How to Make a Halloumi Burger: The Ultimate Vegetarian Option

I was a vegetarian for 17 years and let me tell you, we vegetarians are sick of those cardboard Boca burgers. Stop inviting us to cookouts and then giving us something that tastes like mystery meat from a school cafeteria. Instead, what if you made a delicious halloumi burger by grilling up some thick slices of halloumi and topping it with lettuce, tomato, and some delicious red pepper sauce. I think that’s a much better idea and just as easy as popping a veggie burger in the microwave.

And who doesn’t love halloumi? If you’re not familiar, halloumi is a salty, semi soft cheese with a high melting point, which makes it perfect for grilling, ergo, perfect for a halloumi burger. This salty sheep and goat milk cheese is the perfect accompaniment to a slightly spicy red pepper sauce to make this sandwich the standout at your next cookout for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. So, next time you are looking for a meat alternative, ditch those processed meat imitation products and try my halloumi burger.

One package of halloumi (about 8 ounces) will make 3-4 burgers depending on how aggressive you get with your slices!

Suggested Wine Pairing:

My suggestion is do not drink wine with any burger, let alone my halloumi burger. You need to wash this down with a beer, a wheat beer to be specific like Blue Moon.

Halloumi Burger Ingredients:

8 ounces of halloumi, cut into 1 inch slices

3-4 buns

1 tomato, sliced

1 red onion, sliced

A few leaves of iceberg lettuce

For the Red Pepper Sauce:

15 ounces of roasted red peppers. Let’s keep this simple and just use the jared kind. I used Pappadew peppers because they have a nice pickle flavor and have a tiny hint of spice.

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 cloves of garlic, roasted or raw

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. The hardest part of this recipe is the sauce, which is still super easy. Drain your peppers and combine with the lemon juice, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
2. Now for the halloumi, you can either grill them or fry them in a pan. Either way, heat your grill or pan to a medium high temperature and then flip them after about 3-4 minutes each side.
3. To assemble the burger, load one side of the bun with the red pepper sauce and top with the halloumi, lettuce, tomato, and onion.

If you like this, be sure to try my halloumi wrap with crispy chickpeas.