Sweet and Savory Tahini, Honey-Roasted Fig, and Banana Popsicles

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Have you ever seen that light beige sesame paste, sitting unassumingly on the grocery store shelf, and wondered how you could put it to use in your own kitchen?

You'll love this grown-up twist on a childhood classic, in frozen dessert form: like an adult PB&J, we combine fresh figs, creamy tahini, and sweet bananas in these scrumptious popsicles. Get the recipe: https://foodal.com/recipes/desserts/banana-tahini-fig-popsicles/

Perhaps you’ve bought some tahini to prepare homemade hummus, or chicken, or a dressing of some sort. But have you ever thought about incorporating it in a dessert?

Nothing goes together like peanut butter and jelly, so the saying goes. But we beg to differ! These sweet and savory banana, tahini, and honey-roasted fig popsicles are a sophisticated take on the kids’ classic. You're just a few simple ingredients and a couple of hours away from frozen bliss. Read on to learn more! https://foodal.com/recipes/desserts/tahini-fig-banana-popsicles/

Tahini is beginning to work its way into the mainstream American diet, primarily in savory applications. But it has thus far been significantly underrepresented in the sweets category in the U.S.

Its smooth, nutty flavor is a perfect complement to chocolate or bananas. I think of it as the sophisticated version of peanut butter. It’s a great substitution for peanut butter in creamy smoothies. Hailing from the Middle East, it also pairs nicely with honey and fresh figs as well.

Chopped Fresh Figs | Foodal.com

In fact, in its place of origin, sweet uses of this flavorful ingredient are commonplace – with the most popular probably being sesame halvah, a sweet candy with a texture similar to fudge.

These popsicles are a healthy and super easy introduction to the wonderful world of sesame paste, and a great way to use up bananas that are a little too brown to eat on their own.

Homemade Popsicles with Banana, Tahini, and Fig | Foodal.com

They are super filling and not too sweet, a great option for a delicious dessert, or a summertime breakfast on the go. Of course, popsicles are one of the many foods that keep you cool in the summer heat, too!

The Recipe

Honey-Roasted Fig, Tahini, and Banana Popsicle Recipe
Tahini, Honey-Roasted Fig, and Banana Popsicles
Votes: 4
Rating: 4.25
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 10 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
10 minutes 4 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 10 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
10 minutes 4 hours
Honey-Roasted Fig, Tahini, and Banana Popsicle Recipe
Tahini, Honey-Roasted Fig, and Banana Popsicles
Votes: 4
Rating: 4.25
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 10 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
10 minutes 4 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 10 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
10 minutes 4 hours
Ingredients
  • 1 cup fresh figs
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3 very ripe bananas
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • 2/3 cup milk, (or dairy-free alternative like almond, soy, coconut)
Servings: servings
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the figs into 1/4-inch pieces, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with salt. Roast until soft and juicy, about 10 minutes. Once finished, remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
  2. Blend the bananas, tahini, and milk until smooth.
  3. Distribute the roasted figs and the banana-tahini puree in the base of your popsicle molds in alternating layers until they are filled, leaving a bit of head space at the top to allow for expansion of the filling during freezing.
  4. Tap the molds lightly against the counter to ensure that there are no air pockets around the pieces of fruit – this can cause the frozen pops to break when you remove them.
  5. Freeze for at least 4 hours, and enjoy!

Nutritional Information*

Nutrition Facts
Tahini, Honey-Roasted Fig, and Banana Popsicles
Amount Per Serving
Calories 360 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 18%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 3mg 1%
Sodium 600mg 25%
Potassium 465mg 13%
Total Carbohydrates 61g 20%
Dietary Fiber 9g 36%
Sugars 42g
Protein 7g 14%
Vitamin A 3%
Vitamin C 13%
Calcium 20%
Iron 18%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Roast

Start by preheating your oven to 375°F.

In the warmer months (i.e. prime fig and popsicle season) I try use my oven as little as possible. But sometimes it is just a necessity.

Halved Fig | Foodal.com

This is when a small countertop oven comes in handy – it will get the job done without heating up your entire house.

Trim the tops off your figs and slice them into 1/4-inch pieces. You want them to be small enough to fit into your molds, and to be eaten comfortably in a single bite. There’s nothing worse then trying to bite into a large piece of frozen fruit while the rest of your pop melts around it!

Place the prepared fruit on a baking sheet, drizzle it with honey, and sprinkle with salt. I prefer kosher or another variety of salt with larger crystals over fine, iodized table salt. It will enhance the flavor of your popsicles without being overbearing.

Love the flavor of fresh figs? We honey-roast them and combine them with ripe bananas and creamy tahini in this sweet and savory frozen dessert: https://foodal.com/recipes/desserts/banana-tahini-fig-popsicles/

Roast for about 10 minutes, until the figs are soft and juicy and the honey is fragrant. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool for about ten minutes.

Step 2 – Blend

You want to use super ripe bananas for this, since they’ll be soft and sweet.

I like to buy ones that are already just on the edge of super ripeness at the grocery store – my market usually sells them at a discount. Then I peel them, break them up into pieces, and freeze them.

