Our Best Fresh Fig Recipes - MyRecipes (2024)

Credit: Caitlin Bensel

There arefew things as satisfying as biting into a fresh, in-season, perfectly sweet fig. These recipes showcase the full range of versatility that these flavor-packed fruits offer, from beautiful desserts, simple salads, savory mains, and sweet preserves that will allow you to enjoy figs' signaturesweetness long after their season is over.

Photographer Greg Dupree, Food Styling Catherine Steele, Prop Styling Kay Clar

Fig Flatbread Recipe

Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese, Honey and Pepper

Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese, Honey and Pepper Recipe

Before roasting, sandwich figswith goat cheese anddrizzle them with honey. Serve with baguette slices for a delicious appetizer.

Chicken and Roasted Figs

Chicken and Roasted Figs Recipe

Figs get a nice jammy texture as they cook with chicken in the garlic-honey sauce. For crisp chicken skin, resist the urge to spoon sauce over it during baking.

Fig Dutch Baby Pancake

Fig Dutch Baby Pancake Recipe

Ripe figs are hard to keep fresh, and peak fig season is a short, select window of time, so it's important to take advantage of these plump fruits and use them to their fullest potential. This Dutch baby is the perfect entertaining treat for a brunch crowd on a cozy weekend. Paired with ingredients you already have in your pantry, these figs make a sweet treat for breakfast. Feel free to use 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract in place of vanilla bean seeds.

Fig, Ham, and Ricotta Pizza

Fig, Ham, and Ricotta Pizza Recipe

Top pizza dough with a ricotta cheese mixture, figs, onion, and ham to make this pizza.

Small-Batch Fig Jam

Small-Batch Fig Jam Recipe

Consider this jam a "refrigerator preserve," but you can process it for canning, if you wish. Enjoy it spread on whole-grain bread or scones.

Raspberry and Fig Salad

Raspberry and Fig Salad Recipe

Figs and blue cheese are made for each other, especially when topped with a tangy lemon-thyme dressing. Bibb lettuce is perfect here for its delicate, buttery taste that works best with bright, fruity ingredients.For a more satisfying meal, add slices of pork tenderloin.

Glazed Chicken and Fig Skewers

Glazed Chicken and Fig Skewers Recipe

Because they will cook more quickly than the chicken, skewer the figs separately.

Chocolate and Sea Salt Fig Lollipops

Chocolate and Sea Salt Fig Lollipops Recipe

A quick chill between dunks in chocolate ensures that the skewers stick to the figs. You'll need 12 flat bamboo skewers* (1/4 in. wide and 3 1/2 in. long) or wooden coffee stirrers cut to this size; paper or plastic ones slide out.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Figs, and Apples with Sage Brown Butter

Roasted Butternut Squash, Apples, and Figs with Sage Brown Butter Recipe

If you only want to use one sheet pan and make 4 servings, divide this recipe in half, and save the extra half of your par-cooked butternut squash for a soup, roast, or stuffing.

Summer Fig and Watermelon Salad with Feta

Summer Fig and Watermelon Salad with Feta Recipe

Balsamic glaze is a syrup of concentrated, cooked-down, sweetened balsamic vinegar; it adds a sweet and tangy element to this refreshing salad. Look for it near the vinegar.

Bulgur Salad with Figs and Preserved Lemon

Bulgur Salad with Figs and Preserved Lemon Recipe

A quick soak mellows the sometimes pungent shallots. Add preserved lemon rind to salad dressings, pasta salads, or baked chicken; if you can't find it, substitute 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind.

Fig-and-Kale Salad

Fig-and-Kale Salad Recipe

Be sure to remove the figs's stems, otherwise you'll be left chewing the fibrous end. To prep and peel fresh ginger for chopping, don't opt for a knife. Instead, grab a spoon. Ittakes off the ginger's skin without removing the flesh (and wasting ginger, for that matter). If you're not a fan of blue cheese, try substituting goat cheese or feta. Don't have pecans? Use almonds or walnuts.

Fresh Fig Galette

Fresh Fig Galette Recipe

Almond meal is nothing more than finely ground almonds; it adds a rich, crumbly texture and nutty flavor to the crust of this free-form tart.

Fig, Hazelnut, and Goat Cheese Salad

Fig, Hazelnut, and Goat Cheese Salad Recipe

Crunch, sweetness, and a touch of richness--this recipe has everything you want in a salad. Dress the greens separately, then tuck in the soft figs and cheese so they keep their shape.

Ham-Wrapped Figs

Ham-Wrapped Figs Recipe

The trio of figs, ham, and cheese is a revelation for those who have yet to try it: sweet, salty, and oh-so-nice. Instead of country ham, you could substitute thin strips of prosciutto. Be sure to remove the stem end of the figs, though, as these arefibrous and tough to chew. If you like, you can also drizzle the baked figs with a little bit of honey to bring out the fruit's sweetness even more.

Sweet Fig Smoothies

Sweet Fig Smoothies Recipe

This recipe offers a great use for figs that are very ripe (or even overripe) and need to be used soon. The riper the fig, the sweeter and more delicious in this creamy breakfast drink.

Smoked Honey and Fig Tart With Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream image

Smoked Honey and Fig Tart With Pink Peppercorn Ice Cream Recipe

This elegant dessert recipe comes from Chef Zach Meloyof Pulpit Suppersin Atlanta, Georgia.

Brie-and-Fig-Puffed-Pastry-Bites-DCMS-Large.jpg

Brie-and-Fig Puffed Pastry Bites Recipe

You don’t need a culinary degree and ample free time to create impressive appetizers for your next party. In fact, all you need is three simple ingredients and about ten minutes of hands-on work to whip up these easy and delectably cheesy bites. They’re yet another reason that puff pastry is the true MVP when it comes to entertaining.

Fruit and Arugula Salad with Fig Vinaigrette

Fruit and Arugula Salad with Fig Vinaigrette Recipe

There’s only one thing better than the juicy watermelon and peaches in this salad—the outstanding fig vinaigrette. Jammy and sweet with a subtle savory essence, fig preserves provide a flavor foil for tart vinegar and act as an excellent thickener for this dressing, which helps it cling to all the ingredients in this salad. Peppery arugula adds the perfect spicy bite that stands up to the sweet summer fruit. Make a double batch of the vinaigrette and use it to marinate chicken or brush over salmon before grilling.

Prosciutto, Fontina, and Fig Panini

Prosciutto, Fontina, and Fig Panini Recipe

If you don't have a panini grill, place sandwiches in a grill pan or large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Cover sandwiches with foil, and top with a heavy skillet. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Prep: 7 minutes; Cook: 3 minutes

Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Fig and Honey

Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Fig and Honey Recipe

These Grilled Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Fig and Honey are equally good for breakfast or dinner. Mixing honey with the goat cheese makes it easier to spread over the cinnamon-raisin bread.

Fig-Raspberry Crisp with Lavender-Honey Sour Cream

Fig-Raspberry Crisp with Lavender-Honey Sour Cream Recipe

You can bake the crisp up to 8 hours ahead, then let it cool; cover and let stand at room temperature. As a topping, thick and creamy Greek yogurt makes a nice alternative to sour cream.

Fig and Greens Salad

Fig and Greens Salad Recipe

Chickpeas, goat cheese, and walnuts pump up the protein in this arugula salad, making it a hearty meatless main. Dried figs add a big fiber boost—more per serving than any other fruit.