Last Updated on 24th February 2022 by
Halloumi is a cheese that I like adding to dishes from time to time when I want a cheesy, fried flavor (which is more often than I would care to admit). Maybe you have never heart of halloumi cheese, and if that’s the case, then you have been missing out on something really special.
This cheese is made from cow, sheep, or goat milk, and it is perfect for frying up. Unlike most every other kind of cheese, it doesn’t just melt into a little puddle when fried. Instead, it retains its shape, which is pretty neat and very useful for any number of dishes that call for some added texture and that could benefit from some cheesy flavor.
This cheese gets kind of gooey in the center when heated, making for a stringy interior, and then the frying action makes it crispy on the outside. The flavor is kind of cheesy but not overwhelmingly so. I would describe it as somewhat creamy and really salty. That should give you some idea of how you can use it in various dishes.
It’s super flavorful, so you won’t need a lot, and because it has plenty of salty flavor, you won’t need to add salt to your food when you incorporate halloumi.
It can be eaten raw, and that’s perfectly safe, but I think it’s best to make use of its unique properties and fry it up when possible.
How to Cook Halloumi Cheese in a Pan
I’ll share with you how to cook halloumi in a
Ingredients:
- 9 ounces of halloumi cheese
- 1 pinch of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
Directions:
- Cut the halloumi thin, making quarter inch slices.
- Heat a frying
pan on the stovetop on medium heat. Once it’s warm, add in your cheese. - Let it cook for about two to three minutes to allow the halloumi to become golden brown on the outside.
- Then, flip the halloumi over and cook on the other side for another two to three minutes.
- Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over your cheese and season with black pepper.
Now you know how to cook halloumi on stove, but it’s not the only method you can use to cook up this cheese. Let me share some others with you.
How to Cook Halloumi in the Oven
You can bake halloumi in the
How to cook halloumi when you’re using the
Let the halloumi bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is cooked through and brown on the outside. There’s no need to flip it over as it cooks.
How long to cook halloumi depends on which method you’re using, as well as how much of it you’re cooking up at once. Once it looks golden brown on the outside, it should be all the way cooked. When halloumi is fully cooked, it will still be a little gooey and stringy in the middle, so it’s perfectly fine if it’s not solid all the way through. That gooey interior gives it an interesting texture so that you’re not just getting a consistently textured block of baked cheese.
How to Cook Halloumi Cheese in Air Fryer
This is another easy method for cooking halloumi. Just heat up the
You should add a little olive oil to the bottom of the fry basket too, and then place your halloumi slices inside. Cook them for about 10-12 minutes, until the exterior of the halloumi turns golden colored and crispy.
How to Grill Halloumi Cheese
Feel free to
Before placing the halloumi on the
To give it some extra flavor, add a little seasoning to it beyond just the olive oil. Some parsley, black pepper, lemon juice, or oregano all add some nice layers of flavor to what’s already a pretty tasty cheese.
You can have the halloumi on its own, adding some sauce to it for some extra flavor, or you can put it in a bun to make a sandwich, which is really my favorite thing to do with grilled halloumi. Use it as the cheese on a burger for an interesting taste experiment or make a cheese sandwich from it with the halloumi as the main attraction.
I'm Pauline, a retired patisserie chef, mother of four and now a full time food blogger! When i'm not cooking i love long walks, reading thriller novels and spending time with my grandkids. Head to my about me page to learn more about the woman behind the food! You can find my Facebook here