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Home » ALL RECIPES » Homemade Halloumi Cheese Recipe

Homemade Halloumi Cheese Recipe

Author: Karon Grieve Published : December 2014

Recipe
homemade halloumi cheese on spinach leaves with lemon

Homemade cheese is so easy to make and delicious too. This homemade halloumi is packed with flavour and perfect for frying, adding to salads, in burgers, on a BBQ and so much more.

homemade halloumi cheese on spinach leaves with lemon

“Blessed be the cheesemakers” – so said the great Monty Python.

Why you should try making homemade cheese

  • Making cheese at home is fun and so easy you can get the kids involved in a bit of real hands-on kitchen crafting.
  • Homemade halloumi (or any other homemade cheese) tastes way better than the average supermarket cheese.
  • You know exactly what is in there. No additives, colourings or preservatives.

Halloumi cheese facts

Halloumi comes originally from Cyprus. And it’s traditionally made with a mixture of goat and sheep milk but commercially cow’s milk is used to produce halloumi.

This is now one of the most popular cheeses in the UK.

Squeaky cheese – A real favourite with kids because of the way it kind of squeaks when you bite into it.

Halloumi cheese is firm to start with but when you fry it or grill it the cheese goes gorgeously creamy.

It’s a great cheese for taking on other flavours. Mint and chilli are favourite additions.

Ingredients for making homemade halloumi cheese

There are only 3 ingredients here;

  • Full fat milk
  • Vegetarian rennet either in tablet form or liquid.
  • Salt

What kind of milk do you need for cheese making?

You have to use unhomogenized milk which sounds rather daunting till you realise that this just means the full cream variety of milk you can easily buy in Tescos, Waitrose and the like. Look for the gold top milk.

I used 2 litres of milk and an eighth of a tablet of rennet.

You can even get a kit to make homemade halloumi from The Big Cheesemaking Kit Company.

draining the cheese

How to make homemade halloumi

You dissolve the rennet in 25ml of cooled boiled water and after heating the milk to 90F/32C you very gently stir in the rennet solution, cover the pan and leave it in a water bath at the same 90F/32C for 45 minutes.

After this time you have a solid mass of curds in the pan and you cut these into cubes and slices to help release the whey.

By this time visions of Little Miss Muffet sitting on her tuffet were fairly dancing in my mind. All this curds and whey business was getting to me.

Let the curds rest for 10 minutes then heat to 105F/40C and carefully stir the curds for about 15 minutes.

weight on halloumi

Now comes the draining part. Line a colander with cheesecloth/muslin (after rinsing in boiling water) and pour in the curds. Gather up the edges of the cloth and fold over to enclose the cheese.

Place a plate on top and then something heavy to weigh it down and help press out all the whey.

After an hour you heat the whey to 200F/93C and skim off any curds that form. You are going to cook the halloumi in the whey so you need to cut it into pieces first and then gently lower into the hot whey using a slotted spoon. Let it cook for 20 minutes then dunk each piece into a bowl of chilled water to cool and set out on a baking rack to dry out. A sprinkle of sea salt on both sides and the Halloumi is ready to eat.

Though having said that it is better if you can resist the temptation to stuff yourself and leave it overnight for the salt to work its own sort of magic and really flavour the cheese.

drained halloumi drying on rack

How long does homemade halloumi keep?

Your homemade cheese will keep for up to a week in a covered container in the fridge.

How to serve homemade halloumi cheese

I managed to hang on till next day to use mine and simply fried one piece on my griddle pan for about 2 minutes on either side and served it with some spinach and basil, a good squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of black pepper.

I love serving my homemade halloumi fried, check out my recipe for fried halloumi cheese.

You can turn your homemade halloumi into amazing chips, dipped in spiced flour and deep fried to serve with a tasty yogurt dip or just ketchup!

With a salad, fried halloumi cut into pieces and mixed with juicy fresh tomatoes, basil and cucumber, summer on a plate.

Cheesemaking, yes please!

larder links

Looking for more super easy cheese-making ideas to try at home? Then check these out before you go;

How to make your own mascarpone cheese (+Video!)

Homemade Labneh (yogurt cheese) + video!

How to make Crowdie – traditional Scottish creamy cheese

Homemade Greek feta cheese

How to make ricotta cheese + video

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.

