How to cook with plums: discover how good cooked fruit can be

Plums are always tempting in the fruit bowl, but have you tried cooking with them? These tips will help you find new and exciting ways to enjoy this favourite stone fruit.

How to cook plums

Cooking plums lets you enjoy these sweet fruits in a new way. It’s also a great way to use underripe plums, which may not be ready for snacking yet.

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Plum pudding recipe

Plum pudding is a popular dessert to finish a Christmas meal, but you can enjoy it any time. Here’s a lighter version you can bake all year round:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare four small dishes to make individual plum puddings.
• Cook 300g plums with 150g caster sugar and 20g butter over low heat, stirring until the plums are soft and tender.
• While that cools, mix together another 150g caster sugar and 150g butter until light and fluffy. Beat in two eggs, followed by 150g self-raising flour and the zest of two lemons.
• Place two teaspoons of the plum mixture in each pudding dish and top with the batter. Bake for 20 minutes, then leave to stand for 10 minutes before tucking in.

Plum cobbler recipe

Plum cobbler is a simple and comforting dessert. To make it, you’ll first need to stew your plums. Cook them over low heat with caster sugar and butter until tender, but still holding their shape. Then, set them aside while you make the cobbler dough.

Cobbler dough is a batter that uses flour, caster sugar, butter, milk and egg. You can also add extra flavourings — cinnamon works well with plums. It should have the consistency of cake batter. Don’t pour it over your plums. Instead, layer thick dollops, leaving some space between them for the juice to peek out.

Try making a plum crumble for a quicker alternative to a cobbler. The stewed plums remain the same, while the topping – a simple mix of flour, sugar, and butter – can be whipped up in minutes. Add some oats for extra crunchiness.

Plum cake recipe

Preparing pecan and plum muffins is a great way to use up underripe plums. There are plenty of different plum cake recipes, but this plum and pecan muffin recipe is so easy! 

• Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease and line a 12-hole muffin tin with baking paper. Drain plums in juice, remove pits and roughly chop. Roughly chop pecans.
• In a large bowl, mix plain muffin mix, milk, egg, vegetable oil and sweet golden spice, blending until combined. Gently stir through plums and pecans (reserving some pecans for topping).
• Spoon muffin batter into the prepared tin. Top with reserved pecans. Bake until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then serve.

Popular plum jam recipes

Making plum jam is surprisingly easy. Use plums on their own or mix them with other fruits. Plum and apple is a classic combination, because the two fruits perfectly complement each other, giving you a rich, moreish jam that’s great spread on toast or dolloped into a bowl of porridge.

Other plum recipes

Don’t forget that you can also use plums in savoury recipes. They pair well with meaty dishes, such as this sticky plum sauce chicken, a perfect dinner recipe! A plum sauce can add a burst of freshness to complement any meat dish or help elevate the quality level of any salad.

Plum FAQs

Should plums be peeled before cooking?

You generally don’t need to peel plums before cooking with them. Unlike some fruits, plums have very thin skin, which doesn’t create an unpleasant texture. In fact, keeping the skin on is particularly good for jam-making, as it contains pectin, which will help the jam to set.

What does plum pair with?

Plum pairs well with autumnal spices like cinnamon and ginger. In a savoury context, plum is a good match for rich meats.

Can you cook under ripe plums?

Yes. In fact, it’s usually best to cook with underripe plums to make some kind of pudding or dessert.

Can you freeze plums?

Yes. If you have a glut of plums, first remove the stones before freezing them. They’ll lose texture, making them unsuitable for snacking, but they’ll be fine for making jam or stewed desserts.

Can you eat the skin of a plum?

The skin of a plum is perfectly edible, as it’s not fuzzy like a peach. You can try to peel plums if you insist, but to be honest, you’ll probably just end up making a mess.