These Vegan Fig and Blue Cheese Tarts are made with flaky puff pastry, fresh figs, vegan blue cheese, pine nuts, thyme and balsamic glaze. Get the recipe below.
My Vegan Fig and Blue Cheese tarts are a simple but impressive savoury bake that makes the most of fresh figs when they are in season. Sweet, jammy figs are paired with creamy vegan blue cheese, crunchy pine nuts and fresh thyme, all baked on flaky puff pastry until golden and crisp.
fresh figs have a short season, which makes them all the more special when they start appearing in shops and markets. Their natural sweetness works particularly well in savoury dishes, especially when paired with salty, tangy flavours like blue cheese.
For the blue cheese in these tarts, I recommend using my favourite vegan blue cheese, La Fauxmagerie's Brixton Blue. Choose a variety with plenty of flavour so that it can stand up to the sweetness of the figs. The cheese melts into the pastry as the tarts bake, creating delicious creamy pockets amongst the fruit.
If you love the combination of fruit and blue cheese, you should also try my Vegan Pear and Blue Cheese Tarts or my Vegan Ricotta and Strawberry Crostini which also pair cheese with fruit!
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Ingredients
You only need 6 ingredients for this recipe. They are:
- Vegan puff pastry: I use a sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry but if you want to make your own then follow my vegan puff pastry recipe. If you do use store bought, make sure you check the ingredients.
- Fresh figs: choose ripe figs that are soft enough to be sweet and juicy but firm enough to slice neatly.
- Vegan blue cheese: whichever brand you use, vegan blue cheese add saltiness, creaminess and plenty of savoury flavour.
- Pine nuts: the pine nuts add a lovely crunch and slightly nutty flavour. They will become lightly toasted as the tarts bake.
- Fresh thyme: fresh thyme complements the figs and blue cheese perfectly. A little goes a long way so you only need a tablespoon.
- Balsamic glaze: a drizzle of balsamic glaze brings everything together!
Step-by-step instructions
- Step 1: cut the puff pastry into equal rectangles and place on a baking tray.
- Step 2: slice the figs and fan them out across the puff pastry rectangles.
- Step 3: scatter the blue cheeseover the figs.
- Step 4: sprinkle over the pine nuts and thyme.
- Step 5: bake until the puff pastry is golden and crisp, the cheese melted and the figs are soft and jammy.
- Step 6: serve with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Hint: make sure the oven is fully pre-heated before the tarts go in. Puff pastry needs a properly hot oven to rise well, and starting with a cold or insufficiently hot oven can leave you with flat, greasy pastry.
Substitutions
Need to make a couple of changes to the recipe? Don't worry, you can make one or more of the following swaps.
- Cheese: if you don't like blue cheese try another vegan soft cheese like vegan ricotta or vegan feta.
- Pine nuts: replace the pine nuts with chopped walnuts, hazelnuts or even pumpkin seeds.
- Thyme: fresh rosemary would also work well but use sparingly as it has a stronger flavour than thyme.
- Balsamic glaze: if you don't have balsamic glaze, reduce balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan until thick and syrupy, then allow it to cool slightly before drizzling over the tarts.
Variations
To put your own spin on the dish, try one of these variations:
- Add caramelised onion: spread a thin layer of caramelised onion over the pastry before adding the figs for a more savoury flavour.
- Add chilli: for a sweet, salty and slightly spicy combination, sprinkle a little dried chilli over the tarts before baking.
- Mini tarts: cut the pastry into squares and use fewer slices of fig per tart to make bite sized versions.
Equipment
To make these tarts you will need:
- Large baking tray
- Baking paper
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
Storage
These tarts are best eaten immediately while the pastry is crisp, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Reheat them in an oven or air fryer until piping hot and crispy. Avoid microwaving them as this will make the puff pastry soggy.
You can also prepare the tarts a few hours ahead of time and keep them covered in the fridge before baking. Add the balsamic glaze once they come out of the oven.
Top tip
Don't overload the pastry with figs or blue cheese. It can be tempting to load up the toppings but keeping a relatively thin layer allows the pastry to rise properly and become crisp underneath.
Frequently asked questions
Some people have questions about the pollination of certain fig varieties and wasps, and whether this means they aren't vegan. But, most varieties you find in shops aren't pollinated in this way. And for those varieties that are, this is a natural part of the fig's reproductive cycle and does not mean that the figs themselves are considered not vegan.
No. Dried figs have a much more concentrated sweetness and different texture so they aren't a direct substitute.
These tarts make a lovely light lunch served with a simple green salad!
The recipe
Vegan Fig and Blue Cheese Tarts
Equipment
- large baking tray
- Baking parchment
- Sharp knife
- chopping board
Ingredients
- 320 g ready-rolled puff pastry
- 8 figs thinly sliced
- 120 g vegan blue cheese diced or crumbled
- 50 g pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F / gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Unroll the puff pastry and cut it into eight equal rectangles. Arrange them on the prepared baking tray.
- Remove the stems from the figs and slice them thinly. Fan the slices across each pastry rectangle, leaving a small border around the edges.
- Cut or crumble the vegan blue cheese into small pieces and scatter over the figs.
- Sprinkle the pine nuts over the tarts, followed by the fresh thyme leaves.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 18–20 minutes, until the pastry has risen and turned golden and the figs are tender.
- Drizzle the balsamic glaze over the tarts while they are still warm and serve immediately.
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