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    Home » Recipes » Recipes Cooked in 15 Minutes or Less

    Feb 1, 2022 by Becca Heyes · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Sweet and Spicy Halloumi

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    Total time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 3 people
    5 from 2 votes
    Jump to Recipe Rate this Recipe

    This sweet and spicy halloumi can be ready in just 15 minutes, and it's got incredible flavour - it's sweet and sticky, spicy, and salty, all at once.

    Chunks of halloumi cheese in a sweet and spicy sauce, served with rice and salad.

    If you're a halloumi lover, this one's for you! I think this might just be one of the best halloumi recipes I've ever made. Big chunks of squidgy halloumi in a sticky, sweet and spicy sauce... it's heaven. And it's super, super easy to make.

    A portion of sweet and spicy halloumi cheese with rice and salad.

    Squidgy halloumi cheese

    The big pieces in the photos may look an awful lot like chicken, but rest assured - halloumi is in fact a type of Cypriot cheese. It doesn't melt, unlike lots of other cheeses, so it's perfect for cooking with, as it holds its shape.

    I've written about halloumi cheese plenty of times in the past, but whereas I usually cook halloumi in thin slices until it's nice and crispy, I did something a bit different with it this time.

    Instead, I cooked it in the sauce, so it didn't crisp up, but rather it softened and stayed moist. The big chunks of soft, squidgy cheese are an absolute delight.

    The liquid that the cheese releases usually cooks off, but this method means that instead, it adds flavour to the sauce, helping to make it creamy and silky.

    Sticky sauce being drizzled over chunks of halloumi cheese in a bowl.

    How to make sweet and spicy halloumi

    This dish really couldn't be more simple to make. It's absolutely foolproof.

    Step 1: Cook off the aromatics

    I started by frying off some spring onions, garlic, and red chilli in a frying pan - all chopped nice and small. They only need a few minutes, just until they are soft and aromatic.

    Already, things should be smelling pretty amazing!

    Finely chopped red chilli, spring onions and garlic being cooked in a frying pan.

    Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients

    Next, you can add all the remaining ingredients. Told you it was easy!

    Along with big chunks of halloumi cheese, you also need to add the sauce ingredients.

    Put a lid on the pan, and leave it to simmer for a few minutes. As the cheese softens and releases its liquid, the sauce becomes beautifully glossy.

    That's all there is to it!

    Chunks of halloumi cheese cooking in a sticky sauce.

    Sweet and spicy sauce

    This sauce is truly delicious. If I didn't know better, I wouldn't believe how few ingredients it has:

    • hot sauce
    • honey

    That's pretty much it. Of course, it also gains flavour from the garlic, chilli and spring onions that begin the recipe, not to mention the salty halloumi liquid. But the fact that you only really need to add two ingredients (plus a splash of water) to create the sauce means this truly is an incredibly easy recipe.

    The sauce is spicy, sticky, sweet and salty - it's got a bit of everything.

    Chunks of halloumi cheese cooking in a sweet and spicy sauce.

    How to serve sweet and spicy halloumi

    If you can resist eating the whole lot straight out of the pan, there are all sorts of ways you could serve this saucy halloumi. The flavours are incredible, so any kind of simple carb would be amazing alongside, as well as some extra veg.

    I served mine with some rice and salad. Other good options:

    • stirring it through pasta
    • serving it on toasted bread (halloumi on toast is spectacular!)
    • serving alongside some homemade potato wedges
    • or just on its own, with some crusty bread to mop up the sauce

    Some roasted vegetables would be a great addition too.

    Saucy halloumi cheese in a bowl with rice and salad.

    Can you reheat halloumi?

    Halloumi is always best eaten as soon as it's cooked. That way, it's still soft and delightfully squidgy. If you leave it to sit for any amount of time, it firms up and becomes a bit too chewy and squeaky.

    However, if for whatever reason you want to prepare this dish in advance, you can reheat it in the microwave. When the halloumi is warmed up, it does regain its squidginess - but again, it's best eaten as soon as it's reheated, rather than letting it cool again.

    A fork picking up a chunk of saucy halloumi cheese.

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    Sweet and Spicy Halloumi

    This sweet and spicy halloumi can be ready in just 15 minutes, and it's got incredible flavour - it's sweet and sticky, spicy, and salty, all at once.

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

    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Comment
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 3 people
    Calories: 509kcal
    Author: Becca Heyes
    (prevents your screen from going dark)

    Ingredients

    • ½ tablespoon oil
    • 2 small spring onions, finely diced
    • ½ mild red chilli, finely diced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 450 g (~ 1 lb) halloumi cheese, cut into chunky pieces
    • 2 tablespoon water
    • 1 tablespoon hot sauce
    • ½ tablespoon honey

    Instructions

    • Heat a dash of oil in a frying pan, and add the chopped spring onions, chilli and garlic. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes, until soft and aromatic.
    • Add the chunks of halloumi, water, hot sauce, and honey. Bring to a gentle simmer, and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes, until the halloumi is soft and squidgy, and the sauce is creamy and slightly sticky.
    • Serve immediately.

    Notes

    Halloumi is always best eaten straight after cooking, when it's warm and squidgy - otherwise it can become a little tough and chewy. But if you really do need to reheat this dish later, zap it in the microwave briefly, and it will regain a little of its squidginess.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 portion - Calories: 509 kcal - Carbohydrates: 4.1 g - Protein: 30.3 g - Fat: 41 g - Saturated Fat: 26.1 g - Cholesterol: 107 mg - Sodium: 1631 mg - Potassium: 26 mg - Fiber: 0.2 g - Sugar: 3 g - Calcium: 1080 mg - Iron: 0 mg

    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!

    Love halloumi? I have a whole collection of vegetarian halloumi recipes to check out!

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    Comments

    1. Danielle says

      April 25, 2022 at 7:55 pm

      OMG this is so delicious! I tweaked the recipe a little bit, as I didn't have chili peppers. I used red pepper flakes, and instead of hot sauce I used sweet chili sauce. I also used half the amount of halloumi (it was what I had) and the full amount of sauce, it gets cooked up pretty quick, so I'd probably always double the sauce amount. But in any case, it was SO good, and I ate about a third of it before putting it away. Hopefully it's still good when I reheat it for lunch tomorrow :)5 stars

      Reply
      • Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says

        April 27, 2022 at 9:54 am

        Ahh thanks Danielle, glad you enjoyed it as much as I did! :)

        Reply

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    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.

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