Halloumi cheese is a delicacy. It has a golden brown, crispy exterior, a soft, gooey interior, and a wonderfully savory flavor. It's a magic cheese that you can grill or pan-fry, and it's ready in ten minutes! Enjoy it on its own, in a sandwich, or in salads.
Halloumi is a unique cheese that doesn't melt. When you grill or pan-fry it, the pieces remain intact. You can enjoy them as savory finger food or use them in sandwiches and salads. Since it's so easy to make, I buy it weekly. It's one of our favorite meals.
Ingredients
You'll only need two ingredients to make this recipe. A block of halloumi cheese - it usually comes in 8-ounce blocks - and olive oil (or olive oil spray). Scroll down to the recipe card for the exact measurements.
My favorite brand is Aphrodite. You can find it at Whole Foods Market:
Instructions
Grilled Halloumi
You'll find the detailed instructions in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of the steps:
You start by preheating a grill pan to medium and slicing the block of cheese into eight slices. Try to keep them fairly equal in thickness.
Spray the grill surfaces with olive oil. Cook the cheese slices until golden brown, for 3-5 minutes per side.
Serve immediately while the cheese is still hot.
Pan-Fried Halloumi
Instead of grilling this cheese, you can pan-fry it. The instructions are very similar. You slice the cheese, add olive oil to the frying pan, and heat it over medium heat. Fry the cheese slices until browned, about 3-5 minutes per side.
You can cook the cheese to your desired level of doneness. As you can see in the photo below, some of the slices are golden, while others are deep golden brown. I prefer the browned ones.
Here's the end result of pan-fried halloumi served on a plate. Between the two of us, my husband and I had no trouble polishing off the entire plate!
Expert Tip
If you flip the cheese pieces on the grill or in the frypan and discover that they're too pale for your liking, keep cooking them on the second side, then flip them again and let them brown some more on the first side.
Recipe FAQs
Halloumi is a semi-hard, unripened brined cheese from Cyprus. It's made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk. It tastes like a combination of fresh mozzarella and feta.
What's unique about this cheese is its high melting point, which makes it ideal for grilling or frying.
You can, but it won't be as good. The entire point of cooking this cheese is to get a beautiful golden-brown crust, and the microwave can't do that.
In my experience, both are equally good. If you're too lazy to use the grill and quick pan-frying is easier, go for it! I've made it both ways, and both are excellent. Both methods produce a gooey interior and a crispy exterior.
Yes, but it's not very good. Without cooking, it has a rubbery texture and is very salty. Cooking improves its texture and mellows its saltiness.
Serving Suggestions
Salads: Halloumi is the perfect salad topping. Sometimes, I add it to this arugula salad to make it a complete meal. It's excellent in this Cobb salad and can replace the mozzarella in this Caprese salad.
Sandwiches: I often serve this cheese on a keto English muffin that I skillet-toast in olive oil, on thick slices of almond flour bread, or on 90-second bread. It's also excellent in a lettuce sandwich.
Snack: Halloumi is delicious by itself, eaten as finger food. This is my favorite way of enjoying it. See the photo below - this is a snack plate that my husband and I shared recently as an appetizer. It included pan-fried halloumi, salami, pickles, and red peppers.
Storing Leftovers
Ideally, you should enjoy this cheese when freshly prepared. Keeping leftovers is like keeping a leftover grilled cheese sandwich. Reheating it in the microwave will be okay, but it won't be as good as when eaten fresh.
Still, if you must, you can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to five days. Reheat them in the microwave at 50% power.
More Cheesy Recipes
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Recipe Card
Halloumi Cheese: Grilled or Pan-Fried
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces halloumi cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - extra-virgin; or olive oil spray
Instructions
- Slice the halloumi block into eight one-ounce slices.
Grilled Halloumi:
- Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes. I use a double-burnet grill pan.
- Grease the grill with olive oil. Place the cheese slices in the pan (in two batches if necessary). Cook them until crisp and browned, for about 3-5 minutes per side.
- Serve immediately, while the cheese is still warm.
Pan-Fried Halloumi:
- Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Add the cheese slices and fry until browned, 3-5 minutes per side.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you flip the cheese pieces on the grill or in the frypan and discover that they're too pale for your liking, keep cooking them on the second side, then flip them again and let them brown some more on the first side.
- Ideally, you should enjoy this cheese when freshly prepared. But if you must, you can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to five days. Reheat them in the microwave at 50% power.
Nutrition per Serving
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Kathy says
So delicious! I hate to admit, but between the two of us, my husband and me polished off an entire block of cheese. So, so good.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Haha I can totally relate, Kathy!