Our 31 Best Fig Recipes

By Food & Wine
Updated September 13, 2019
© Nicole Franzen
The beautiful thing about figs is that they can play sweet or savory. In this roundup, we’re shouting out all of our favorite dishes, from fig-and-rosemary focaccia with pecorino to a gorgeous fig and raspberry tart flavored with chestnut honey. With over 30 to choose from, you really can’t go wrong—the hardest part will be picking which one to make first.
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Fig-and-Rosemary Focaccia with Pecorino

Con Poulos
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Chef Marco Canora makes this focaccia with freshly milled, small-batch whole-wheat flour.

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2 of 31

Fresh Fig Salad with Feta and Blistered Jalapeños

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This is a fig lover’s feast: Plump, juicy grilled figs are paired with a quick fig jam made from dried figs, red wine and ancho chile.

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Gorgonzola, Fig and Pancetta Pizza

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Since this pizza has a lot going on—from creamy cheese to sweet figs—pair it with a refreshing lager, like Tasmania's James Boag's. A sparkling rosé would also work.

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Chicken with Port and Figs

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Dried figs are poached in port to make a luscious Portuguese-inspired sauce. Ruby port provides the best color, but tawny will also taste good.

5 of 31

Buttery Hazelnut-Fig Biscotti

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This softer, chewier version of biscotti includes butter and sweet dried figs.

6 of 31

Fennel & Fig Infused Vodka

Frances Janisch
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This savory seasonal infusion takes advantage of Blue Hill at Stone Barns' homegrown produce: The fennel comes from gardens just steps from the restaurant's kitchen.

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Raspberry-and-Fig Cake

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"I snagged this dessert from my Scandinavian grandmother," says Mehmet Gürs."She used a wood-burning oven, a cast-iron skillet and fresh island berries." Use additional raspberries when figs are not in season.

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Fig Jam

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You can whip up this delicious jam in under an hour.

9 of 31

Herb-Crusted Pork Roast with Ginger-Fig Compote

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Roast pork loin is flavored by a tangy sauce made with ginger and figs, which are high in fiber and antioxidants.

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Fig-and-Stilton Squares

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After baking flaky squares of puff pastry, Melissa Rubel Jacobson tops them with sweet fig preserves and pungent blue cheese.

11 of 31

Figgy-Orange Bitters

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The bark, roots and other more esoteric ingredients used to make bitters can be found at herbal apothecaries.

12 of 31

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Roasted Figs

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This remarkably flavorful dish is extraordinarily simple to make.

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Grilled Dandelion Salad with Pancetta-Wrapped Figs

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When chef Matt Molina saw the fireplace at Nancy Silverton's house in Umbria, he couldn't resist the chance to make this refreshing salad, one of Silverton's signature dishes. He briefly tossed dandelion greens on a Tuscan grill to soften their bitter edge, then paired them with pancetta-wrapped figs cooked right in the fire.

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Mixed Green Salad with Fig-Yogurt Dressing

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Tossed with a healthy mix of lettuces such as arugula and watercress, this tangy-sweet dressing combines low-fat yogurt with vitamin K-rich figs.

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Fig-and-Raspberry Tart with Chestnut Honey

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A Tuscan classic, chestnut honey or miele di castagno has an unusually potent, savory flavor that gives this fruit tart a spicy kick. The bay leaves and rosemary sprigs on top perfume the tart beautifully (they are not meant to be eaten). A man of few superstitions, Peter Pastan always uses 11 bay leaves and 13 rosemary sprigs because odd numbers are lucky.

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Honeyed Fig Crostatas

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Forget the figgy pudding; for your holiday bash this year make these party-perfect fig crostatas and your guests will surely think the world a merry and bright place.

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Fig-and-Prosciutto Flatbreads

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This flatbread is topped with sticky-sweet fig jam, pungent Gorgonzola cheese and salty prosciutto. A shortcut to making it: Use store-bought pizza dough instead of homemade.

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Grilled Wagyu Rib Eye with Roasted Fig Miso

Eva Kolenko
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Niki Nakayama and Carole Iida-Nakayama give tender, marbled grilled Wagyu a hit of savory, lightly sweet flavor from the roasted fig miso sauce. Use leftover sauce to slather on ribs before grilling. If fresh figs are not available, use frozen figs rather than dried. Just make sure to thaw them beforehand for the best texture.

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19 of 31

Pan-Seared Apricots and Figs with Honey and Lavender

Martin Morrell
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Alain Coumont's simple dessert delivers a lot of flavor without a lot of work. Try it with any combination of summer fruits, such as plums, peaches or raspberries, or use thyme instead of lavender. It's also delicious with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

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Fig Tart with Pistachio Crust

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The tart is most delicious one day after it's baked.

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Anise Pork with Figs and Apples

Ashley Colbourne
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The sweet licorice flavor of aniseed or fennel seeds adds depth to pork. For the sauce, look for dried figs that are soft and moist. If they seem very dry, soften them in hot water before cutting.

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Black Mission Fig Clafoutis

© CON POULOS
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Matthew Accarrino cleverly adds juicy fresh figs to this delicious pancake-like French dessert, then tops it with port-infused whipped cream.

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Pickled Figs in Balsamic Vinegar

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These figs go great with grilled pork chops, roast leg of lamb or roast chicken.

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Honey-Broiled Figs with Ricotta

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Richard Betts doesn't love baking. "It's too precise for me," he says. "I don't play well with exact measurements. Plus, I don't want to get in the way of great fall figs." Topped with fresh ricotta and honey, the figs spend only 2 minutes under the broiler.

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25 of 31

Fig-and-Almond Bread Stuffing with Fennel

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This stuffing is slightly sweet and fragrant, with plenty of herbs. There's no meat in it, so it's a little bit lighter and fresher-tasting than stuffings made with sausage.

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Fig Bars with Red Wine and Anise Seeds

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This delicious homemade grown-up version of Fig Newtons calls for adding red wine and anise seeds to the jammy fig filling. The crust gets even more tender the day after baking.

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Grilled Figs with Ham, Walnuts, and Mint Cream

Christopher Hirsheimer
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Frank Stitt, owner of Highlands Bar & Grill in Birmingham, Alabama, started his culinary education by working for the late great cookbook author Richard Olney in Provence, France. This appetizer, in which ripe figs are stuffed with walnuts, wrapped in ham and kissed on the grill, is a riff on devils on horseback inspired by Olney’s love of seasonal ingredients.

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Chorizo-and-Fig Salad

Con Poulos
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This fantastic salad from Laura Rege combines crisp roasted fingerling potatoes and chorizo with fresh, sweet figs, crunchy fennel and sharp arugula.

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Roast Dorade with Figs, Olives and Almonds

© Con Poulos
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This simple and delicious roast fish is one of Venice-based blogger Skye McAlpine's go-to dishes for lazy weeknights and dinner parties alike. Make sure to use moist figs so they don't dry out during baking.

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Fig and Arugula Salad with Grated Frozen Gorgonzola Piccante

© John Kernick
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Chef Ori Menashe makes the most creative salads. Here, he dresses arugula, fresh Black Mission figs and pistachios with a spicy, lemony vinaigrette and a drizzle of crème fraîche.

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Fig-and-Frangipane Galettes

© Nicole Franzen
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Fresh figs and almond paste are the secret to these moist free-form tarts.

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