Halloumi Fries

This delicious and crispy halloumi fries recipe is the best fried cheese recipe ever. This post includes how to make pan fried halloumi and air fryer halloumi. Breaded halloumi cheese sticks are the perfect salty and crunchy snack!

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Sometimes I just want an easy crunchy snack to eat. Nothing satisfies that craving like this recipe that calls for halloumi cheese.

What is halloumi cheese?

Halloumi cheese is semi-hard Middle Eastern cheese that is made up of sheep's milk (or sometimes cow's milk). It has a very high melting point and is therefore a really great grilling cheese or also the perfect cheese to fry. The texture of halloumi is dense, but not dry and it holds up very well under heat. It is kind of a squeaky cheese (think cheese curds) when eaten plain and cold.

What does halloumi taste like?

Halloumi cheese is a very salty cheese with a very high melting point. It is not too strong or pungent, and it's not usually meant to eat just cold, but it was born to be grilled or fried!

Where to buy halloumi cheese

So ironically enough, you can actually find halloumi cheese at Aldi but only at certain times of the year and just at certain stores. I have only seen Aldi halloumi fries in the package at my store, but have not seen the plain halloumi cheese. And hey, if you find some halloumi fries at Aldi, pick them up and through them in your air fryer!

When it comes to good quality halloumi cheese, I find mine at my local Mediterranean store. A really great place to buy halloumi cheese online is at MyPanier.com.

What are they made of?

These easy cheese fries are only made with 2 ingredients... halloumi cheese and all-purpose flour. And that's it! (and the oil to fry them in, if you go that way).

Halloumi fries vs mozzarella sticks

Let's take a moment and compare mozzarella sticks vs halloumi fries. I personally LOVE mozzarella sticks but have a seriously hard time making them from scratch at home. Mozzarella is such a soft and melty cheese, that it easily falls apart in the pan when frying.

A halloumi fry, on the other hand, does not melt and fall apart all over the pan when frying. Using halloumi cheese for cheese sticks is a surprisingly simple and quick way to make a tasty cheese fry that satisfies those cravings, without all of the mess of melty mozzarella.

How to make halloumi fries

There are several different ways to make halloumi fries...

• pan fried halloumi or deep fried halloumi
• oven baked halloumi
• air fryer halloumi

Any of these methods are perfectly fine, however in this post I will only cover the pan fried or deep fried method and the halloumi fries air fryer method.

There is a particular halloumi fries coating or batter that is popular to use. Some people coat their halloumi cheese with an egg wash and batter, some people like to make halloumi with panko crumbs or plain breadcrumbs, but in my opinion, plain old flour works great! I don't like to hassle with any egg batters since it makes a mess. This is such an easy halloumi fries recipe without egg, so why make it harder?

The next thing you need to consider is how to season halloumi cheese. For this recipe, there really is no need to season it with much at all. This cheese is particularly salty, so it does not need any salt at all! Don't even salt it when it comes out of the fryer! It will be way too salty if you put any more salt on it.

These Arabic cheese fries stand alone without any seasoning. However, I would suggest to pair this fried halloumi cheese with some dips. I will go through that below.

In general, I don't recommend going the oven baked halloumi route. It tends to not be as crispy, and I like my halloumi fries crispy!

Preparing the Halloumi for frying

Ok now, for the halloumi batter, all you need is all purpose flour. If you would like the halloumi fries keto friendly then you can use almond flour. But for the sake of ease and because I like it, this recipe just contains all-purpose flour.

Go ahead and with a sharp knife, cut the halloumi into pieces the size of fries. I like mine skinnier rather than thicker. I made them slightly skinnier than a mozzarella stick.

The cheese should already be kind of wet, just because of the nature of this kind of cheese. There is no need to use an egg wash in my opinion, unless you are coating the halloumi with panko bread crumbs. If so then you may need to dredge it in egg beforehand.

Now take your cut halloumi sticks, and dredge them in flour, coating each piece evenly. It will not be a thick layer of flour, just a thin layer of dusting on the outside. Now you can proceed to follow the frying directions below, depending on the method you choose.

Air Fryer Halloumi recipe

Place the breaded halloumi cheese sticks into the air fryer in a single layer. Set the temperature to 400 degrees F and allow them to air fry for 15 minutes, shaking the container once or twice during the cooking process. Fry the cheese fries until they are golden brown. Serve them immediately.

You have to keep in mind that if you air fry halloumi, or any fries for that matter, it isn't going to be quite as brown as it is when deep fried. Take a look at the comparison between the two below.

They both still tasted awesome, if you were wondering...

I recommend this air fryer if you don't have one

Pan fried or deep fried halloumi

Whether you decide to deep fry or pan fry halloumi cheese, you can't go wrong. I personally just like to fry it in a pan with less oil, rather than using a ton of oil and deep frying it. But if you have a deep fryer ready to go with some oil in it, by all means go ahead and fry your cheese sticks in it!

Heat up about ½ of a cup to ¾ of a cup of light oil in a pan on medium to high heat. I used vegetable oil. You could also use corn oil or peanut oil. Carefully drop the breaded halloumi into the pan once it is heated up and fry it about 3-4 minutes on each side until it is golden brown. You can flip it with a fork or with tongs or whatever is easiest for you.

Remove the fried halloumi with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel to soak up the grease. Serve it while it's hot!

What to serve with fried halloumi

Now that you have made your delicious fries, the question remains: what to serve with halloumi fries? Halloumi cheese sticks are really great with any sort of dipping sauce for fries. I think it goes wonderful with marinara sauce, or you could also sprinkle some za'atar on them (make sure it's salt free!). Here are some wonderful ideas for Halloumi fries sauce to serve...

• Lebanese garlic sauce (Toum)
• Mint Yogurt Sauce
• Lemon tahini sauce (falafel sauce)
• Creamy Hummus
• Easy Basil Pesto

Can I make halloumi fries without flour?

You can totally fry halloumi cheese without flour! They will crisp up a little bit and still be delicious. If you are just wanting them to be gluten free, then I would recommend using almond flour or some sort of flour substitute.

Is there a good substitute for halloumi cheese?

When it comes to halloumi cheese substitutes, there are several options you have. Paneer cheese is an Indian cheese that is semi-hard and holds well under higher heat and therefore makes a good halloumi substitute.

Another great substitute for halloumi is queso panela and may be easier to find. Queso panela is a semi-hard white Mexican cheese that also holds its shape will when faced with heat.

I also think another great halloumi substitute is Finnish bread cheese (juustoleipä). This is actually a very similar cheese that is meant for frying.

Can you reheat halloumi fries?

Halloumi fries are best when they are served immediately after making them. They tend to get a little soggy and lose their crunch if they are reheated. The best way to reheat them is in the air fryer or in the oven.

Can you freeze halloumi fries?

Yes, you can freeze these fries after they are cooked. They can be stored in a freezer bag or air tight container for up to 3 months in the freezer. Reheat them from frozen or thawed in an air fryer.

Check out these other popular recipes by A Pinch Of Adventure!

• Lebanese Cabbage Rolls
• Truffle Fries
• White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
• Lebanese Falafel
• Lebanese Chicken and Rice with Pine Nuts

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