Healthy Fig Bread
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Published Sep 11, 2024, Updated Oct 04, 2024
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This healthy fig bread is made with mashed figs, coconut sugar, applesauce, yogurt and whole wheat flour. It’s perfectly moist, sweet and delicious!
I’m so excited about this healthy fig bread recipe I’m sharing today! I love making and eating quick breads (like my healthy banana bread or vegan apple bread) and this recipe is no exception.
As you may know if you follow me on Instagram, we had a fig tree in our backyard at our old house (which I miss!) so this recipe, along with my fig salad and fig jam came about after a week of picking so many figs I didn’t know what to do with them!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make – This recipe is super easy to make! All you need is 10 ingredients and about 10 minutes of prep time.
- Moist and Tender – Thanks to the mashed figs, Greek yogurt, applesauce, this bread is incredibly moist and tender. It’s perfect for enjoying as a breakfast treat or a snack anytime.
- Healthier – This loaf is naturally sweetened, made with whole wheat flour and uses Greek yogurt and applesauce instead of oil. No refined sugars or flour over here!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- figs – the star of the show. You can peel the skins if you don’t want the purple skin to color the bread – I left mine on but either works! Remove the stems and mash the fresh figs to mix into the dough. Save some pieces for additional topping once the dough is in the pan.
- eggs – helps bind the wet and dry ingredients together. I haven’t tried using a flaxseed egg but that should work as a replacement.
- applesauce or oil – you can use any neutral oil of choice like avocado oil, olive oil or coconut oil. Or use applesauce instead of oil to keep the bread a bit lighter
- Greek yogurt – we’re using plain Greek yogurt to help keep the bread moist without more oil. The end result is a perfectly fluffy, light loaf. If you need this recipe to be dairy-free I bet using a dairy-free yogurt would work just fine.
- coconut sugar – the less-processed upgrade for granulated sugar or brown sugar. If you don’t have coconut sugar on hand, brown sugar will work as well.
- whole wheat pastry flour – whole wheat pastry flour works better than regular whole wheat flour if you’re looking for the light and fluffy bread that regular all-purpose flour provides, but still want the nutrients of whole wheat flour.
- cinnamon – this spice pairs perfectly with the rest of the flavors in the bread.
Find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card below.
Optional Mix-ins
I didn’t add any extra mix-ins to this recipe because I love it as is, but if you want to take this bread to the next level, feel free! Here are some ideas:
- chopped nuts – if you like nuts in your quick breads, add a handful to this batter! I recommend walnuts or pecans, but any nut will do.
- chocolate chips – an obvious first choice! I recommend adding Lily’s chocolate chips to keep the sugar and carbs down while still adding decadent chocolate flavor.
How to Make Fig Bread
Step 1: Add all your wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to fully combine.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, mix all your dry ingredients together.
Step 3: Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir to combine. Be sure not to over mix, it’s ok if there are some clumps.
Step 4: Pour the batter into a parchment lined loaf pan. Add a few fig slices on top and bake for 45-50 minutes or a until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Brittany’s Tip!
The key to getting the best flavor in this fig bread is to use fresh, ripe figs. Ripe figs are naturally sweeter and softer, which not only adds to the sweetness of the bread but also contributes to its moist texture.
One thing to note when shopping for (or picking!) figs is that they don’t ripen after you pick them from the tree so they won’t ripen once you bring them home from the store. Look for figs that give slightly when you press the skin, have smooth, solid skin and aren’t mushy, bruised, cracked or wrinkled. One way to check if the fig is mushy? Check the stem! If it’s loose, that means you’ve got a mushy fig on your hands. The stems should be firmly attached!
How to Serve Fig Bread
I could honestly eat this bread any time of day! Here are some ideas I’m dreaming of:
- Enjoy as delicious breakfast with some nut butter, fresh figs and honey drizzled on top. Paired with a warm cup of coffee (like my pumpkin spice latte) and you’ve got the perfect morning.
- Top with butter and fig jam for a savory-sweet treat.
