A fancy appetizer in just 10 minutes? This pan-fried halloumi with peppered honey ticks all the boxes, it’s delicious, it’s quick, the clean up is minimal and it’s basically impossible not to love.
Chewy halloumi cheese, pan-fried until golden with a crispy outer layer and a creamy, slightly oozy middle. Pop it on a plate, drizzle with peppered honey and impress your guests without breaking a sweat. It’s a fancy appetizer that’s deeply satisfying and absolutely company-worthy.
Why You’ll Love this Easy Appetizer Idea
Since halloumi is a non-melting cheese, it’s really easy to work with and will not melt all over. Instead, the outside of the cheese remains crispy, while the inside is warm, soft, and milky.
You can serve it at room temperature or warm, with black pepper honey, jalapeños and some crusty bread. Pouring the honey over hot halloumi encourages faster absorption of flavors, creating a perfect salty, sweet and slightly spicy flavor. It’s absolutely mouthwatering and makes for a perfect appetizer or a light lunch when accompanied with a side salad and naan.
And the peppered honey? It’s basically honey, olive oil, jalapeños, coarsely ground black pepper and red pepper flakes for some extra kick. We simply mix it all together and serve over the warm halloumi. The flavors will make your taste buds sing!
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.
Helpful Tips
- You can pan-fry the halloumi, grill it on your bbq just until it gets grill marks or simply use a grill pan.
- Serve as an appetizer, snack, side or a light lunch with an arugula salad and some bread
- For a real treat, add some (grilled) watermelon during the hot summer days.
- You can add more red pepper flakes if you like the extra heat.
- For a milder version, leave out the jalapeños and their liquid, and add some lemon juice to balance out the flavors.
- Storage: You can store the leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet until warm and gooey.
More fast appetizers to try:
- Miso Soy Salmon Sashimi Bowl
- Watermelon salad with grilled halloumi
- Whipped feta dip with spicy honey
Pan-Fried Halloumi with Peppered Honey
Ingredients
- 9 ounces halloumi - cut into thick slices (about 8)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tbsp salted butter
- flaky salt - for serving
- coarsely ground black pepper - for serving
- chopped parsley - optional
- naan, bread or pita chips - for serving
peppered honey
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp brine from pickled jalapeños
- 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 tsp chopped pickled jalapeños
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- To make the peppered honey. Combine all ingredients, set aside.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a non-stick skillet set over medium heat. Add halloumi and cook for 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy.
- Arrange the halloumi on a plate. While the cheese is still hot spoon over peppered honey. Finish it with a generous sprinkle of flaky salt and extra coarsely ground black pepper.
- Serve warm with naan or crusty bread.
Video
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