Next time you see fresh figs at the grocery store or Farmer’s Market, buy a container or two and try these recipes, prepared three different and delicious ways!
Love fresh fruit desserts? Try my Mini Strawberry Pies Recipe too!
I used to hate fresh figs. To me, they fell into an unpleasant category of squishiness alongside the likes of papaya, under-cooked eggs and sponge-like mushrooms.
At restaurant a few years back I was presented a beautiful little appetizer of toasted baguette with a little piece of fig and a chunk of soft cheese and a drizzle of local honey. My life was forever changed 🙂 These are a seasonal wonder, full of flavor with a luscious, jammy texture. They are so good, and here are a few of my favorite ways to eat them:
- In a simple cheese plate with greens, toasted hazelnuts, flaky sea salt, honey and olive oil
- As an easy yogurt bowl with granola, blueberries and honey. So good at breakfast! (and so extra with a big slice of California Fig Banana Bread)
- As an appetizer or light lunch of toasted sourdough bread with soft cheese, fresh thyme, pistachios and honey. Honestly, I’d love to eat this anytime. (Excellent with a bowl of Creamy Pumpkin Soup or Fresh Corn Chowder)
All three recipes are easy to prepare, absolutely delicious, and don’t require any cooking!
Ingredients for Recipe #1
For full details and descriptions on the recipes and ingredients, please scroll to the recipe card below.
The ingredients you’ll need to make a fig and cheese plate are:
- Greens: A handful of organic green lettuces and also flat leaf (Italian) parsley
- Figs: Fresh Mission variety, quartered and scattered on the plate
- Hazelnuts: Toasted and chopped (and salted!)
- Cheese: Manchego or other semi-hard cheese like Fontina, Gruyere or even Parmesan
- Honey: For liberal drizzling
- Olive oil: A full flavored fruity variety, if possible
- Flaky Sea Salt: Always and forever
To assemble your plate:
- Place the greens on a plate or platter
- Add the cheese and sliced figs
- Sprinkle with sea salt, fresh parsley and hazelnuts
- Drizzle with honey and olive oil
So delicious! Super easy too for lunch or as an appetizer before a dinner of Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage or Chicken Sausage Tortellini Soup.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Recipe #2
Seriously, is there anything better than fresh fruit, yogurt and a little crumble of granola? I’ve been known to eat this more than once in a day. It’s like, addicting. Here’s what you do:
- Yogurt: Any flavor, but I recommend plain or vanilla to let the fresh fruit shine through.
- Figs and Blueberries: Just a little of each.
- Granola: A few sprinklings, tucked here and there for satisfying crunchiness.
- Honey: To make things just a little sweeter.
Assembling the Bowls
Be sure to check out the full recipe card below for details on all these preparations. For a Yogurt and Granola Bowl:
- Place the yogurt in a small bowl
- Add the granola
- Add the sliced fresh figs and blueberries on top
- Drizzle with honey
This is a really delicious bowl to eat in the afternoon for a snack, or for breakfast. Easy, too!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Recipe #3
Okay, every time I serve these, I get asked for the “recipe”. No one can believe it’s so simple!
Here’s the ingredients you’ll need:
- Sourdough & Olive Oil: Use any artisan-style rustic bread, drizzled with olive oil and toasted
- Cream Cheese: Softened for easy spreading on the warm toast
- Figs: Of course 🙂
- Pistachios: For crunch and flavor
- Thyme, Salt and Honey: For sprinkling and drizzling
How to Make it:
- Slice the bread, drizzle with olive oil, then toast it under the broiler until lightly golden brown.
- Slather on some cream cheese.
- Add the sliced fresh figs on top.
- Sprinkle with crushed pistachios, thyme, and flaky sea salt.
- Drizzle with honey and enjoy!
Expert Tips & Possible Substitutions
You really need to taste fresh figs to experience them for yourself, but if you don’t want to commit to buying a whole basket, most grocery stores or Farmer’s Market’s will gladly give you a sample if you ask nicely. 🙂 You can also add figs to almost any kind of charcuterie board. Slice a few, and leave a few whole for a pretty presentation.
Here’s some possible substitutions:
- Use peach or vanilla Greek yogurt in the Yogurt & Granola Bowl
- Try plant-based yogurt’s too (I love plain)
- Try other cheeses for the plate, like Gruyere or Fontina or even Parmesan
- No pistachios? Try toasted almonds instead!
Varieties of Figs and Tips for Buying
Figs have a mysterious, almost savory quality, and they aren’t too sweet or too tart. They are:
- Sweet, with a rich flavor and soft texture
- A pulpy flesh that’s similar to jam
- Beware! of unripe figs! which are dry! and rubbery!!! Be sure to select a basket where the figs are mostly firm and smooth.
There are hundreds of varieties of figs, but the most common and readily available are Black Mission (shown in the container above. Don’t shy away from other types if you see them at the Farmers Market or grocery store:
- Brown Turkey
- Sierra
- Calimyrna
- King
- Kadota
If you’ve got an interest in learning more, here’s some fascinating fig facts from Valley Fig Growers here in California. I’ve eaten figs straight from the container, but you should gently rinse and dry them, trim the stem and very bottom with a sharp knife and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I store fresh figs?
Fresh figs are pretty fragile and bruise easily, and should be stored in the refrigerator. Just gently rinse them off and trim the ends before use.
How long will fresh figs last before using?
Figs will last for up to 3 days in the refrigerator if they were firm when you purchased them.
Other Recipes to Try
- Pan Roasted Pear Salad: Just an amazing combination of flavors!
- Pumpkin Spice Milkshake: Delightful!
- Nectarine Toast with Honey Goat Cheese A match made in heaven.
