Fig & Goat Cheese Crostini

When you need an easy appetizer, this Fig & Goat Cheese Crostini packs a lot of flavor with very little effort. I absolutely love each of the flavors in this goat cheese crostini on their own, but when you put them together, it's stunning! Let's get started!

This easy appetizer tastes wonderful any time of year, but it's especially great in the summer when mint leaves are plentiful.

This recipe was inspired by our love of small bites and this Cinnamon Apricot Brie Cheese appetizer.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini

Ingredients

The best part of this recipe is that it uses easy-to-find ingredients and there's hardly any prep work. Open, spread, impress!

Baguette - use a thin baguette, usually near the bakery at your local grocery store. It should have a thin crust and give a little when you squeeze for that softer interior.

Olive Oil - a touch of olive oil helps these baguette slices get toasty and a little buttery on top.

Soft Goat Cheese - I love to buy goat cheese "logs" at Costco for an amazing deal, but they'll be in the specialty cheese section of any grocery store. Most will carry goat cheese that already has honey in it, which is perfect for this recipe!

Fig Jam - this is the real star of the show, so find a good fig jam or fig butter.

Honey - honey drizzled over the fig jam adds a perfect touch of sweetness.

Fresh Mint Leaves - makes this appetizer really pop, both in look and flavor.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

This recipe is very simple to make. Plus, the baguette can be sliced and toasted ahead of time. So if you're making this for a crowd or a busy night, simply prep before hand and you're ready to simply spread and eat!

For the Crostini

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Slice your thin baguette into ½" diagonal slices. (Cutting on a diagonal will give you more space for toppings and looks better.) 

Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and either drizzle or brush olive oil on top of each one on just one side.

Bake the baguette slices for 5-8 minutes on a center rack. Pull them out when the edges are slightly crisp and the center is still soft and have a light brown color. Set these aside.

For the Goat Cheese

Place goat cheese into the bowl of a stand mixer or use a hand mixer on medium and whip until creamy. About 1 minute. (Whipping your goat cheese will make it creamy and easy to spread, rather than crumbly.)

If you can't find goat cheese with honey already added, add 2 Tablespoons of honey and then mix. 

Prepare

Spread about 1 Tablespoon of goat cheese onto one side of each toasted baguette slice. 

Spread about 1 Tablespoons of fig jam on top of the goat cheese. 

Place all your slices next to each other (in a square) and then drizzle honey all over. I like honey, so I used about 2 Tablespoons, but you can use as much or as little as you like. 

Slice your mint leaves into little long pieces and sprinkle on top of your fig jam. Don't skip this step! The mint really sends this over the edge and gives this a fresh taste.

Hint: This appetizer is easy enough for the kids to help with. Simply hand them a butter knife and let them spread. If they don't love fig jam, let them add their favorite flavor on top to encourage them to try something a little different!

Substitutions

While this recipe is very simple, there are a few ways to customize it to fit certain dietary restrictions. Here are a few ideas:

• Gluten Free - While this recipe only requires the swap of the baguette, I must confess that gluten free baguettes are hard to find. However, feel free to swap with any gluten free bread. However, gluten free bread is best when well toasted, so give it a couple extra minutes, and keep an eye on it!
  
• Dairy Free - Swap the goat cheese for a vegan soft cheese substitute, or a vegan cream cheese. I love the nutrishh brand vegan cream cheese and it would be amazing as a substitute for the goat cheese here.
  
• Vegan - to make this recipe vegan, simply swap the goat cheese as mentioned above and skip the honey, or use agave nectar instead.

Even if you don't need to modify this recipe for yourself, it's always nice to have options when serving a crowd or having people over where you don't know if they have restrictions. This is an easy one for that!

Variations

There are a few fun ways to make this recipe your own and give some options to your pickier or more adventurous eaters!

• Spicy - swap the fig jam for red pepper jelly and increase the heat with a few red pepper flakes on top. This is similar to our Goat Cheese and Red Pepper Jelly Appetizer. Skip the mint and honey.
  
  Alternately, consider using hot honey as a drizzle and see if you like that little bit of kick! You can find hot honey at most grocery stores.
  
• Deluxe - add fresh chopped figs, or chopped dried figs and increase the goat cheese to make this a more indulgent and very pretty appetizer.
  
• Kid friendly - swap the fig jam for a raspberry or strawberry jam, and swap the goat cheese for cream cheese. Keep the honey, but skip the mint. My kids love this little snack after school or even for breakfast!

Check out other appetizer recipes that we recommend using with Baguette Crostini!

Equipment

The best part of this recipe is that it uses minimal equipment and prep work. Although, I do love a good baking sheet pan, as well as a set of rustic wooden trays for laying out these small bites.

Storage

For these Fig and Goat Cheese Crostini to taste best, store ingredients separately. The bread will begin to soften once the goat cheese is added. Therefore, it is best when served within a couple of hours.

Feel free to slice and toast the baguette up to 24 hours before using. If it sits around much longer than that, the bread will begin to dry out too much. Store in a zip top bag and place in the refrigerator.

Another option is to slice the baguette, then place in a zip top bag. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months! Simply bake from frozen, adding a couple minutes to ensure the crostini gets properly toasted.

However you make these, they are sure to be a big hit! It's the recipe that our friends and family repeatedly tell me they make for company.

Remember: perfection is not our goal! Food that looks rustic and homemade is always best and enjoyed the most. So please take the pressure off yourself and enjoy experimenting in the kitchen. Have fun!