Easy Honey Halloumi

This delicious fried hot honey halloumi comes together in minutes and is meat-free and tasty enough to serve as a starter, a side dish, the star of your plate, or as part of a salad.

Why you’ll love it

• It’s speedy to make, ready in just ten minutes including prep time.
• It’s absolutely delicious.
• It’s pretty enough and impressive enough to serve when entertaining.
• It’s vegetarian.
• You can enjoy it as is or top some peppery rocket leaves with it for a quick satisfying salad.

And if you like this then you might want to give it pride of place on an epic vegetarian charcuterie board, serve it on a falafel platter, or try this delicious spicy feta dip.

Ingredients and substitutions

With just seven simple ingredients you shouldn’t have any trouble getting a hold of them. Have a quick look at the photo below to see exactly what you’ll need, and scroll down beneath to see any ingredient notes or substitutions.

Honey: Use whichever type of honey you prefer. I don’t recommend using honey with strong flavors like lavender or rosemary.

Halloumi: Use fresh firm halloumi stored in brine. If you really can’t get a hold of halloumi, you can try using firm paneer or panela.

Garlic: Use a large clove of fresh garlic, not granulated or ground dried garlic which will burn.

Butter: Halloumi has a lot of salt so you won’t need to use additional salt in this recipe but I do recommend using salted butter as it contrasts nicely with the honey. However, if all you have is unsalted butter just use that.

Lemon juice: Use fresh lemon juice, not bottled or from concentrate.

Chili pepper flakes: Red chili flakes give a lovely hit of heat in this recipe but if you don’t have any you can substitute them with half the amount of cayenne pepper, or one finely chopped mild red chili pepper. If you don’t like any spiciness at all just omit it.

Black pepper: Use freshly ground cracked black pepper, finely ground will burn.

How to make it

Honey halloumi is really easy to make as you’ll see in this section. Below you’ll find detailed instructions and photos of each step in case you have any doubts while making it or want to see what’s involved before starting.

1. Slice the halloumi about half an inch thick into rough rectangles or squares about 1.5 -2 inches wide. heat a medium frying pan on medium-high. When the pan is hot, add a tablespoon of the butter, and when melted, add the halloumi.
2. Fry for 1-2 minutes on each side until lightly golden but not dark brown as you’ll also be frying it later and you don’t want it to get burnt.

3. Remove the halloumi from the pan with a slotted spoon and leave to one side on a plate. Add the remaining half tablespoon of butter to the pan, along with the minced garlic, cracked black pepper, and chili pepper flakes. Cook for one minute.
4. Add the lemon juice to the honey and microwave for about 20 seconds until the honey is very loose and easy to pour.

5. Add the honey-lemon mixture to the pan, and when it begins to bubble and foam up, add in the halloumi.
6. Gently toss the halloumi with the sauce every now and then for about two minutes. take the pan off the heat when there are about two tablespoons of sauce left.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Equipment notes

What you’ll need:

• A sharp chopping knife.
• A chopping board.
• Measuring spoons.
• A small microwave-safe bowl or container.
• A plate for the fried halloumi.
• A slotted spatula.

Expert tips

• Don’t cut the halloumi too small or too big. Two small and you’ll have to spend half the day flipping over the individual pieces and it will take too long and they will cook unevenly. Too big and the halloumi won’t really get much flavor from the sauce.
• If you don’t enjoy how salty halloumi is, you can soak it in cold water for about 2-3 hours (and up to six) in the fridge to remove most of the saltiness.

Serving suggestions

Serve this halloumi hot and freshly cooked as halloumi gets kind of squidgy as it cools down. There are plenty of ways to enjoy this delicious dish, such as:

• By itself as a tasty appetizer.
• As part of a mezze platter.
• With greek salad.
• Over a large peppery green rocket salad tossed with lemon juice and olive oil.
• With vegetable skewers and any couscous recipe.
• With lemon-roasted vegetables.
• Added to a wrap with spinach, tomatoes, and onions.

Storage

Halloumi is best eaten once cooked, but if you do have any leftovers you can reheat them by dry-frying them in a low-medium heat pan until hot, by baking at 350ºF for four minutes or until warm, or by heating up in the microwave 1-2 minutes, turning over halfway through.

Did you make this dish? Let me know how much you loved it with a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, review, and/or comment below.