43 Fig Recipes for Sweet and Savory Favorites
The great thing about fig recipes is they can go either way. They add a nutty, grounding note to tarts, cakes, and ice cream, but they contribute a lovely sweetness to plates of pork, duck, and lamb. If you're lucky enough to have a fig tree nearby, you'll need all the recipes below to make it through your harvest. Not so lucky? There are some dried fig recipes in the list below, too.
Photo by Alex Lau2/43Figs with Bacon and Chile
These figs with bacon are sweet, salty, sticky, and bright—just the thing for a one-bite appetizer.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell4/43Pork Chops With Fig and Grape Agrodolce
Fresh figs and grapes cooked in balsamic vinegar and honey make a wonderful sweet and sour sauce for pork chops in this fancy-feeling fall dinner.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Ali Nardi5/43Figs-in-a-Blanket With Goat Cheese
Vegetarians deserve the fun of pigs-in-a-blanket, too. This version has spicy, honey-glazed figs and creamy goat cheese, all baked in puff pastry.
Photo by Alex Lau8/43Cranberry Chutney With Orange, Figs, and Mustard
Here's a fig recipe for your Thanksgiving table. Feel free to use frozen cranberries, too.
Photo by Christopher Testani10/43Fig-Braised Chicken With Spiced Walnuts
Dried figs are the key to this luscious chicken dinner. Served with spicy toasted walnuts and smothered in a sweet and silky sauce, this dish is sure to become a family favorite.
Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich17/43Cranberry-Fig Sauce
Figs bring a touch of sweetness to this bright, chutney-ish sauce and nicely offset the sharpness of the vinegar. Yes, this is an obvious sub for standard cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, but it's also great throughout the fall with pork, chicken, duck, or lamb.
Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Andy Baraghani20/43Brioche au Rhum
Hirsheimer & Hamilton22/43Chocolate Torte with Calvados-Poached Figs
Figs add a nutty note to this chocolate dessert. Just be sure to cook the figs only until they've softened: Overcooking or intense boiling will render them tough instead of lush.
Jonathan Lovekin26/43Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Fresh Figs
In this recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, ripe, plump figs bring out the sweetness in sweet potatoes. The balsamic reduction is very effective here, both for the look and for rounding up the flavors.
Steve Legato32/43Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Fig Skewers
Thread the figs onto long rosemary branches, grill, and serve alongside pork tenderloin for a stunning presentation. (The herbs will scent the figs a bit, too.)
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott33/43Spiced Dried-Fruit Chutney
You're looking at the very best condiment for your grilled turkey here. Just add stuffing and mashed potatoes.
Sara Remington43/43Deep-Dish Winter Fruit Pie With Walnut Crumb
Of all our fig recipes, this one is a true showstopper. The deep-dish crumb-topped pie combines several winter fruits and confirms that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The pears become soft, the apples remain slightly firm, the figs add texture and sweetness, and the tart cranberries pop in your mouth, making this rustic pie a sensory treat.
