Just a few simple ingredients make these Puff Pastry appetizers a crowd pleasing hit of any dinner party. Caramelized onions and fresh figs are the stars of these quick and easy hors d’oeuvres!
These easy appetizers are mini hand pies full of savory and sweet flavors.
The combination is the perfect balance between the two.
This easy appetizer recipe is a great way to enjoy fresh figs when they are in season.
What is Puff Pastry?
This flaky pastry almost melts in your mouth when it’s baked.
Buttery and light, making a crisp casing for both sweet and savory recipes.
The key is a lot of butter!
Since it’s available to buy in the frozen section of the grocery store, it makes recipes like this one fast and easy to prepare.
The end result is a sophisticated, elegant appetizer recipe (no one has to know how easy it was to make).
The frozen puff pastry should be thawed before using.
Also some brands use vegetable oil as an ingredient instead of butter.
I recommend using an option that uses butter instead of oil for best flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
- Onions – choose your favorite onions or shallots. They will caramelize as they cook making them soft and delicious.
- Fresh Figs – the key is using fresh figs for this recipe. Mission figs and Brown Turkey figs are probably the most popular however there are multiple types of figs to choose from.
- Salted Butter – this adds just the right amount of salt when sauteing the figs and onions.
- Puff Pastry – available pre-made at the grocery store. Notes on gluten-free options farther down the post.
- Apricot Jam – brushed on the outside of the puff pastry before baking for the perfect finishing touch and beautiful golden color!
- Salt and Pepper
When are Figs in season?
In the United States there are two main fig seasons. The first one is short and only lasts the first two weeks of June.
The second runs from August through October.
How to Select Fresh Figs
They should have smooth skin, not deeply wrinkled. They should not be overly firm or squishy.
The outer skin is edible making preparing the figs easy.
Rinse them off, pat them dry and chop for sauteing.
How to Make It – Step-by-Step
This recipe is very easy to make!
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
STEP 2: Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the onions and figs; saute until they are soft and caramelized.
STEP 3: Unfold the puff pastry and cut into 8 pieces (note: it may have perforated lines already to divide the pieces). Place pieces on the prepared baking sheet.
STEP 4: Spoon some of the onion-fig mixture onto one side of a puff pastry piece. Repeat until all the filling is used.
STEP 5: Fold the pastry over and pinch the long ends together. The shorter ends can stay open, the filling will not leak out. Brush the tops of each pastry with apricot jam.
STEP 6: Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry has completely puffed, become deep golden in color and flaky. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.
How to Serve it
These little savory hand pies can be served by themselves or in combination with other appetizers.
They make a delicious meal when serving a few with a side salad too.
Making it Gluten-Free
Unfortunately gluten-free puff pastry is a bit of a tricky thing to find. This is one of the few gluten products that’s not readily available in gluten-free form.
However there are options!!
Where to Buy Gluten-Free Puff Pastry?
There are a few companies that make it, Schar being one.
In my experience and opinion they make delicious high quality gluten-free products.
They do not sell it online and it is only currently available regionally. You can use their find it link to see if it’s at a grocery store in your area.
To use this feature set your zip code at the top. Scroll to the Puff Pastry and select. Select the mileage range from you next to ‘within’.
NOTE: I recommend calling the store identified as having the product before going. I have found sometimes Schar products are carried at the store but a particular product may not be.
I located another brand I have not tried personally: Gfree Puff Pastry. Shipping is currently only available in the US and at stores (you’ll find a Store Locator via the product link).
The product reviews on Amazon.com (it’s not available for purchase currently on Amazon) are equally weighted for and against it.
Genuis Puff Pastry is another option however at this time I see it available in the UK only and not the US.
They too have a product finder option to look in your area.
How to Make Gluten-Free Puff Pastry
You can also make your own. Here are a few recipes from trusted sources to try:
Recipe from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring
Recipe from GF Jules (she has developed her own gluten-free flour blend and baking mixes too available on her site or on Amazon.com)
Recipe from Bob’s Red Mill (they use pie crust mix for their recipe)
More Appetizer Recipes You’ll Love!
- Devils on Horseback
- Sticky Grilled Chicken Wings
- Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Appetizer Roll
- Roasted Peppers in Oil with Garlic
- Cowboy Caviar
- Thai Chicken Meatballs
Try these Recipes too!
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Matt Taylor says
Yummy! I love anything puff pastry. These appetizers look amazing and super easy to make.
Nancy says
Puff pastry recipes are our favorite! All of the flavors in this appetizer is so good together, especially the fig!
Suzy says
Fig is such a favorite of ours and it’s so good with the puff pastry!
wilhelmina says
These appetizers are so easy and delicious! I love using figs in sweet and savory dishes like this!
Cathy says
Why can’t figs be in season all year round!? This appetizer is delicious!!!
Toni Dash says
So we’ll appreciate the more when they ARE in season lol.
Fatima Torres says
This puff pastry appetizer reminds me of my grandmother. She would use figs in just about everything when we were growing up.
Heather says
I am a sucker for puff pastry. I could eat just about anything inside. YUM!
Sherry says
I must admit that in all of my years I have never tried figs. I have always wanted to try them though. This recipe will be a great way for me to try them.
Dorothy Reinhold says
I have recently discovered my love for figs. This is the perfect combo of sweet, savory, and salty!
Amanda says
These look so tasty and delicious!
Amy D says
This recipe looks incredibly delicious! I love pairing fig with onion for a savory effect. The puff pastry is such a nice medium for these flavors.
Toni Dash says
I love the sweet and savory combo of fig and onion too!
Sara Welch says
This came together so easily and was hands down delicious! Perfectly gourmet with little effort!
Brianne says
Oh wow, does that sound good! I love the combination of the onion and the fig. That sweet and savory combo is perfect!
katrina Kroeplin says
oh that looks so good. i’m saving it so i can make it later.
Nart at Cooking with Nart says
This looks so good! I love and grow figs but have never put them in anything like this before. Gonna have to try this recipe.
Toni Dash says
Lucky that you grow figs! Yum.
Noelle says
These were a perfect appetizer, crowd pleaser and really easy to make!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
These appetizers sound wonderful! I love caramelized onions and I love figs so this is a winning combination!
Beth says
This looks so delicious and yummy! My family is going to love this! Can’t wait to make them!
kim says
This was fabulous! Such an easy, tasty appetizer and I’ll be making this again and again!
Rachael Yerkes says
This is the perfect delicious appetizer. This is one of our favorites!
Alison says
I absolutely love fresh figs! These paff pastry appetizers came out perfectly buttery and delicious!
Lauren Kelly says
Absolutely delicious! I was drawn to this recipe because I love puff pastry so much. Thank you!