Grilled Halloumi cheese is a delicacy. Golden brown, crispy exterior. Soft, gooey interior, and a wonderfully savory flavor. It’s a magic cheese that you can grill!
This grilled halloumi recipe is so good. The cheese has a browned, crusty exterior. A soft, gooey interior. And an intensely savory flavor. It truly is magic – cheese that retains its shape when grilled.
What is halloumi cheese?
It’s 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 that it has a high melting point, which makes it an ideal candidate for grilling or frying.
It’s like magic! You grill this cheese and it doesn’t turn into a melty mess! It retains its shape when grilled. And it develops a crispy exterior and a soft, delicious interior. Yes, it’s as good as it sounds.
The ingredients you’ll need
The beauty of this recipe is that you only need TWO ingredients to make it! The exact amounts you’ll need are listed in the recipe card below. But basically, you’ll need halloumi cheese and olive oil. That’s it!
How cool is that? I love recipes that have a short ingredient list. I’m guessing you do too!
How to make grilled halloumi
It’s so easy! Just like the list of ingredients, the set of instructions in this recipe is wonderfully short. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card below. These are the basic steps:
- Start by slicing the cheese into eight slices.
- Brush the slices with olive oil.
- Grill them in a grill pan over medium heat, about 3 minutes per side.
Is this a healthy recipe?
I believe it is. Current research says that for most healthy people, full-fat dairy products including cheese are not harmful and might even be beneficial. And the olive oil we use to grill the cheese is obviously a healthy choice.
How to serve grilled halloumi cheese?
It makes a wonderful salad topping. Sometimes I serve it on a keto English muffin that I skillet-toast in olive oil.
In addition, it’s delicious all by itself, eaten as yummy finger food. This is my own favorite way of enjoying this tasty cheese.
Can I keep leftovers?
Ideally, you should enjoy this recipe when freshly prepared. Keeping leftovers is kind of like keeping leftover grilled cheese sandwich. It will be okay when you reheat it in the microwave. But it won’t be as good as when eaten fresh.
Still, if you must, you can keep leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them very gently in the microwave on 50% power, or eat them cold.
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Grilled Halloumi
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (8 oz) package halloumi cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Slice the halloumi block into eight (1 oz) slices.
- Brush the halloumi slices with olive oil on both sides.
- Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium heat, about 5 minutes. If you don’t own a grill pan, a regular nonstick pan will work, although the fried cheese won’t look as pretty without the grill marks.
- Place the cheese slices in the pan (work in two batches if necessary). Cook 3 minutes on each side, until crisp and browned. Serve immediately.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.