This easy recipe for roasted plums is a deliciously warming fruit dish that can be enjoyed alone or added to desserts and even breakfasts. Enriched with a little butter and a touch of spice, this baked or roast plums recipe is perfect for using up slightly underripe fruit.
Roasted plums
This easy recipe for roasted plums is similar to my stewed plums but a little more sumptuous – richer and deeper in flavour because of the butter, with just a touch of luxurious spice.
See also
- For a light and easy dessert without turning the oven on try making stewed plums
- Easy plum compote, lightly spiced and a great way to use up a glut of windfall plums
- For an easy preserve that sets so well making plum and apple jam
- Classic plum jam, an easy recipe with no need for pectin
I find this is a perfect use for slightly underripe plums. Once roasted, you will never know that they were a bit hard, as baking the plums in the oven really helps to soften them.
This lovely, versatile fruit dish can be eaten in so many ways. Serve as a dessert with ice cream, clotted or pouring cream. Alternatively, add to overnight oats as a breakfast topping.
Why make roast plums
- a delicious use for fresh fruit
- so easy to make
- so versatile and good at any time of day
- a great way to use plums that are a bit too firm
Roast plum ingredients
- Plums – any variety (see notes below)
- Sugar – I like a soft light brown but any would do. Brown has more flavour than the more heavily refined white granulated sugar.
- Spices – I chose cinnamon and a little bit of star anise (just a little, as it is very strong). If you prefer, you can also pick from vanilla, cardamom, cloves etc. You can even add a pinch of dried herbs.
- Butter – This results in a lovely rich syrup. If you don’t eat butter, however, you can leave it out, or use a dairy free alternative.
Types of plum
Plums come in all sorts of sizes and colours, ranging from deep brownish purple flesh though reds and pinks and yellow.
Although flavours do vary a little, they will all work well in this dish. Your choice of plum will affect the colour of the roasted plums, but they will all taste delicious.
How to make roast plums – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Before you start, choose a shallow oven dish that will take all the plums in one layer, fitting neatly together. Too much space and they will dry out; not enough and they will steam rather than roast.
Step One – Cut plums in half. Remove and discard the stones.
Step Two – Butter the roasting dish. Arrange the plums in one layer, with the cut sides up.
Step Three – Sprinkle over the sugar, dot the butter on top, and nestle whole spices between the plums, Add just a little splash of water, so the bottom of the pan has the thinnest layer. This will be enough to stop the plums sticking and burning, without turning the juices watery.
Step Four – Bake at gas mark 5 for about 15 minutes (check after 10, if the plums are very ripe). The plums will be ready to serve when tender and soft, with a layer of lovely syrup.
Serving suggestion
Serve hot, cold, or warm, as you prefer, with cream, marscapone, ice cream or custard. I like them best straight from the oven.
Enjoy them in an ice cream sundae, on a meringue pavlova with cream, on milk puddings such as rice pudding or as a cheesecake topping.
These baked plums also make a delicious breakfast over overnight oats, yogurt or porridge.
Variations
- Use your favourite sweet spices – vanilla, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg or ginger.
- Use a mix of different types of plums to introduce some variation in flavours and colour.
- Add some herbs – try a small sprig of thyme or oregano for an assertive flavour. Replace with a fresh one to serve.
- Experiment with different sugars, from light golden to dark muscovado.
- Halve the sugar and add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup to your roasted plums for the final 5 minutes of cooking.
Storage
Fridge – Cover your roasted plums and transfer to an airtight container in the fridge as soon as they are cool. You can store them for about five days.
Freezer – Prepare as for the fridge but do make sure that your container will seal properly. The syrup will not freeze solid, so you don’t want a leaky pot! Your roast plums will store for at least three months withough any deterioration.
Hints and tips
- For best results you should choose the right size of baking dish for your roasted plums.
Too big and the liquid could evaporate, leaving you with a sticky residue rather than a lovely syrup. Too small and rather than roast/baked plums, you will steam them, and they won’t have the richness that you want from this recipe.
- A little bit of spice is delicious but be careful and avoid being heavy handed with strong flavours such as star anise and clove. Too much can spoil a dish very easily.
- If you have a glut of fruit, make extra for the freezer. These plums can become quite addictive and you will find all sorts of ways to eat them.
FAQs
No. This roast/baked plums recipe uses the plum halves unpeeled. There is colour and flavour in the skins and they become quite tender. If you do not want to eat the skins, it is far easier to remove them once the fruit is cooked.
Yes. You can add slices of apple, figs, rhubarb … whatever you like with your plums.
Yes, plums can work well with goat’s cheese or pork in particular. I would reduce the sugar a little and cook with herbs.
Good question! The butter makes them roasted plums for me, but there is variation across regions and generations about how these terms are used, so this roasted plums recipe can equally be a baked plums recipe.
More fruit recipes
- Spiced pears and plums in port – delicious autumnal fruit in a rich syrup
- Easy stewed rhubarb – the simplest seasonal dessert
- Fig and apple tarte tatin – deliciously indulgent with a touch of cardamom
- Honey roasted nectarine ice cream – fabulously fruity and fairly healthy too
- Explore all my fruit recipes.
Roasted Plums
Ingredients
- 350 g plums
- 2 tbsp sugar (soft light brown)
- 15 g butter
- 1 star anise
- 1.5 inches cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Cut plums in half and remove stones. Heat oven to 170°C (fan) / 340°F (fan) / gas mark 5.350 g plums
- Choose a dish that is big enough to hold all the plums, so that they arere close but not overlapping. Butter the dish and arrange the plums in one layer
- Sprinkle the sugar over the plums, and dot the butter around. Add the spices between the fruit.15 g butter, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 star anise, 1.5 inches cinnamon stick
- Add a splash of water, just enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan. This will stop the plums sticking to the dish.
- Bake for about 15 minutes until tender and soft, with a layer of syrup. If the plums are very ripe, they will cook faster, so check after 10 minutes.
Notes
Storage
Fridge – Cover your roasted plums and transfer to an airtight container in the fridge as soon as they are cool. You can store them for about five days. Freezer – Prepare as for the fridge but do make sure that your container will seal properly. The syrup will not freeze solid, so you don’t want a leaky pot! Your roast plums will store for at least three months withough any deterioration.Hints and tips
- For best results you should choose the right size of baking dish for your roasted plums.
Too big and the liquid could evaporate, leaving you with a sticky residue rather than a lovely syrup. Too small and rather than roast/baked plums, you will steam them, and they won’t have the richness that you want from this recipe.
- A little bit of spice is delicious but be careful and avoid being heavy handed with strong flavours such as star anise and clove. Too much can spoil a dish very easily.
- If you have a glut of fruit, make extra for the freezer. These plums can become quite addictive and you will find all sorts of ways to eat them.
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