16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (2024)

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From savory pizza to creamy tarts, these fresh fig recipes highlight the best of this summer delicacy.

By

Marie Viljoen

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (1)

Marie Viljoen

Marie is a freelance writer for MarthaStewart.com.

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and

Kirsten Nunez

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (2)

Kirsten Nunez

Kirsten Nunez is a writer who focuses on food, health, and DIY. She has been writing professionally for nearly 10 years and has contributed to digital and print publications such as Martha Stewart, Shape, Real Simple, Healthline, and SELF. She also creates original recipes, which have appeared on product packaging in stores.

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Updated on August 11, 2023

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16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (3)

Fresh figs are a delicacy. Their richly-colored skin, velvet texture, and floral flavors are a world away from the concentrated chewiness of dried figs. A heaping platter of ripe figs, with a couple gently squeezed open, is reminiscent of a Dutch still life—and one of the most beautiful things you can serve to friends around a supper table. Just add fruit knives and an excellent cheese.

Beyond the fruit bowl, fresh figs are versatile and surprising. They improve simple savory salads and snacks and add complexity to easy or slow-cooked entrées. Their famous sweetness is a foil for tart vinegars and a natural for decadent desserts. Rich in potassium and vitamins K and B6, they are also a nutritious ingredient.

Pounce on ripe figs when you see them in the summer and plan to use them quickly, since they don't ripen at home. Look for smooth, plump specimens when you shop; wrinkling or stickiness indicates over-ripeness and an under-ripe fig will feel woody. Don't squeeze them too hard, though: A light touch will tell you if it is ripe. Store figs for up to two days in the refrigerator, covered, in a single layer.

Read on for our favorite fresh fig recipes. They'll inspire your own delicious meals and desserts to come.

30 Cakes With Fruit Fillings and Toppings for Every Occasion

Caramelized Figs With Honey and Cheese

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (4)

This simple fresh fig recipe proves you don't have to do much to bring out the best of the fruit. It only takes 10 minutes on a hot skillet to coax out its complex flavors and syrupy texture.

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Fig-and-Plum Cake

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The best of early fall fruit is combined in one delectable cake, featuring frangipane and a buttery crust. Use dark-skinned mission figs for the best color.

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Figs and Prosciutto

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (6)

A classic that will never grow old, sweet figs and salty prosciutto make the quickest and most eye-catching of appetizers or light lunches.

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Grilled Pork Chops With Rosemary Gremolata and Figs

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (7)

Ripe figs perfumed by fresh rosemary skewers are the outstanding partner that top-quality pork chops deserve. The unusual, orange-inflected gremolata provides an intense finishing touch.

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Arugula Salad With Figs, Pine Nuts and Radicchio

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (8)

This bright, nutrition-packed salad looks as good as it tastes. Crisply bitter radicchio is made for the sweetness of fresh figs. Serve alongside a roast chicken or seared steak.

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Fresh Figs wWith Mascarpone and Warm Spiced Honey

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (9)

The flavors and textures of this quickly assembled dessert are sublime. Smooth mascarpone, cardamom-spiced warm honey, and fresh figs come together in the most delightful way.

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Broiled Green Figs With Pancetta

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (10)

Broiled green figs sprinkled with fennel seeds and wrapped in crisped pancetta are the perfect chaser for an evening's aperitif.

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Pickled Beet and Fig Salad

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (11)

Plump figs pull together the acid of pickled beets, the heat of mustard, and the pepperiness of watercress in a hearty and intensely flavored salad.

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Pizza With Fresh Figs, Ricotta, Thyme and Honey

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (12)

For an eye catching appetizer, assertively herbal thyme turns honey savory, and a careful seasoning with salt and pepper steers the sweet figs into grown up territory.

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Fig and Strawberry Tart

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This hazelnut-rich tart is an excellent excuse to combine those out-of-season strawberries you see at the supermarket with perfectly ripe figs. Live wildly—combine seasons!

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Prosciutto Crostini and Fresh Figs With Gorgonzola

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For a quick but substantial snack, raise the bar on the prosciutto-fig combination and add crusty baguette with vibrant, fresh herbs. The fresh figs tame the bite of gorgonzola.

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Fresh Fig and Feta Salad With Mint

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In this deconstructed, dramatic salad, the mouth watering saltiness of feta is tempered by the floral sweetness of fresh Smyrna figs and the bite of fresh mint. Add a hunk of bread for mopping.

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Roasted Chicken With Polenta and Balsamic-Poached Figs

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Here's a comforting start-ahead, quickly-assembled dish for cold evenings in a warm home. The rich pan drippings from a roasted chicken are blended with balsamic-poached figs for an unforgettable sauce that might make you lick your plate.

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Spiced Poached Figs

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The sweetly-tart botrytis character of Sauternes spiced with peppercorns and star anise, turns simple fresh green figs luxe.

