Fig Pizza with Prosciutto, Balsamic & Arugula

Fig pizza made with fig jam and topped with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula, and a balsamic reduction.

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Fig Pizza with Prosciutto, Balsamic & Arugula

Fig pizza is a deliciously sweet and savory pizza recipe with gourmet flair. My fig pizza recipe is spread with fig jam and topped with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula, and a balsamic glaze. It’s got so many unique flavors bursting through—I can’t get enough.

Fresh arugula adds a nutty and peppery finish that compliments the smokey, salty prosciutto and slightly sweet fig jam. A fancy pizza like this just has to be made with creamy fresh mozzarella and of course a tangy balsamic reduction. It’s one of our all-time favorite pizzas.

How to Make A Balsamic Reduction

Making your own balsamic glaze is easy—it just takes time (10-15 minutes) and patience. Balsamic glaze is made by simmering balsamic vinegar until it reduces and thickens. Some recipes call for sugar for a little extra sweetness. This is optional but I prefer it.

Add balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until reduced by half or desired thickness is reached. The glaze will continue to thicken as it cools.

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of making your own balsamic glaze, you can purchase it at the grocery store. There are a lot of options and flavors and they usually come in a handy squeeze bottle for easy drizzling. This condiment also has a long shelf life so it’s a worthwhile purchase.

Cooking Pizza With A Pizza Stone

The key to great homemade pizza is high cooking temps. A pizza stone is a great means of transforming your oven into a very hot atmosphere. Pizza stones render fluffy crust that cooks very quickly in the oven. You can learn some more in-depth pizza stone specifics here.

Always heat the pizza stone up for 1 hour in the oven at 500°F before baking. The very hot surface renders a perfectly cooked crust similar to a very hot brick oven. Pizza stones also require a pizza peel. These come in all shapes and sizes and are made of wood or metal. Here are a few good tips from chow.com on using a pizza peel.

Be sure to use plenty of flour or semolina flour on your pizza peel/dough before placing the dough on the peel. This helps the pizza slide onto the stone and is guaranteed to not stick if you use liberal amounts.

Tips For Cooking Fig Pizza

  • Slice mozzarella thin. Mozzarella should be about 1/4 inch thick so it melts and spreads evenly. I have never tried this with processed shredded mozzarella, but I highly recommend using a “ball” of fresh mozzarella. It’s creamier and more delicious.
  • A little fig jam goes a long way, you want enough to lightly coat the entire pizza. Usually, 4-5 heaping tablespoons will do the trick.
  • ALWAYS add the arugula after the pizza has been cooked. If you bake the pizza with arugula on it, it will wither and taste horrible.
  • Assemble your pizza right on the peel if using a pizza stone. There’s no transferring a pizza from the counter to the peel without getting into some trouble.

More Pizza Recipes

Fig Pizza with Prosciutto, Balsamic & Arugula
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Fig Pizza with Prosciutto, Balsamic & Arugula

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Shawn Williams
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Italian
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Description

Fig pizza made with fig jam and topped with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula, and a balsamic reduction.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 18–20 ounces of pizza dough
  • 4–5 heaping spoonfuls of fig spread/jam (1/2 cup)
  • 3 slices prosciutto
  • 6–8 1/4 inch slices fresh mozzarella (I use half of an 8-ounce mozzarella ball)
  • 1–2 cups fresh arugula (or to taste)
  • 2–3 tablespoons of balsamic reduction
  • 1/4 cup semolina flour (or flour), for pizza peel

Balsamic reduction (yields 1/2 cup)

  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 500°F and place the pizza stone in the oven and let preheat for one hour.
  2. Meanwhile, roll out the dough into a 12-inch crust.
  3. Place a small handful of flour/semolina flour onto the pizza peel and spread evenly to prevent the dough from sticking.
  4. Transfer the dough onto the peel. Spread a thin coating of fig jam over the dough until lightly but fully covered. Leave a 1.5-inch crust around the exterior. The back of a spoon works best. Add the mozzarella cheese first and then top with pieces of torn prosciutto.
  5. Slide the finished pizza onto the pizza stone and bake for 10-15 minutes. Be sure to carefully watch the oven because all ovens will cook at different rates. Sometimes it will only take 10 minutes to fully cook.
  6. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Top with fresh arugula and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.

Balsamic reduction

  1. Add balsamic vinegar and sugar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring frequently so the vinegar doesn’t burn. Simmer until reduced by half or desired thickness is reached. Usually 10-15 minutes. The glaze will continue to thicken as it cools.

Notes

Making your own balsamic is easy, it just takes time and also needs to cool to be the right consistency. Store-bought balsamic tastes great and really comes in handy for pizza night. It also has a long shelf life!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 slices
  • Calories: 416
  • Sugar: 18.9g
  • Sodium: 734mg
  • Fat: 20.1g
  • Saturated Fat: 10.8g
  • Carbohydrates: 34g
  • Fiber: 0.7g
  • Protein: 24.4g
  • Cholesterol: 67mg

Keywords: prosciutto pizza, prosciutto and arugula pizza, fig pizza