Halloumi Cheese (No Dairy)!
About the Author: Anja
Anja Cass is a popular vegan cook with a passion for creating healthy plant based recipes that taste amazing!
Having lost over 50 pounds, beating early onset heart disease and having more energy than when she was 20, she is motivated to share her new lifestyle with you. Enjoy her delicious recipes to get you, your family and your friends on the path to healthy living!
Have you ever made a vegan blue cheese?
No, not yet 🙂
Does it squeak though?! Have seen several vegan halloumi recipes replicating an appropriate flavour, but the texture is a big part of the experience of eating halloumi, which I miss (that and Cheshire/Wensleydale, everything else I have been able to veganise acceptably over the last 11 years).
It almost squeaks. Not quite the same as real halloumi but the closest I have come to it 🙂
Lemon juice makes it squeak. x
how much lemon and when in the recipe should you add it? the squeak is the best part!
[…] Option: Replace cheeses with available vegan cheeses or make your own vegan haloumi. Replace cow’s milk with soy or nut milk. Use a mild-flavoured oil instead of butter (heat […]
Genius, seems delicious!
Glad you like it 🙂
What is the purpose of freezing the tofu? 🙂 Thanks
It removes the moisture and gives it a different texture. Almost a bit more porous and meaty.
Can you use an oil other than grapeseed? 🙂
Maybe a bit of coconut oil or rice bran oil. Or no oil if you want to leave it out altogether. I actually don’t cook with oil anymore.
Hi there, thank you so much for your work.
do you think i can bake the Halloumi Cheese instead?
Thank you
Yes, I bake it sometimes and it is just a bit more dry – but so much more healthy 🙂
I would love for you to come up with a vegan feta cheese replacement. I use to use it a lot in salads and I miss the extra pop it gives them. I figure if anyone can make something close to it, it would be you.
I’ll add it to my to do list 🙂
This doesn’t taste like halloumi at all! I guess your halloumi in America is the same as our halloumi in Europe, it’s still from Cyprus or Greece right? But I got a bit sceptical when there was no mentha/mint or any other herbal spice in this recipe. On the other hand, even though it doesn’t taste at all like halloumi it tastes a lot like chicken. It even tastes more like chicken than Quorn does. It was good, but I think there have to be mentha/mint to make it taste like halloumi, and also no tumeric.
I have never had halloumi with mint. Sounds great.
Oh, interesting! I thought halloumi was the same all around the globe (and sorry if you’re not American, I realized you might be Australian, I don’t find it too easy to hear what accent/dialect people have in English because it’s not my native language). Anyway, traditionally (at least when it comes from Cyprus or Greece) halloumi is preserved in mentha leaves, so that’s how I’m used to it (even though the ones I buy in the store is not wrapped up in mentha leaves but rather are sprinkled with some mentha leave herb spice). It doesn’t really taste like mint, but it tastes very fresh. I asked my partner to taste the vegan halloumi also, the one I made with your recipe, and he also thought it tasted like chicken and was way off the taste of the halloumi we’re used to here in Sweden.
I’m from Greece and I have never had minty halloumi.
It’s more Cypriot than Greek but I have been to Cyprus a lot.
Just add the mint in yourself if that’s how you prefer it.
I would personally suggest oregano for the true Greek experience
Brilliant mouth watering video. I’ll be putting tofu in the freezer tonight. I neeeeed/ want this now yuuuummy
When we have decent tasty alternatives for a full range of ‘real’ cheeses the world will have a lot more vegans. The loss of cheese seems to be big factor in stopping this. I’ve tried all the commercially made vegan cheeses and they’re horrible. Not one is worth the overpriced fat and calories that come with them.
Thanks Anya – this haloumi is phenomo-bomb! I had it with your broccoli salad and that delish tahini/miso/orange dressing. I don’t even want to eat out anymore – just stay home and cook your fabulous recipes! Better than compromising in restaurants that don’t get there is a plant-based protein comunity out there that would love more than salad for a main course. *note – always have a block of tofu in the freezer.
So glad you like it as much as I do 🙂
Just made it Anja. Delicious texture is almost the same I’m like your friend, I love halloumi.but I won’t miss it now thanks to you. I did add lemon juice to one half of marinade (from another recipie) but either were as good. Thanks for your recipes. You’ve made it easy for me to transition to a vegan lifestyle. Never going back!
I saw your recipe after seeing another that featured Halloumi, which I had never heard of, & decided to search for the description. I was immediately intrigued & had all the ingredients.
A few days later, today, I made it w/ Tempeh (I don’t eat unfermented soy)!! I couldn’t wait so I didn’t marinate. Just dipped & coated then into the pan w/ Coconut Oil. I topped Tostones (friend, crunchy green plaintains) with them & they were DE.LICIOUS!! I can’t wait to make more & use this “marinade” on other things.
THANK YOU!!
So glad that you like my recipe and the way you served it sounds delicious.
Hello,
Currently making this. How long do you suggest pressing the tofu for?
I usually leave mine for about 20 minutes.
Hi
I’m from the uk – with the nutritional yeast, what is the amount in grams that you use
Approximately 70g
Do I drain the liquid away from the tofu before I freeze it? Then thaw and press?
Thanks, just getting started with this cooking style. Great food. Looking forward to trying this recipe.
You can if you like. But I just freeze the whole block in its packet.
I don’t really appreciate Tofu, but after making this, I think it’s one of the best ways to use Tofu! It went down really well. My husband has been diagnosed with moderate coronary heart disease so we didn’t use the oil in the pan. Still works! Thanks Anja.
So glad you like the recipe. Yes it really does make it taste amazing!
This recipe has become a firm favourite of mine – Whenever I want to impress guests I make small tofu/halumi cubes and either toss them in a green salad or serve them on top of quinoa – Everyone loves them. I have so many vegan ‘cheez’ recipe books, most of the recipes are time consuming and I need to hunt down ingredients – whereas this recipe uses ingredients found in every vegan kitchen, and takes only a few minutes to prepare.
Fantastic! So glad that you (and your guests) like the recipe as much as I do 🙂
Try to buy Tofu from a Chinese store, way better than the plastic processed stuff. Try adding either dried Mint or Mint Leaves to your marinade. It is always used in Cypriot Halloumi, trust me, I live in Cyprus. BTW, the Violife product sucks.