This grilled halloumi cheese and eggplant recipe is a fresh vegetarian dish with smoky grilled eggplant, golden halloumi, and a bright mint dressing - perfect for quick, easy summer meals.
This came together quickly and was so delicious. The dressing is fantastic and I'll definitely be making it again!
This Grilled Halloumi Cheese and Eggplant recipe is one of my favorite grilling recipes. Succulent eggplant and halloumi are grilled and layered with fresh summer tomatoes, then drizzled with a flavorful mint dressing bursting with vibrant flavor! Serve it up stacked as a vegetarian main course, or layer and platter it as a tasty appetizer or snack, side dish, or summer salad. Either way, you’ll love the zesty, bright flavors.
Why you’ll love this Grilled Halloumi Cheese recipe!
It’s the perfect balance of smoky, salty, fresh, and bright. Grilled eggplant becomes silky and tender, while halloumi turns irresistibly golden and crisp around the edges without melting. There’s incredible texture in every bite!
It’s quick, easy, and perfect for summer. Everything cooks fast on the grill, making this a great option for weeknight dinners, outdoor gatherings, or easy entertaining.
The vibrant mint dressing brings this dish to life! Fresh herbs, lemon, and garlic add brightness and contrast to make the rich halloumi and smoky veggies feel light and refreshing.
It’s wonderfully versatile. Serve it stacked as a vegetarian main, spread it onto a platter as a shareable appetizer, or pair it with grains, greens, or grilled proteins for a larger meal.
What is Halloumi?
Halloumi cheese, if you are unfamiliar, is a Greek-style sheep’s milk (or goat’s milk) cheese from Cyprus with a firm texture and delicious saltiness. It tastes like feta with a tangy flavor, but has the consistency of a very firm mozzarella. The best thing about halloumi is that it has a high melting point – it doesn’t melt, and only takes a few minutes to grill – perfect for quick summer meals.
Grilled Halloumi Recipe Ingredients
- Eggplant - The smoky, tender base of the dish, becoming silky and rich when grilled. Japanese eggplants offer a more delicate texture, while larger varieties create hearty slices.
- Fresh tomatoes - Add juicy sweetness, acidity, and vibrant color that balance the smoky eggplant and salty cheese. Feel free to use cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes (sliced in half).
- Halloumi cheese - A firm, grillable cheese that turns golden and crisp on the outside while staying soft and chewy inside, adding a salty, savory contrast.
- Extra-virgin olive oil - Used for brushing and grilling, it helps the vegetables caramelize and enhances their natural flavor.
- Salt - Enhances all the ingredients and balances the richness of the halloumi.
- Dressing - Mint, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, water, garlic, salt, and cracked pepper combine for a bright, herb-forward dressing that ties the dish together.
Variations
- Vegetables: Feel free to add other grillable vegetables, such as zucchini or summer squash, onions, or bell peppers.
- Add texture: Toasted pine nuts, pistachios, or crusty bread make wonderful additions for crunch and contrast.
How to Make Grilled Halloumi Cheese
1. Prep. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and grease it well. Slice the eggplant into 1/3-inch slices and brush each side with olive oil. Slice the block of halloumi cheese into 1/2-inch slices and brush with oil. Slice the tomatoes into 1/2-inch slices, lightly salt, and set aside.
2. Make the mint dressing. Add the ingredients to a blender or food processor to blend or pulse the dressing. Add a little extra water if needed to get the blender going. Be careful not to blend it too smoothly - some texture is nice!
3. Grill. Grill the eggplant first, with the lid closed. Check on the heat occasionally, to prevent burning, and rotate as needed. The eggplant is done when the white becomes slightly translucent. Transfer to a heatproof dish and cover with foil. You can set this aside or place it on the upper grill rack. Re-grease the grill and grill the halloumi until grill marks appear, about a few minutes on each side.
4. Assemble. Layer the eggplant, tomatoes, and halloumi cheese on a platter or plate. Either make a stack on 4-6 plates, or arrange on a large serving platter.
5. Garnish. Drizzle the dressing over the top, season with salt and black pepper, and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Enjoy at room temperature!
Chef’s Tips
- Grease the grill well. Both eggplant and halloumi can stick easily, so make sure the grates are clean, hot, and well-oiled.
- Slice evenly for consistent cooking. Keep the eggplant and halloumi slices uniform to ensure everything grills evenly. Plus, it makes stacking easier and prettier for serving.
- Keep the dressing slightly textured. Over-blending can dull the fresh herbs. Leave a little texture for a more vibrant, rustic feel.
- Season the tomatoes. A pinch of salt helps draw out their sweetness and intensifies flavor.
- If you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can still make this using a grill pan on the stovetop, and then finish cooking the eggplant through in a warm oven.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve grilled halloumi cheese and eggplant on its own or as a side with your favorite grilled protein, like tofu, chicken, salmon, scallops, lamb chops, or steak. Add a side of sourdough, focaccia, or pita bread!
- For a vegetarian main, serve it over warm grains, like quinoa, farro, or rice, or over a bowl of cauliflower rice, couscous, or creamy polenta!
- You can also turn this into a salad and serve the grilled halloumi cheese and eggplant over greens like arugula, green or red leaf lettuce, or dressed kale.
