamom Pods
• 🔪 Recommended Equipment
• 👩‍🍳 Equipment Notes
• 📝 Instructions Overview
• 👩‍🍳 How to know if your jam has set
• 🏔️ Making Jam at High Altitude
• 💡 Ways to Use This Spiced Fig Jam
• 📇 More recipes with figs
• Spiced Fig Jam

Fall is in the air here in the mountains. And that means making a batch of this spiced fig jam.

My other favorite preserve to make in the fall is this Ginger Pear Jam with Cinnamon and Vanilla. Together with this recipe it's one of the most popular posts on this blog every fall.

Making your first batch of jam can intimidate many, especially if you plan to preserve it with a hot bath canning process.

But you may be surprised at how easy it is once you understand the rules for doing it safely.

I've included excellent tips I learned in culinary school to guarantee success!

🤷‍♀️ What is the difference between jam and preserves?

Jams are made by mashing fruits. Preserves, on the other hand, have chunks of the fruit it in, or even the whole fruit.

Technically, this jam is may be considered preserves since chunks of figs are in the mixture. But the figs are mashed, so it could be considered a jam by many as well. My ginger pear jam is a jam since the pears are so soft, they melt into the mixture while it simmers.

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

• The flavor with the warm spices is pure fall.
• It preserves fresh figs so you can enjoy them all through the fall.
• The apple give you all the pectin you need, so there's no need for liquid pectin.
• There are so many ways to enjoy it from breakfast to serving with roasted butternut squash at dinner.

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👩‍🍳 How to Shell Cardamom Pods

Ideally you are able to purchase cardamom seeds. But sometimes that's not possible and you'll need to purchase green cardamom pods. These photos show the steps in the best way to shell the pods to remove the seeds.

This method is the fastest way to break open a lot of pods. But if you don't have a mortar and pestle set, no worries. Here are two more ways to break open the pods:

1. Use the flat edge of a chefs knife. Lay the flat edge of the knife on top of a cardamom pod, and slam hard on it with the palm of your hand. This should crack open the pod. Use the sharp point of any knife to remove the seeds.
2. Pound anything heavy onto the pod, such as a heavy jar to break open the pods.

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👩‍🍳 Equipment Notes

If you're relatively new to making your own jam and preserves, and to canning, this section provides a little more information on the equipment I recommend to make it as easy as possible.

Macerating the fruit

• When soaking any fruit for infusing flavors into it, always use a non-metallic bowl. Metals in metallic bowls can interact with fruit acids and affect the flavor.
• If you try this recipe with dried figs, I recommend soaking the figs first in warm water to rehydrate them. Since you're only rehydrating them, it's fine to use a metal bowl. Once they're rehydrated, transfer the figs to a non-metallic bowl and continue with the directions for using fresh figs.

What kind of pot is best for making jam?

• The best pot by far is an unlined copper pot. This linked one is similar to what I used in culinary school. This promotes a very even heating across it's surface which prevents burning. I find that coated cast iron pots like Le Creuset work very well too. Otherwise, use a good quality stainless steel pot.
• A wide mouth pot is better than a saucepan shape. This allows more the jam to have greater contact with the bottom heated surface of the pot. This is important when heating it to the correct temperature.

What tools do you need to start canning?

Besides a good pot for cooking the jam and a thermometer that goes to at least 220˚F, there are a few tools that make it easy to fill jars and seal them.

• If you don't have any canning supplies, and you plan to make jam a few times a year, it's worth investing in a canning pot set. It comes with a large canning pot, which may or may not have a temperature gauge, and lot of useful tools, which you can also buy separately. These are the ones I find the most valuable to have.
  • If there's any jam on the rim of the jars, they won't seal. A wide mouth funnel that seats neatly into the top of the jar makes it super easy to spoon jam into the jars and never leave any on the rim. If you plan to make jelly, it's nice to get a funnel with a strainer.
  • A canning rack to keep the jars from touching the bottom of the pot, and to make it easy to lift the jars out of the water.
  • Tongs specifically for canning. These allow you to easily lift individual jars from the hot water.