Photos And Tips AboveMost of my recipes have step by step photos and useful tips plus videos too, see above.
homemade halloumi cheese on spinach leaves with lemon

How to make homemade halloumi cheese

Karon Grieve
Make your own delicious halloumi 'squeaky cheese' perfect fried, grilled, in salads and so much more.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Comment Bookmark Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Resting Time 2 hrs
Total Time 2 hrs 40 mins
Course cheese
Cuisine Cyprus, Mediterranean
Servings 8 servings
Calories 1 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 2 lt milk whole milk unhomogenized
  • 1/8 vegetarian rennet tablet
  • 1 tbsp salt

Instructions
 

  • If using rennet tablets dissolve 1/8 tablet in 25ml cooled boiled water. And after heating the milk to 90F/32C you very gently stir in the rennet solution, cover the pan and leave it in a water bath at the same 90F/32C for 45 minutes. After this time you have a solid mass of curds in the pan and you cut these into cubes and slices to help release the whey.
  • You then heat the curds to 105F/40C and gently stir the for about 15 minutes
  • Line a colander with cheesecloth/muslin (after rinsing in boiling water) and pour in the curds. Gather up the edges of the cloth and fold over to enclose the cheese. Use a heavy weight on top to press the curds down.
  • After an hour you heat the whey to 200F/93C and skim off any curds that form. You are going to cook the halloumi in the whey so you need to cut it into pieces first and then gently lower into the hot whey using a slotted spoon. Let it cook for 20 minutes then dunk each piece into a bowl of chilled water to cool and set out on a baking rack to dry out. A sprinkle of sea salt on both sides and the Halloumi is ready to eat.
  • It is best to leave it to rest for 12-24 hours in the fridge to really firm up and let the flavours develop.

Notes

Serve homemade halloumi fried or grilled or made into chips dusted with spiced flour and deep fried.
Add dried chilli flakes or mint to the halloumi as you are making it.

Nutrition

Calories: 1kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 872mgPotassium: 1mgSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1IUCalcium: 1mgIron: 1mg
My Top Tips*Always read the full recipe first. *Assemble all your ingredients and everything you need before you start. *For baking check the size of tins I’m using as this makes a big difference to your cakes. * I use medium sized eggs unless otherwise stated. * I use extra virgin olive oil unless otherwise stated. * I use unsalted butter unless otherwise stated. * Check out My Preserving Kit!
Keyword cheesemaking, halloumi
Tried this recipe?Mention @LarderLove or tag #LarderLove

Filed Under: ALL RECIPES, Greek Recipes, Larder Basics

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Comments

  1. Sue says

    December 10, 2014 at 11:56 am

    I’ve got the same kit, but it’s been sat on top of the fridge unused since we bought it. I’ll have to give it a go, once I’ve wiped the builders dust off the box that is 😉

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      December 10, 2014 at 3:06 pm

      Come on Sue, get making it, so easy and you’ll love it!
      K x

      Reply
  2. Ali says

    December 10, 2014 at 7:27 pm

    Since halloumi is traditionally made with goat or sheep milk, do you think this kit would work using these? I can’t have cow’s milk but can tolerate sheep and goat cheeses. This would be amazing if I could make my own halloumi!!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      December 11, 2014 at 8:44 am

      Try goats milk but would have to be the full fat type and unhomogenized. Let me know how you get on with it.
      K x

      Reply
  3. Lynne Gill says

    December 11, 2014 at 2:34 pm

    I can never get past the squeaky rubberyness on my teeth when (trying) to eat shop-bought Haloumi cheese. Perhaps, nay, probably, your home made version will be fresher(obviously) and it will taste gorgeous, but I’m afraid this os one experience I shall waiver!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      December 14, 2014 at 9:13 am

      Hi Lynne, I know exactly what you mean about the squeakyness. You must try making your own, when I fried this it was crisp on outside and smooth and creamy inside, so squeak at all!!!
      K x

      Reply
  4. Richard says

    May 20, 2018 at 8:41 am

    Homogenised means the fat globules are thinned so that the cream is spread evenly throughout the milk. Unhomogrnised, the cream rises the top, like in the old days. Most full cream milk in supermarkets is homogenised now.

    Reply
    • Richard says

      May 20, 2018 at 8:42 am

      But you can still get it, plenty in Waitrose

      Reply
      • Karon Grieve says

        May 22, 2018 at 7:57 am

        Tesco as well, the larger stores

        Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      May 22, 2018 at 7:56 am

      you can buy it in Waitrose and Tesco

      Reply
  5. Elizabeth Rabbitt says

    May 13, 2020 at 11:06 am

    Love your enthusiasm and illustrations/pictures. Also great tips for what we have in the home store at present given with a ‘can do’ attitude.
    You are an inspiration.
    Thank You

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      May 13, 2020 at 12:08 pm

      Thanks so much
      K

      Reply
  6. Alasdair Andrew says

    May 25, 2021 at 6:21 pm

    Hello I was interested in how you make Ricotta cheese from the whey after making Halloumi if that is possible?

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      May 26, 2021 at 8:19 am

      Sorry Alistdair I don’t actually make it from the whey but know you can after all ricotta did come from using leftover whey from cheesemaking
      K

      Reply
      • Alasdair Andrew says

        May 27, 2021 at 3:17 pm

        Thank you.

        Reply

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