With crispy halloumi, a silky coconut-tomato sauce, spinach, and warming spices, this one pot, 25 minute halloumi curry turns simple ingredients into something special. Quick, creamy and perfect for busy weeknights.
Halloumi is, undoubtedly, one of my favorite ingredients. It’s versatile, high in protein, and pairs beautifully with bold flavors.
While paneer is traditionally used in curries, it can be harder to find in regular grocery stores. Halloumi is widely available, and I actually prefer its flavor. It’s saltier and meatier, which makes it perfect in this style of curry.
I love this curry for a speedy weeknight meal, but it also works wonderfully as part of a better-than-takeout curry night spread.
Serve it up with creamy New Zealand style butter chicken, one pot chicken rogan josh or chicken saag. Fluffy steamed rice (or even this loaded baked rice or keep in low-carb with cauliflower rice) and two-ingredient dough garlic naan or two-ingredient dough cheese naan are always excellent ideas too.
Why You’ll Love this Halloumi Curry
- Super quick and easy. You’ll love this lovely curry on the table in just 25 minutes and it’s made in one pot for ease.
- Protein packed and vegetarian. Packed with 34g of protein per serving, so it’s filling while still being meat free.
- Everyday ingredients. You should be able to find everything you need at a regular grocery store, and might have the majority of them already.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Halloumi. This lovely salty cheese is generally easy to find in the cheese section of regular grocery stores.
- Tomato passata. These super-finely sieved tomatoes provide a lovely, smooth base for the sauce (it’s also known as tomato puree in the US). You could also use a can of crushed tomatoes or whole plum tomatoes. You may need to let the sauce simmer a little longer if you do, so the tomatoes can break down.
- Spices. We’re using curry powder, garam masala, and Kashmiri chilli powder. Kashmiri chilli powder is pretty mild, and if you can’t find it, you can replace it with smoked paprika. If you’re worried about spiciness, make sure you use a mild curry powder – some are spicier than others.
- Coconut milk. Always check your coconut milk to see how high the concentration of actual coconut is – you’d be surprised at how small a percentage is in some brands. Look for anything 60% and above. If you open your coconut milk and you see the top has solidified, give it a mix. This can sometimes happen, and it’s just the solid coconut separating from the water.
How to Make Creamy Halloumi Curry
This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the halloumi curry. The full instructions and ingredient quantities are at the bottom of the page for you.
1. Cook your cubed halloumi in a little oil first – you want the lovely flavor and texture of crispy halloumi – this will just take a couple of minutes.
2. Melt the butter in the pan you cooked the halloumi in, then add your diced onion and cook until it softens. Add the garlic, ginger and spices and cook for another minute.
3. Pour in the toamto passata and the coconut milk. Let the sauce simmer for about five minutes.
4. Add the crispy halloumi into the sauce and give it a mix through.
5. Add the spinach leaves and stir as they wilt into the sauce.
6. Serve the halloumi curry over rice and enjoy while hot.
Creamy Halloumi Curry FAQs
Yes! Like many curries, the flavors develop even more when made ahead.
Store it in the fridge for up to five days, then just reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Yes you can. Freeze it for up to 3 months, then just defrost it overnight in the fridge, or reheat it gently on the stovetop.
Each serving contains 34g of protein, making it a wonderfully filling and satisfying vegetarian option.
For sure. Add veggies like sliced zucchini, sliced bell peppers or even frozen peas. Cook them after you’ve cooked the halloumi and then continue with the recipe as writeen.
This is a mild curry, but you can spice it up if you like. Add extra chili powder or even fresh chili.
I love serving it over fluffy steamed rice, or this very delicious loaded baked rice, with a pile of two-ingredient dough garlic naan or two-ingredient dough cheese naan for dipping. It’s also lovely with cauliflower rice for a lower carb or keto-friendly option.
Like this recipe? Complete curry night with these ideas
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day ๐.
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Quick Creamy Halloumi Curry
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
With crispy halloumi, a silky coconut-tomato sauce, spinach, and warming spices, this one pot, 25 minute halloumi curry turns simple ingredients into something special. Quick, creamy and perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
For the rice –
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
- 3 cups water
For the halloumi curry –
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (sunflower, canola or vegetable)
- 2 packets of halloumi (about 8oz/225g each)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1-inch piece of ginger, grated (or use 2 teaspoons ginger paste)
- 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder (or use smoked paprika)
- 2 cups (16oz/500g) tomato puree (tomato passata in the UK – strained tomatoes)
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 5oz (150g) spinach leaves
- A handful of cilantro leaves, to serve
Instructions
- Cook the rice. Add 1 ยฝ cups of rice to a small pot you have a lid for (if you don’t have a lid use a plate or wooden board). Pour in 3 cups of water, then place over high heat. Once the water starts to look foamy on top, pop the lid on and turn the heat right down. Leave it there for 12 minutes, then remove it from the heat, with the lid still on, and let it sit until you’re ready to serve.
- Pan-fry the halloumi. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, high-sided skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the cubed halloumi, and pan-fry for 2 – 3 minutes on each side, until lovely and golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Cook the onion. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the same pan, set over medium heat, then add the finely diced onion and ยฝ teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens and changes color (it’ll look more transparent). This will take about 5 minutes.
- Add the spices. Once the onion is nice and soft, add the crushed garlic cloves, ginger, 1 teaspoon of garam masala, 1 teaspoon of curry powder, and 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri chilli powder (or paprika). Stir them through the onion for another minute, so the spices have a chance to bloom and become fragrant.
- Build the sauce. Pour in the tomato puree (tomato passata), stir, then bring to a gentle simmer for a few minutes. Then, pour in ยฝ cup of coconut milk and stir it through the sauce. Simmer the sauce for five minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Finish the curry. Return the cooked halloumi to the pan and stir it through the sauce. Then add all the spinach, and mix it through the curry. It will look like A LOT of spinach when you add it, but it will quickly wilt down into the sauce. Remove the curry from the heat and get ready to serve. Divide the rice between plates, then top with the curry. Finish with a scattering of cilantro and enjoy while hot.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES:ย Tomato passata is known as tomato puree in the USA – it’s very finely sieved tomatoes and can be found with the tinned tomatoes in your grocery store. It normally comes in either a jar or a carton.
SUBSTITUTIONS:ย You can use paneer instead of halloumi if you like. Replace the spinach with another leafy green like kale or cavolo nero, and if you can’t find tomato passata, use a can of crushed or whole plum tomatoes.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Like any curry, this one is wonderful to make ahead of time as the flavous develop even more as they sit. It will last for 5 days, stored in a container in the fridge, and you can easily reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop. Halloumi freezes well, too, so you can freeze the curry for 3 months and then defrost it overnight in the fridge, on the counter, or heat it gently on the stovetop as it defrosts. I like to freeze it in ziplock bags for easy storage.ย
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: fakeaways
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 350g
- Calories: 500
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 950mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 34g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
Tasty and easy