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Halloumi bites on a blue marble plate with red pepper sauce on the side.

Oven Baked Halloumi Bites


  • Author: Kate Alexandra
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 32 bites 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

These DELICIOUS oven-baked halloumi bites are halloumi fries taken to a whole other level. The crunchy dukkah crust, soft salty centre and sweet honey drizzle make these the ultimate flavour-packed snack for your next party or gathering. Try them and I guarantee your guests will be raving about them the next day!


Ingredients

Units Scale

For the halloumi bites –

  • 1 block of halloumi (roughly 225g/8oz)
  • 1 cup dukkah (try my easy dukkah recipe)
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • 1/2 cup cornflour (or use plain flour)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

To serve – 

  • Handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1 tablespoon hot honey sauce (or regular honey)

For the smoky red pepper romesco sauce –

  • 2 red peppers (from a jar)
  • 1/4 cup almonds (or use cashew/walnuts/hazelnuts)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Prepare the halloumi. Get your oven on 180C/360F fan. Pat the halloumi dry with a paper towel, then cut it into small cubes. I like to do this by following the natural fold of the halloumi to cut it in half, then cut each half into long strips. You can then easily cut the strips into cubes. Get 3 bowls out on your bench, and add ½ cup of flour, 1 cup of dukkah and whisked egg to each bowl. Line an oven dish or tray with baking paper.
  2. Coat the halloumi. Add the halloumi cubes to the bowl with the flour, and give them a toss around to coat. Working with one at a time, pick a halloumi cube up and shake off any excess flour. Then dip in the egg, turning to coat it. Then throw it into the dukkah bowl, tossing it through to make sure it’s coated on all sides. Set on the lined dish or tray and repeat with all the halloumi cubes, making sure to leave a little space between each bite on the tray for even cooking. PRO TIP: I find this process is less messy if you try to use one hand for tossing with the dry ingredients (cornflour and dukkah) and the other hand for tossing with the egg.
  3. Cook the halloumi bites. Transfer the tray or dish to the oven and cook for 20 minutes, until the crust is looking golden, and crispy and the halloumi feels soft when you press onto a bite. 
  4. Garnish and serve. Remove the halloumi bites from the oven. You can either transfer them to a serving plate or serve them straight from an oven dish. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of honey all over the bites, then scatter over the parsley. Serve with the smoky red pepper romesco sauce on the side.

If you’re making the smoky red pepper romesco sauce – 

  1. Make the sauce. I like to do this while the halloumi is in the oven. Add the 2 jarred red peppers, 1/4 cup almonds, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a blender or food processor and blitz into a chunky sauce. 

Notes

The smoky red pepper romesco sauce is delicious, but you can serve these halloumi bites with whatever you like best (or just by themselves). I LOVE serving them with my easy chilli jam – that sweet and salty flavour combination is pretty irresistible.

These bites are great for entertaining because you can prep them up to 2 days in advance, and then just pop them in the oven when you’re ready to serve them. You can also pan-fry them if you like.

You could use sesame seeds in place of dukkah if you can’t find it or don’t have time to make any. 

  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Category: snacks
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: mediterranean

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 10 bites

Keywords: popcorn halloumi, halloumi fries, baked halloumi