Gorgeous halloumi with a light, crisp coating, served on a toasted brioche bun with red onion, fried mushrooms and lettuce. All finished off with a drizzle of sticky, spicy sauce! Vegetarian or meat-eater, this halloumi burger will totally satisfy all tastes.
You may or may not know but I’m a big fan of sticky-sweet recipes – sticky sauces, glazes, dips – I love them all! My husband Chris is a big meat-eater, so I often find myself combining our tastes and making things like sticky Chinese pork belly or sticky chicken stir fry.
However, I am trying to reduce the amount of meat we eat, and this meatless burger is the perfect way to do that.
📋 What do we need for the burger?
And for the sauce?
🔪 How to make this tasty vegetarian burger
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Slice up the halloumi and coat egg, then a mixture of semolina, salt and pepper.
- Fry in a little oil for 2-3 minutes each side until golden.
- Serve on toasted bun with lettuce, fried mushrooms, red onion and a drizzle of the sticky glaze (see more on the glaze below).
For the sauce
Simply add the sauce ingredients to a pan, stir, bring to the boil and simmer for a minute. That’s it – super easy.
The soup will look runny at first, but thickens as it starts to cool down.
If you let the sauce cool completely (which only takes 20 minutes or so), it will be super thick and syrupy – and all the better for it in my opinion 😍
Salty halloumi dusted in a semolina coating and fried until golden, served with mushrooms, crunchy onions and lettuce and finished off with a spicy, syrupy sauce.
You’ll no doubt find your hands and face covered in said sauce once you’ve finished, but it’s so worth it!
If you’ve never tried halloumi this is a great recipe to give it a go. Unlike other cheeses, halloumi doesn’t melt. It’s got a salty, chewy and slightly squeaky texture, that might sound a bit odd, but it really is very addictive.
What’s more, it’s just a case of slicing, coating and frying (you don’t even have to coat it if you don’t want to). No need to mix with a host of other ingredients and form into patties – it’s basically a ready-made burger just waiting to be sliced and cooked!
Better get those napkins ready 🙂
🍲 A couple more ‘Chris-approved’ Vegetarian burgers
📺 Watch how to make it
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Halloumi Burgers with Sticky Chilli Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil (or other flavourless oil for frying)
- 5 medium mushrooms sliced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp semolina
- 1 egg
- 140 g (5 oz) (about half a pack) of Halloumi cut into slices
- 2 brioche rolls sliced in half and toasted on the inside
- 30 g (1 cup) of lettuce or spinach leaves
- ¼ red onion peeled and thinly sliced
Sticky Chilli sauce:
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 ½ tbsp soft brown sugar
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sriracha hot sauce
Instructions
- Start by making the sauce. Place the sticky chilli sauce ingredients into your smallest saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir, and cook for a further 1-3 minutes until the sauce has reduced down to a runny syrup and then turn off the heat (it will thicker further as it cools).2 tbsp honey, 1 1/2 tbsp soft brown sugar, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp sriracha hot sauce, ¼ tsp ground ginger
- Heat the oil in a frying pan (skillet) and fry the mushrooms with 1/8 tsp of salt and 1/8 tsp pepper until browned, then remove from the pan.2 tbsp sunflower oil, 5 medium mushrooms, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil to the pan and heat.
- Place the semolina in a shallow bowl and stir in the remaining 1/8 tsp of salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.3 tbsp semolina
- Crack the egg into a small shallow bowl and whisk lightly with a fork.1 egg
- Dip the halloumi slices into the egg, then coat in the semolina.140 g (5 oz) (about half a pack) of Halloumi
- Place the coated halloumi into the pan and fry on a medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side – until golden brown.
- Place the bottoms of the two toasted brioche rolls on two plates and top with the lettuce and mushroom slices.2 brioche rolls
- Once the halloumi is cooked, place it on top of the mushrooms. Top with slices of red onion and then drizzle over a little of the sauce. Place the top of the buns on the burgers and serve with any leftover sauce.30 g (1 cup) of lettuce or spinach leaves, 1/4 red onion
Video
Notes
Make the sauce, then cool, transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate until it’s time to reheat.
This recipe only makes a small amount of sauce so if you’re making it ahead, it might be worth making double, as it’s quite hard to transfer and reheat such small quantities. I don’t recommend making the burger ahead of time. Fried halloumi tastes best when freshly fried. Ingredient Swaps
- Swap the sliced red onion for thinly sliced strips of spring onion (scallions)
- Swap the mushrooms for lightly fried sliced peppers
- If you don’t want the sticky sauce to be spicy, swap the sriracha for tomato ketchup
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was first published in November 2015. Updated February 2021 with new photos, tips and recipe video.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
I love this halloumi burger. I’m not a fan of mushrooms or lettuce so I just added the onions, some sliced chicken breast goes very well too. It’s so delicious and the sauce goes brilliantly with it although I reduce the amount of sriracha in it as is too spicy for me otherwise. Just a warning that the sauce thickens and sets if you don’t use it quickly
I made this for my dinner tonight along with your homemade brioche burger bun and chips recipes. Honestly so easy but oh so delicious. Will definitely be doing this again and more of your recipes! Thankyou!!! Xx
Excellent Recipe !!! Great Menu Choices !!! YUMMY !!! I’ll Definitely Try It.
Yummy and pretty quick to make. Not as spicy as I expected with the Sriracha sauce The sauce is good on rice, vegetables, and just licking off the spoon.
Im not a vegetarian by any stretch but i do LOVE halloumi and never complain when Nicky makes these.
Just made this – so delicious thank you!!!
What could be used to substitute for the halloumi if I’m vegan? Tofu?
Hi, I’ve never tried it with tofu, but I think that would work. The halloumi is a salty cheese, so I’d be sure to season the tofu well.
Thanks!
What could you use instead of semolina?
Hi Sarah, you could use fine dried breadcrumbs – like ground panko, or at a push, some cornstarch would do too.
This burger is my destiny. I just know it. How creative to use halloumi!
Ha ha ‘This burger is my destiny’. Love that 🙂
I have never hard of Halloumi; now I am curious .
Ooh it’s fab, but beware, it is quite salty. Hope you try it 🙂