With colorful, lush fresh figs, milky white goat cheese, and vibrant greens, our fig and goat cheese salad recipe is so gorgeous — and it tastes even better than it looks. In late summer and early fall, figs are literally falling from the trees all around us. This is the moment to feast on figs, but eating fresh figs by themselves can be a little one-note. We find that this sweet fruit shines best in a salad with the zing of vinaigrette and creamy tang of goat cheese. Serve it as a light dinner on the last warm days of the year, or serve it as part of a festive holiday meal — like you would our Christmas Salad — to show that yes, this dinner is going to be a stunner. If you want more figgy goodness in your life, but don’t have fresh figs on hand, try our Easy Fig Jam Meatballs, or our Granola with Dried Figs, Almonds and Coconut.
Ingredients
For the dressing
Extra-virgin olive oil: You know we play fast and loose with extra virgin olive oil and use it all the time, but salad dressing is one of the places where extra virgin olive oil really shines. If you have a really nice one, this is your time to use it!
Vinegar: We’ve got options for you! White wine or champagne vinegar will have a lighter, sweeter flavor, while apple cider vinegar will give the dressing more assertive sharpness. You choose!
Oranges: You’ll use the zest and juice of about two oranges.
Honey: A hint of sweetness is so nice here, with the oranges and figs.
Dijon mustard: Creamy and spicy, Dijon will give this dressing the texture you want.
Shallots: Minced shallots absolutely make this vinaigrette sing.
Salt and pepper: If you’re ever wondering why restaurant salad dressings taste better than your homemade ones, it might be because you don’t season your dressing. Always, always add a little salt and pepper.
For the salad
Salad greens: We love the combination of sweet, tender baby spinach, and spicy baby arugula, but any fresh and lively spring mix of salad greens that you love would work fine. We choose the “baby” varieties of spinach and arugula because they’re bite-sized, which is just easier to eat.
Fresh figs: You can use either purple or green figs, whatever is available and looks best.
Goat cheese: You’ll want to find a goat cheese that’s hard enough for you to crumble, so keep that in mind when you’re at the store.
Apple: Get a really good, crisp apple, like a Honeycrisp, Gala or Braeburn.
Candied pecans: You can DIY these if you’re feeling ambitious, but store bought is fine.
Tips For Making Vinaigrette
First, whisk the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, honey, Dijon, shallots, salt, and pepper. Once this salad dressing base is nicely creamy and somewhat uniform-looking you’re ready to….
Whisk in the olive oil. Pour it in very slowly, whisking constantly with a tiny whisk or a fork works, too. If you add the olive oil too quickly, the dressing won’t emulsify.
How To Prep The Salad Ahead Of Time
We love that you can easily prep this recipe ahead of time if you’re serving it with a big holiday meal, like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
DO Prep the dressing, and store it in the fridge for up to a day (you’ll probably just need to give it a vigorous shake before you dress the salad).
DO (mostly) prep the salad itself ahead of time. Slice the figs, crumble the goat cheese, and even assemble everything in a bowl, and store it in the fridge.
DON’T dress the salad yet, though. Dress and toss the salad right before you serve it.
DON’T add the apple slices until the last minute, because they’ll brown.
More Dressed Up Holiday Salad Ideas
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