Top 12 ways to serve figs (2024)

Smooth-skinned and lusciously sweet, figs have a unique taste and texture, with slightly chewy flesh peppered with tiny, crunchy seeds. Their high sugar content pairs perfectly with similarly intense flavours, adding a burst of sweetness to savoury dishes and a distinctive texture and aroma to sweet treats.

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How to choose the best figs

Select plump, soft and purple specimens, with no bruising or splits. Unripe figs will be hard and green in colour, while overripe fruits may feel mushy and smell sour. The fresh fruit is in season from August to early October, while dried varieties are available all year round.

Check out our fruity fig recipes below, then get more inspiration from our collection of best-ever fig recipes. Learn about the health benefits of figs and find out more about choosing, preparing and storing figs in our glossary entry.

Want to try growing your own fig tree? Discover the best way to grow figs, at GardenersWorld.com.

Top 12 ways to serve figs

1. Jams and chutneys

Ripe and juicy figs are ideal for turning into homemade jams and tangy chutneys. Our sweet fig jam is delicious spread on toast or swirled into yogurt, and also makes a great gift. You can also make chutney to accompany your cheeseboard – our sticky fig and port preserve is perfect for the festive season.

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Try these fruity fig preserves...
Fig jam
Fresh fig chutney
Sticky fig and port chutney
Pineapple, fig and ginger chutney

2. Pies and tarts

Figs + pastry = endless possibilities. Choose from sweet or savoury flavours, a pastry lid or crisp base, or fully enclose your fillings in buttery, flaky goodness.

Try these fig tarts and pies...
Frangipane, fig and orange tart
Fig, raspberry and cardamom pie
Fig and blue cheese tart
Fig tartlets
Honey roasted fig and almond tart
Toffee fig pies

3. Salads

Incorporate figs into a symphony of tastes and textures with sticky honey-glazed halloumi, peppery rocket, salty prosciutto and toasted almonds. The sweet flavour of figs pairs well with creamy mozzarella and bitter salad leaves like chicory, so why not get inventive with your own assemblage?

Try these fig salads...
Spiced honey-glazed halloumi and fig salad
Mediterranean fig and mozzarella salad
Marinated fig and mozarella salad
Griddled chicory with figs and bitter leaves

4. Cakes

Is there anything more enticing than a fruit-filled bake? Pack in natural sweetness and give comforting classics like crumble, the humble Swiss roll and classic coffee cake a figgy twist. Dried figs also work marvels in Christmas fruit cakes along with currants, nuts spices and spices – they soak up any booze beautifully!

Try these fig cake recipes...
Fig and raspberry crumble cake
Spiced fig, coffee and hazelnut cake
Fudgy fig roll
Little fig and almond cakes
Fig and honey Christmas cake

Check our more dried fig recipes

5. Served with meat

Naturally sweet figs add a new dimension to gamey meats like quail, dark meat such as duck and salty, cured meats such as prosciutto and rich lamb cutlets.

6. Puddings

Fresh figs feel right at home nestled into a sponge pudding or topped with sweet, crunchy crumble. Their rich fruity flavour and jammy texture adds an extra layer of comfort to wintry desserts, which is only enhanced with a giant dollop of ice cream.

Try these fig puddings...
Fig sponge pudding
Caramelised figgy bread and butter pudding
Orchard crumble

7. Served with cheese

We can’t get enough of that salty-sweet combination. Plump, fresh figs pair well with a wide variety of cheeses, from crumbly, sharp stilton to creamy brie.

Try these fig and cheese dishes...
Baked blue cheese with figs and walnuts

Stilton and fig salad with honey-thyme drizzle
Spanish fig and almond balls

8. Pizzas and breads

Take the cheese and meat pairing up a notch and pop them all on a pizza. A bready base offers the perfect vehicle to get all that goodness from plate-to-mouth, with an added hit of carby pleasure.

Try these fig pizzas and picnic breads...
Rye pizza with figs, fennel, gorgonzola and hazelnuts
Fig and Serrano ham picnic bread
Fig and prosciutto pizzettas

9. Stuffings

Step away from tired old sage and onion stuffing – these fruity flavours will give the classic Sunday roast side a much-needed lift. Fig and apples make a delicious autumnal combination in our pork loin roast, whilst pancetta provides a salty contrast to this sweet fruit in Emma Freud's American-style stuffing.

