Our 15 best plum recipes
Our 15 best plum recipes make the most of this late-summer favourite. Plums are at their best from August to October, heralding the transition from summer to autumn. You’ll find them in different sizes and colours – yellow, red, deep purple – and varying degrees of tartness, so it’s worth trying a few varieties to discover which you like best. The plump stone fruits usually have a gentle sweetness and juicy but firm flesh which makes them a versatile addition to lots of cakes and desserts, as well as jam, chutney and savoury dishes. Take a look through our best-ever plum recipes and decide which ones you’re going to make first…
What can I make with a lot of plums?
Got a plum glut on your hands? You’ve come to the right place. Whether you’ve a surplus of common round plums, damsons, greengages or mirabelles, we’ve got plenty of recipes that use up a lot of plums. Start with simple preserves: our classic plum jam uses up a whopping 1.5kg of plums and stores in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. Traditional puddings, like plum crumble and plum pie, are also great dishes to make with a lot of plums. Or try our easy sticky plum and custard cake, which requires 15 plums. Plums are a versatile fruit and work in both sweet and savoury dishes: put them to work in salads, in savoury preserves, or with chicken or duck.
Can you freeze plums to eat later?
Yes, you can freeze ripe plums. Wash and dry the plums, before cutting them in half to remove the stones. Space the plum halves out in a single layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper, then freeze; this process prevents the plums sticking together. Once completely frozen, decant the plum halves into lidded tubs or freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. Use directly from frozen in smoothies and sauces, or defrost in the fridge to use in other recipes. They may become a little mushy upon defrosting, so they’re best in recipes like crumble and pie fillings or sauces, where you’re after the flavour rather than perfect texture and shape.
Do you have to peel plums before baking or making jam?
No, you don’t need to peel plums before making jam, but you should halve them and remove the stones. Plum skins contain pectin, so leaving them on will actually help your jam to set. It’s also not necessary to peel plums before using them in cakes and bakes. Leaving the skins on helps the fruits retain their shape during baking. As plum skins are often a darker shade than plum flesh, leaving them on also gives you a better final colour in bakes where the fruits are on show, such as our easy plum upside-down cake.
What pairs well with plums?
Plums’ subtle sweetness and slight tartness pair well with lots of ingredients. In savoury dishes, try them with duck, chicken, pork or cheese (take a look at our mozzarella, plum and burnt leek salad for a novel way to use up plums). Plums pair beautifully with warming spices like vanilla, cinnamon and ginger in sweet dishes, as well as most nuts and other fruits including apples, peaches, nectarines and orange. Custard, crème fraîche and ice cream all provide creamy contrast to that sharp-sweet plum flavour.
15 of the best plum recipes
Plum ripple ice cream
This sophisticated update to traditional raspberry ripple has ribbons of rich plum jam running through it, with extra ripple drizzled over the top for good measure.
Plum and apricot brioche tart
Showcase ripe plums from your garden in this impressive brioche tart. The plums top a silky crème fraîche custard, which captures their sweet juices as the tart bakes.
Plum and ginger chutney
Jam jars at the ready – it’s time to preserve some of that plum harvest. Plums, bramley apples and warming ginger combine for an autumnal chutney that’s perfect with pork and strong cheddar. Cheese sarnies just got an upgrade.
Duck with roasted plum glaze
Plum sauce and duck are a match made in heaven. Slice and serve pan-fried duck breasts on a bed of earthy crushed swede and drizzle with the moreish honey and plum sauce. The perfect easy-but-impressive dinner for two.
Plum and frangipane ensaïmada
If you fancy a weekend baking project to stretch your culinary skills, this plum ensaïmada is the bake for you. Pastry chef Nicola Lamb has given classic Mallorcan ensaïmadas an autumnal twist with the addition of an aromatic frangipane and baked plums. Master these gorgeously soft pastry swirls with her step-by-step recipe.
Chicken, plum and sweet spice traybake
Ripe plums add sticky sweetness to a chicken dinner. This simple traybake from Honey & Co’s Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich combines plums, coriander and fennel seeds to make an incredible marinade for chicken thighs.
Sticky plum and custard cake
This cosy cake requires a hefty 15 plums, so it’s a great bake for using up a stone fruit surplus. Use a mix of yellow and red plums if you have them for a more colourful finish. Serve in slices with a cuppa – or doused in homemade custard for a simple autumnal pudding.
Mozzarella, plum and burnt leek salad
Plums lend a tangy sweetness to this vibrant salad. Combine quick-pickled plums with creamy mozzarella, toasted hazelnuts, watercress and leeks for a celebration of late summer.
Spiced plum cake with swiss meringue frosting
Plum cakes don’t have to be rustic, simple affairs. Make the late summer fruits the star of this celebration cake, ideal for birthdays and blanketed in airy swiss meringue frosting.
British plum umeboshi
Umeboshi is a popular Japanese pickle, often translated as ‘salted plums’ but actually made with the ume fruit. The result is a complex salty, sour pickle often served with rice. Ume are hard to get hold of in the UK, so try making this moreish preserve with small, firm British plums.
Plum and vanilla jam
Elevate your plum jam with a hint of vanilla. The aroma of ripe plums, cinnamon and vanilla bubbling away on the stove is better than any scented candle.
Nutty plum and sloe gin crumble
Crumble season is upon us. If you fancy a change from the more obvious blackberry and apple, try this grown-up ‘plumble’ with a generous slug of sloe gin.
Mini plum and sauternes pies
These individual plum pies have a golden shortcrust lid and a heady plum and sweet wine filling, with fragrant notes of honeysuckle and spice. To make a whole plum pie, keep the same quantities, but use a 2-litre round pie dish and a pie funnel to keep the pastry crisp.
Confit duck leg with shoestring fries and plum ketchup
Have a go at making plum ketchup, then serve it up alongside melt-in-the-mouth duck legs and a tangle of crispy shoestring fries. You’re likely to have plum ketchup leftover after preparing this recipe – save it for an unbelievably good bacon sandwich.
Plum upside-down cake
Move over, pineapple! Plums form the sticky, fruity inverted base of this moreish bake. Toasty hazelnuts and thyme-infused honey give the cake an earthy, autumnal edge. Serve with dollops of crème fraîche.
For more inspiration, find all our plum recipes in one handy place. Make the most of a hedgerow haul with 15 brilliant blackberry recipes, or plan for cosy season with our recipes to make you excited for autumn.