23 Fig Recipes That’ll Make You Wish Their Season Lasted Forever
Choosing from among our favorite fig recipes is like deciding between a cup or cone at your go-to ice cream shop: It’s hard to make a wrong move.
As botanists and pedants will tell you, figs are technically a flower, not a fruit. Regardless, their versatility defies categorization. Blessed with tender skins and jammy interiors, fresh figs can offset the tang of tomatoes and bitterness of salad greens. They turn simple baked goods into company-worthy desserts, and transform oatmeal, snack boards, and toasts into cause for celebration. When their seasonal window closes, dried figs happily step into the breach, bringing concentrated flavor and chewy texture to everything from hearty roasts to tart chutneys and beyond.
Sweet but not cloying, figs can go from breakfast to dinner to dessert without so much as a costume change. Here are 23 of our favorite ways to put them to use.
We asked experts and got more than we bargained for.
Photo by Emma Fishman1/23Picarones With Fig Chancaca Syrup
Dousing crispy sweet potato fritters in spiced syrup adds layers of texture and flavor to this Peruvian fig recipe. If you can’t find chancaca (also known as piloncillo or panela), substitute with light brown sugar.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser2/23Cuccidati
A mixture of dried figs, apricots, raisins, and nuts flavored with warm spices and citrus zest forms the filling for these bite-size Sicilian Christmas cookies. Want to go all fig? You do you.
Gentl & Hyers4/23Apple and Fig Custard
Baked figs and apples take this easy custard (think clafoutis) from summer to fall, and you can halve the recipe and make it in an 8x8" pan. “All in all, I loved this recipe,” writes one BA reader, who notes you can use extract instead of a vanilla bean if that’s what lies in your heart and pantry.
Peden + Munk5/23Yogurt With Fresh Figs, Honey, and Pine Nuts
Warming honey with rose water is key to the layered flavors in this gluten-free dessert. Try it with pistachios, use fresh or dried figs, or take the whole thing over the top with vanilla ice cream instead of Greek yogurt.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Andy Baraghani, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski7/23Brioche au Rhum
Photograph by Alex Huang, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro8/23Figgy Almond-Polenta Tea Cake
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon11/23Vinegar Chicken With Figs
Plump dried Turkish or Black Mission figs in a mixture of balsamic and red wine vinegars, stock, and honey while scraping up the fond from seared chicken cutlets in this winning chicken dinner.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman12/23Pan con Figs
Alex Lau13/23Cranberry Chutney With Orange, Figs, and Mustard
“Definitely a keeper!!!” one Bon Appétit reader writes of this five-star recipe. “Super easy and the perfect hit of brightness and acid.” And it’s not just for Thanksgiving—serve it with grilled pork tenderloin or poached chicken breasts throughout the year.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Leslie Garetto, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon14/23Pork Rib Soup With Figs
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk15/23Watermelon, Endive, and Fig Salad
Loaded with sweet, salty, bitter, and tangy flavors, this crunchy salad is more of a jumping-off point than a strict recipe. Try caper berries instead of olives, arugula rather than endives, or turn it into a cheese board with feta or goat cheese crumbles.
Peden + Munk16/23Sweet and Salty Fig Toast
More of a concept than a recipe, this dish makes an elegant breakfast or easy appetizer. Swap the neufchâtel for whipped cream cheese or oozy Brie, or go for broke with a balsamic vinegar drizzle.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jillian Knox, prop styling Sophie Peoples17/23Fig and Mustard Baby Back Ribs
18/23Fig Caprese Salad
Peak-season fruit needs little adornment; this fresh fig salad gets a lift from sea salt, good olive oil, and mozzarella. Swap in creamy burrata cheese or sprinkle on mint, sorrel, or a mix.
Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio19/23Halloumi Saganaki
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk20/23Tomatoes With Fig and Prosciutto
Photo by Alex Lau21/23Figs With Bacon and Chile
Caramelizing fresh figs in maple syrup and just-rendered bacon fat gives this easy appetizer smoky-sweet nuance. Swap the chile flakes for a pinch of cayenne or use black pepper for a milder kick.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio22/23Charred Broccoli Salad With Figs
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski23/23Cranberry-Fig Sauce
The sweet-tart notes of this chutney-esque fig recipe complement everything from turkey recipes to dessert-course blue cheese to the hunk of sourdough and cheddar slice you’re about to eat for lunch. Try it with thyme instead of rosemary and add red pepper flakes to taste.
