Our Best Fig Recipes, Whether You’re Craving Savory or Sweet

Casseroles, cakes, cheese board condiments, and so much more…

Cornmeal Cakes with Berry-Fig Chutney
Photo: Andy Lyons

Featuring fig jam, dried figs, and fresh figs (for those glorious few weeks when they’re in season), our best fig recipes earn rave reviews. Bake up a batch of fig bars or a fig cake recipe, simmer some fig and pistachios together to top baked brie, toss figs into a whole grain salad; figs are fantastic in sweet and savory dishes.

01 of 14

Apple-Fig Cake (Torta di Mele)

Apple-Fig Cake (Torta di Mele)
Kritsada Panichgul

It’s simple enough for weeknights yet elegant enough for entertaining. It’s infused with enough fruit ( 2 apples and 6 fresh figs) that it’s totally appropriate to eat for brunch or after dinner. No wonder this fig cake recipe is on repeat for so many of our editors and readers. Instead of ice cream or whipped cream, try our almost-couldn’t-be-easier fig and apple dessert topping: mascarpone cheese spiked with honey. (Warning: You’ll want to slather this on everything from toast to grilled fruit to graham crackers!)

02 of 14

Warm Brie with Fig and Pistachio Tapenade

Warm Brie with Fig and Pistachio Tapenade
Kritsada Panichgul

Take a break from puff pastry-wrapped Baked Brie en croûte and try this fresher and less-fussy alternative. Our gluten-free baked brie is so simple we could almost melt. As the brie bakes, stir together fried figs, honey, and pistachios on the stovetop for the tapenade to pile on top of the ooey-gooey cheese. Then all that’s left to do is spoon the nutty fig recipe over the brie, then dive in with crackers, pita wedges, toasted baguette slices, or sturdy slices of fruit.

03 of 14

Cornmeal Cakes with Berry-Fig Chutney

Cornmeal Cakes with Berry-Fig Chutney
Andy Lyons

Cornbread shouldn’t get all the glory. We’re wild about showcasing the naturally-sweet, corny flavor of cornmeal in these fig-topped mini flapjacks. Atop the pint-sized cornmeal pancakes, spread goat cheese or quark (or try labneh!), and take things over the top with a balsamic- and honey-infused chutney featuring blueberries and dried figs.

04 of 14

Fig, Pancetta, and Goat Cheese Brunch Casserole

Fig, Pancetta, Goat Cheese Brunch Casserole
Andy Lyons

According to BHG fans, this is among our very best brunch recipes of all time. For 9 years running, the fig recipe has been one of our top-ranking make-ahead casseroles. “A friend made this for brunch and it was delicious,” one reviewer raves. “I immediately asked for the recipe, and am looking forward to making it this weekend. Perfect combination of sweet (figs), savory (goat cheese), and salty (pancetta). A definite must-try recipe!”

05 of 14

Manchego Thumbprint Cookies with Fig Preserves

Manchego Thumbprint Cookies with Fig Preserves on teal plate
Brie Passano

True, you might receive a few quizzical looks when you offer thumbprint cookies before dinner. But trust us: These two-bite delights are firmly on the savory side—with a hint of sweet from fig jam. Thanks to plenty of Manchego cheese, cornmeal, fresh rosemary, a pinch of crushed red pepper, and zero sugar, the cookie itself tastes similar to a cheese straw. Then a dollop of fig preserves sweetens the deal, and makes a handheld treat that’s reminiscent of a well-constructed bite from a cheese board.

06 of 14

Clementine-Fig Spice Cake

clementine fig spice cakes
Andy Lyons

Take figs into fall territory. This spice cake is warm, sweet, and welcoming due to apple pie spice, candied clementine, and vanilla. And we couldn't forget the figs in this fig cake recipe, of course. A full cup of the chopped dried fruit studs the batter, offering a chewy, sweet and lovely complement to the warmly-spiced cake batter. Feeling spirited? Instead of following our clementine syrup-drizzling instructions, try our rum-soaked method to finish these moist mini cakes.

