21 Stunning Recipes That Use Fresh Figs

Figs are delicious. They have a sweet honey flavor, with soft flesh that’s punctuated by crunch from tiny seeds. You can often buy them locally or order them online from plenty of stores. Despite not being the most common fruit you’ll see, they are quite versatile. Recipes that use figs can be both sweet and savory.

But, what do you do with fresh figs? They’re different than most other fresh fruit, so they can be a bit confusing. They don’t stay fresh for long either, so you need to quickly figure out what you’re going to do with them. Thankfully, there are plenty of recipes that use fresh figs. Most of them are perfect even if you’ve never eaten figs before.

For this post, we’ve rounded up a collection of recipes from food bloggers. This means they’ve all been tried, tested, and perfected. We’ve aimed for a mixture of sweet and savory recipes – to give you plenty of options to choose from. After all, our flavor preferences differ considerably.

Oh yeah, and they myth about eating dead wasps in figs is (mostly) false. Watch this video.

Recipes That Use Fresh Figs

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake With Fresh Figs

This first recipe comes from bromabakery.com. It’s an amazing example of how well figs work in desserts.

The flavors chosen are stunning. Seriously. Vanilla, figs, pistachios, and honey. How could you go wrong? This could be a perfect recipe to serve guests, as it looks like something from a professional bakery.

The recipe looks complicated at first glance, but don’t stress. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, making the cheesecake surprisingly simple to prepare. If you haven’t made cheesecakes often, you might find that the dessert breaks apart. Don’t worry though. It’s still going to taste amazing.

Chili-Mango Sorbet

Asian Vermicelli Stir-Fry

Slow Cooker Mexican Pork Carnitas

Fried Tilapia Burgers

Chicken Pelau

Croque Monsieur

Lemongrass-Clam Rice

Mexican Chicken Skewers

Almond Flour Loaf Cake With Honey Roasted Figs

Lindsay from cottercrunch.com offers this recipe. It’s another beautiful looking dish, so you might not realize that it’s also healthy.

In fact, the recipe avoids refined sugar entirely and even relies on almond flour. The finished loaf ends up being completely gluten free and paleo friendly. What could be better?

Spinach Fig Salad With Balsamic Vinaigrette

Figs are excellent in salads too, as you can see with this recipe from mydarlingvegan.com. The recipe uses spinach as the base green, with avocados, onions, walnuts, and figs for extra flavor. A balsamic vinaigrette brings the whole thing together.  

You can easily make substitutions too, like swapping the spinach for another type of leafy green or using different nuts. The onion is optional too.

Almond Flour Fig Cake

Here’s another gluten free and paleo dish that you can try. This one comes from theroastedroot.net and still manages to be both moist and tasty.

I love the way the figs look on top of the cake too. They really bring it to life and make it much more exciting.

There’s one other cool thing too – modification. Julia mentions that you can easily tweak the flavor of the cake by adding extra ingredients, like vanilla bean or cocoa powder. So, why not play around? See what you come up with.

Baked Feta And Figs

This recipe comes from leitesculinaria.com. It’s a simple recipe that uses just a handful of ingredients, but it’s also an incredible one.

The ingredients are baked together, giving you a runny, melty, and amazingly tasty dish. It would be a fantastic one to serve at a dinner party (messy fingers are an ice breaker, right?).

Grilled Pizza With Figs, Balsamic Onions And Gorgonzola

Here’s another recipe that uses cheese. This time, though, you’re making a homemade pizza that relies on gorgonzola, mozzarella, figs, and balsamic onions. That’s a pretty amazing combination of flavors, right?

The pizza also happens to look stunning. It’s one of the best possible ways to show off your figs.

And, if figs aren’t in season, there are plenty of substitutions you can make. Some commenters mention using pears instead of figs, while others used mushrooms. You can find all the details at feastingathome.com.

Fig Tart With Pecans And Goat Cheese

This fantastic recipe comes from jocooks.com. It uses some of the traditional fig recipe ingredients, including honey and goat cheese. These ingredients give you a fantastic balance of sweet and salty, one you’ll see used time and time again.

