• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Healthy Recipes
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe

Easy Cheesy Vegetarian

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Healthy Recipes
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian Dinner Recipes

    Jul 29, 2016 · Modified: Jun 24, 2022 by Becca Heyes · This post may contain affiliate links · 44 Comments

    Halloumi and Portobello Burgers with Homemade Peri Peri Sauce

    514 shares
    • Share114
    • Tweet
    Total time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 2
    5 from 2 votes
    Jump to Recipe Rate this Recipe

    Halloumi and portobello burgers with homemade peri peri sauce. These vegetarian burgers are so easy to make, even the spicy peri peri sauce!

    A homemade halloumi and portobello mushroom burger cut in half on a wooden board.
    sponsoredpost

    If you live in the UK (or one of thirty - thirty!! - other countries), chances are when you hear the words 'peri peri sauce', your mind will immediately go to a certain restaurant famous for its Portuguese food. That place definitely inspired these halloumi and portobello burgers - it's a combination I've loved for years. The salty halloumi and juicy portobello mushrooms just go so well with the spicy peri peri sauce.

    A halloumi and portobello burger cut in half, served on a wooden board.

    Homemade peri peri sauce

    I usually use a shop-bought peri peri sauce when I make these, but this time I thought I'd experiment with making my own from scratch. I read about twenty recipes online, realised they were all different, and decided to just wing it instead. Turns out, winging it was pretty successful! This homemade peri peri sauce definitely tasted similar to the restaurant stuff. The recipe below only makes a small batch - just enough for these halloumi and portobello burgers, with a little left over - but you could easily triple or quadruple the recipe if you want to make a batch to keep in the fridge.

    You only need a few ingredients to make your homemade peri peri sauce. The key ingredient is bird eye chillies, which are pretty easy to find in UK supermarkets. I'm sure you could use other hot chillies if you can't find these, as long as you appreciate that the flavour will be different!

    A word of warning: bird eye chillies are hot. Very hot. Somehow, the finished peri peri sauce is nicely spicy, but the chillies themselves are the kind of hot that makes your forehead tingle when you scratch an itch. The kind of hot that makes you afraid to touch your eyes even hours and hours later, that makes you not want to give the dog a treat in case she licks your fingers, that makes you want to sterilise everything they come into contact with. That hot. So wear gloves when you cut them up - please.

    Gloved hands chopping small red birdseye chillies.

    I don't wear gloves often when I cook, but they're definitely worth it when you're chopping chillies, especially these bird eye chillies. I used the new Marigold Extra Safe Disposable Gloves, which worked perfectly to keep my hands eye-friendly. They're latex free, so they're great for people with a latex allergy (which is apparently 6% of the population!), and they're safe for using with food. They're easy to put on (without that terrible powder that some gloves use), comfortable to wear, and nice and strong. As well as chopping chillies, they're also great for smelly foods (I love garlic, but don't want to smell like it all day, thank you), and foods that stain your hands (I'm looking at you, beetroot).

    Plus they make you feel a bit like a doctor, which can't be bad.

    Since the seeds of a chilli are where most of the heat is, I removed probably about 90% of the seeds in my bird eye chillies (I allowed the final 10% to slip through mostly due to laziness, but also because I do like things fairly spicy - remove all the seeds if you prefer). Then you just blend up the chillies with a few other simple ingredients, and you've got homemade peri peri sauce! I never knew it would be so easy.

    A spoon taking a scoop of homemade peri peri sauce from a small ramekin.

    Halloumi and portobello mushroom burgers

    You can use your homemade peri peri sauce however you like - it's great to use as a marinade or dipping sauce, or splashed on top of your dinner. As I mentioned, in homage to one of my favourite restaurants, I used mine as a marinade for my halloumi and portobello burgers - which I suppose aren't burgers in the normal sense of the word, but since I ate them in a roll, I'm going to allow it. You can cook these on a BBQ if you fancy eating al fresco - if not, a griddle pan works too!

    Collage showing portobello mushrooms and halloumi cheese cooking in a griddle pan with peri peri sauce.

    (You may notice that the smaller piece of halloumi in the first of these two pictures is no longer present in the second. I certainly can't explain how that happened.)

    The end result is a spicy, salty, juicy mixture that works so well in a roll, or pitta bread, or whatever sort of bread you fancy. Please make these halloumi and portobello burgers - you won't regret it. Utterly perfect pub grub. Unless you don't wear Marigolds and get chilli in your eye... then you might regret it a little.

    A halloumi and mushroom burger cut in half with homemade peri peri sauce dripping out.

    Halloumi and Portobello Burgers with Homemade Peri Peri Sauce

    Halloumi and portobello burgers with homemade peri peri sauce. These vegetarian burgers are so easy to make, even the spicy peri peri sauce!

    If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!

    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Comment
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 535kcal
    Author: Becca Heyes

    Ingredients

    For the homemade peri peri sauce:

    • 6 bird eye chillies (or other small hot chillies, if you can't find bird eye)
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • ½ teaspoon honey
    • Salt
    • Black pepper

    For the halloumi and portobello burgers:

    • 2 portobello mushrooms
    • 1 small block halloumi cheese (~ 150g / 5oz)
    • 2 crusty bread rolls
    • 1 tablespoon creamy salad dressing
    • leaves Salad

    Instructions

    • To make the peri peri sauce, remove the seeds from the bird eye chillies, and add them to a mini food processor with the garlic. Blitz until finely chopped. Add the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, and a pinch of salt and pepper, and blitz thoroughly until the sauce becomes orange.
    • Place the portobello mushrooms in a lightly oiled griddle pan, and cook over a medium-high heat for a few minutes each side, until nearly soft.
    • Cut the halloumi into around 6 slices (thicker slices tend to work better), and add to the pan with the mushrooms. Spoon a little of the peri peri sauce over the halloumi and mushrooms, and when the halloumi is golden brown underneath, turn everything over and add more peri peri sauce. You may have a little sauce left over - just keep it in the fridge until its next use.
    • Serve the peri peri halloumi and portobello mushrooms in crusty bread rolls, with creamy salad dressing (to counteract the heat!) and salad leaves.

