To all of the night owls where sleep is at bay, are midnight snacks part of your routine? Dinner was six hours ago and hunger pangs cue up. Late night snacks can be indulgent like a bowl of ice cream for a late night craving, or, perhaps a healthy late night snack, like a few figs right out of the bag for a not too heavy in calories nosh. We’ve pulled together a list of ideas for the midnight snack attack that includes nutrient-rich Sun-Maid and Orchard Choice Dried Figs.
Indulgent Midnight Snacks: The Late Night Craving
Fig Grilled Cheese
Leveling up a late night grilled cheese only needs spreading on fig jam. This adds a touch of sweet fruit to sharp cheddar or tangy goat cheese. From our variety of fig jam recipes, our pick for grilled cheese is balsamic fig jam.
Chili-Spiced Cereal Snack Mix
Salty, sweet, spicy—this is the kind of late night snack that’s easy to pull together. Cheese crackers, pretzels, sliced figs, nuts, and crunchy cereal squares. The chili spice mix takes it over the top. Pro-Tip: You can whip up a big batch of the snack mix and then portion it out each night.
Almond Butter “Buckeye” Bites
This classic combination of almond and chocolate go so well together in a candy you can make at home. Made of rich almond butter and figs, the chewy bites are then dipped in chocolate—any kind will work, though we like semisweet or dark—before chilling the bites for a few hours. Pro-Tip: If you make these on a Sunday afternoon, you’ll have a sweet midnight snack prepped for the week ahead.
Tater Tot Nachos (aka Totchos)
Instead of melted cheese clinging to corn tortilla chips, the totcho features the gloriously golden tater tot. Sprinkled with grated cheese, and topped with bacon crumbles and chopped figs, the totchos get a final burnishing of melty cheese. Pro-Tip: If this all feels a bit too much, if you have an airfryer, that can cut the amount of time on baking the tater tots.
Fig Chocolate Hazelnut Mug Cake
This is the last-minute-I-need-something-sweet late night treat. Chocolate hazelnut spread adds extra flavor and bounce. You’ll love how the chewy chopped figs add texture. Pro-Tip: For an extra boost of chocolate, you could stir in some chopped chocolate or chocolate chips. Or, for a last flourish, sprinkle powdered sugar over the top before devouring.
Naan Pizza with Garlic White Sauce
Is pizza the ultimate late night snack? You bet! Fluffy naan doubles as pizza crust. We like to top it with a rich creamy garlic Parmesan white sauce, crumbled bacon, and chopped figs. Pro-Tip: Broil the cheese until melted and slightly burnished.
Fig Milkshake
If you swing sweet late at night, milkshakes are a great option. A fig milkshake brings a bit of fig fruit flavor into a creamy indulgent drink. Pro-Tip: Scoop 2 cups of vanilla or chocolate ice cream per 1 cup of milk. Add in ¼ cup of chopped dried figs—go wild—you could add in several chocolate sandwich cookies or 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips too. Blend and add more milk if you’d prefer it thinner to suck through a straw.
Healthy Late Night Snack Ideas
Apple Nachos
Slice an apple and you are on your way to apple nachos, drizzled with warmed nut butter, chopped figs, and chocolate. Pro-Tip: A final drizzle of honey adds a tangy note to the nachos.
PB+J Mousse
Did you know when you whip cottage cheese, you get an almost ethereal, light texture, reminiscent of mousse. This is the healthy late night snack if you tend toward ice cream but want something more virtuous. Sprinkle on some chopped dark chocolate to make it a touch more indulgent.
Fig Oatmeal Energy Bites
These energy bites are the late night snack for people with a sweet tooth who don’t want any extra added sugar. In these energy bites, you get fiber and sweetness from the fruit. Oats add in extra fiber. Nut butter provides protein. They’re a favorite post-workout snack, but an amazing healthy late night snack.
Whipped Cottage Cheese Feta Dip with Veggies
Need a late night alternative to chips? Get your crunch on with crudites—carrot and celery sticks, or broccoli florets and red bell pepper slices with an extra flourish of dried figs. Whipped cottage cheese goes savory with salty feta cheese. Pro-Tip: You could also use this as a spread for whole grain crackers and toast.
Chocolate-Dipped Figs
Dried figs are full of fiber and if you use dark chocolate, this snack verges on a late night craving that is healthier. Pro-Tip: You don’t need to temper the chocolate, but if you don’t, just plan on storing them in the refrigerator and eating them within a week. Want a bit of added protein? Cut a slit into the fig and stuff it with ¼ teaspoon of peanut butter.
Carrot Cake Energy Balls
Grated carrots and pecans, golden figs, and cinnamon all come together in a snack bite that’s inspired by a classic layer cake. Pro-Tip: You can top the energy balls with cream cheese frosting or not. It just elevates them and takes them into cake territory (with only a touch of honey as a sweetener).
Sticky Toffee Crispy Rice Treats
Crispy rice cereal when mixed with sticky melted marshmallows and Golden Figs, the cereal treat takes on a caramel flavor reminiscent of sticky toffee pudding. Pro-Tip: Use a cookie cutter to cut fun shapes or slice into squares and rectangles.
Fig Apple Salsa with Pita Chips
The apples and figs bring fresh and dried fruit into a salsa you can easily scoop up with store-bought or homemade pita chips. Pro-Tip: The salsa flavors will meld together better if left to chill overnight and the apples will soften.
PB+J Toast
One of our favorite late night snacks is to toast a slice of whole grain bread and then cover it with a hearty smear of peanut butter or almond butter. You could layer on a swipe of fig jam or, if you’re opting for a no-sugar added option, tile on slices of dried figs. Or, for something a bit indulgent, you could add on chopped dark chocolate right after the bread toasts so it melts in with with peanut butter. Perfect with a glass of milk!