Vegan Halloumi Cheese
Vegan Halloumi cheese is easy to make with some tofu and a few simple vegan ingredients. It’s a spongy, salty cheese that’s delicious on salads, sandwiches, and Greek-style pasta dishes.
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Halloumi is a salty yet mild cheese that is firm and has a high melting point so it’s usually grilled or fried. This makes tofu the perfect replacement for traditional Halloumi since it will easily soak up the flavored brine and will hold together when heated.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It tastes amazingly similar to traditional halloumi cheese.
- Vegan Halloumi is easy to make.
- It adds flavor and texture to salads, sandwiches, and pasta dishes.
Ingredients
- Firm Tofu – for the base of your Halloumi. Tip: If you freeze your tofu first, it will be spongier and soak up more of the flavored brine.
- Water – to make the marinade.
- Neutral-Flavored Oil – for a richer cheese, and for panfrying.
- Nutritional Yeast – for a cheesy flavor. This is a yellow flaky powder that has an umami flavor. It’s a key ingredient in making it taste like cheese.
- Lemon Juice – for acidity.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – for flavor and acidity.
- Salt – to make it taste salty. Feel free to adjust to taste.
- Garlic Powder – for flavor.
- Fresh Mint Leaves – this is optional for flavor. Some traditional halloumi was wrapped in mint leaves to keep it fresh. If you want to achieve this flavor, add a few mint leaves to the marinade.
Helpful tools
- A large shallow dish to marinate the tofu in.
How to make vegan halloumi
Step 1 – Drain and press tofu well to get as much liquid out as possible.
Step 2 – Slice the tofu into long flat slices about 1 cm thick and lay them in a shallow dish.
Step 3 – Mix the hot water, oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, and garlic powder, and pour it over the tofu. (You can also add a few mint leaves if you are looking for the traditional mint flavor.)
Step 4 – Allow the tofu to marinate for at least 1 hour, but no more than 24 hours or it will start to break down.
Step 5 – Drain the marinade off the tofu. Eat plain or panfry.
How to cook tofu Halloumi
- Fry the vegan Halloumi cheese – Spread cornstarch out on a plate and press both sides of the tofu into the cornstarch mixture, making sure to coat it completely.
- Panfry the vegan Halloumi in 1 tablespoon of oil until crispy on the outside.
- You can also omit the cornstarch coating and simply pan-fry, use a panini press, or grill the Halloumi tofu for a few minutes on each side.
Serve with tomatoes, mint, or your favorite toppings. Or add it to salads, sandwiches, or wraps.
Pro Tips
- If you want spongy Halloumi cheese, place the block of tofu in the freezer for at least 24 hours, then let it thaw in the fridge. This gives the tofu a spongier texture and allows it to absorb more liquid and therefore more flavor.
- Don’t marinate the Halloumi longer than 24 hours or the acid in the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar will start to break down the protein in the tofu and make it too soft.
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: Vegan Halloumi will keep well in the fridge for 3 – 5 days in a sealed container.
Freeze: The tofu Halloumi will freeze well and can be stored in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Use your tofu Halloumi in wraps, sandwiches, salads, or pasta dishes. It goes well with Greek-style dishes like my vegan Greek pasta salad.
You can also swap it out for the traditional Halloumi used in the following recipes.
More vegan cheese recipes
You can find my full collection of vegan cheese recipes in my cookbook The Ultimate Guide to Easy Vegan Cheese Making.
Vegan halloumi recipe
Vegan Halloumi Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 (14 oz.) block firm tofu , (previously frozen and rethawed – optional)
- ½ cup hot water
- 3 tablespoons light olive oil, (or any neutral oil)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Optional
- 3-4 mint leaves, (added to the marinade)
For frying
- ¼ cup corn starch, (optional)
- 1 tablespoon light olive oil
Instructions
- Drain and press tofu well to get as much liquid out as possible.
- Slice the tofu into long flat slices about 1 cm thick and lay them in a shallow dish.
- Mix the hot water, oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, and garlic powder, and pour it over the tofu. (You can also add a few mint leaves if you are looking for the traditional mint flavor.)
- Allow the tofu to marinate for at least 1 hour, but no more than 24 hours or it will start to break down.
- Drain the marinade off the tofu. Eat plain or panfry.
Fry or grill the tofu Haloumi
- Spread cornstarch out on a plate and press both sides of the tofu into the cornstarch mixture, making sure to coat it completely. Panfry the vegan Halloumi in 1 tablespoon of oil until crispy on the outside.
- You can also omit the cornstarch coating and simply pan-fry, use a panini press, or grill the Halloumi tofu for a few minutes on each side.
- Serve with tomatoes, mint, or your favorite toppings. Or add it to salads, sandwiches, or wraps.
Notes
- If you want spongy Halloumi cheese, place the block of tofu in the freezer for at least 24 hours, then let it thaw in the fridge. This gives the tofu a spongier texture and allows it to absorb more liquid and therefore more flavor.
- Don’t marinate the Halloumi longer than 24 hours or the acid in the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar will start to break down the protein in the tofu and make it too soft.
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This is such a good idea, I’m really excited by it. Next time I’m going to go with your suggestion of freezing the tofu first.
I love this recipe! It is a great substitute for Dominican fried cheese!
When marinating for longer hours/overnight, can it be left outside or does it need to marinate in the fridge?
Thanks in advance!
You’re welcome! So glad that you like it! 🙂
When marinating for longer hours/overnight, can it be left out in room temperature or does it need to marinate in the fridge?
Great recipe – my fiance who is not vegan thought that this was actual haloumi when I gave him a sample so this is a win in my book!
That’s great to hear! I’m so happy that you liked it! 🙂
Made this recipe last night. Taste was good, i added a bit of ground pepper and then warmed the leftover marinade to top it to add more flavor
Next time, i will try the freezing technique and marinate for at least two hours to allow more dense flavoring throughout
Thx for recipe!!!
You’re welcome, Cindy! 🙂
I love this recipe, I don’t use frozen tofu, but otherwise follow the recipe as written. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad that you like the recipe, Rebecca. 🙂
Do you think this would work for Burmese tofu?
Yes, I think that it would work okay with it. Enjoy!
I had this on my sandwich for lunch today. Delicious!
I actively hate the flavor of nutritional yeast. To me it doesn’t add any “cheese” flavor. Is it worth the effort to make this without the nutritional yeast? Halloumi is one of the things I miss most.
There won’t be much flavor without the nutritional yeast, so you may want to add some more spices of something that you do like instead.
Made this last night. We gobbled it up, it was so good! Thank you!
You’re welcome! So happy that you liked it, Jacquie! 🙂
I don’t make my own tofu, so I can’t help you there. Freezing it and allowing it to thaw will help get the extra liquid out of it though.