This simple fig and goat cheese salad with honey is bursting with refreshing flavors. A quick 5-minute recipe that is both vegetarian and gluten-free.
I could basically live for fresh figs. They’re by far my favorite fruit, and the fact they’re so rare and precious i.e. available for a very short period of time in the year makes them even more enjoyable to me. They are many ways you could prepare figs, but I like them raw, and as simple as possible.
If you’re like me, there’s no doubt you will fall for this fig salad recipe, prepared with fresh goat cheese for some creamy flavors, toasted walnuts, and a touch of honey. Toss lightly with the vinaigrette, and enjoy the sweet and savory flavors of this gorgeous summer salad!
Why you will LOVE this fig and goat cheese salad?
Well, if you ask me, there is absolutely no reason not to love this gorgeous salad. But here’s why you will really fall for it:
- It’s a gorgeous salad ✔
- Easy to make and ready in no time ✔
- The sweet and savory flavors are so complementary ✔
- There’s an interesting contrast of textures with the creamy goat cheese, the soft figs, and the crunchy walnuts ✔
- There are so many possible ways to customize the salad every single time (see below) ✔
What goes into this fig and goat cheese salad?
- Fresh figs. Obviously! They’re not always easy to choose, but if you pick them while in season (from June to October depending on the region you live in), you have better chance to find sweet and juicy figs.
- Fresh goat cheese. Use the kind in a log, and crumble it yourself by hand, rather than using crumbled-bought goat cheese.
- Walnuts, or pecans. We like them lightly toasted, for deeper flavors.
- Honey. Use a mild honey, fruity but not too strong. Maple syrup could do too, but I prefer honey to serve with fresh figs.
- Mint. This is an essential ingredient of the recipe, bringing some refreshing notes.
You will also need to prepare a simple vinaigrette, but make sure you drizzle it lightly over the salad. The idea is to enhance the flavors while still keeping the figs as fresh as possible.
Possible variations around the recipe:
The beauty of this fig and goat cheese salad is that there are many possible ways to play around with the recipe. The core ingredient remains the fresh figs, but all the other ones can be replaced while still keeping the same structure in terms of flavors and texture. Find below a few possible variations:
- To make the salad more complete and satisfying, consider adding some cooked quinoa.
- Goat cheese can be replaced by either feta cheese or with blue cheese (such as Gorgonzola) if you like strong cheese. Both will pair very well with figs. You could also go for mild flavors, using mozzarella or burrata cheese!
- Play with the nuts of your choice: walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, almonds or pistachios will also do very well in the recipe.
More recipes using fresh figs:
- Fig and Goat Cheese Pizza with a Whole Wheat Crust
- Fig Salad with Vanilla Black Pepper Syrup
- Balsamic Tomato and Fresh Fig Galette
- Fresh Fig Cheesecake Tart
- Roasted Squash, Fig and Baby Spinach Salad
Other summer salads you may like:
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese
- Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese
- Cucumber Feta Quinoa Salad with Lemon Dill Dressing
Fig and Goat Cheese Salad with Honey
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salads
- Diet: Vegetarian
This simple fig and goat cheese salad with honey is bursting with refreshing flavors. A quick 5-minute recipe that is both vegetarian and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 8 fresh figs, quartered
- 4 ounces (110g) fresh goat cheese*, crumbled
- ½ cup (65g) walnuts or pecans***, lightly toasted
- 10–15 fresh mint leaves, sliced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (Timut pepper if possible)
Instructions
- Toast walnuts or pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.
- Combine fresh figs, crumbled goat cheese, walnuts and mint in a medium bowl.
- Prepare the vinaigrette by combining together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper until emulsified. Drizzle over the salad and lightly toss to incorporate.
Notes
* A slight variation consists in replacing the fresh goat cheese with Gorgonzola or any other blue cheese of your choice.
** To make the salad a unique meal, consider adding some quinoa and arugula or baby spinach.
*** You could also go for toasted pine nuts or toasted pistachios.
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Fig and Goat Cheese Salad with Honey, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
