Easy Fig Chutney with Pomegranate Molasses
This easy fig chutney recipe combines fresh figs with cinnamon, bay and tangy pomegranate molasses for a rich Mediterranean-inspired preserve. Sweet and savoury with a hint of warmth, it’s perfect alongside cheese, plant-based pâtés or spread in sandwiches. And it’s simple to make at home.
Last year we managed to harvest enough figs from our garden tree for me to make a pot of jam. I thought that was a good year. This year has been a bumper one. The birds have had more than their fair share of course, but we bagged quite a few – literally. And I had enough to make some fig chutney this year.
Dive Right In
- Why You’ll Want To Make This Easy Fig Chutney
- Meditereanean Fig Chutney
- Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions
- How To Make Easy Fig Chutney
- Other Fresh Fig Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- Pin It
- The Recipe
Why You’ll Want To Make This Easy Fig Chutney
- Cheese boards and platters – This chutney turns a simple cheese board into something special. It’s perfect for sharing with friends or serving at gatherings.
- Easy homemade gift – Jar it up, tie with a ribbon and you’ve got a thoughtful homemade gift for food lovers.
- Long shelf life – A pantry staple that keeps well for months, so you can enjoy the taste of late summer figs into winter and beyond.
- Mediterranean-inspired twist – Pomegranate molasses adds a tangy, fruity depth that makes a change from classic British chutneys.
- Seasonal abundance – A delicious way to make the most of fresh figs when they’re in season, especially if you’ve grown them yourself or picked them locally.
- Simple preserving for beginners – You don’t need any specialist equipment or skills. If you can chop and stir, you can make this chutney.
- Versatility in the kitchen – Spread it in sandwiches, pair with cheese or use it to accompany a good curry.
Mediterranean Fig Chutney
Chutney is one of the easiest preserves to make. It’s mostly a case of chucking everything in a pan and letting it bubble slowly away until it’s thick enough to jar up. There’s usually, however, a fair amount of prep needed first. Not so with this fig chutney. It’s one of the simplest you can make. It’s also less messy. There’s no need to peel the skin and core, as you would for apples or to stone the fruit, as you would for plums.
Although boiling fruit in sugar and vinegar makes for a very British-style chutney, I’ve gone for a lighter, more Mediterranean twist with this one. Figs are from the Med after all. There are no heavy spices and no garlic – just a cinnamon stick, a bay leaf and plenty of freshly ground pepper.
I’ve kept additional flavours to a minimum so the figs can truly shine.
I nearly always add chilli to my chutneys, but this time I’ve bucked the trend. The only heat comes from a generous twist of black pepper, which gives a subtle, lingering warmth. Having said that, a single cinnamon stick brings its own kind of warmth – a gentle aromatic one.
The figs are the star here, their soft, honeyed sweetness deepened by the tangy, fruity notes of pomegranate molasses. It’s an idea I borrowed from my fig jam recipe, where it works beautifully.
The chutney’s colour is a rich, jewel-like crimson, but the flavour remains fresh and bright, with the fruitiness of late-summer figs singing through in every mouthful.
As with most chutneys, it’s best to leave it for a few weeks to mellow before tucking in. That said, I made three and a half jars, so I started to use the half jar straight away – it’s still delicious. If you leave it to rest though, the sharper vinegary notes meld and the flavours have a chance to infuse.
Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions
As I wanted to keep the flavours simple for this fig chutney, the ingredients are relatively few.
Figs
This is a recipe where fresh figs are called for. If you grow your own, it’s a brilliant one for using any that are past their best or have been pecked by birds.
Onions
Onions are essential in chutneys. They give a savoury piquant note and add balance to all that sweet and sour. Because of their colour, red onions are the best ones to use in this fig chutney, but if you can’t get hold of any, ordinary brown ones are fine.
Pomegranate Molasses
If you’ve never tried pomegranate molasses before, it’s well worth keeping a bottle in your store cupboard. It’s both sweet and sour and has a complex fruity flavour which adds depth to dips, stews and salad dressings. You can also drizzle it over sweet dishes such as ice cream or meringues. It’s used widely in Middle Eastern cuisine.
Spices
Cinnamon pairs very nicely with figs. However, I’ve used a cinnamon stick rather than ground cinnamon as the flavour is a bit more subtle and won’t overwhelm the figs themselves.
Bay is synonymous with the Med, so a bay leaf has to go in.
I nearly always add chilli to my chutneys, so this time I changed tack. The only heat comes from black pepper which gives a subtle warmth. I’ve used a significant amount though.