Try these fig stuffing recipes...
Pork loin roast with fig and apple stuffing
Fig and pancetta American stuffing
Fruity Christmas stuffing

10. Sweet and savoury snacks

Figs provide a fruity flavour hit in sweet and savoury snacks. Throw a handful of chewy toffees into the filling to make fig rolls with truly sticky, sweet centers that are so much better than anything you’ll find in a packet. Or serve our heavenly sticky shallot, fig and almond filo parcels as a tasty vegan canapé at Christmas.

Try it yourself...
Sticky toffee fig rolls
Sticky shallot, fig and almond filo parcels

11. Toasted sandwiches

Did we mention figs and cheese are a dream combo? A case in point is this toasted cinnamon bagel, loaded with creamy ricotta, sweet figs and honey, tangy blackcurrant jam plus a sprinkling of crumbled sesame snap. Or use up your Christmas leftovers in a gourmet grilled brie, ham and fig, jam toastie – it's simply oozing with cheesy goodness!

Ricotta, fig and sesame bagel
Brie, ham and fig jam toastie

12. Simply spiced

Let the natural beauty of the fruit take centre stage for an easy, yet effective, end to a dinner party.

Try these spiced fig desserts...
Sticky cinnamon figs
Spiced baked figs with ginger mascarpone
Honeyed almond figs

Get more autumnal recipe inspiration...

Top 10 autumn recipes
Autumn cake recipes
Our best ever apple cake recipes
Plum recipes
Autumn baking projects for kids
Top 15 blackberry recipe ideas

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What are your favourite ways to serve figs? Let us know in the comments below...

FAQs

How best to eat fresh figs? ›

Eat raw, drizzled with honey, a scattering of toasted nuts and some clotted cream, or in a salad with Parma ham or goat's cheese and rocket. Alternatively, halve and grill (2-3 mins); roast whole (8-12 mins); poach whole (5-8 mins). You can also use dried figs in baking or as a snack.

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How do you serve figs on a charcuterie board? ›

🙂 You can also add figs to almost any kind of charcuterie board. Slice a few, and leave a few whole for a pretty presentation. Here's some possible substitutions: Use peach or vanilla Greek yogurt in the Yogurt & Granola Bowl.

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Do you need to peel figs before eating? ›

Preparation. Fresh figs are usually eaten raw. They taste best eaten straight off the tree, ideally still warm from the sun. The entire fig is edible, from the thin skin to the red or purplish flesh and the myriad tiny seeds, but they can be peeled if you wish.

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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.

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Why figs should be soaked before eating? ›

Soaking figs in water makes them softer and easier to digest.

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What cheese is best with figs? ›

Fresh cheeses are wonderful with juicy, ripe figs; try ricotta on toast topped with slices of the fruit and a drizzle of honey at breakfast. The imported ricotta di pecora (sheep's milk ricotta) from Caseificio Busti, available seasonally at D.

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What is the proper way to eat a fig in society? ›

The proper way to eat a fig, in society, Is to split it in four, holding it by the stump, And open it, so that it is a glittering, rosy, moist, honied, heavy-petalled four-petalled flower.

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How to cut figs for fruit platter? ›

More fruit platter ideas

Fresh figs - not everyone will know how to eat these, so I like to slice them into quarters. Then they're bite-sized so people don't wonder if they can eat the skin - hint: yes you eat the skin of figs.

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How many figs should I eat a day? ›

When it comes to raw fruit, you can easily have 2-3 figs in a day. If you are having dried figs, stick to 3 figs and do not have them without soaking overnight. Our body can absorb the nutrients and digest some dried fruits and nuts in a better way when they are soaked well.

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Is it OK to eat figs without soaking? ›

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.

How to tell if a fig is ripe? ›

Ripe figs are soft and squishy, like a partially full water balloon. Squeeze your fig to test its ripeness–can you easily pierce the skin? If yes, your fig is ripe. If the skin doesn't give under your fingertips, your fig is not quite ripe.

Should figs be refrigerated? ›

Since fresh figs are perishable, they need to be kept in the refrigerator, between 32ºF-36ºF. 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.

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What are the pros and cons of eating figs? ›

Along with the fruit, fig leaves and fig leaf tea appear to be beneficial for health. Dried figs in particular may help relieve constipation. However, figs may interfere with blood thinning medications due to their vitamin K content, and dried figs should be eaten in moderation due to their high sugar content.

How many figs should you eat at a time? ›

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