This fig paste recipe is a delicious sweet fruit spread made entirely from dried figs, with no added sugar. You can either use it as you would jam, or use it to sweeten your baking. You can even serve it with cheese or dried meats, like a chutney.
If you like figs, you're in for a treat!
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What you'll love about the recipe
- Naturally sweet. There's no added sugar in the recipe.
- Easy to make. This delicious treat will be ready in just 15 minutes.
- Made with dried figs, so you can enjoy it all year round.
- Fig paste is good for you. Figs are a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals. They are great for digestive health and help to feed healthy gut bacteria.
Ingredients
You'll just need one ingredient for this recipe - dried figs! You can use any type of dried fig for this recipe. Most of the supermarket figs now are semi soft, which makes them especially easy to break down. But if your figs are particularly hard, you can just soak them for a bit longer.
You'll also need boiling water to soak the figs.
If you don't have figs, you can also make date paste using dried dates.
How to make fig paste
Cut the little hard stem off the top of the figs and cut each fig into about 6 pieces. I find it easiest to use a pair of kitchen scissors.
Put the chopped figs in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.
Drain the figs, reserving the soaking water. You may want some of the soaking water to thin the fig paste, or you could even add it to a smoothie or other recipe.
Add the figs to a food processor and process until smooth. Use a little of the soaking water if you want to thin the paste.
You could also use an immersion blender to blitz the paste. A high powered blender will be even quicker, but isn't essential.
Storage and serving
Store the fig paste in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It also freezes well.
There's plenty of uses for this delicious fig paste (I find it very difficult to not not eat it straight out the jar!)
It's a great way to sweeten your breakfast. Add it to oat bran porridge, spiced porridge or enjoy it on toast. I also love it on this gluten free seed bread. You can also spread it over pancakes or oat flour waffles. Or pop a spoonful into your smoothie if you're craving a little extra sweetness.
Fig paste also works well in baking. You could use it as a healthy filling for a cake or a tart. Or use it instead of dates in these healthy oat bars. You can also use it in any recipe that calls for date paste.
Variations
You can vary the flavour of your fig paste by adding some spice. A quarter teaspoon of ground cinnamon, cardamom or clove will all complement the flavour of figs.
If you want to sweeten the flavour further, add a teaspoon or two of honey.
Frequently asked questions
This homemade fig paste is made without added sugar. There's plenty of natural sweetness in dried figs to ensure that it tastes delicious. However, if you buy a jar of fig paste, it will probably contain sugar, as it acts as a preservative as well as a sweetener.
Figs are very nutrient dense. They are a good source of potassium and calcium, plus vitamins A and C. They are also rich in valuable fibre which acts as a prebiotic. Dried figs are even more concentrated in nutrients than fresh. However, they are also higher in natural sugars so should be eaten in moderation.
This fig paste will last in the fridge for up to a week, as there's no added sugar or preservatives. However, you can store it for longer in the freezer if you wish.
Other dried fruit recipes
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Recipe
Fig Paste
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 200 g dried figs
- boiling water
Instructions
- Trim the stalks from the figs and cut each into about 6 pieces. It's easiest to use kitchen scissors.200 g dried figs
- Place the chopped figs in a heat proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Drain the figs, reserving the soaking water.
- Put the figs in a food processor and blitz until completely smooth. You can adjust the thickness of the paste by adding a little soaking water.
Notes
- For a thinner paste, add a little more soaking water
- For a sweeter paste, add a couple of teaspoons of honey
- You can also add spices to the fig paste if you like. Either quarter of a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, cardamom or cloves will all go well.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is for guidance only
Teresa Artz says
Wendy, do you know what the ratio is if I use it to sweeten a cake?
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi Teresa, that's a great question, but I'm afraid I don't have an exact answer. I think I'd start by using a recipe that is sweetened with date paste or honey and try replacing that with fig paste.
Teresa says
Do you know what the measurements are to sweeten a cake??