Is there an abundance of figs in your backyard? Make this Unripe Fig Jam Recipe with some of them before they get ripe. You will be amazed with the result. Nothing like you've tasted before. A great sweet snack or a garnish for your crepes and pancakes.
Jams have a special place in the category of Turkish desserts, they are one of the staple breakfast food. Check out our mulberry jam recipe, orange jam recipe and lemon jam recipe, which are perfect with cakes. Also our plum jam made with butter is great on toasted bread. All are made without pectin.
We love that green color of this unripe fig jam! Most people think that unripe fruits are worthless. Wrong for unripe figs! This jam is unbelievable! Try it and see it yourself!
What Is Unripe Fig Jam?
When I saw unripe figs at the open market today, I decided to make this fig jam. A village woman was selling it. She told that she picked these unripe figs up from the tree in their village. She had no scales, just 2 bags of figs in front of her.
She said each bag weighs 1 kilo (2,20 pound), and her word was enough for me, no need to weigh on a scale. I bought one of the bags, but I had never made unripe fig jam before although I ate many times.
Luckily enough, that lady gave me the instructions providing that I would come back and tell her the result. Proud to say that I've succeeded. A bowl of the jam would be a nice gift for her, right?
You might find it weird to make jam of unripe figs, but I can tell that you don’t feel any unripeness when you taste it. We call it jam, but I think it can also be included in category of desserts as I love to eat it not just at breakfast but also during day with cream, ice cream or plain.
Btw did you know anything about the benefits of unripe fig sap, that sticky white liquid. It is helpful in the treatment of skin warts. Just drop it on the wart and see the result.
How To Prepare Unripe Figs
We need to prepare the unripe figs before starting to make the jam.
Wash the figs well and cut off their stems.
Fill a large pot with water, bring it to a boil and put the figs in it. Let them simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and transfer them into a large bowl filled with cold water.
When they are cool enough to touch, squeeze the figs gently to remove their bitter taste. You can make tiny holes on figs with a needle if you like and then squeeze. This will help the bitter juice to release easier.
Repeat this step one more time. Boil some water in a pot, put the figs in it. Let them simmer for 10 minutes. Drain, transfer into cold water and then squeeze one by one.
This squeezing part might take a long time, but if you are passionate enough, you’ll see it is worth.
Making Unripe Fig Jam
Meanwhile you can start to boil water (1100 ml) and sugar (1 kilo) together in a different pot. After it boils, add the squeezed figs in it.
You will see that these figs turn back into their original shape in this boiling syrup. Put the cloves with the figs to give this jam an outstanding flavor. Let them simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Finally, add lemon juice and boil it 5 minutes more.
Storing
Let the unripe fig jam cool completely and fill it in jars. First put the figs into jars and then pour the syrup over each jar, trying to share it evenly.
You can keep the jars at room temperature, at a dry and dark place. We love it cold, so we keep it in refrigerator.
Serving
This unripe fig jam makes a wonderful breakfast on toasted bread.
You can serve it with some walnuts and clotted cream or dondurma (Turkish ice cream) on the side.
More Fig Recipes
More Sweet Recipes
- Turkish Baklava
- Ayva Tatlisi (Quince Dessert)
- Turkish Pumpkin Dessert
As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!
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📖 Recipe
Unripe Fig Jam
INGREDIENTS
- 1 kilo figs unripe
- 1 kilo sugar
- 1100 ml water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon cloves
INSTRUCTIONS
- Clean the figs and take off their stems.
- Put the figs in boiling water for 10 minutes. After that, move them to cold water. When they're cool, squeeze them to get rid of the bitter taste. If you want, make small holes in the figs before squeezing. This can make squeezing easier.
- Do this again: Boil the figs for 10 minutes, then move to cold water and squeeze each one.
- Squeezing takes time, but it's worth it. Next, boil water (1100 ml) with sugar (1 kilo) in another pot. When it's boiling, add the squeezed figs.
