Greek Yogurt with Honey, Walnuts and Thyme
Thick, tangy Greek yogurt is topped with toasted walnuts, fresh figs, a generous drizzle of thyme honey and a pinch of fresh thyme leaves. It takes about 10 minutes and works as a breakfast or a light dessert.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Wait
- 3 min
- Total
- 13 min
- Makes
- 2 bowls (about 1 cup / 250 g yogurt each)
Steps
Before you start
- Take the yogurt out of the fridge 10 minutes ahead if you like it less cold. It will stir up creamier.
- Use full-fat (5–10%) strained Greek yogurt for the best texture. Low-fat versions are thinner and more sour.
- Pick figs that are soft to the touch with slightly wrinkled skin. If they are not in season, see the substitutions.
- Have the bowls ready before toasting the nuts, because walnuts go from toasted to bitter quickly.
Toast the walnuts
- Put the broken walnuts in a dry 8-inch (20 cm) skillet over medium-low heat.
- Stir or shake the pan often for 4–5 minutes.
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Ready when: The walnuts smell nutty and toasty, and the cut edges are a shade darker golden brown.
Tip: Walnuts turn bitter fast once they scorch. Take them off the heat as soon as you smell them.
Cool the nuts
- Tip the walnuts onto a plate in a single layer.
- Leave them for 3 minutes so they crisp up and stop cooking.
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Ready when: The walnuts feel warm, not hot, and snap crisply when bitten.
Tip: Leaving them in the hot pan keeps them cooking and can burn them.
Prepare the figs and thyme
- While the walnuts cool, trim the stems from the figs and cut each fig into quarters.
- Strip the thyme leaves from the stems by pinching the top of a sprig and sliding your fingers down it against the direction of growth.
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Ready when: The figs are in neat wedges and the thyme leaves are loose in a small pile.
Smooth the yogurt
- Stir the yogurt in its container with a spoon for about 20 seconds until it is smooth and glossy.
- Divide it between 2 bowls, about 1 cup (250 g) each.
- Use the back of the spoon to make a shallow well in the center of each.
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Ready when: The yogurt is creamy with no lumps, and each bowl has a shallow dip in the center.
Tip: Do not over-whisk. Too much stirring can thin out strained yogurt.
Top and drizzle
- Arrange the fig quarters around the yogurt in each bowl.
- Scatter the cooled walnuts over the top.
- Drizzle 1½ tablespoons (about 31 g) thyme honey over each bowl, letting it pool in the well and run down the sides.
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Ready when: The honey is glossy, with ribbons of it over the yogurt and figs.
Tip: If the honey is stiff, stand the jar in a cup of warm water for 2 minutes before pouring.
Finish and serve
- Sprinkle the thyme leaves over both bowls.
- If using, add a tiny pinch of flaky salt to each bowl to sharpen the sweetness.
- Serve right away, while the walnuts are still crunchy.
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Ready when: Green thyme flecks are visible across the honey and walnuts.
Tip: Add the walnuts and salt at the last minute. They soften if they sit in the yogurt.
Good to know
Tips
- Toasting the walnuts brings out their flavor and removes their slightly tannic edge.
- Use a good-quality thyme honey. The honey is the main flavor, so a mild blended honey will taste flatter.
- For a thicker, almost spoonable-cheese texture, drain the yogurt in a fine sieve lined with a coffee filter over a bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Serve the figs at room temperature. Cold fruit mutes their sweetness.
Make ahead
Toast the walnuts up to 3 days ahead and keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. Cut the figs just before serving so they don't dry out or brown.
Storage & reheating
Assembled bowls are best eaten immediately. Plain yogurt keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days once opened, and toasted walnuts keep airtight at room temperature for 3 days. Leftover assembled yogurt can be covered and refrigerated for up to 8 hours, but the walnuts will soften. This recipe is not suitable for freezing.
Substitutions
- thyme honey → orange blossom honey or any mild runny honey. Add an extra pinch of fresh thyme leaves to bring back the herbal note.
- ripe fresh figs → 4 fresh apricots or 1 sliced ripe peach, or 4 chopped dried figs. Dried figs are chewier and sweeter. Use fewer than the fresh amount and slice them thinly.
- walnut halves → toasted pistachios or almonds. Toast almonds 1–2 minutes longer than walnuts.
- full-fat plain Greek yogurt → strained sheep's milk yogurt. It is a little tangier and richer, and is very traditional in Greece.