The pecans are a fantastic touch too, giving you a fantastic crunch. Plus, the whole tart looks simply amazing when served.

Fig And Pomegranate No Bake Cheesecake

Pomegranates and figs aren’t normally combined, but this recipe from notquitenigella.com shows that the flavors complement each other perfectly. The cheesecake looks spectacular too, as sliced figs are used on the outside (there’s also a layer inside the cake itself).

Interestingly, this isn’t your classic cheesecake. It’s a no bake cheesecake, which gives you a light cake that’s still incredibly delicious. And the pomegranates? Well, they’re simply amazing.

Grain Free Fig Tart With Walnuts

Tarts are a common way to use figs – and this recipe from whatagirleats.com is a delightful example of that pattern. It’s a particularly exciting recipe, as it’s both grain free and gluten free. As such, many people can enjoy it who could never touch a traditional fig tart.

Cynthia mentions that this dish is somewhere in the middle between being a cake and being a tart. Honestly though, the distinction doesn’t matter. Regardless what we call this recipe, it’s certainly a tasty one.

Low Carb Fig And Cinnamon Coconut Pancakes

Low carb and keto dieters don’t need to miss out on figs. You can still have them on your diet, especially fresh figs, as these are lower in carbs than dried figs.

This recipe from ketodietapp.com is one of many keto-friendly ways to use figs. You’re basically making mini coconut cinnamon keto pancakes, then using fresh figs and yogurt or cream as a topping.

Not only is the resulting dish tasty, but it’s also a fantastic change from the more traditional fig recipes.

Fresh Fig Newton Cookies

Fig Newtons are popular. They’re also highly processed and aren’t that good for you. So, why not make your own?

This recipe from curiouscuisiniere.com teaches you to do just that. It also relies on fresh figs rather than dried ones. The fresh figs help to create a tender center to your cookie, without being excessively sweet.  

Dark Chocolate Dipped Figs

Some of the best recipes in the world are incredibly simple. This recipe from crowdedkitchen.com proves that point, as it only requires three ingredients: the figs, dark chocolate, and flaky salt. 

Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of salted desserts or are watching your sodium intake. You can easily sprinkle another ingredient on top of the dark chocolate figs. Lexi includes some suggestions as part of her post. 

These figs would be fantastic during a romantic picnic or perhaps a dinner party, as they’re just as decadent as chocolate dipped strawberries, but are also much more interesting.  

Baked Figs With Goat Cheese

Here’s another simple recipe to try. This one comes from happykitchen.rocks and involves baking figs with goat cheese, honey, and a few other ingredients.  

The dish comes together easily and looks amazing in the pan as well. I love the way that the figs have been cut. This style completes the dish perfectly. 

Elena also includes an interesting list of ideas in her post, where she talks about ingredients that complement figs. You could use these to make substitutions and make a baked figs dish that is truly your own. 

Fig Scones

These fig scones from hildaskitchenblog.com aren’t as visually stunning as most other entries on this list. Don’t let that put you off, though, as these scones are still incredibly delicious. 

They also have just the right texture, which should keep everyone coming back for more. And, honestly, including figs in scones is a brilliant idea. Scones can sometimes get a bit boring, so why not use something delicious like figs as a mix in? 

Fig, Pear, Walnut, Brie, Honey, And Goat Cheese Pizza

Figs seem to feature on pizzas for two different reasons. The first is that they offer a fantastic flavor, especially when combined with ingredients like pear, goat cheese, and caramelized onions. I mean, honestly, how can you go wrong? 

The other reason is simply that figs look fabulous on a pizza. Their color, shape, and little seeds make them stand out against the other ingredients. 

This particular recipe comes from thelittlestcrumb.com and takes full advantage of those patterns. The pizza has a lot of ingredients, but don’t worry, they all go together well. You can also add or remove ingredients as you wish – to create your perfect pizza.  

Fresh Fig Arugula Salad With Blackberries

Here’s another recipe that simply looks spectacular. It comes from flavourandsavour.com and teaches you how to make a delicious salad, complete with figs and blackberries. 