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Fresh Fig and Almond Crostata

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (18)

A food processor is all you need to make this sweet and nutty crostata, or Italian baked tart.

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Fig Tart With Cream Cheese Filling

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (19)

Equal parts creamy and sweet, this tart recipe is perfect for using up an abundance of fresh figs. Serve it with a generous dollop of homemade whipped cream for the ultimate treat.

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16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (2024)

FAQs

What are fresh figs in season? ›

There are two seasons for domestic fresh figs; the first or "breba" season is the first few weeks in June. The second or "new wood" season typically runs from August through October. The most common variety is the Black Mission fig followed by the Brown Turkey fig and the Green Kadota fig respectivly.

Can you do anything with unripe figs? ›

In a climate such as the UK's, where figs don't often ripen fully, it's good to know that this glorious fruit doesn't have to go to waste. Green figs preserved in syrup, or vye konfyt, as they're called in South Africa, can be enjoyed on cheeseboards, pancakes and other desserts, or even eaten straight from the jar.

What is the best way to eat fresh figs? ›

The best way to enjoy figs is raw, with the skin and seeds intact. You can also remove the peels and scoop out the seeds, if you like, or cook figs by baking, broiling or grilling them. But, the quickest and easiest way to enjoy these gems is by removing the stem and taking a bite right out of the raw fig.

How many figs should I eat per day? ›

The General Guideline: On average, 2-4 figs per day can be a sweet spot for most people, balancing taste and nutritional benefits. Your Personal Needs: Your individual needs, health condition, and lifestyle can affect the ideal amount of figs for you.

Should I wash fresh figs before eating? ›

Figs taste best when they're ripe, raw, and with the seeds and skin intact. Wash figs under cold water and gently pat them dry. Remove the stem before eating. Check if your fig is ready to eat by squeezing it gently—a ripe fig will feel soft and give a little, but still hold its shape.

Should you wash fresh figs? ›

Like strawberries, which can get moldy if exposed to too much moisture, it's generally not recommended that you wash figs as soon as you bring them home from the market. Too much moisture can cause the figs to spoil more quickly. Wash them right before eating.

Should I soak fresh figs? ›

Figs contain no fat and no cholesterol. Plus, there is very low sodium and a balanced amount of fiber, carbohydrates and sugar. Eating overnight soaked figs on a regular basis can provide numerous health benefits. These can also be eaten directly, however, soaking in water will provide you with better health benefits.

Why put baking soda on figs? ›

Sprinkle the baking soda over the figs; cover with the 12 cups of boiling water. Soak for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This helps remove any latex from the skin of any slightly under-ripe figs.

Can I freeze fresh figs? ›

Like many other fruits and vegetables, figs can easily be frozen and used in a variety of dishes. This year when fig season comes around, make sure to buy a few extra pounds to freeze and eat in the future. You can swap fresh for frozen figs in many recipes such as this one for easy Fig Bread.

What cheese goes with fresh figs? ›

Fresh figs are halved and stuffed with any creamy, flavorful cheese. A good blue works, but creamy goat cheese, drizzled with balsamic vinegar, is even more crowd-pleasing.

Why do you soak figs in water? ›

Eating 1 to 3 soaked figs in water overnight helps in faster weight loss as fig has high fiber content, prevent wrinkles, make your skin soft and supple, boost immune system and promote hair growth too #driedfigs #healthylifestyle #dohaqatar🇶🇦

Can you cook and eat unripe figs? ›

Eat them green: If all else fails you could try one of the many recipes for green figs. In Italy, green figs are added to frittatas and served on pasta. We particularly like this recipe for unripe figs and fettuccine which is adapted from the Italian version online here.

Will figs ripen if you pick them green? ›

Green figs will not ripen off the tree. Figs picked just before full ripeness will continue to soften and become sweeter if left in a dry location with a moderate temperature. For more information on growing and producing figs, see HGIC 1353, Fig. As ripening begins, most figs become larger in size and change color.

What is the best time of year to buy figs? ›

So, when is fig season? Bit of a trick question: there are actually two! With figs, you get one smaller harvest in early summer and then a larger one either in late summer or early fall. Prices stay fairly consistent, though you might find figs a little dearer during winter.

What months are best for figs? ›

Typically, figs feature two main cropping seasons annually. The first, known as the “breba” crop, appears in late spring to early summer, while the second, or “main” crop, matures from late summer to early fall.

Can you buy fresh figs all year? ›

True fig lovers are well-practiced in the art of patience. We watch the calendar, dreaming of summer and the fruit's silky, sappy flesh. The season lasts through June and July, with another crop from August to October.

Why don't they sell fresh figs? ›

Because figs are strongly seasonal and don't travel well. They are ripe for just a few weeks a year and can't be preserved. Beside, they are very soft, don't ripen much once picked (so you can't pick them green and hope they are ripe by the time you sell them), and being very soft they get squashed easily.

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