- Toast a piece of bread and top with ricotta and a drizzle of honey.
- Served for brunch alongside my dairy-free quiche, fruit salad and apple cider mimosas.
How to Store Leftovers
After allowing the bread to cool completely, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days at room temperature. For longer storage, you can store in the fridge for 5-7 days or freezer for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
While fresh figs are definitely best for this recipe, you can use dried figs if that is all you have on hand. Rehydrate the figs by letting them soak in water until they are plump and soft. Then mash and use in the recipe as directed! It’s important to note that dried figs are sweeter than fresh figs so the sugar content of your bread will be higher if you used dried figs.
Depending on where you live and when you’re shopping for figs, you’ll find different types of figs in the grocery store. I typically see Black Mission or Brown Turkey figs in my local stores. My old fig tree was a Brown Turkey tree so that’s what I used in this recipe.
More Quick Breads to Try
- Cranberry Banana Bread
- Zucchini Banana Bread
- Coconut Flour Banana Bread
- Tahini Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Healthy Lemon Loaf (Starbucks Copycat)
- Oat Flour Banana Bread
Check out all the healtthy quick bread recipes on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Fig Bread
Ingredients
- ½ cup mashed figs, plus 1-2 more for topping
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce, or oil
- ¼ cup plain full fat Greek yogurt
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (180 grams) whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add mashed figs, eggs, yogurt, coconut sugar and vanilla into a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- In another bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
- Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Be sure not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into a parchment lined 8.5 inch loaf pan. Add a few fig slices on top to make the loaf pretty.
- Bake loaf for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of the bread. I recommend covering the loaf with foil around the 20 minute mark to make sure the bread doesn’t get too brown on top. Also note that baking times may vary, so keep an eye on the bread.
- Allow loaf to cool for 15 minutes in the loaf pan before removing. Allow loaf to cool completely on a wire rack (about 15 additional minutes) before serving.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days at room temperature. For longer storage, you can store in the fridge for 5-7 days or freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Flour: If you can’t find whole wheat pastry flour you can also use white whole wheat flour, a blend of all-purpose and regular whole wheat flour or just regular all-purpose flour.
- Coconut sugar: If you don’t have coconut sugar on hand, brown sugar will work as well.
- Make it dairy-free: If you need this recipe to be dairy-free I bet using a dairy-free yogurt would work just fine.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have fresh figs I need used and this sounds like such a great way to use them! Do you think I could substitute egg whites for the eggs?
Hi, Taylor. That could work! Egg yolks help with structure and moisture, so the loaf might be a little less rich, but the yogurt and applesauce should still give it a nice texture. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
I followed the recipe exactly and though it was delicious, it was not moist at all, pretty dry, and the outside was a bit ‘rubbery’; maybe due to the flour and honey? So I just put the rest in the toaster. My experience w/ whole wheat flour is that it makes things a bit more dense and dry, if you had any recommendations I’d love to hear them. Thank you!!
Hi Alesa! I’m so sorry to hear that this loaf didn’t turn out for you. Thank you so much for the feedback, I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t turn out for you. I am going to test this recipe again to see if I can replicate the issue.
mine turned out too mushy, rather like soggy bread pudding
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that, Eileen. Did you change anything about the recipe?
Thank you!!!!!! I love it!!!😍😍😍
Yay! I am so happy to hear that this recipe is a hit, Sahar! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
Total disaster, I felt that the quantities may be wrong, I cooked for it for over an hour
it only filled half the loaf tin, never rose, and is a load of mush inside.Very disappointed
total waste of time, and ingredients, will stick to Jamie Oliver.
Oh no! I am sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had hoped. Did you change anything about the recipe?
what can I use to make this non-dairy. Thanks.
Thank you for a fig recipe! We also have fig trees and this will be a nice way to use our bounty. I do have celiac disease, so I will have to use gluten free flour but I am sure it will taste delicious.
Hey Jennifer- keep me posted on how this bread turns out :).