Hot honey halloumi — or chili honey halloumi — is the perfect combination of crispy, golden-brown cheese and sticky, caramelized chili honey. It works beautifully as an appetizer, in salads, or even as the star of a main course.
You only need a few ingredients, and the whole thing comes together in under 15 minutes. We’ll walk you through how to make hot honey halloumi and share ideas for turning it into tacos, a salad, pita wraps, bowls, or a pasta dish.
What makes hot honey halloumi so popular?
Salty cheese, sweet honey, and chili heat — a flavor trio that’s impossible to resist! Halloumi is perfect for frying and grilling because it holds its shape instead of turning into a puddle. The outside crisps up while the inside stays soft, and the whole thing takes just about ten minutes to make.
- Multi-layered — salty, sweet, and spicy
- Quick to prepare — especially when using ready-made chili honey
- Versatile — works as an appetizer, in salads, as a side dish, or as a main course
Is it better to make or buy chili honey?
If you want to make chili honey yourself, it’s relatively easy and quick to do.
Ingredients:
- 3 dl honey
- 3 tsp dried chili flakes: Gochugaru Korean Chili Flakes 50 g
- Optional: 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (adds a touch of acidity)
- Optional: 1 tsp harissa paste (adds depth to the flavor profile): Lamiri Harissa 190 g
Instructions:
- Pour the honey into a small saucepan and add the chili flakes.
- Heat gently over low heat until small, light bubbles start to form around the edges of the honey — do not bring to a boil. If using, add the harissa paste and stir until smooth.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the mixture infuse for 10–15 minutes so the chili can flavor the honey.
- If desired, strain out the chili flakes and pour the infused honey into a clean glass jar.
- If you want a bit of acidity to balance the overall flavor, stir in the apple cider vinegar at the end.
With ready-made chili honey, you can make hot honey halloumi everyday treats more easily and consistently:
- The same great flavor every time
- No prep or extra dishes
- Longer shelf life
- Ready to use straight from the jar
If you enjoy tweaking flavors and already make things like infused oils, homemade chili honey definitely has its perks. But if you’re after the easiest, fastest, and reliably delicious option, give this one a try:
Soosikauppa Habanero Hot Honey Chili Honey 350g
Hot honey halloumi recipe
Pan-frying is the quickest and easiest way to give halloumi a perfectly caramelized surface and a juicy, tender interior.
Ingredients:
- 200 g halloumi (sliced into pieces about 1 cm thick)
- 3 tbsp chili honey
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil or chili oil
🌶️ Soosikauppa’s tip: If you want a deeper, more complex flavor profile, it’s easy to achieve by adding infused chili oil.
Instructions:
- Remove the halloumi from the package, pat it dry with paper towels, and slice it.
- Mix the chili honey, olive oil, and lemon juice in a wide bowl.
- Toss the halloumi slices in the chili honey mixture until fully coated.
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Place the halloumi slices in the pan so they don’t touch each other.
- Fry for 3–4 minutes, until the surface is golden brown. Flip and fry for another 2–3 minutes.
- Pour the remaining chili honey mixture into the pan and let it bubble for about 30 seconds, allowing the cheese to get a sticky, glossy coating.
Variations: You can also roast the halloumi in the oven at 200 °C for about 15 minutes, grill the halloumi, or use an air fryer at 180 °C for around 8–10 minutes.
Hot Honey Halloumi: Five of the most popular easy recipes
Hot honey halloumi tacos
Ingredients (4 servings)
- 250 g hot honey halloumi — click for the recipe
- 8 small tortillas
- 2 avocados
- 70 g arugula
- 1–2 tsp harissa paste or sriracha
- 2 dl Greek yogurt
- Half a bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped
Instructions:
- Prepare the fillings: mix the yogurt and mint together, and slice the avocados.
- Heat the tortillas in a pan over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side.
- Spread avocado onto the tortilla, add arugula, and top with hot honey halloumi.
- Spoon mint yogurt on top and serve immediately!
Hot honey halloumi bowl
Ingredients (2 servings)
- 250 g hot honey halloumi — click for the recipe
Base:
- 1.5 dl cooked rice or another grain
- 1 dl cooked lentils
- 1 zucchini
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
Veggie mix:
- ½ red onion
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 cucumber
- 100 g (half a pack) cherry tomatoes
- ½ tsp sugar
Yogurt sauce:
- 1 dl Greek yogurt
- ¼ dl fresh basil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions:
- Dice the zucchini, slice the cucumber, thinly slice the red onion, halve the cherry tomatoes, finely chop the basil, and crush the garlic cloves.
- Roast the zucchini: toss it in oil, season with salt, and roast in the oven at 225 °C for 20–30 minutes.
- Marinate the red onion in red wine vinegar, salt, and sugar, and let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Toss the cucumbers and tomatoes with oil and salt.
- Mix all the sauce ingredients together.
- Assemble the bowl: start with rice and lentils, then add the roasted zucchini, marinated onion, cucumber–tomato mix, and hot honey halloumi on top.
- Finish with the yogurt sauce and enjoy immediately!
Hot honey halloumi salad
A more flavorful and satisfying salad with just the right kick!
Ingredients (2 servings)
- 250 g hot honey halloumi — click for the recipe
Salad:
- 1 cucumber
- 250 g cherry tomatoes
- ½ red onion
- 1 dl fresh parsley
Salad dressing (you can also use a ready-made dressing):
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- A pinch of black pepper
Instructions:
- Dice the cucumber, halve the tomatoes, finely chop the red onion and parsley, and place everything in a large salad bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently so the vegetables are evenly coated.
- Cut the prepared hot honey halloumi into bite-sized pieces and place them on top of the salad.
- Serve immediately!
Hot honey halloumi pita
Crispy halloumi, sweet heat from chili honey, and juicy vegetables — these pita breads come together in about 15 minutes!
Ingredients (2 servings)
- 250 g hot honey halloumi — click for the recipe
- 3 pitas or flatbreads
- Fillings: Choose 2–3
- 3 tbsp Greek yogurt or tzatziki
- ½ red onion
- 1 dl mixed salad greens
- ½ cucumber
- ½ avocado
- 6 cherry tomatoes
Instructions:
- Slice the red onion and cucumber thinly. Slice the avocado, cut the cherry tomatoes into wedges, and finely chop the salad greens.
- Warm the pitas in the microwave for 10–15 seconds or in a pan until softened.
- Spread about 1 tbsp of yogurt or your preferred sauce onto each pita.
- Divide the hot honey halloumi evenly among the three pitas.
- Add your chosen fillings
- Fold the pita and serve immediately while warm.
Hot honey halloumi pasta
In this pasta recipe, the hot honey halloumi is cooked together with the vegetables – ready in about 25 minutes!
Ingredients:
- 200 g penne or fusilli pasta
- 200 g halloumi
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 small red onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- ½ dl chili honey
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh basil or parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
- Finely chop the garlic, slice the bell pepper into strips, and cut the red onion into thin slices.
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and reserve ½ dl of the cooking water.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook for 4–5 minutes, until softened.
- Push the vegetables to the edges of the pan. Cut the halloumi into roughly 1.5 cm cubes and add them to the pan. Fry for 2–3 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy.
- Pour the hot honey over the halloumi and vegetables and stir well. Cook for another couple of minutes.
- Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta cooking water a tablespoon at a time.
- Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately and garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.
