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This halloumi salad combines crispy, grilled halloumi, juicy watermelon, tangy cherry tomatoes, peppery arugula, and a zesty grapefruit dressing.
Quick to prepare, the salad is wonderfully salty, sweet, and satisfying to eat. It’s my go-to side dish for BBQs and outdoor lunches and can easily be turned into a main course, too!
When the weather turns warm, I make salads pretty much every day, rotating through recipes like my tomato caprese salad, prosciutto salad, and nectarine salad. They’re all delicious, but this halloumi salad recipe is a particular favorite for summer, allowing me to take advantage of a wide variety of fresh produce at once.
With a variety of tastes and textures, it’s a unique dish that’s quick to prepare and easy to customize. I typically serve it as an appetizer or side, but it can also double as a filling vegetarian main course. Or add grilled chicken for extra protein.
Recipe Tip
If you omit the arugula and micro-chop everything, you can serve it as a salsa to top onto your favorite wraps and tacos.
Key Ingredients
Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details!
- Watermelon: You’ll need two slices of a medium-sized watermelon cubed into similar sized pieces.
- Halloumi: This salty cheese doesn’t melt like other cheeses. Pan-fry it in butter for that delicious and crispy texture.
- Cherry tomatoes: Ideally firm and preferably sweet. I use yellow and red cherry tomatoes for a burst of color.
- Arugula: Make sure to choose fresh, crisp leaves for the best taste. If they are on the wilted side, submerge them in cold water until they crisp up again.
- Dressing: You’ll need grapefruit juice, white balsamic glaze, extra virgin olive oil, finely chopped fresh mint, sea salt, and black pepper.
Possible Variations
- Watermelon: Or cantaloupe, honeydew, mango, or Galia.
- Halloumi: Try plain feta or goat cheese instead (no need to fry it).
- Butter: Swap for extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or ghee.
- Cherry tomatoes: Grape tomatoes or chopped vine tomatoes.
- Arugula: Kale, baby spinach, lettuce, mixed salad greens, or watercress.
- Grapefruit: Use lime or lemon juice.
- Balsamic glaze: Swap for a regular dark balsamic glaze, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or honey.
- Add-ins: Top with any nuts and seeds for some crunch, homemade croutons, red onions, chili flakes, sumac, jalapeños, couscous, chickpeas, shredded chicken, or grilled shrimps.
How to Make a Halloumi Salad
- Prepare the ingredients: Cube the watermelon and halve the cherry tomatoes. Cube and fry the halloumi in butter in a pan on medium-high until golden brown.
- Prepare the dressing: Mix grapefruit juice, balsamic glaze, olive oil, finely chopped mint, and season well.
- Arrange the salad: Add arugula, cherry tomatoes, cubed watermelon, and fried halloumi to your platter.
- Final details: Pour the dressing over the salad. Mix well and garnish with fresh basil and mint.
Recipe Tip
Grill the halloumi for a different taste.
How to Store Leftovers
Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 2 days.
Halloumi Salad FAQs
Yes absolutely! It’s fine to make a few hours ahead. Wait to add the dressing until just before serving.
Add protein like shredded roast chicken, cooked shrimps, or hot smoked salmon. Alternatively, serve it with my homemade garlic bread or focaccia.
Try red or yellow peppers, radishes, avocado, Persian cucumber, peas, zucchini, or corn.
More Salads
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Halloumi Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 slices watermelon, cubed
- 225 grams halloumi cheese, cubed
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 150 grams cherry tomatoes, yellow and red
- 100 grams arugula, 3 cups
Grapefruit dressing
- 1/2 grapefruit, juiced
- 4 tablespoons balsamic glaze, white
- 8 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, chopped
- sea salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Garnish
- fresh basil leaves
- fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Slice and chop the watermelon into cubes.
- Halve the cherry tomatoes.
- Cube the halloumi and dry it on a paper towel.
- Heat the butter in a small pan on medium-high.
- Place the halloumi cubes in the pan.
- Once golden, flip until all sides are light brown.
- Remove the cheese from the pan and allow to cool.
- To make the dressing, squeeze the juice from half a grapefruit.
- Add white balsamic glaze, olive oil, finely chopped mint, sea salt, and pepper.
- Mix well.
- Arrange the arugula on a platter.
- Top with cherry tomatoes, cubed watermelon, and halloumi.
- Pour the dressing over the salad.
- Top with fresh mint and basil leaves.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
