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

  • Recipes

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.

Editorial Guidelines

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.

Editorial Guidelines

Updated on August 11, 2023

Trending Videos

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.

View Recipe

02of 16

Fig-and-Plum Cake

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (5)

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.

View Recipe

03of 16

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.

View Recipe

04of 16

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.

View Recipe

05of 16

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.

View Recipe

06of 16

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.

View Recipe

07of 16

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.

08of 16

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.

View Recipe

09of 16

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.

View Recipe

10of 16

Fig and Strawberry Tart

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (13)

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!

View Recipe

11of 16

Prosciutto Crostini and Fresh Figs With Gorgonzola

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (14)

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.

View Recipe

12of 16

Fresh Fig and Feta Salad With Mint

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (15)

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.

View Recipe

13of 16

Roasted Chicken With Polenta and Balsamic-Poached Figs

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

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.

View Recipe

14of 16

Spiced Poached Figs

16 Fresh Fig Recipes to Make While This Special Fruit Is in Season (17)

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

View Recipe

15of 16

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.

View Recipe

16of 16

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.

View Recipe

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Tell us why!

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

FAQs

Are fresh figs in season now? ›

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.

What season is 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.

How do you make Martha Stewart figs? ›

Directions
  1. In a medium saucepan, combine figs with sugar and 1 1/2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until most of liquid has evaporated and figs are easily pierced with the tip of a sharp paring knife, about 20 minutes.
  2. Transfer mixture to a food processor; add lemon juice.
May 16, 2017

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.

Should fresh 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.

Why did Jesus cursed the fig tree? ›

In cursing the fig-tree, he shows "His justice on the sinners who bring forth not the expected fruits of grace." Since even though a person should only expect fruit from a tree in its season, God by contrast always has the right to expect from mankind the fruits of righteousness and piety.

What are the best figs to eat raw? ›

Brown Turkey figs are medium to large with a purplish-brown skin and sweet, juicy pulp. Mission figs are purplish-black with red flesh. They are full-flavoured, with a moist and chewy texture, best eaten fresh. Calimyrna figs are large, with green skin and white flesh.

How long will figs last in the refrigerator? ›

Fresh figs can last for two to three days when you store them at room temperature in a dry place. Figs will keep for up to a week if you refrigerate them under the right storage conditions with plenty of room to breathe in the crisper drawer. Frozen figs have a shelf life of up to a year.

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.

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🇶🇦

Why should you soak figs? ›

Figs are rich in both soluble as well as insoluble fibrous content. When soaked, the fibrous content is enhanced, helping better the digestion. Fibre helps in smoothing the bowel movements and thus relieving constipation and other digestive problems.

Why do you soak figs overnight? ›

Pre-soaking helps to break down the soluble fiber content of the figs.

Can you eat too many fresh figs? ›

Regular intake of figs in large quantities along with its seeds can possibly cause bloating and upset stomach. This will in turn create pressure on intestines and liver. In addition, an over-consumption of figs can cause calcium deficiency in the body.

Why aren t fresh figs sold in stores? ›

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.

What month are figs ready? ›

A fig tree bears fruit 3 to 4 years after planting. An immature tree may produce fruit that never ripens. Fig trees produce fruit as early as May and continue as late as the first frost (November in some areas). Some fig varieties only produce fruit twice a year: once in spring or summer & once in 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.

When can I buy figs? ›

The prime harvesting season for fresh figs is mid-June to mid-October. If you see them in a market, buy them only if you plan to use them quickly. Fresh figs will spoil within seven to ten days of harvesting. In most cases, this means you have about three days at most to use them at home.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Rev. Leonie Wyman

Last Updated:

Views: 5869

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (79 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rev. Leonie Wyman

Birthday: 1993-07-01

Address: Suite 763 6272 Lang Bypass, New Xochitlport, VT 72704-3308

Phone: +22014484519944

Job: Banking Officer

Hobby: Sailing, Gaming, Basketball, Calligraphy, Mycology, Astronomy, Juggling

Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.