📝 Instructions Overview

Detailed instructions for making this fig jam are in the recipe card below, but here's an overview!

Step 1

Prep the figs. Wash and dry the figs, and quarter them. I like to use Black Mission figs for their deeper flavor.

Step 2

Macerate the figs. Place the quartered figs in a large non-metallic bowl or dish. Metal can interact with fruit acids and alter the taste of the jam. Add the sugar and spices.

Stir to coat the figs, cover the bowl and sit on the counter for 6 - 8 hours or overnight.

Step 3

Sterilize the jars. If you have a canning pot, fill the pot with enough water to completely cover the jars. Lower the jars and lids into the water in the canning rack. Keep in the boiling water for 10 minutes. Lift them from the water.

If you don't have a canning pot, use a pot deep enough to completely submerge the jars. Don't allow the jars to touch the bottom of the pot. Either use a rack, if you have one, or tie some jar rings together with twine to create a rack for the jars to rest on. Submerge in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Step 4

Make jam. Combine the macerated figs with the apple, lemon juice and water. Bring to a boil, stirring as needed to make sure the fruit doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Using a candy thermometer or other thermometer that goes to at least 220˚F, bring the boiling jam to set temperature, typically 8 degrees higher than boiling point. At sea level, this is typically around 220˚F.

Mash the fruit a bit using a potato masher or a stick blender. It should still be a little chunky.

Step 5

Fill the jars. Fill the sterilized jars with the jam. Be sure to leave some head room at the tops of the jars. Run a towel around the rims of the jars to remove any jam drips, and screw the lids on tightly.

As the jam cools, the jars will seal.

👩‍🍳 How to know if your jam has set

The set temperature is the temperature when a jam begins to gel. This is generally 8˚F above boiling point. If you're making jam at sea level, this equates to a set temperature of approximately 220˚F. But it's always advised to test the jam before filling jars.

The 2 methods I use most often to determine if a jam is setting up are:

1. Sheet / Spoon Test: Ladle some jam into a large metal spoon and raise it above the pot. Pour the jam back into the pot. If the jam has set up properly, once most of the jam has poured back into the pot, at least two large drops will form and join together at the tip of the spoon to form a sheet as they drop.
2. Freezer Test: Chill a small plate in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Ladle a little jam onto the chilled plate and return it to the freezer for 1 - 2 minutes to cool. Remove and tilt the plate. If the jam runs easily, it's not set up. If it moves very slowly - slower than molasses - it's ready.

🏔️ Making Jam at High Altitude

Adjustments for Making Jam

At sea level, water boils at 212˚F. But that changes as you increase your altitude, and this affects when your jam sets up. In fact, boiling temperatures drop 1˚F for each 500 feet of increased altitude above sea level.

I make this spiced fig jam at 7100 feet, which means my water boils at 198˚F. Since the set temperature is generally 8˚F higher than the boiling point, this means my jam sets up at 206˚F instead of the 220˚F required at sea level.

However, always perform one of the two methods in the above section to confirm the jam has set up.

Adjustments for Hot Water Canning

When water bath canning, use the following guidelines for the amount of time to add to sea level processing time.

• 5 minutes processing time from 1000 - 3000 feet.
• 10 minutes processing time from 3000 - 6000 feet.
• 15 minutes processing time from 6,000 - 8,000 feet.
• 20 minutes processing time from 8,000 - 10,000 feet.

💡 Ways to Use This Spiced Fig Jam

• Stir it into your morning yogurt
• Add to oatmeal
• Spread on biscuits (especially cheddar biscuits!!)
• Serve as an appetizer with some sharp cheddar cheese or a soft cheese and crackers
• Baste it on roasting butternut or acorn squash
• Add a dollop on pumpkin soup

📇 More recipes with figs

• Fig-Apple Jam
• Spiced Persimmon Cookies with Dried Figs
• Figgy Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Apple and Fig Stuffing
• Fig and Anise Bread
• Fig Crostada