- Goat Cheese Toasts with Cranberry Compote Another match made in heaven. Seriously!
- Roasted Grape Hazelnut Breakfast Bowl If you’ve never roasted grapes, OMG.
- Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Yogurt Sauce: A favorite seasonal side dish
If you’ve tried Fresh Figs, Three Ways, or any recipe on Studio Delicious, please leave a rating and comment below…I’d love to hear from you!
Looking for more tips and fresh, homemade recipes? Join my email list, tag me at #studiodeliciouseats and see what I’m up to on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
Fresh Figs, Three Ways
Ingredients
- FIG & CHEESE PLATE
- 1 cup Greens, organic
- 4 slices Manchego cheese
- 4 Fresh Figs, sliced lengthwise
- 1 tsp Flaky sea salt
- 1 tbsp. Flat leaf Parsley, fresh
- 1 tbsp Hazelnuts, chopped
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Honey
- YOGURT & GRANOLA BOWL
- 1/2 cup Yogurt, any flavor
- 1/4 cup Granola, any variety
- 4 Fresh Figs, quartered
- 1/4 cup Blueberries, fresh
- 1 tsp Honey (optional)
- FIG TOAST
- 1 Slice Sourdough or artisan bread, toasted
- 1 tsp Olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp Cream Cheese, softened
- 4 Fresh figs, sliced
- 1 tbsp Pistachios, chopped
- 1 tsp Thyme, fresh
- 1/4 tsp Flaky Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Honey
Instructions
- FIG AND CHEESE PLATE
- Place the greens on a plate or platter Add the sliced cheese and fresh figs Sprinkle with sea salt, fresh parsley, chopped hazelnuts Drizzle with honey and olive oil
- YOGURT & GRANOLA BOWL
- Place yogurt in a small bowl Add the granola Add the fresh figs and blueberries Drizzle with honey
- FIG TOAST
- Slice the bread 1/2 " thick and drizzle with olive oil Toast under the broiler until lightly brown on edges and slightly in the middle Remove from broiler and smear cream cheese on the warm breadPlace some sliced fresh figs on top Sprinkle with pistachios, thyme, sea salt Drizzle with honey
Notes
- Use plain or vanilla yogurt in the Yogurt & Granola Bowl
- Try vanilla plant-based yogurt for a change too!
- Use other cheeses for the plate, like Gruyere or Fontina
- Use toasted almonds instead of pistachios on the Fig Toast
- Note: The nutrition facts are for a total for one serving of each preparation of easy fresh fig recipes shown, or 3 servings total (one serving of each preparation.)
Nutrition
- Super important to read the whole recipe before you begin
- Pay attention to the ingredient list and photos for the recipe
- If possible, prep your ingredients a little before you start
- Always use a sharp knife for safety
- Use the size of pan called for in the recipe
- For savory recipes, taste and season as you go
- Buy fresh, organic ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible
This recipe was originally posted in September 2019. Instructions and tips were updated July 2021.
Like you, I have traditionally not been a fig fan. I love these recipes! Also, your pictures make my mouth water – for figs! Looking forward to trying each and every single one of these recipes! 🙂
What a fun and beautiful recipe; perfect for entertaining! I will definitely be giving this a try this holiday season!
Why thank you
These are all do drool worthy. I’m going to serve the Figs on Toast for bunco this weekend!
Great idea!
Great tips for cooking with figs. I love the presentation.
Thank you!
I have found myself the proud recipient of some figs and I couldn’t be more thrilled to find these great ideas!
Oh great! I love figs. 🙂
Great news! Enjoy..
Every single one of these options is delicious. Had the fig toast today and YUM! Honey and fig were meant to be together. Great recipes!
Loved what you’ve done in your recipe, it’s totally unique and out of the box dish that everybody will enjoy. Awesome food presentation, the color combination on this plate is really mesmerizing plus it’s super healthy meal.
I absolutely love figs and loving these great ideas to put them in. I think I am going to try them in my granola bowl first!
Its really a great flavor combo…enjoy!
I have grown to love fresh figs, too, but if I hadn’t, your descriptions would certainly make me want to find some. That fig toast looks especially good and I enjoyed every one of your photographs.
Well thank you so much! Enjoy!
I’ve always been intimidated to use figs, but I had no idea how to eat them or use them! I can’t wait to try the fig toast. That’s totally up my alley 🙂 YUM!!!
Oh that’s great! You are a lucky person with all those delicious figs! 🙂
I hope you like them and look forward to them every year like I do 🙂
Hope you love it like I do 🙂
We were gifted some beaqutiful figs and just love the options you have given us. We had the chartchuterie platter today and I will enjoy the granola and figs tomorrow. Delicious.
Great, thanks for letting me know!
Great! Thank you!
I live in the south and my family brings figs to us by the bag full. My favorite way to enjoy them is also with honey and nuts like pecans and pistachios. I like to put some brie cheese on a crusty piece of bread with fresh figs, honey and nuts. Will have to try to yogurt bowl next!
That sounds amazing….love those figs…:)
What a great idea to use figs. I love fresh figs and these ideas perfectly fits my palate.
Thank you!
OK all three of those are absolutely amazing! Love using them in the first way you directed but I think the breakfast bowl and toast are amazing too!
I love figs and these are the best ways to experiment with them! I need to try out all of these recipes since they all look so exciting and delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
You’ve posted some fantastic fig recipes and I thank you! Tonight I made the fig and cheese platter but I added bacon to the recipe. Delicious!
Many thanks
Oh what a great idea! Thanks so much 🙂
Oh that’s great, thank you so much! 🙂
I use goat cheese for the third recipe and add slices of Serrano ham. Drizzle with pomegranate molasses.
That sounds so good!