Stuff fresh figs with soft goat cheese and drizzle with honey for an amazing starter or dessert. Or top with blue cheese, add hazelnuts, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze! This post includes three delicious ways to serve fresh figs, with no roasting required!
Fresh figs stuffed with goat cheese and drizzled with honey make a spectacular appetizer or a dessert!
If your only experience with figs has been those store-bought figgy cookies packed in your school lunch when the homemade cookies were all gone, it's time to branch out and sample some fresh ones.
Fresh figs are simply luscious!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- No roasting needed: There is no need to bake figs in this recipe. Simply slice fresh figs in half, top with soft goat cheese, then drizzle with warmed honey! So easy, and so flavourful without having to roast figs!
- Quick and easy: You're not roasting figs in the oven, so it's a healthy snack you can whip up at the last minute. And there's nothing as wonderful as biting into a fresh fig.
- Appetizer or dessert: you choose! These Fresh Figs with Goat Cheese and Honey will open a whole new world of possibilities for you. Stuffed figs make an incredible goat cheese appetizer or even a light dessert!
- 3 variations to try!
🛒 Ingredients
- fresh figs: any variety. Desert King, Brown Turkey, and Black Mission are common varieties you'll find in supermarkets or farmer's markets.
- goat cheese: a soft creamy variety. Use honey-sweetened goat cheese like Mielle if it's available. You can also substitute blue cheese for a flavour explosion!
- honey: plain liquid honey, or try these with lavender-infused honey. You'll find instructions for how to make lavender-infused honey in this recipe for Fresh Apricots with Goat Cheese and Lavender Honey
- nuts (optional): finely chopped maple-glazed walnut or hazelnuts add a crunchy texture, to contrast with creamy cheese and juicy figs.
- flaky sea salt: a tiny sprinkle of finishing salt on top is a nice touch.
Instructions for 3 ways to serve fresh figs
1. Whole figs with goat cheese and warmed honey
- Gently wash and wipe the figs.
- Remove the stem with a sharp knife. Cut the figs in quarters, from the stem end to the base, making sure to not cut all the way through.
- Gently stuff 1 teaspoon of goat cheese into the center of each fig.
- Drizzle with honey or lavender-infused honey and serve on a small plate with a fork as a starter or dessert.
2. Fresh fig halves with goat cheese, honey and maple walnuts
- Wash and wipe each fig and remove the stem end.
- Top each fig half with 1 teaspoon goat cheese, then top with maple-glazed walnuts.
- Drizzle with honey.
- Add a tiny pinch of finishing salt. Serve as finger food with napkins.
To make maple walnuts, toss a small handful of chopped walnuts in a heated skillet with 2 teaspoons maple syrup, cook for a few minutes until caramelized, then remove from the heat and add a pinch of sea salt, smoked sea salt.
3. Fresh figs with blue cheese, balsamic glaze, and toasted hazelnuts
- Wash and wipe each fig and remove the stem end.
- Top each fig half with 1 teaspoon creamy blue cheese, then top with finely chopped, toasted maple-glazed hazelnuts.
- Drizzle with ¼ to ½ teaspoon balsamic glaze.
- Serve as finger food with napkins.
❓ Commonly asked questions about figs
There are several varieties of figs that work well in fig appetizer recipes.
Black Mission figs are often available in markets and grocery stores. Their flesh is firm, they have a beautiful blue-purple hue and they have an intensely sweet flavour.
Brown Turkey figs are brownish-black in colour but their interior is a pale pink. They're delicious in salads as they're not as sweet as Black Mission figs. For dessert, they're particularly delicious with one of these recipes with a honey drizzle.
Calimyrna figs are larger than Black Missions or Brown Turkey figs. Their skin is a pretty light yellowish-green. They have a distinctly pink interior which contrasts beautifully with their exterior. They're absolutely delicious straight from the tree or cut open and drizzled with a little honey.
Desert Sun figs are similar to Calimyrna. They have green skin with beautiful pink flesh and are naturally sweet. My personal favourite.
Any of the recipe variations on this post will complement any of these varieties of figs. Read more descriptions of fig varieties in this article.