Sugar
Demerara sugar is commonly used to make chutneys and is my personal favourite. It’s less refined than white or golden sugars and gives light caramel notes which adds to the overall flavour, but doesn’t dominate. But you can easily swap it for soft brown sugar or even golden caster or granulated sugar.
Vinegar
All chutneys need vinegar, both for preservation and flavour. I used apple cider vinegar, because that’s what I had in the cupboard and it works well with fruit. But red wine vinegar is a good one to go for in this instance. It has the right colour and fits better with the Mediterranean vibe.
How To Make Easy Fig Chutney
How long the chutney takes to reduce to the right consistency will depend on the size of your pan and the juiciness of your figs. Mine took an hour.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for cooking temperatures and quantities of ingredients used.
Step 1. Prepare Fruit & Veg
One of the brilliant things about this recipe is that there’s not too much prep to do.
For the figs, just wash them, remove the stalks and roughly chop the flesh. Keep the skins on, there’s absolutely no need to peel.
Peel the onion, then dice it as finely as you can.
Step 2. Cook Chutney
Place the chopped figs and onion in a large saucepan along with all the other ingredients. Place over a low to medium heat and slowly bring everything to a simmer. This gives the sugar time to dissolve.
Give everything a good stir. Then simmer gently with the lid off for about an hour or until thick. It’s important that you cook the chutney long and slow, so everything has a chance to cook properly and the flavours to blend.
Stir from time-to-time to stop anything catching on the bottom and burning. This is particularly important towards the end as the chutney becomes thick. The chutney is done when you scrape your wooden spoon along the bottom of the pan and the space stays clear for at least a couple of seconds.
Step 3. Pot and Store
Whilst the chutney is simmering, sterilise your jars and lids. I have a post on how to sterilise glass jars. When the chutney is ready, take your jars out of the oven and place on a heat proof surface. I use one of my chopping boards.
Carefully remove the bay leave and cinnamon stick from the pan, then using a sterilised jam funnel, spoon the hot chutney into the still hot sterilised jars. Fill them, but leave a one centimetre gap (third of an inch) at the top.
Place wax covers over the surface, then seal tightly with sterilised lids. You don’t have to use wax covers, but I find my jams and chutneys keep better with them.
Leave the jars to cool thoroughly, then label.
Store in a cool dark place for up to a year. The flavour and texture is better if you leave them for a month before opening. Once opened, store in the fridge and eat within a few weeks.
Other Fresh Fig Recipes You Might Like
- fig, apple & pomegranate jam
- fig & goat’s cheese tart with walnuts & honey
- fig tarts with white chocolate & mascarpone filling
- fresh fig scones with honey
- upside-down fig cake
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this easy fig chutney, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or tips for using fresh figs?
Please rate the recipe too. And do tag me @choclette8 on Instagram with your images, I love to see your take on my recipes.
For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?
If you’d like more chutney recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Easy Fig Chutney. PIN IT.
Easy Fig Chutney with Pomegranate Molasses
Equipment
- preserving pan (affiliate link) optional
- jam funnel (affiliate link) optional
- 250ml jam jars (affiliate link) optional
- wax discs (affiliate link) optional
Ingredients
- 600 g fresh figs stalks removed and roughly chopped (I used 8 large ones)
- 1 large red onion or 2 small ones – peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 125 g demerara sugar
- 225 g apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground is best
- ½ tsp sea or rock salt
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and slowly bring the mix to a simmer so that the sugar has a chance to dissolve. Give everything a good stir.
- Simmer gently with the lid off for about an hour or until thick. The chutney is done when you scrape your wooden spoon along the bottom of the pan and the space stays clear for a couple of seconds. Stir from time-to-time to stop anything catching on the bottom and burning. This is particularly important towards the end as the chutney becomes thick.
- Spoon the hot chutney into sterilised jars through a sterilised jam funnel.
- Place wax covers over the top, then seal tightly with sterilised lids.
- Leave to cool thoroughly, then label.
What a fabulous recipe! And that color!
Thank you. I’m never happy unless I have a cupboard full of homemade chutneys, sauces and jams.
always fun to make chutney and have lovely glowing jars in the pantry (or fridge in my case). Hubby told me there are half a dozen jars downstairs and i’ve just made some lemon and lime chutney. Many curry meals coming up!
cheers
sherry
Fabulous, I do like a few jars of chutney hanging around and your lemon and lime sounds delicious.