    Notes

    Shop-bought peri peri sauce can be used instead if you're pushed for time!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 burger - Calories: 535 kcal - Carbohydrates: 27.4 g - Protein: 21.4 g - Fat: 38.4 g - Saturated Fat: 18 g - Cholesterol: 59 mg - Sodium: 717 mg - Potassium: 293 mg - Fiber: 1.4 g - Sugar: 7.1 g

    Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @EasyCheesyVeg or tag #EasyCheesyVegetarian!

    Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for ½ the recipe (1 burger).

    If you get yourself some gloves, you may as well put them to good use - chop some chillies for spicy veggie laksa!

    Spicy veggie laksa with crispy tofu

    More Vegetarian Dinner Recipes

    • Smoked Cheese and Broccoli Tart
    • 40 Vegetarian Mushroom Recipes
    • Slow Cooker Mushroom Stroganoff
    • Vegetarian Chilli Mac (One Pot!)
    514 shares
    • Share114
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Life as Mum says

      August 15, 2016 at 6:19 pm

      Oh my... that looks so delicious! Wouldn't mind trying that myself.

      Reply
    2. Ashleigh says

      August 11, 2016 at 6:06 pm

      Oh jheeez, these look immense! Might give them a go this weekend as I have friends coming over :)

      Ashleigh x

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        August 13, 2016 at 8:58 pm

        You'll definitely impress if you make homemade peri peri sauce! Just don't tell them how easy it was :)

        Reply
    3. Kate @ VeggieDesserts says

      August 11, 2016 at 12:09 pm

      This sounds amazing. You've made it look so easy to make homemade piri piri sauce - I've got to try it!

      Reply
    4. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      August 11, 2016 at 11:15 am

      I love portobello burgers! I haven't had one in so long!!

      Reply
    5. Melanie Edjourian says

      August 08, 2016 at 10:04 pm

      These look fabulous I love the addition of the spicy sauce it can make all the difference ;-)

      Reply
    6. Camilla @FabFood4All says

      August 08, 2016 at 6:01 pm

      Great idea to wear those Marigolds which I've not seen in the shops! Also loving your peri peri sauce on halloumi idea, will have to give these burgers a go:-)

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        August 11, 2016 at 12:33 pm

        I will definitely be wearing them every time I cut chillies from now on!

        Reply
    7. Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says

      August 08, 2016 at 3:55 pm

      I love halloumi and mushrooms together and have a similar combo on my blog. The homemade peri peri sauce sounds awesome!

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        August 11, 2016 at 12:30 pm

        It's SUCH a good combination :)

        Reply
    8. Elizabeth says

      August 08, 2016 at 7:35 am

      Gosh these look so good! You make vegetarian eating look so yummy! :D

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        August 11, 2016 at 12:12 pm

        Haha thanks Elizabeth, that's my aim! :)

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Becca! I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and unlike most of my other childhood pursuits, I actually stuck with it! I love cooking vegetarian food that's full of flavour, but doesn't take a lot of effort to make.

    More about me →

    As Featured In

    Healthy Recipes

    • Mediterranean Scrambled Eggs with Feta
    • Creamy Mushrooms On Toast
    • Easy Tarka Dal (Vegan Red Lentil Curry)
    • Creamy Cowboy Caviar (with Avocado Dressing)
    • Creamy Three Bean Stew
    • Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Casserole
    • 10 Minute Lemon and Black Pepper Chickpeas
    • Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

    Most Popular

    • Mushroom Bourguignon
    • How to Make Perfect Roast Potatoes
    • How to Cook Halloumi Perfectly
    • How To Fry Gnocchi (and why you should want to!)
    • How to Make a Perfect Baked Potato
    • Mexican Bean and Potato Bake
    • Creamy Vegetable Bake
    • 15 Minute Mushroom Stroganoff

    Hi, I'm Becca! I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and unlike most of my other childhood pursuits, I actually stuck with it! I love cooking vegetarian food that's full of flavour, but doesn't take a lot of effort to make.

    More about me →

    As Featured In

    Healthy Recipes

    • 15 Minute Peanut and Sesame Noodles
    • 15 Minute Creamy Pasta Primavera
    • Roasted Vegetable Fattoush
    • Veggie-Packed Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
    • Sweet Potato Curry
    • Slow Cooker Ratatouille
    • Veggie Burrito Bowls
    • 20 Minute Vegetable Stroganoff

    Most Popular

    • Mushroom Bourguignon
    • How to Make Perfect Roast Potatoes
    • How to Cook Halloumi Perfectly
    • How To Fry Gnocchi (and why you should want to!)
    • How to Make a Perfect Baked Potato
    • Mexican Bean and Potato Bake
    • Creamy Vegetable Bake
    • 15 Minute Mushroom Stroganoff

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Newsletter

    • Subscribe for recipes by email

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Easy Cheesy Vegetarian

    514 shares