Easy Fig Chutney with Fresh, Frozen or Dried Figs

This fig chutney recipe is so quick to make and it makes a lovely addition to cheese or charcuterie boards! If you’re in fresh fig season, I definitely recommend making a big batch and I’ll show you how to store it so you always have some left for later use. 

My favorite way to prepare this chutney is with fresh fruit, but I’ll show you how to make it with frozen or dried figs too!

Fresh fig season begins in August and ends in October, depending on the year and region. A fresh fig chutney is a great way to avoid wasting ripe figs that are slightly bruised or beginning to over-ripen.

More recipes with figs

• Fig and Goat Cheese Toast
• Oatmeal with Figs, Apples and Cinnamon
• Roasted Fig and Burrata Salad

Easy Fig Chutney with Fresh, Frozen or Dried Figs

4.82 (11 reviews)

This fig chutney recipe is so quick to make and it makes a lovely addition to cheese or charcuterie boards!

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Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Servings 10

Ingredients 

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• 12-15 figs fresh, frozen or dried (about 3 cups)
• 1 red onion
• 1/2 cup dry white vinegar (120 ml)
• 1/3 cup cane sugar (70 g)
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger , grated
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 2 tsp spices of your choice (cinnamon, cardamom, garlic powder, ground nutmeg, ground coriander) , I like cinnamon, cardamom or nutmeg

US Customary – Metric

Instructions 

1. Fresh figs. If you use free figs, just wash them, remove the stem and cut in quarters.
2. Frozen figs. If you use frozen figs, the best to thaw the figs is to transfer them in your fridge and let them defrost overnight. Press them gently to remove the excess water.
3. Dried figs. If you use dried figs, remove the stem and cut them coarsely. Place in a small pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat and let them sit for 15 minutes to soften.
4. Chop the red onion. Grate the ginger.
5. In a saucepan, add the figs, red onion, dry white vinegar, cane sugar, ginger, salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for 2 hours.
6. Coarsely blend the chutney using a food processor or an immersion blender and let it cool. Don’t blend it completely if you want a chunky texture. Let it cool and our in a jar.

Video

Notes

This fig chutney keeps for 5 days to a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container, or up to a year in sterilized jars.

Nutrition facts

Calories: 68kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 71IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Fig Chutney Ingredients

To make this fig chutney, you need figs of course but not only! Here are some tips on how to choose your ingredients well.

• Figs: Choose ripe and seasonal fresh figs. I prefer purple figs for a deeper color but green figs would work too. 
• Red onion: Red onion enhances the taste of the chutney and also gives it a nice color. You can replace it with a yellow onion. It won’t make too much difference in taste but it will give less color to the chutney.
• Dry white wine vinegar: White wine vinegar will give acidity to the chutney. This is what sets it apart from a jam. Choose a dry white wine vinegar, therefore not sweetened. You can also replace it with red wine vinegar or lemon juice. 
• Brown sugar: Brown sugar is simply used to sweeten the chutney. It is also thanks to the sugar that the chutney will keep for a long time. You can replace the brown sugar with white sugar.
• Fresh ginger: Fresh ginger gives a slightly spicy touch to chutney. You can replace it with ground ginger.
• Spices: This recipe is my basic fig chutney recipe but you can add any spices of your choice (cinnamon, cardamom, garlic powder, ground nutmeg, ground coriander). I really like a mix of cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg.

How to Prepare Fresh, Frozen or Dried Figs

• Fresh figs. If you use fresh figs, just wash them, remove the stem and cut in quarters.
• Frozen figs. If you use frozen figs, the best way to thaw them is to put them in your fridge and let them defrost overnight. Press them gently to remove the excess water.
• Dried figs. If you use dried figs, remove the stem and cut them coarsely. Place in a small pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat and let them sit for 15 minutes to soften.

How to Make Fig Chutney

• Prep. Chop the red onion and grate the ginger.
• Cook. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook on low heat for 2 hours.
• Blend and store. Coarsely blend the chutney (not completely if you want a chunky texture), let it cool and pour it in a jar, sterilized or not (read more about storing this chutney).

How to Store Fig Chutney

In the fridge, in a closed jar, your fig chutney keeps for 5 days to a week.

To keep it longer, the best is to pour it into sterilized jars, like for jam.

• Sterilize the jars. Wash the jars and lids, then put them in boiling water for 15 minutes.
• Fill them hot. As soon as the chutney is ready, pour it into the jars while it’s still hot and close them right away.
• Turn them over. Turn the jars upside down and let them cool like that.

I don’t do it myself and it works fine, but a friend told me to put the closed jars back in boiling water for 10 minutes for a safer seal. If you want to keep them a long time, it’s a good idea.

This way it keeps up to a year in a cupboard, away from light. When you open the jar, the lid should pop. If the lid is bulging, doesn’t pop, if you see mold or it smells strange, throw the jar away.

You can also freeze it. That’s what I do when I don’t have a free jar, in an airtight container or in ice cube trays for small portions.

What to Serve with Fig Chutney

This fig chutney is ideal to accompany cheese platters or charcuterie boards. It adds a touch of sweetness while remaining slightly tangy. 

My favorite way to serve it: spread a little fig chutney on toasted baguette slices and top with fresh goat cheese or blue cheese!

For an appetizer, spread it on homemade crostini or herb crackers. And if you love figs with cheese, try my baked figs with goat cheese and honey.

Fig Chutney FAQ

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