Yes! Figs may help build strong bones, as they contain calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin K. They're high in fiber, so they help with digestion.
They're also a source of iron and other essential vitamins and minerals. Figs contain potassium, which may help to lower blood pressure. They're listed as Medium on the Glycemic Index scale. One fresh fig provides about 30 calories.
If you are picking figs from a tree, look for ones that are just starting to bend from the branch. They become heavy as they ripen, gravity works its magic and they begin to droop and move closer to the branch. They should give just a little when you apply pressure.
If they're fully ripe (and therefore the tastiest they can be) a simple twist will remove them from the branch. If they begin to drip, it means they are so ripe that they can't hold their nectar and you are in for a taste treat. Get them quick before the wasps or birds beat you to them.
If you're buying figs in a market or store, look for those with smooth, unblemished skin. They should be firm but give a little when gently pressed. Avoid those that are soft and mushy or those that are too hard. They won't fully ripen if they've been picked too early.
Figs have a very short shelf life. They're best picked when fully ripe. If they're picked too early, they will be hard and they won't ripen. Store them in a single layer in the fridge and eat them within 3 days. Don't wash them until you're ready to eat them.
To make dried figs, cut them into ¼-inch slices and dry them in a food dehydrator. You'll have sweet candy for the winter months!
These recipes for figs with goat cheese or blue cheese can be both appetizers or desserts. Fruit paired with cheese is traditionally served after dinner in France.
But these stuffed figs are pretty darn cute and I think they'd work equally well as a little pre-dinner nibble.
You decide. Or have them before AND after. They're just that good.
🗒 Appetizers and finger food recipes
- Cranberry Goat Cheese Pinwheels (Easy Puff Pastry Appetizer)
- Puff Pastry Pesto Pinwheels
- 25 Easy Finger Food Appetizers
- Mini Crustless Smoked Salmon Quiches
🌟 Did you make this fresh fig appetizer recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Fresh Figs with Goat Cheese and Honey
Ingredients
- 4 medium fresh figs, ripe
- 8 teaspoons goat cheese, preferably Mielle or honey goat cheese
- 2 teaspoons honey, or lavender-infused honey
- flaky sea salt or Kosher salt optional
- ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts, or hazelnuts
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
Whole Figs with Goat Cheese and Honey
- Gently wash and wipe the figs. Remove the stem with a sharp knife. Cut the figs in quarters, from the stem end to the base, making sure to not cut all the way through. Gently stuff 1 teaspoon of goat cheese into the center of each fig. Drizzle with honey or lavender-infused honey and serve on a small plate with a fork as a starter or dessert. Optional: top with a pinch of sea salt or Kosher salt and or maple-glazed nuts like walnuts or hazelnuts.
Fresh Fig Halves with Goat Cheese and Maple Glazed Walnuts
- Wash and wipe each fig and remove the stem end. Top each fig half with 1 teaspoon goat cheese, then top with maple-glazed walnuts. Drizzle with honey. Add a tiny pinch of finishing salt. Serve as finger food with napkins.
Fresh Figs with Blue cheese, Balsamic glaze, and Toasted Hazelnuts
- Wash and wipe each fig and remove the stem end. Top each fig half with 1 teaspoon creamy blue cheese, then top with finely chopped, toasted maple-glazed hazelnuts. Drizzle with ¼ to ½ teaspoon balsamic glaze. Serve as finger food with napkins.
Dierdre
A perfect summertime appetizer!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks! It is! Simple and delicious.
Malia
These are amazing!
They were snapped up right away. I should have made more!
Maria from She Loves Biscotti
Serving cheese and fruit after dinner is definitively a European "thing" Growing up Italian meant there was always fruit after dinner and the cheese that was served was almost always homemade. That being said, I would probably eat these fresh figs with goat cheese before dinner as I would have no willpower to wait... they look amazing Elaine! Thanks for sharing ♥
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Maria, Sometimes the most simple desserts are the best! Thanks for commenting!
Dasha
That looks divine! Every year I can't wait for a fig season. Sweet and salty combos are awesome.