Fried Halloumi Cubes

A fun and tasty treat is just waiting for you with these delicious Fried Halloumi Cubes. The famous cheese from Cyprus has a beautiful creamy and slightly chewy texture when pan fried and is perfect for enjoying as a simple bite to eat on its own, or as a topping to your favorite Salad. In this recipe we show you how to make these wonderful golden cubes of deliciousness

What type of Halloumi is best for frying

The good news about this recipe is you can use any type of Halloumi Cheese you like. It lends itself exceptionally well to frying, the only factor will be the cooking time required. For the best results we recommend cooking the cheese slowly and constantly monitoring it’s ‘doneness’ so regardless of how you’ve prepared the Cheese it will come out great

Halloumi Cheese is becoming quite a common Cheese in the US but is less prominent in supermarket shelves and recipes overall in the US compared to other parts of the world. Of course, it’s immensely popular in the Mediterranean where it hails from, and it’s no surprise that is is commonly enjoyed as a delicious pairing with fresh, summery meals

Why we recommend frying Halloumi in Cubes instead of whole

You may notice there are several recipes for frying Halloumi which keeps the cheese whole, or at the very least asks that the Cheese is cut into Spam-like shapes. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of this preparation, as the real flavor in frying Halloumi lies in that wonderful crispy coating

So, by cutting the Cheese into smaller cubes you will enjoy more surface area being fried up until it’s golden-brown, resulting in a much more flavorsome dish. You can also portion out the Cheese more appropriately by cutting it into bite-sized cubes, making it great to serve with some cocktail skewers as a one-bite treat, or as a topping for your favorite Salad

How to make Fried Halloumi Cubes

Once you’ve got your hands on a block of Halloumi the first step is to cut it into cubes. I like to cut them into cubes about the size as dice. Some Halloumi may be a bit wet from the packaging, so I recommend patting it down with some paper towels if so

Use a sharp knife when cutting the Halloumi to avoid it crumbling as you cut it. We want nice, even sized pieces so they’ll cook evenly. Halloumi Cheese isn’t as crumbly as Feta or anything like that, but it can tend to crumble slightly, so just take your time with a sharp knife to get the best results

With the Cheese prepared all you need to do now is heat up some Oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. For a classic Mediterranean preparation of Fried Halloumi Cubes we recommend using Olive Oil, however a neutral frying Oil like Vegetable or Canola Oil will also work well

We’re not going to be frying them at an excessively high heat or for too long so there’s no real concern about the Olive Oil burning. It will add a nice flavor to the Cheese too, so this is what we recommend using

Cooking the Cheese

After about 1 minute of the Oil being in the pan it will be hot enough to add the Cheese. Simply place the Cheese into the pan and allow it to fry until lightly golden brown on the underside. This first sides fry will take the longest as the pan is still warming up, so allow about 2 – 3 minutes for that beautiful golden-brown color

I like to move the Cheese Cubes around in the pan a little bit to ensure they don’t stick. This not only makes them a lot easier to turn but also ensures there’s a much lower likelihood of that side burning. A non-stick frying pan works great for this recipe

Once you’ve turned the Cheese I recommend either dropping the heat down slightly on your stovetop, or occasionally completely remove the pan from the stovetop to help regulate the heat. This will help prevent the remaining sides from cooking to quickly. The slower the sides cook, the meltier and more luscious the inside of those Cheese Bites will be

So, continue frying until each of the sides are lovely and golden-brown. If you’re like me, you can fry 3 – 4 sides and leave a few unfried. It doesn’t really matter, and I like the contrast in colors on the plate

Serving

Once the Cheese is fried you can simply place it on a flat surface with some paper towels to lose any excess Oil that may still be on them. Fried Halloumi Cheese is best served immediately, as the insides will be wonderful and gooey, so be sure you’ve got everything you need to serve them ready to go before you cook them. So, make the Cheese the last component of your Salad if that’s your plan

It may come as no surprise but the best finishing touches to Fried Halloumi Cheese is some flaky Sea Salt and a few squeezes of fresh Lemon Juice. These accompaniments brighten up the Cheese and bring out the best in the dish. You can also serve the Cheese in a bowl or on a plate with some Lemon Wedges on the side, allowing people to add as much Lemon Juice as they like to the dish

Fried Halloumi Cubes Recipe

Ingredients

• 250g Halloumi Cheese
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• Juice of ½ a Lemon
• Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Pat any excess liquid off the Cheese before cutting into dice-sized cubed. Use a sharp knife to avoid the Cheese crumbling as you cut it
2. Add the Olive Oil to a large frying pan then set over medium heat on the stovetop. After 1 minute of heating, carefully place your Cheese pieces onto the pan. Allow to fry for 3 minutes until golden-brown on the underside
3. Turn the Cheese over and either reduce the heat or occasionally remove the pan from the stovetop to help regulate the heat of the pan, avoiding the Cheese from cooking too fast
4. Continue slowly browning each side until at least 4 sides are golden-brown (about 8 minutes of cooking time). Remove Cheese from pan and set on some paper towels
5. Serve immediately with a drizzle of Lemon Juice and sprinkle of Salt
   
   

Recipe Notes

• The Cheese can be prepared in advance and simply re-heated in an air fryer or oven at 200F until warm throughout
• You can also simply cut the Cheese into strips and fry both sides, ensuring both sides are golden-brown
  
  

This delicious recipe for Fried Halloumi Cubes showcases the wonderful flavors and textures of this famous Cheese from Cyprus. The dish makes for a delicious bite-sized treat or as a tasty topping for your favorite Salad

For more tasty recipes just like this we recommend you check out these fun recipes:

• Panko Pork Rinds
• Calabrian Chili Flatbread
• Crispy Halloumi Fries
• Greek Fried Cheese – Saganaki
  
  

Happy Cooking!