Combine ripe bananas, creamy tahini, and milk with honey-roasted figs to make these delectable popsicles. You can even use non-dairy milk for a lactose-free version! We share the recipe: https://foodal.com/recipes/desserts/banana-tahini-fig-popsicles/

This means that I’ve got super ripe fruit at the ready whenever the craving for banana bread strikes. Plus, they are super convenient for making smoothies (and, of course, these popsicles).

You can make your puree from frozen or fresh fruit – but if you already have frozen fruit on hand, starting with a cold puree means your popsicles will be ready to serve much more quickly.

Blend together the fruit, tahini, and milk (almond, soy, or coconut all make for great dairy-free freeze pops) until completely smooth.

Step 3 – Layer

Part of what makes these pops so tasty is that the figs are suspended throughout. This is achieved by layering them with the puree in your popsicle molds or ice pop sleeves.

Like a PB&J that's all grown up, you'll love the combination of ripe bananas, honey-roasted figs, and creamy tahini in these delicious popsicles. Get the recipe: https://foodal.com/recipes/desserts/banana-tahini-fig-popsicles/

Place 1/3 of the figs in the base of each mold. Evenly distribute about 1/3 of your puree, add another 1/3 of the fruit, and continue layering in this fashion until the molds are full, ending with puree.

Tap the molds against the countertop lightly to remove any air pockets. Bubbles that form around the fruit will increase the likelihood that the pops will break when they’re unmolded, or as you eat them – and nobody wants that!

Step 4 – Freeze & Enjoy

Insert your popsicle sticks and freeze. If you opted for the fresh fruit version, this will take about 4 hours (depending on the size of your molds and temperature of your freezer). But if you started with frozen bananas, about two hours should be all it takes.

Three Tahini and Fig Popsicles | Foodal.com

I love to eat these for breakfast when I’m rushing out the door. They’ve got plenty of protein from the sesame and milk, and the bananas and figs are a filling source of dietary fiber.

They also make a great dessert. Trust me – even the most sophisticated of guests, who think they might prefer a more elegant dessert (like our fig and ricotta tart!), won’t say no to a popsicle with roasted figs.

Give these a try today, and tell us in the comments about your favorite way to serve them!

If your looking for more sweet treats to keep cool all season long, check out some of our other recipes:

Photos by Kendall Vanderslice, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details.

*Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Kendall Vanderslice

Kendall’s love of food has taken her around the world. From baking muffins on a ship in West Africa and milking cows with Tanzanian Maasai, to hunting down the finest apfelstrudel in Austria, she continually seeks to understand the global impact of food. Kendall holds a BA in Anthropology from Wheaton College and an MLA in Gastronomy from Boston University, and has worked in the pastry departments of many of Boston’s top kitchens. Based in Somerville, Massachusetts, Kendall helps to run a small community supported bread bakery and writes about the intersection of food, faith, and culture on her personal blog, A Vanderslice of the Sweet Life.

9 thoughts on “Sweet and Savory Tahini, Honey-Roasted Fig, and Banana Popsicles”

  1. Wow! I had never seen that fruit before, seems like I will have to do some research on it, however, the dessert really looks delicious and also beautiful, the colors mixture is really awesome, it definitely looks tasty and provocative. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe, I really enjoy your dessert articles, these are really worth my time.

    Reply
  2. This sounds amazing! It’s also really good for me as a vegetarian, since it has a good source of plant protein. I wonder if it could be made vegan by substituting young coconut (the really soft, jelly-like stuff) for the milk? This is a perfect quick morning breakfast or afternoon snack for these hot days. Thanks!

    Reply
    • The young coconut would make for a delicious extra flavor in this pop, but I would not recommend using it as a substitute for the milk. You definitely need the liquid in order to smooth out the tahini and banana. There are plenty of dairy-free milk alternatives that you can use, like coconut, almond, or soy.

      Reply
  3. These look amazing, I am vegan so I would probably use almond milk, I even think coconut milk or oat milk would work really well with this. Also dates could replace the figs for an alternative flavour. Will definitely try these out .

    Reply
  4. This is actually a really interesting mixture, and it looks so refreshing and cute! I tried the yoghurt banana that was posted here before and I completely loved, so I can tell that it’s going to taste similar and the other fruit is going to be a really nice complement to it. Sometimes variation is the key.
    Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Well summer is officially over now, at least I think, but I would still like to think that I can squeeze in a couple of treats, and this one looks delicious. I love a good popsicle, and something out of the ordinary and away from the orange and cherry is certainly a welcome change for me. I love bananas, and especially banana flavored treats, so this is right up my alley. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  6. This looks very ideal! I am actually on a mission to lose some weight, though I find that I eat out of habit, rather than being hungry. I am trying to eat things that are very healthy, yet take awhile to fully consume. I think I will be giving them a try, they look very similar to a frozen yogurt popsicle.

    Reply
    • Hi Ashley, These would be a great thing to try. Since they have banana as the base they are much healthier than your typical popsicle. I would highly recommend giving them a try!

      Reply

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