Golden Halloumi with Honey and Thyme

September 7, 2024

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By:Nagi

Published:6 Sep ’24Updated:8 Sep ’24

Here’s an unbelievably delicious 5 minute halloumi recipe: pan fried golden, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with thyme. It’s a stellar combination of flavours – salty, sweet and earthy herb. Great starter, snack, or make a basic salad so much more interesting!

Fried halloumi

It’s impossible to resist devouring golden fried halloumi straight from the pan, when it’s crispy on the surface and gooey inside. And why should we? It’s so great plain!

But one day, try it with a drizzle of honey, sprinkle of fresh thyme and pinch of red pepper flakes. It is Outrageously Delicious (caps intentional) and a great 2-second-way to dress up halloumi when you’ve got company.

Serve with warm pita bread, olives, and good olive oil for a simple yet thoroughly enjoyable starter!

The golden rules of halloumi cooking

It just so happens that while I’m writing this post, I’m at my hairdresser, Deange Hair which is owned by Greek sisters. So I’m sitting here with my head full of goop, having an enthusiastic discussion with Angela, the younger sister, about the golden rules of cooking halloumi. Here’s what you need to know!

Real Halloumi from Cyprus: For the best results, use authentic Cypriot halloumi. Lower quality or imitation varieties won’t give you that perfect golden crust and may crumble when cooked!
Cut it Thick: Slice your halloumi 1 – 1.25cm / 0.4 – 0.5″ thick. Thicker than you think! It shrinks about 30% during cooking, so thicker slices ensure a soft, juicy interior rather than a dry one.
Use Oil: Don’t skimp on the oil! Halloumi needs it to achieve a golden, crispy exterior. Without oil, it will just burn, brown unevenly and certainly won’t get crisp.
Pat the Slices Dry: Dry the slices thoroughly before cooking. This step prevents the sizzling and spitting of water on initial contact, leading to a better crust.

Angela’s advice is spot on, and I was thankful that I checked all her boxes. Now halloumi enthusiasts everywhere can cook it perfectly too! Who knew a hair appointment could double as a cheese tutorial!? 🧀✨

(I know what you’re thinking, and NO you are not going to get a photo of me with goop in my hair!!)

What you need

For the crispy golden pan fried halloumi

Just halloumi and olive oil for cooking!

Halloumi – The brand you get matters! Real halloumi is from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, not Greece. It will fry up golden on the surface and be soft on the inside. Economical brands can be rubbery on the inside (even when hot), or be so bloated with brine they seem to endlessly leech water as they cook and *never* go golden, while others are just oddly dry and crumbly.

Look for halloumi with “PDO” on the packet label (Protected Designation of Origin). This is a mark of excellence that proves a products’ quality and cannot be used on any product made outside of Cyprus. I get Alambra and Dodoni brands.

Olive oil – Though some recipes don’t use oil to cook halloumi, you really do need a touch of oil to get a nice golden crust on the halloumi. Without, you just get patchy brown parts, and if you try to take it further it just burns and doesn’t go crispy. So, if you want a really nice golden crispy halloumi, don’t skip the oil!

I like to use olive oil because it has more flavour than unflavoured oils like canola oil etc. While you can use extra virgin olive oil here because we’re not high-temp cooking, don’t use your good stuff. Save that for salads and finishing dishes!

For the HONEY THYME finish (OPTIONAL)

Honey – Or maple syrup, though I personally think that the flavour of honey pairs better. It’s also thicker so clings better.
Fresh thyme leaves – It’s just such a great earthy flavour that works so well with the salty-sweet combination going on here! I wouldn’t substitute with dried thyme, it’s just not the same. But, hand on heart, this is still worth making with just honey!
Chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) – This is optional, to add the tiniest subtle hint of warmth to this dish and also add some lovely red flecks. For me, it’s just an effortless way to add an extra touch to this dish, but as I mentioned, it is 100% optional!

Other sprinkling / drizzling options I’ve used and enjoyed over the years:

fresh oregano (roughly chopped)
walnuts (walnuts + honey is such a great, Greek-vibes combo)
other nuts (almonds and pistachios come to mind)
white sesame seeds
lemon juice or lemon zest
swish of extra virgin olive oil

How to make golden pan-fried Halloumi

Nice and straightforward, but please take note of how thick to cut the slices and patting them dry before cooking!

Cut the halloumi into 1 – 1.25 cm / 0.4 – 0.5″ thick slices. Any thinner, and you’ll end up with halloumi chips. ✨This is one of the Golden Rules of Halloumi cooking! (See top of post)✨

I get 7 to 8 slices out of a standard 225 – 250g/8 oz block.
Dry – Lay the slices out on paper towels then pat the surface dry as well. Don’t press down hard, we just want to blot excess moisture off the surface.

Cook – Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a non stick pan. Place the halloumi in the pan carefully – it will splutter! I use my hands so I can handle the pieces carefully. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes or until the underside is golden. Initially, they will leech water (the brine inside the cheese) then once the water evaporates that’s when the underside will start to get colour.

When to turn – When you see the edges of the underside become golden, that’s a good sign that the whole underside is golden.
Carefully turn (I use a spatula and a butter knife) then cook the other side for around 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until golden.

⚠️ Don’t try to cook too many slices in the pan at the same time, else they will braise and never go golden!
⚠️ Move the slices around if needed so they cook evenly, but the more you can leave them undistributed, the more even the golden surface.

Transfer directly onto the serving plate. You can serve it just like that (which is definitely the most common way I eat halloumi!) or finish it with the honey and thyme.
Finish – Working quickly (so you can get it to the table while the centres are still warm and soft!), drizzle with honey, sprinkle with thyme and chilli flakes, then serve it asap!

How I eat fried halloumi

In order of frequency:

With hands, straight off the plate, as a starter. This is probably the most common way I serve it (with and without the honey). I cook it up when I have a few spare minutes then pass it around. I really try to minimise cooking time when friends are around but this is a great one to do because it’s so quick!
As part of a cheese board spread. It’s always the first to go (usually because I put it down and flap my hands around insisting that everyone eat up, eat up, while it’s hot!) 😂
On a salad. Take a bowl of plain leafy greens and plonk a few fried halloumi’s on top and woah! Suddenly that boring salad is so much more exciting – and passes as a meal, at that! Or, specifically, try adding halloumi onto one of these salads to dial them up a notch (skip or reduce any pre-existing cheese in these recipes):

Just to flag a few stand-outs: I think the Pear Salad would be spectacular with halloumi instead of blue cheese (fruit + salty cheese + honey + nuts = 💯) as would the French Warm Goats Cheese Salad (made with halloumi instead of goats cheese) and the Pearl Couscous Salad (I feel like halloumi + bright lemon dressing + slippery garlicky pearl couscous would be a home run).

Or – just skip the greenery and stick with my #1 method of eating it: with hands, standing in the kitchen! 😂 – Nagi x