Combining figs and blackberries like this is unusual. The idea should be more common, though, as the flavors complement each other perfectly. The salad also looks stunning on the plate. 

Elaine chose the combination partly because figs and wild blackberries ripen at a similar time in her corner of the world. This makes it easy to create a fresh and delicious salad. 

No-Bake Cheesecake Cups with Caramelized Figs

Here’s a recipe that’s perfect for all you dessert lovers out there. It comes from yestoyolks.com and involves caramelizing fresh figs and using these as a topping. 

You end up with a layered dessert that looks simply stunning in small glass cups. These are also no bake cheesecakes, so there’s no messing around with your oven. It would even be easy to scale up this recipe and serve the little cheesecake cups at your next event. 

Vegan Fig Caramelized Onion Pizza

Anthea from rainbownourishments.com created this delicious pizza. Not only does the recipe rely on figs, but it’s also a vegan-friendly pizza that contains plenty of vegetables and nutrients. 

An even more stunning thing is the appearance. Seriously. Have you ever seen a pizza that’s so colorful? There’s also no doubt that this beauty will taste every bit as good as it looks. 

Fig And Cinnamon Pavlova

Pavlova is a classic Australian or New Zealand dessert (depending on who you ask – and there’s quite a debate). It isn’t seen often in the United States, but there’s no reason that you can’t make it at home. 

This recipe from bakinglikeachef.com will have you making your own delicious pavlova in no time. Irina provides plenty of detailed instructions and helpful photos, so you’ll never be left wondering what the next step is. 

The addition of figs and cinnamon is what really makes the dessert. The figs are particularly exciting. They’re rarely used in pavlova recipes, yet they add so much color and flavor to the dessert. 

Honey Balsamic Fig Spread

This delicious recipe comes from Molly at vanillabeancuisine.com. It’s a surprisingly easy fig jam recipe (or fig spread, as Molly describes it) that doesn’t require any canning and can be easily stored in the fridge.

The recipe only calls for a handful of ingredients, making it simple to prepare at home. You can then use the finished fig spread as part of many delicious desserts. It’s even possible to freeze the spread. If you do so, it will last around three months. This is powerful, as fresh figs only last a few days in the fridge.

Easy Chocolate And Fig Clafoutis Dessert

This final recipe comes from emilylaurae.com. It’s a riff on a classic French dessert, with this version relying on cocoa powder and fresh figs. That combination of chocolate and figs is a clear winner, giving you a dessert that you’ll want to keep coming back to. 

You know the other fantastic thing? This is an easy recipe to prepare. It only takes around 30 minutes or so. It could be the perfect way to impress a dinner date or even just as a sweet treat for yourself. 

Tips And Tricks For Using Figs

When Is Fresh Fig Season?

In the United States, fresh figs are best harvested from the middle of June to the middle of October. This gives them a fairly short season. You’ll need to keep a close eye out for them in stores.  

A few varieties have two seasons, one in early summer and a second in later summer/early fall. The season also changes somewhat depending on the variety of figs you’re looking at. This helps a bit, but it can still be tricky to get figs right when you want them.

How Long Do Figs Last?

Figs are tricky in another way too, as they have a short shelf life. They only last between seven and ten days of harvesting. That mightn’t sound too bad, except that figs need to be harvested when they’re ripe and still need to make their way to you. 

So, if you’re buying figs from a grocery store, you’ll often only have around three days to use them. That’s not much. The best trick is to only buy figs if you’re going to use them almost immediately. 

How To Store Fresh Figs

Keeping fresh figs cool is essential. This helps to slow their breakdown and helps them last a little longer. 

The best trick is to place them in a plastic bag and keep this in your fridge. Look for the coldest part of your fridge, which is often back in a corner, far away from the door. Even here, the figs will only last a couple of days. 

Can You Freeze Fresh Figs?

Fresh figs can be frozen without much stress. You can even freeze them whole, although it’s often better to slice them first. You’ll need to defrost the figs before you use them. But, take care, as the thawed figs will be delicate.  

Thawed figs will work well in many recipes, particularly jam. However, they may not be as useful in recipes where the figs need to hold their structure.