This Halloumi Salad is a quick and easy lunch options that is easy to adapt. Perfectly cooked salty and crispy halloumi on a bed of greens all brought together with a light lemon dressing. This one bowl meal is one of our favourite salads and ready in just 10 minutes.
A fresh and vibrant salad, made a little more indulgent with some chunks of crispy halloumi on top. This halloumi salad recipes is easy to adapt with your favourite salad ingredients, making it a great way to use up what you have.
If you are looking for more halloumi recipes, why not try our Vegetable and Halloumi Skewers, Halloumi Fajitas, or Halloumi Curry.
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Why you will love it
- A great way to use halloumi - If you love halloumi, then this is an easy way to use it.
- An exciting salad - Who said salads have to be boring? This will convince even salad haters.
- Adaptable - The great thing about this halloumi salad recipe is that it is easy to adapt with you favourite salad ingredients.
- Can be prepared in advance - Halloumi should always be cooked fresh, but you can make the salad and dressing in advance and then just cook the halloumi and mix everything together when you are ready to serve.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Halloumi - You will find this in most supermarkets in the cheese section. We used lighter halloumi to save on calories and fat and we also cooked it in the air fryer. Check out our Air Fryer Halloumi Recipe. You can also grill it or cook it in a pan.
- Salad leaves - Anything goes here. We used a mixture of spinach, watercress and rocket. If you wanted something with more crunch in your halloumi salad, then add some little gem or romaine.
- Cucumber - Thinly slices English cucumbers.
- Tomatoes - This works best in the summer, where you can use really fresh and ripe tomatoes. If you are using winter tomatoes, then add some chopped sun-dried tomatoes as well to boost the tomato flavour.
- Dressing - We used our Lemon Vinaigrette, but we have given other options below for dressings you can use.
- Parsley - A little sprinkled over before serving really lightens it all up. You could use mint instead, which goes really well with halloumi.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make halloumi salad - Step by step
One: Cook your halloumi to your liking. We cooked ours in an air fryer.
Two: In a large bowl add the salad leaves and dressing. Mix well to coat all the salad. Transfer to a plate.
Three: Add the tomatoes and sliced cucumber.
Four: Top with the cooked halloumi and chopped parsley. Finish with a sprinkling of pine nuts (optional).
What is halloumi?
If you haven’t had halloumi before, then you are seriously missing out and this is one of our favourite halloumi recipes. You are in for a treat! The semi-hard cheese originated from Cyprus and although it doesn’t taste like much straight from the packet, it tastes amazing once cooked and has a whole different texture.
It can be made from cow, sheep or goat’s cheese, and has quite a salty flavour – which is what we love about it. Because of its high melting point, it’s great for grilling, air frying, baking and frying and it keeps its shape making it perfect for halloumi fries too.
Variations
Greens - This is the base of the salad. You could add some kale in for an iron boost or if you wanted some crunch, then add little gem or romaine.
Vegetables - This is an easy way to bulk out the salad and add lots of nutritions too. Other salad vegetables that work well in this are bell peppers, roasted artichokes, shredded cabbage, broccoli, sweetcorn or carrot. You could add in some roasted sweet potato or butternut squash too.
Fruit - This might be a controversial one, but I totally think that fruit has a place in salads. You could add berries like strawberries, raspberries or blueberries or add some grilled peach slices. Avocado would be a good addition too as it's nice and creamy.
Protein ;- There is protein with the halloumi, however if you wanted to give it a protein boost, then add cooked chickpeas or cooked shredded chicken.
Grains - This is a good way to bulk the salad out and make it more filling. You could use rice, barley, couscous, farro or even some cooked pasta.
Dressing - A dressing can really make or break a salad. We used a simple Lemon Vinaigrette, but you could swap it for our Tomato Vinaigrette or Healthy Ranch Dressing.
Toppings - Why not finish off your salad with a little bit of a crunch? Crushed or flaked nuts like walnuts, pecans, almonds or cashews are nice, or you could add some seeds.
To finish this halloumi salad off with lots of extra flavour, drizzle over some balsamic glaze or even honey. The salt and sweetness goes so well together.
What to serve with a Halloumi Salad
This makes a lovely light lunch, however if you would like to serve it with something that we have a few suggestions for you.
Whenever I am trying to bulk out a meal, I always serve it with some bread. Why not try our Easy Bagel Recipe, Homemade Flatbreads or Cheesy Garlic Bread?
Potatoes go with everything, right? Some of our potato salad recipes that would work well are Hasselback Potatoes, Garlic Smashed Potatoes, Herb Roasted Potatoes or The BEST Greek Potatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Halloumi is high in protein and calcium, but it is also high in fat and salt, so keep an eye on portion size.
A lot of brands are now made with vegetarian rennet, but please check the block that you buy, to see if it uses animal rennet if you are vegetarian.
Cooked halloumi is best eaten straight away, so try to only make as much as you need.
Because it is best eaten straight away, we don't recommend making the whole salad in advance. However, you can prepare the salad ingredients and the dressing separately and when you are ready to eat it, you can cook the halloumi and mix it all together.
Extra tips
• We served ours with some butter pine nuts for extra crunch. You can toast them in a pan first to give them extra flavour.
• We used air fryer halloumi, but you could cook the halloumi in a frying pan or under the grill.
• Cooked halloumi is best eaten straight away.
• If you are vegetarian, then make sure that the brand of halloumi you are using is vegetarian too.
More salad recipes
If you’ve tried this halloumi salad recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Halloumi Salad
Ingredients
- 80 g (3 oz) Salad leaves - mixed
- 10 Cherry tomatoes - halved
- 0.25 Cucumber - sliced
- 225 g (8 oz) Halloumi - sliced and cooked
- 1 portion Lemon vinaigrette
- 10 g (0.25 cups) Fresh parsley - finely chopped
- Pine nuts - to serve; optional
Instructions
- Cook 225 g Halloumi to your liking.
- In a large bowl add 80 g Salad leaves and 1 portion Lemon vinaigrette. Mix well to coat all the salad. Transfer to a plate.
- Add 10 Cherry tomatoes and 0.25 Cucumber.
- Top with the cooked halloumi and 10 g Fresh parsley. Finish with a sprinkling of Pine nuts (optional).
Recipe tips
- We served ours with some butter pine nuts for extra crunch. You can toast them in a pan first to give them extra flavour.
- We used air fryer halloumi, but you could cook the halloumi in a frying pan or under the grill.
- Cooked halloumi is best eaten straight away.
- If you are vegetarian, then make sure that the brand of halloumi you are using is vegetarian too.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Holley
Love this halloumi salad recipe! Definitely 5 stars!
Ned
You always have the best salad recipes! Thank you for another great one. This one was so fresh and delicious.
Traci
Halloumi in salad adds so much flavor and I love this recipe. Such a unique way to get my people to eat their greens. Thanks for sharing :)
Whitney
I love halloumi in the air fryer, much easier to make and delicious!
Stephanie
I absolutely agree about fruit in salads! It's the perfect addition in so many cases! So yummy.
imsen
healthy and delicious salad! can't wait to try it out! thanx for the recipe!
Ned
What a delicious awesome salad to make!!
Kristen
This was wonderful! So bright and fresh and the halloumi was delicious.
Tara
This salad looks like such a fantastic easy lunch option! I love halloumi and it sounds so good paired with the light lemon dressing.