Our Halloumi Sandwich is a fresh summer recipe that can be made in less than 15 minutes. An easy lunch or snack for those busy days or the perfect vegetarian sandwich to bring with you!

Sandwich is always an easy option to get for lunch or dinner. At home, we love making our sandwiches with loads of fresh ingredients to make them healthier and fresh.
Our Halloumi sandwich is a vegetarian option for those busy days that we don't have much time to cook. We normally have Halloumi in our fridge and bread in our freezer so this recipe can be made quite fast and enjoyed while you keep working, or for a quick break.
What is Halloumi?
Halloumi is a Cypriot cheese made from goat, sheep, and/or cow's milk. Halloumi cheese has become really popular as a grilling cheese for barbeques, sandwiches, veggie skewers, or salads.
This cheese from Cyprus maintains its shape when heated which makes it perfect for grilling and panfrying.
As vegetarians, we love this type of cheese especially when we have a barbeque party as you can cook it and it won't melt!

What does Halloumi taste like?
Halloumi is salty and slightly tangy and has a rubbery texture. Halloumi is best eaten straight after grilling it, while still warm.
How do you cook Halloumi?
This type of cheese comes in blocks. All you need to do is slice the Halloumi block into slices and grill or panfry each slice on both sides. It cooks fast, you just need to cook it for about 2 minutes per side.
To cook halloumi, heat some olive oil in a pan or grilling pan to medium heat and cook the slices for about 2-3 minutes on each side.
Our Grilled Halloumi Sandwich is:
- Vegetarian
- Spicy (can be made without the spicy sauce)
- Snack, light lunch, or dinner
- Perfect to bring with you
- Easy to prepare
- Quick to make
- Fresh

How to prepare the best Halloumi cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
We keep our Halloumi Sandwich simple by adding just a couple of ingredients. Believe me, you don't need much for the ultimate Halloumi cheese Sandwich.
- Bread. So, which type of bread works better for a Halloumi Sandwich? I would say it depends on your taste. We love the panini type of bread for our Halloumi Sandwich. You can use Ciabatta, French Baguette, Whole-wheat bread, or even gluten-free bread for a gluten-free Halloumi Sandwich.
- Spicy mayo. The best Grilled Halloumi Sandwich needs to have the best spicy sauce. We love making spicy mayo with sriracha or Valentina spicy sauce. They both work really well when making spicy mayo. For this recipe, we used Valentina
- Fresh ingredients. A proper summer sandwich needs to have some fresh ingredients such as lettuce, carrot, cucumber, and tomatoes. You can add other ingredients such as mango, avocado, red or green pepper, pickled veggies, or even raw zucchini noodles.
- Halloumi Cheese. Once you have your spicy mayo ready, and the fresh vegetables sliced, you can get grilling! Prepare your Halloumi cheese right before closing up your sandwich, so it will be nice and warm!
- Fresh leaves or herbs. We love adding some fresh basil or cilantro to add some extra flavor to the sandwich.
Step by Step Photos

Variations
We love this recipe as it is, but you may want to have some alternatives to slightly change this recipe or adjust it to your taste:
- Make it vegan or dairy-free. You can make a delicious vegan Halloumi sandwich! Check The Hidden Veggies to make your own Vegan Halloumi with tofu.
- Make it gluten-free. Choose a gluten-free bread and enjoy this Sandwich with no gluten.
- Add some roasted veggies. If you have some extra time, you can roast some red peppers and aubergines to add to this vegetarian recipe.
- Change the sauce. You can choose another sauce to your taste such as pesto, regular mayo, hummus, or tahini sauce. Our favorite hummus when it comes to sandwiches is this delicious and colorful Beetroot Hummus.

Serving Suggestions
We normally prepare this grilled cheese sandwich for a quick and easy meal during busy weekdays.
Summer gets really hot in Spain, where we are based, especially during lunchtime. As busy working parents we need to have some fresh meals that don't involve much cooking but are healthy and filling. Gazpacho, noodle salads, or sandwiches such as this Halloumi Sandwich or our Falafel Pita Sandwich are our go-to summer meals that keep getting cooked often at home.
This Halloumi Sandwich can be served on its own, with some Kalamata olives, or with a fresh salad or soup such as Gazpacho.
You can as well have this grilled cheese sandwich with some crudités and dips like Hummus or Baba Ganoush.

FAQ and Tips
- Is Halloumi vegetarian? Some Halloumi producers use animal rennet which would make the cheese non-vegetarian. Make sure you are choosing a Halloumi made with non-animal rennet (microbial rennet) to be sure you are having a vegetarian product.
- How do I keep the Halloumi from getting rubbery? To keep your Halloumi from getting too rubbery, do not overcook your Halloumi and serve it straight after grilling, while still warm.
- Can I use a regular pan instead of a grilling pan to prepare the Halloumi? Sure! We use a grilling pan but you can as well use a regular pan to cook the cheese.
- Where can I buy Halloumi? We normally buy our Halloumi in a Middle-eastern local shop. They have products from different countries such as Cyprus. As well, some weeks we can find it in Lidl and other big supermarkets.
Halloumi Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 Panini bread
- 2 teaspoon Valentina hot sauce
- 3 tablespoon mayonnaise
- Handful lettuce
- 1 carrot
- ½ cucumber
- 1 tomato
- 1 halloumi block
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Toast the bread to make it crunchier. We use frozen panini bread so we toast it for a few minutes to get the best result.
- Prepare the spicy mayo by combining the mayonnaise with the spicy sauce. Mix until you have a homogeneous sauce.
- Add the mayo on the bottom side of the panini bread.
- Slice the carrot into thin slices, slice the cucumber and tomato and wash and rinse the salad.
- Add the lettuce, carrot, cucumber, and tomato slices on top of the sauce.
- Cut the Halloumi into slices and add some olive oil to a grilling pan to medium heat. Grill the Halloumi slices for 2-3 minutes on each side and place them on top of your fresh veggies.
- Add the fresh basil on top of the halloumi, some extra sauce, and lettuce, and close your sandwich.
Notes
- Serve with Kalamata olives
Nutrition
If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram. We are always happy to see your creations!
Raksha Kamat says
What an amazing summer recipe. Loved the Halloumi sandwich and fact that it got ready in just 15 minutes. My daughter took it to school lunch today.
Tracy says
This sandwich is so so easy to make and delicious! I love the hot sauce in there! So flavorful but light and perfect for summer!
Sean says
This recipe is perfect for a few of my vegetarian friends that love a great sandwich.
Heather says
I've never tried halloumi so I made these sandwiches and they were delicious! Big fan of halloumi now 🙂
veenaazmanov says
This is surely a Happy Meal. Wish I could just grab a bite. Everything so crunchy and yum. Love the combination of veggies and sauces too.
Leslie says
I love to switch things up in the summer and this Halloumi sandwich is the perfect way to do that! Great sandwich recipe!
Tammy says
This looks amazing! A perfect sandwich for beach picnics...light and bursting with flavor. I'm craving now...definitely need to make this!
Marie says
Grilled peaches are so irresistible! Combined with salty, gooey halloumi in this sandwich, it's heaven in every bite. This is the perfect summer lunch!
Laura says
Great idea Marie, thanks!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Is this heaven as this is INCREDIBLE! Grilled cheese on a sandwich!!! All the yesses!! So delicious!
Laura says
Thanks Lori!
Natalie says
Made your delightful halloumi sandwiches for a friends visit. I knew she will love it, and I was right. Thanks!
Laura says
Thank you Natalie!