- The figs will look normal in this sweet boiling water. Add cloves for extra taste. Let them boil for 25-30 minutes. Then add lemon juice and boil 5 more minutes. Let the fig jam cool.
- Put the figs in jars and pour the sweet water over them.
- Store the jars in a cool, dark place. We like the jam cold, so we put it in the fridge.
NUTRITION
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Margaret says
I tried this last year and I didn’t enjoy the Resulting texture of the figs. Mine turned out quite mealy. Did I do something wrong and should try again this year? Or is this a normal texture they are meant to be?
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Margaret;
Thanks so much for your message, and for giving the recipe a try! We're sorry to hear the texture didn't turn out how you hoped.
The jam should have a soft, slightly chewy texture, so a mealy result isn’t typical.
It’s hard to say exactly what caused it, but one possibility is that the figs used may have still had too much of their natural sap (that white sticky liquid in unripe figs). This can sometimes affect the texture and taste, especially if the bitterness-removal step wasn’t long or thorough enough. Also, fig varieties can behave differently. Some may break down more when cooked.
If you’re able to find firm, very young figs again this year, it might be worth trying once more. We’d love to hear how it turns out if you do!
Hannah Porter says
Do you use jam sugar or normal sugar for this recipe please?
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Hqnnah, we use normal sugar.
Laura says
what are the amounts/measurements for sugar and water?
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Laura,
Please check the recipe card to see the measurements.
cec..fig addict says
I sand them lightly with sandpaper..give babybum soft figs.
cec..fig addict says
THE BEST FIG recipe...am busy making it 5th time and no end in sight...love it....thank you!
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Thank you so much! So happy to hear that you like it this much 🙂
Deborah says
Hello Zerrin & Yusuf,
Thank you for posting such a useful recipe. I have followed your instructions and am just boiling them up in the syrup. I am planning to leave them in the syrup overnight and then reboil and bottle. I have learnt a lot, and realised part way through that about 7/8 of my figs were a bit too small and weren’t softening, so they were discarded. Can’t wait to try. Thank you again.
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Deborah,
So happy to hear that you have found our recipe helpful. It might be even better if you let them sit in the syrup overnight. The longer they sit, the tastier they become.
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback with us. And we would really appreciate it much if you can give a rating to the recipe when you have time.
Cheers!
Jeanne says
These are male figs, not unripe figs. On the female tree nothing is growing yet, the male figs are “ripe” is spring (now!)
I make jam every spring, very good with some orange zest.
Jon says
You 5 1/2 water, how much is that ?
Zerrin & Yusuf says
It is 5 and 1/2 cups as written in the ingredient list.
Carolin says
Made this today and last year of the unripe figs left on our tree since it's almost winter here in Canada. Unfortunately only about 1/3 of the figs on the tree ripen because the tree doesn't get enough sun 🙁 Yummy!
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Caroline,
Glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Simona says
I’m in progress with this recipe, but curious if anyone has any recommendations for how to clean the sticky white sap from pots and bowls? I’m having such trouble getting it off! Hoping the final product turns out well!
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Simona,
This is something we have never had difficulty with. Thank you for asking. Warm water and soap should be working. No? You can try white vinegar too. Hope this helps.
Reanon Casillo says
How long is the jam good for after making?
Zerrin & Yusuf says
You can keep it for 2 months in the fridge. You need to can it if you want to keep it longer.
Holly says
Thank you for the recipe. I look forward to trying it.
My question is how unripe can the figs be?
Our fig tree (possibly a Desert King variety?) produces two crops of figs, but in our climate (pacific northwest) the later figs never ripen.
This recipe will be great for our first crop figs that sometimes get picked underripe (before the critters come and take them).
I am wondering if it would work for the second crop figs as well? They grow to about half the size of our first crop figs and remain hard.
Thank you very much!
Zerrin & Yusuf says
We make this jam with really unripe figs that are hard and inedible if not turned into a jam. So this recipe should work for your second crop figs too.
Cheers!