Everything you need to know about how to air fry halloumi. The air fryer gives you an easy, lighter way to cook this amazing cheese. Full instructions with photos plus lots of ideas for how to serve your air fried halloumi as an appetizer, lunch or dinner.
It’s no secret that I love halloumi and I love my air fryer, so it was inevitable the two should meet.
Air frying is a hands off and convenient way of cooking halloumi, and for those looking to reduce fat and calories it’s just perfect. I’m going to show you how to do it and give you lots of ideas for how to turn that air fried halloumi goodness into an appetizer, lunch or dinner.
There’s a printable recipe card at the bottom with full instructions, and you’re welcome to scroll straight down to see it, but first I am going to get nerdy and share lots of tips and ideas, because you’ve got me onto two of my favourite subjects and I just can’t help myself.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU AIR FRY HALLOUMI?
Air fried halloumi is similar to pan fried halloumi, in that it’s super golden and crispy.
But it is also less oily, so I’m not going to pretend it’s exactly the same. Without all the oil, the halloumi is a little bit drier, so I like to to serve it alongside food that brings moisture like juicy tomatoes or in a salad with dressing. I have lots of recipe ideas to follow.
Is air fried halloumi healthier?
If lightening up halloumi is your goal then yes, you can be reassured that it should be a healthier preparation. Without all the oil, your fat and calorie counts will go right down.
I tested this recipe with full fat halloumi. I have never tried reduced fat halloumi and can’t vouch for results.
Is it easier to make halloumi in the air fryer?
It can be, yes! It depends on the recipe and your workflow.
If you already have lots of things cooking on the stovetop, it’s helpful to send something to the air fryer and not have to multi task so much, especially since pan frying halloumi requires constant attention or it could burn.
If you just don’t like frying halloumi, because it spits and needs turning all the time, then also yes! It’s a lot easier to shove it in the air fryer and not worry about it.
How should I prepare my halloumi before air frying it?
So as you can see, I cut the halloumi into 6 pieces. I cut lengthways once, and then widthways twice to achieve this. I like this size for salads. You could also cut 6 slices vertically, which would be wider but flatter, and the cooking time would be comparable.
Or you could cut into smaller cubes, or fry shaped, which would give you a shorter cooking time.
Either way, I lightly brush my halloumi pieces in olive oil and then put it straight in. Minimal fuss. Some people like to bread or coat their halloumi, but I don’t bother since it naturally gets so crispy.
Serving Suggestions
The fun part! You can slot your air fried halloumi into any recipe which calls for pan fried or deep fried halloumi, but here are some more specific ideas. Remember that air fried halloumi stays a little drier than pan fried, so we want to make sure there is sauce / dressing / something juicy in the mix to compensate.
Appetizers
- By cutting the pieces in half again, you can make them into halloumi fries! Serve with your favourite dips.
- Mixed with lots of herbs and cherry tomatoes for a simple salad.
- Topped with a romesco or bravas sauce for a tapas style treat.
Lunch or Brunch
- In a sandwich or wrap with lots of avocado and tomato.
- As a topping for scrambled eggs on toast, with some fresh salsa too for moisture.
- As an avocado toast topping.
Dinner
- As part of a substantial salad. It would be the perfect fit for my Halloumi & Black Bean Salad (pictured, left) or my Beet Noodle Salad with Halloumi.
- Elsewhere, Erin’s Halloumi Lentil Salad looks incredible.
- With pasta. I have a recipe for Cherry Tomato & Halloumi Pasta, (pictured, middle) or swap for burrata in this juicy Bruschetta Pasta.
- With curry! It would slot in perfectly to my Butter Halloumi Curry (pictured, right) but if lighter is your goal, it can also swap into any curry that calls for paneer – Kale Paneer Curry or Spinach Paneer Curry being lighter options.
- If you don’t want carbs, try zoodles instead. Sarah’s Halloumi Bruschetta Zoodles look great.
Air Fryer Halloumi Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 block halloumi cheese, (usually around 225g or 8oz)
- 2 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 180C / 360F.
- Prepare your halloumi. Slice into 6 equal size slices and brush on all sides with olive oil.
- Once the air fryer is preheated, brush the bottom of the fry basket with more olive oil and place the halloumi slices on top.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes until crispy and golden.
The halloumi melted and fell through the holes.
Eeek! What halloumi did you use? I have never seen halloumi melt before.
I had the same problem. I would up transferring the cheese to a cast iron skillet
Can I ask you also what halloumi you were using? And where you live? I’ve honestly never encountered this with any brand of halloumi I’ve found in the UK (all imported from Cyprus). I’d love to understand this better and I wonder if there are halloumis elsewhere which behave a little differently?
Christ – don’t need the life story before the recipe….
Of course you don’t, which is why I just wrote about air frying cheese. Because that is the topic of the post. The post you clicked on somewhere. Despite being a vegan. Shrug.
Who hurt you? No seriously well adjusted people do not behave like this?
Rude. I’m so glad this recipe was shared. Thank you Christine.
So kind of you to say, thanks 🙂
Just got an air fryer and used it for Emporium Selection Halloumi Cheese Fries purchased at Aldi’s in the US. Per your instructions 360° for 8 min. It worked great!
Your post is what convinced me to buy the air fryer. Pan frying is so messy and dangerous!
So happy to hear this worked out well for you! I hope that you enjoy getting to know your air fryer more, it’s such a great addition to the kitchen! 😃
Another Christine here!
Recipe looks good, will try. Thanks
I thought this was perfect and my daughter (the pickiest ) loved it!!
And… um… geeze people, why abuse the lady trying to share recipes? That’s just messed up.
The best way to cook halloumi we’ve had! Many thanks for your assistance as this was our first time to use our Air Fryer
Sooo happy to help and delighted you enjoyed it! 🙂
So good! I cut the pieces smaller and cooked for less time, but came out perfect. Drizzled with spicy honey, this might be my favorite snack.
Oooh the spicy honey is something I need to try! Sounds amazing, thanks for the feedback.
Best halloumi ever!! I cut into 12 and air fried for 10 mins at 180 degrees. Someone will need to stop me from trying to eat halloumi every day now!
Hi, I usually don’t use oil when ‘frying’ my halloumi – have you tried cooking without oil in the air fryer and if so, what were the results?
Thanks, and yes, a very big no to the so-called ‘critic’ – in the comments. Very unhappy person obviously!
Hi Kas! Yes you can absolutely make this without oil. I have tried this, it turned out just fine. It was a little drier and almost springy – weird way of describing it I know, but that’s what I remember thinking. You just want to brush a little oil in the bottom of the air fryer pan if you can to stop it sticking. If you use parchment paper to prevent sticking, you’ll want to flip it over halfway through cooking. When I get a chance I will add the instructions to make it without oil into the recipe notes. Thanks for taking the time to ask me about it as it’s always useful to know if there is something you’re interested in that I haven’t covered off yet!
Vegan post – let’s see you do something like this – don’t be so rude , this recipe looks great and it was a pleasure to read the entire article
Thank you John 🙂
Hooray! Just what I’m looking for. I am the Halloumi king at our local winery. More coming for SuperBowl Sunday. I use Rosemary olive oil, drizzled with warm honey and sesame seeds and top with cherry tomatos and a bit of Rosemary pieces and parsley for color. Tomorrow I’ll have them on thin slices of Ciabatta so that it is easier to walk around with it. AND I’ll air fry every slice. Thanks!
That sounds AMAZING! 🤩 enjoy!
Wow! Thanks so much for the amazing information. Really well explained and looks so easy.
Thank you for such a kind comment 🙂
Perfect recipe Christine!
Thank you for sharing 🙂