Storage
Leftovers will keep for 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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⭐️ After you try this Grilled Halloumi recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. Your review will help other readers, too! Sign up here to join our community and receive our latest recipes and weekly newsletter! xoxo Sylvia
Grilled Halloumi Recipe
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner, grilling recipe, salad, Side Dish, vegetarian main
- Method: grilled
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Gluten Free, Gluten-Free, Kosher, Low-Carb, Vegetarian
Description
This grilled halloumi recipe is a fresh vegetarian dish with smoky grilled vegetables, crispy halloumi, and a bright mint dressing-perfect for easy summer meals.
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized eggplants or 4 Japanese eggplants
- 4 medium heirloom tomatoes ( red and yellow)
- 8 ounces of halloumi cheese
- 1/4 cup olive oil for brushing
- salt
- 1/4 cup mint leaves- packed
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley- packed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 tsp salt cracked pepper
Garnish with a few mint leaves
Instructions
- Pre-heat grill to med-high heat. Grease your grill well!
- Prep. Slice the eggplant into 1/3-inch-thick pieces and brush with olive oil (see note). Slice halloumi into 1/2-inch-thick pieces and brush with olive oil. Slice tomatoes into ½ inch slices, lightly salt, and set aside.
- Make the mint dressing. Blend or pulse the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor – adding a little more water (if necessary) to get the blender going. Do not blend it too smoothly… you want to see pieces of the herbs.
- Grill: Grill the eggplant slices, keeping the lid closed and checking the heat to prevent burning, rotating as needed. Eggplant is done when the white becomes slightly translucent. Stack them on a heatproof dish and cover tightly with foil so they continue cooking through. You could place this on your upper grill rack if you have one, or just set them aside, covered. Regrease the grill and grill the Halloumi cheese just until nice grill marks appear, a few minutes on each side.
- Arrange. Layer the eggplant, tomatoes, and halloumi cheese all on a platter or plate this individually, stacking the layers (see photo above) on 4-6 plates.
- Garnish. Drizzle liberally with the dressing, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve at room temp.
Notes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 284
- Sugar: 4.1 g
- Sodium: 359.4 mg
- Fat: 23.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 8.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 9.4 g
- Cholesterol: 24.9 mg
This was really good.
Glad you enjoyed!
I made this for a gathering last night and my guests could not stop talking about it. This was a home run and I will be making it again and using it in sandwich rolls and other ways. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed Ana! Thanks for the review.
at least 2x a month as we LOVE this dish
Nice to hear Maud!
Very, very good. Served this over pearl couscous and arugula.
Great to hear Alex!
I look forward to making this! What fish would go best with this dish?
It would go with most fish! Salmon, cod, black cod…
making this over and over and over so delicious
Awesome to hear Maud!
This came together quickly and was so delicious. The dressing is fantastic and I’ll definitely be making it again!
Awesome to hear Dawn!
one of our favorite recipes all time. Question as I have 2 small eggplants can I add zucchini?
That sounds good!
whoa whoa it was delicious
Thanks Maud!
How much is 1 T water
Am preparing the dish now and have no clue
Oh sorry about this, the T stands for tablespoon.
I made this salad as a part of a Mediterranean dinner. It was amazing! I was serving several people so fter grilling, I cut the ingredients into about 2 inch pieces, tossed it all together and added a serving spoon. It got rave reviews from all of us! Thank you!
So happy everyone enjoyed!
Very good. Added a zucchini as well. At first I had my doubts about the mint dressing based on tasting it by itself. But I confess that it worked beautifully drizzled over the grilled veggies, halloumi and fresh tomatoes. Will definitely make again.
Great to hear!
Hello Youmna
Thank you for this healthy and delicious receip !
Mary – Paris
Wow. 5 stars. My kids even liked it. I flubbed grilling the halloumi a little – by the time it had grill marks, it was melting. Maybe my grill cooled down too much dealing with all the eggplant slices. This was so, so tasty, though.
Yay!!! Great to hear. Thanks for sharing! 🙌
.
Beautiful recipe, thanks! I added some steamed and then grilled slices of sweet potato (because when I saw the picture, I thought thats what I saw in there). Gorgeous food.
An AWESOME post! Recipe and all. Thanks for the memory refresh!
Hi Sylvia,
For baking in oven, can you recommend the setting (bake or roast?), temperature, and time duration? Thinking of making this this weekend!
Thank you.
Honestly, Ive never tried baking before. My guess is 400F for 20-30 minutes? Start there.
Just wondering if these veggies could be baked? Or do you need the char of the grill. Seeing mine with slow cooked lamb. Can’t wait
Yes! Absolutely
Thanks and Happy New Year to you!!
I’m a teensy bit obsessed with halloumi on the grill — it’s so underrated! Love that you’re doing it here, and with the mint? Yum. Thanks for sharing! – Em (@ The Pig & Quill)
What a great trip! And such a beautiful salad! And that dressing – SWOON! I think I’ll serve this Napoleon style when I make it 🙂
This is absolutely gorgeous! LOVE this salad!
That was a great trip! and there’s nothing better than hot coffee delivered to your tent in the morning, ahhhhh.
Sylvia-
Your writing is as beautiful as your food! I will definitely have to try this recipe. Miss you!
Kirsten