Fig Compote
Perfect for your breakfast toast or on your cheese board, this fig compote is a delightful sweet and earthy condiment that you'll love using.
You'll just need a few fresh figs, some pantry staples and 15 minutes to make a jar full of this deliciousness. Just like my classic blueberry sauce, it's incredibly versatile, and is a great way to put some of that extra fruit to use!
I'm one of those people who always end up getting more fresh fruit than we can eat, and almost every single time, I end up using those extras to make a preserve or a condiment of some kind.
My extra mangos got used up to make a batch of mango ginger chutney and some amba sauce, but this time, I had quite a bit of extra figs leftover. And what could be better than a fresh fruit compote and some fig paste?
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 5 min.
- ⏲️Cook time: 20 min.
- 👪 Servings: 6.
- 📋Main ingredients: Figs, honey, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon.
- ♨️Cooking method: Chop figs 🡢 transfer to a saucepan with sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice 🡢 cook until soft 🡢 add honey and vanilla 🡢 cook until thick and spreadable 🡢 cool and store.
- ⭐Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Create an elegant breakfast spread with toast, fresh fruits, whipped cream, some pistachio cream or spiced pear butter and this lovely compote!
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- It's really easy to make! Just a few pantry staples and under 30 minutes will give you a jar full of this beautiful homemade compote that you can use for weeks!
- You don't need pectin! Making your own fruit compote or jam is actually easy- you'll need just some sugar and lemon juice- I realized this when I made my peach jalapeno jam.
Recipe Ingredients
Figs: Fresh, ripe figs. These are the hero ingredient, so make sure you use the best quality you can get your hands on. Any kind of figs work well here.
Sugar + honey: For sweetness and to help the compote get that jelly-like texture. I like to use my lemon infused honey for added flavor.
Lemon: Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a nice bit of citrusy zing to the compote and balances out the sweetness.
Vanilla: For that aromatic depth.
Cinnamon: For that earthy, slightly spicy undertone. I like to use it for all my fall inspired recipes, especially my apple cider caramel sauce.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Experiment with different spices like cardamom, star anise and cloves to add different warm flavors to the compote. I used black peppercorns and star anise for my pickled rhubarb and it tasted incredible!
- If you don't have fresh lemons for the lemon juice, orange juice can work in a pinch too. Just make sure you don't use the bottled version.
- To lend the fig compote a nice depth of flavor, I like to use an infused honey like spiced orange honey.
How to Make Fig Compote
Step 1: Wash, pat dry and chop the figs into quarters.
Step 2: Transfer them to a saucepan over medium heat with the sugar and cinnamon.
Step 3: Add lemon juice and lemon zest.
Step 4: Add honey and give it a quick mix.
Step 5: Add a splash of water if needed and let the figs cook down and soften. This should take 10-15 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally.
Step 6: Add a pinch of sea salt and vanilla to bring out the flavors. Continue cooking for 5 minutes or until the compote thickens.
💭Top Tip
If you want a smoother, less chunky consistency, you can chop up the figs into smaller pieces before you cook them down.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- If your figs are already quite sweet or you just want to make the compote vegan, you can totally skip adding the honey, and use maple syrup or homemade date puree or date syrup for that depth of flavor.
- Sometimes, I also like to use my olive oil caramel sauce or homemade golden syrup as the sweetener.
- Use the back of your spoon or a potato masher to slightly mash up the figs while they're cooking. This way you get a nice spreadable consistency.
- Use a heavy bottomed pan to make the compote and keep the heat medium-low at all times, so that it doesn't end up burning.
- If you find that the compote is getting too thick while cooking, you can add a splash of water (or even orange juice) to loosen it up and get it to the right, spreadable consistency.
- Don't discard the leftover lemon! Use it up to make candied citrus peel which you can use as a topping for your baked goodies!
How to Use Fig Compote
My favorite way to enjoy fig compote is to spoon some of it over my breakfast oatmeal bowl or add it to my yogurt parfait. It also tastes incredible on a slice of sourdough with some goat's cheese and fresh rosemary- it's either this or my homemade lemon marmalade.
And of course, you can also feature it on a charcuterie board with a selection of cheeses, some cherry tomato confit, crackers, butternut squash chips and my favorite cream cheese stuffed dates.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
Store your leftover compote in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Use a clean, airtight container at all times.
Yes, you can. Simply rehydrate the figs first by soaking them in warm water for 15-20 minutes and then using them for the recipe.
More Fruit Preserves
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this fig compote or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Fig Compote
Ingredients
- 6-8 fresh figs
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 lemon juiced and zested
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cinnamon
Instructions
- Wash, pat dry and chop the figs into quarters.
- Transfer them to a saucepan over medium heat with the sugar and cinnamon.
- Add lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Add honey and give it a quick mix.
- Add a splash of water if needed and let the figs cook down and soften. This should take 10-15 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally.
- Add a pinch of sea salt and vanilla to bring out the flavors. Continue cooking for 5 minutes or until the compote thickens.
