Cheesy Fig Pastries

Cheesy Fig Pastries

These Cheesy Fig Pastries are one of those recipes we came up with when we wanted something that felt really impressive but also genuinely delicious, and honestly they deliver every time. The combination of sweet, jammy figs with a rich, garlicky cashew cream all wrapped up in golden, flaky puff pastry is just incredible. They're the kind of thing you put out at a party and people genuinely cannot believe they're plant-based. We keep coming back to this one because it hits that perfect sweet-savoury spot that makes everyone go back for seconds. Make these tonight and just watch them disappear.

Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Blender
  • Large baking tray
  • Cashews soaked overnight (or few hours in hot water)

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 300g cashews
  • 60ml plant-based milk
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tbsp Nooch
  • ½ lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp agave syrup
  • 1 sheet of plant-based puff pastry
  • 2 ripe figs
  • 10g thyme leaves
  • 30g walnuts
  • rocket or watercress

Method

1

For the cashews

  • Soak cashew nuts overnight, or for a few hours in hot water (this is important)
2

Blend the sauce

  • Put the cashew nuts, plant-based milk, salt, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and garlic clove in the blender and blitz into a smooth cream
3

Prepare the pastry

  • Take the puff pastry out of the packet and unroll it on to the baking tray, keeping it on the parchment paper it’s wrapped in
  • Take a sharp knife and run the tip of the knife lightly around the edge of the sheet to score a 1½ cm border
4

Assemble the tart

  • Generously spread the cashew cheese over the puff pastry, making sure you stay inside the borders
  • Cut the figs into quarters and neatly place the pieces over the cheese
  • Drizzle the tart with olive oil, put the tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes
5

Finish baking and serve

  • Roughly chop the walnuts
  • Take the tray out of the oven, sprinkle over the thyme leaves, drizzle over the balsamic vinegar, agave nectar and sprinkle over the walnuts
  • Put the tray back in the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes
  • Take the tart out of the oven, cut into slices and serve immediately with a side of fresh rocket or watercress

Tips & Variations

  • Soak overnight if you can: We know it says a few hours in hot water works, but if you've got the time, soaking the cashews overnight gives an even silkier cream. Worth the planning ahead.
  • Use good quality figs: Whether you're using fresh or dried, the quality of your figs really matters here. Ripe, sweet figs make this thing sing. If they're a bit bland, a drizzle of maple syrup helps massively.
  • Keep the pastry cold: Puff pastry puffs best when it goes into the oven cold, so if your kitchen is warm, pop the assembled pastries back in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking. You'll get a much better rise and crispier layers.

Why This Works

The trick here is soaking those cashews properly before blending, because that's what gives the cream that really smooth, luxurious texture that makes the whole thing feel properly cheesy and indulgent. The nutritional yeast and lemon juice in the cashew blend do a brilliant job of mimicking that sharp, savoury depth you'd get from real cheese, so it never feels like you're missing out. Trust us on this one, don't skip the soak.