This sweet and savory crostini recipe topped with caramelized onion, fig jam, and blue cheese is easy to make, full of flavor, and the perfect, festive bite for a party.
Crostini Just Might Be the World’s Easiest Appetizer
If you’re ever at a loss for what type of appetizer to make, know that you can never go wrong with crostini. I’ve got a few crostini recipes on my blog that always come back to for easy entertaining, like my caramelized mushroom crostini, roasted grape and whipped goat cheese crostini, and melted mozzarella caprese crostini toasts.
These caramelized onion and fig jam crostini with blue cheese totally hit the spot. Toasty baguette rounds get topped with jammy caramelized onions — the perfect companion to sweet fig preserves, and blue cheese swoops in for a sharp, tangy, creamy punch. A sprinkling of fresh rosemary lends complementary aromatics, some color, and a festive flare.
These sweet and savory crostini are perfect for your holiday entertaining, but could really be made any time of year.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Caramelize the onions in advance to save time. I have a detailed guide on how to caramelize onions here. Properly caramelizing onions takes about an hour, which is why I prefer doing this step ahead of time.
Wait to add the balsamic until the very end. If you add the vinegar too early in the caramelization process, the sugars in it will burn before the onions are jammy.
No need to pre-toast the bread. Sometimes I’ll pre-toast the bread rounds, and sometimes I skip that extra step. Since the entire crostini are going into the oven to melt the blue cheese, there’s no need to toast the bread twice.
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Olive oil — My fat of choice for caramelizing the onions.
- Vidalia onion — The naturally high sugar content in this onion variety makes it ideal for caramelizing.
- Balsamic vinegar — Can be subbed with a glug of red wine.
- Bread — Buy a baguette and slice it into thin rounds rather than buy the pre-made crostini at the grocery store.
- Fig preserves — Buy your favorite brand.
- Blue cheese — If you don’t like blue cheese, try goat cheese instead.
- Fresh rosemary — I don’t recommend using dried rosemary, which is a bit crunchy and will affect the jammy texture of the onions.
How to Make Caramelized Onion Crostini
- Caramelize your onion until nice and jammy. You’ll first want to cook the sliced onion for about 5 minutes, stirring, before lowering the heat and cooking for an hour with the lid on. Don’t stir the onions too often because prolonged contact with the hot pan is what caramelizes them.
- Add the balsamic vinegar in the last 10 minutes of cooking. The balsamic vinegar adds a jammy sweetness.
- Top and bake. Place the baguette slices on a lined baking sheet and top with fig jam, caramelized onions, and blue cheese. Toast at 400ºF until the bread is a little crunchy and the cheese is gooey.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Caramelized Onion Crostini with Fig Jam and Blue Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 large vidalia onion ,(about 12 oz), peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 baguette , sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- ⅓ cup fig preserves
- 1 baguette
- ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary , torn or roughly chopped
- freshly ground black pepper , for serving
Instructions
- Caramelize your onion. Add the olive oil to a large cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and sprinkle with the kosher salt. Cook the onions for 5 minutes or until they start to soften, stirring so they don't crisp or brown in spots. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and continue to cook for about 1 hour, stirring the onions every 10-15 minutes or so. The onions will reduce and become more golden and jammy as they cook, giving off a rich nutty aroma. If the onions look like they're beginning to burn or crisp, stir in a splash of water or broth and scrape the caramelized fond from the bottom of the pan for the onions to absorb.
- Add the balsamic vinegar in the last 10 minutes of cooking then remove from the heat.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange the baguette slices on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or foil.
- Spread 1-2 teaspoons of fig jam on each baguette round, then top with a pile of caramelized onion and a chunks of blue cheese. Place in the oven to toast for about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with fresh rosemary and a couple of grinds of black pepper.
Nutrition
More Recipes to Make with Caramelized Onion
More Crostini Topping Ideas
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Victoria A. Sapunor
Making these for tomorrow’s dinner party. Do you recommend a sourdough baguette or a french baguette? Thank you. These look delicious and can’t wait to try them.
Hayley
Hi Victoria! Honestly you can’t go wrong with either. We hope you enjoy! :)
Diane G.
Do you toast the baguette slices before topping and baking? Thank you!
Hayley
Hi Diane! No, no need to pre-toast. We hope you enjoy!
bastocate
These crostini are so simple to make, especially if you’ve already caramelized your onion (which I do recommend doing in advance if you can—that way, these will only take around 10 minutes).
Agreed on making the onions ahead to make it even quicker!