07 of 14

Cast-Iron Figgy Brie Rolls

figgy brie rolls
Peter Krumhardt

Frozen bread dough looks and tastes 100% homemade when you follow our lead with this easy cast-iron skillet recipe. You need just 7 ingredients to bring a family-sized batch of warm, stuffed rolls to the table. Here’s a preview of what’s hiding inside: melty brie, dried figs, honey, and fresh sage. Try it with pork or chicken for dinner, or alongside eggs and fruit salad for brunch.

08 of 14

White Chocolate Blondies With Macadamia Nuts and Figs

White Chocolate Blondies with Macadamia Nuts and Figs

We’ve taken the concept of white chocolate-macadamia nut cookies and given them a glow up. Trick 1: Transitioning similar flavors into bar form, so you need not stress over rolling and baking separate cookies. Each of the 36 servings bakes in a single 9- x 13-inch pan. Trick 2: Adding ½ cup of dried figs for additional sweetness and texture. Trick 3: Drizzling the fig bar cookies with melted white chocolate, for an elegant and bake sale-winning look.

09 of 14

Piadini with Gorgonzola, Prosciutto, and Fig Jam

Piadini with Gorgonzola, Prosciutto, and Fig Jam
Blaine Moats

We’ll talk you through how to whip up an easy, fluffy homemade dough to act as the base for these Italian-inspired sandwiches. Or to make this flatbread recipe even easier and faster, swap in purchased pizza dough, or pre-cooked pita, flatbread, or naan. Then you can jump ahead to the grilling and stuffing steps, which means less time stands between you and the craveable combo of peppery fresh arugula, savory prosciutto, funky blue cheese, and sweet fig jam.

10 of 14

Garlic Pork with Kale and Walnut Barley

Garlic Pork with Kale and Walnut Barley
Karla Conrad

Not big into pork tenderloin? Don’t immediately scroll past. You can pair the figgy whole grain salad recipe with any entrée, or simply enjoy it as a meal on its own in a grain bowl alongside a jammy egg. With bacon, kale, walnuts, and snipped dried figs invited to the party, this hearty barley dish is so tasty, we gladly eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

11 of 14

Fig Cookies

Fig Cookies

Look familiar? This classic cookie recipe is a Fig Newton copycat of sorts. Simmering orange juice helps bring dried figs, raisins, and candied fruit back to life so they can shine in their tender, sweet glory in the cinnamon-spiced filling. And that’s just the beginning. The sugar cookie “wrapper” and lemon glaze really make these cookies stand out from their store-bought competition.

12 of 14

Lady Baltimore Tassies

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According to our friends at Southern Living, a Lady Baltimore cake is “among the most elegant and impressive” of all Southern desserts. Traditionally, the showstopper includes three layers of white cake, a boozy dried fruit and nut filling, and a generous coating of fluffy 7-minute frosting. For this far-less-fussy variation on the theme, we take the same flavors and refresh them into mini muffin tin desserts that are perfect for parties. A nutty pecan pastry sets the stage for the orange liqueur-infused fruit filling; both of which are crowned with pretty piped meringue.

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Apricot-Fig Meringue Bars

Apricot-Fig Meringue Bars

No one will ever guess that these gorgeous meringue-topped bars started with purchased oatmeal cookie mix. That doctored-up mix acts as the foundation for the dried fig and apricot preserve topping and the light-as-air meringue. These triple-layer fig bars look showy but are surprisingly no-sweat to create—even if you’re new to baking.

14 of 14

Turkey Breast Stuffed with Sausage, Fennel, and Figs

Turkey Breast Stuffed with Sausage, Fennel, and Figs

Why reserve turkey dinner for Thanksgiving alone? If you start with a turkey breast recipe—like this crowd-pleasing one that’s stuffed with beautifully-seasoned sausage, onions, and dried figs—it cooks quick enough for Sunday dinner. And you don’t even need to preheat your oven. We recommend cooking this on your gas or charcoal grill  (and will coach you through how to do just that).

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