The definitive guide on how to cook halloumi – mouth-watering, colourful, healthy halloumi recipes for brunch, dinner and parties!
Grated, cubed, layered and wrapped… Marinated, spiced and seasoned… Caramelised, roasted, baked and seared… Battered, braised, fried, melted… See this super versatile cheese – an essential vegetarian ingredient – in a whole new light.
Halloumi recipes: breakfast & brunch
Halloumi onion bhaji waffles
Easy savoury breakfast waffles, packed with fresh onion and healthy chickpea flour and seasoned with green chilli and cumin – waffled until crispy and absolutely delicious. Great with a poached egg (or two) and a few slices of creamy avocado for a healthy, happy, vegetarian brunch.
Recipe: Halloumi onion bhaji waffles
Caramelised halloumi potato wedges
Make healthy potato wedges dramatically better with a crispy halloumi coating, roasted until caramelised. Dip in thick, cooling yoghurt seasoned with tangy sumac, fresh lemon and garlic. Great as a crunchy, tasty party snack or serve as an easy side dish. Highly recommended with a good veggie burger.
Recipe: Caramelised halloumi potato wedges
Halloumi watermelon salad with basil
This halloumi watermelon salad recipe features hot, toasted halloumi crusted in earthy, nutty nigella seeds, layered on sweet, fruity watermelon and herby salad. With pomegranate seeds, garlic, lemon and chilli, this fresh salad is a huge plate of healthy zing. Savoury, spice and tart all balancing the fruity, refreshing watermelon – and a riot of colour to boot.
Recipe: Halloumi watermelon salad with basil
Halloumi ‘bacon’
This recipe is very simple, but there’s something about it that can make you animalistic. Thin slices of halloumi, seasoned with smoked paprika and nutritional yeast, are fried until crispy, chewy and a whole lot like bacon. The savoury, meaty flavours of halloumi bacon enhance everything it touches. Make the best ever vegetarian full English breakfast (below), stuff into sandwiches, stir through carbonara or layer in a burger…
Vegetarian full English breakfast
A vegetarian full English breakfast – the peak of British hangover cuisine. My version with smoky, marinated halloumi ‘bacon’, fried slivers of potato, slow roasted tomatoes, garlic mushrooms, creamy scrambled eggs, fresh avocado and sourdough toast. For lazy weekends with those you love.
Recipe: Vegetarian full English breakfast
Harissa halloumi salad
Chunks of salty halloumi roasted with bright, hot harissa, piled on watercress, pea shoots and creamy avocado. Seasoned with dollops of tomato pesto, super tangy pomegranate molasses, fresh mint and lemon zest. So very much flavour. In this spectacular salad – a celebration of healthy vegetarian flavour – tender, chewy, spicy cheese meets an array of vegetables, herbs and tart, zingy seasonings.
Recipe: Harissa halloumi salad
Looking for even more delicious halloumi dishes? This recipe is taken from How to Cook Halloumi – vegetarian feasts for every occasion by Nancy Anne Harbord – available in colour hardback and e-book. A dazzling array of super colourful, incredibly tasty halloumi recipes for brunch, dinner and parties!
Halloumi recipes: dinner
Spinach halloumi curry (palak halloumi)
Creamy, garlicky spinach curry simmered with chunks of salty halloumi, served with flaky, buttery paratha and thick, cooling yoghurt. This south Asian-inspired dish couples the best of the region’s cuisine – garlic, chilli, spices and beautifully cooked vegetables – with soft, chewy, tender umami cheese.
Recipe: Spinach halloumi curry (palak halloumi)
Marinated halloumi baked in vine leaves
Halloumi marinated in chilli, lemon and garlic then wrapped in vine leaves and baked until soft and juicy. Served with buttery whole grain freekeh, a juicy tomato-avocado salad, creamy Greek yoghurt and romaine leaves for scooping everything up.
Recipe: Marinated halloumi baked in vine leaves
Potato, pumpkin and halloumi gratin
A luxurious gratin with colourful layers of sweet orange pumpkin, salty white halloumi and tender potato, baked in pumpkin stock with a touch of cream. With a fresh, tart romaine salad dressed with apple cider vinaigrette, balancing the sweetness of the pumpkin and the richness of the cream.
Recipe: Potato, pumpkin and halloumi gratin
Halloumi recipes: parties!
Butternut squash Wellington with halloumi
Make the vegetarian option the star of the Christmas table with this beautiful butternut squash Wellington. Layers of sweet butternut squash and salty halloumi wrapped in puff pastry, with a little cream to keep everything moist and nutmeg for Christmassy fragrance. Served alongside caramelised baby potatoes, parsnips, mushrooms and red onion, huge Yorkshire puddings and a creamy, roasted garlic sauce.
Recipe: Butternut squash Wellington with halloumi
Halloumi fries with garlic mayonnaise
Make friends and influence people with these sensational halloumi fries – deep-fried strips of halloumi with a crispy, earthy nigella seed batter. Dip in bright, lemony garlic mayonnaise for inappropriate levels of cheesy enjoyment.
Recipe: Halloumi fries with garlic mayonnaise
