A fusion style twist on a classic Indian curry, this easy halloumi curry with cauliflower is perfect for busy weeknights!
Halloumi is fried and mixed into a creamy and fragrant curry sauce, for a delicious halloumi curry recipe EVERYONE will love!
We aim for at least 2 or 3 meat-free meals a week in the Effortless Foodie house. The kids are getting older now, so it's a great way of introducing new flavours and cuisines, with the added benefit of being super healthy!
This creamy halloumi curry is quick (just 45 minutes!) and easy to make, but feels quite decadent too, so it's perfect for both easy weeknight dinners and more relaxed weekend curry feasts.
👩🍳 Don't forget to check out my creamy courgette curry too!
Jump to:
✔️ Why should you try it?
- An easy vegetarian curry
- Made in 45 minutes!
- Can be frozen
- Different vegetables can be added to the base recipe
- Easy to scale up to feed a crowd
🥘 Ingredients
This recipe is so easy to make and you can have it on the table in about 45 minutes. If you decide not to use cauliflower, and perhaps use some spinach and peas, it will take less than 30 minutes!
- 2 blocks of Halloumi, cubed
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Cloves
- Cardamom
- Ground Coriander
- Turmeric
- Garam Masala
- Chilli Powder
- Medium Curry powder
- Cauliflower
- Passata
- Tomato puree
- Natural Yogurt - or swap for some coconut milk or cream if you prefer.
- Mango Chutney
🥄 Equipment
A large shallow casserole or frying pan, as well as a sharp knife and chopping board, is all you need to make this delicious curry.
🔪 Instructions
How to make halloumi curry
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Fry the halloumi cubes in a frying pan or shallow casserole until brown and golden. Set aside.
Two: Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and fry the onion, garlic, and ginger until soft over a medium heat.
Three: Add the spices and mix in.
Four: Add the cauliflower florets and cook for 5 minutes.
Five: Add the passata, tomato puree, and sugar.
Six: Bring to a simmer and cook on a medium heat until the cauliflower is cooked (this should take about 10 minutes and you can test it with a sharp knife).
Seven: Stir through the yogurt and mango chutney, before adding the halloumi back into the pan to warm through.
Eight: Serve with fresh coriander, rice, and naan bread.
🍴 Serving suggestions
If I'm making this for a quick weeknight meal, I usually serve it with some plain basmati rice. In fact, if I'm really pushed for time, I have been known to heat up a couple of packets of micro-rice!
We quite often eat this curry on a Friday evening, when things are less rushed and way more relaxed. That's when I pull out all the stops and serve the halloumi curry with homemade naan bread, homemade pilau rice, mild chicken curry for the kids, vegan chickpea and spinach curry as well as mango chutney and raita.
📖 Variations
I usually add cauliflower to my creamy halloumi curry, but there are plenty of other options for adding colour and texture to the dish;
- Substitute the cauliflower for sweet potato cubes or butternut squash.
- Add a handful of baby spinach at the end of cooking. It will wilt in the residual heat of the dish.
- If you're catering for fussy vegetable phobic kids, you can't go wrong with a handful of frozen peas and green beans.
🥡 Storage
The creamy vegetarian curry will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. The benefit of curry, is that it can also be frozen. So, why not make a double batch, and stash some away in your freezer, ready to pull out when you're too busy to cook from scratch?
❓ FAQS
Halloumi is a salty, semi-hard, unripened cheese from Cyprus, which can be made from cow, goat, or sheep milk. It has a high melting point, making it an ideal choice for grilling or frying.
Paneer and halloumi are quite similar in texture and can be used interchangeably in most recipes. The main difference between them is that paneer is a high acid cheese and halloumi has almost no acid in it at all. High acidity and low acidity both help prevent melting.
The curry can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat thoroughly in the microwave until piping hot.
😋Related recipes
Some more yummy recipes using Halloumi;
- Halloumi Couscous Salad
- Creamy Vegetable and Halloumi Pie
- Sweet Potato and Halloumi Bake
- Halloumi Souvlaki
Don't want to miss a thing?
🍽️ More family-friendly recipes
Recipe
Creamy Halloumi Curry
Ingredients
- 450 g Halloumi cubed
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion sliced
- 2 Garlic Cloves chopped
- 3 cm Fresh Ginger peeled and chopped finely
- 2 Cloves
- 1 Cardomom pod
- 2 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 2 teaspoon Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Chilli Powder optional
- 2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 2 teaspoon Medium Curry Powder
- 1 Small Cauliflower broken into florets
- 300 ml Passata
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 200 ml Natural Yogurt
- 2 tablespoon Mango Chutney
- 1 tablespoon Coriander chopped
Instructions
- In a large shallow casserole or frying pan, fry the halloumi until golden. Spoon onto a plate and set aside.
- Heat the oil in the same pan and gently fry the onions, garlic and ginger until soft.
- Add the spices and fry for a minute or two.
- Place the cauliflower florets in the pan and fry for 5 minutes.
- Add the passata, tomato puree and sugar and give it a stir. Simmer until the cauliflower is cooked (this usually takes about 10 minutes but you can test if its ready with a sharp knife).
- Stir in the yogurt and mango chutney, before adding the halloumi back into the pan to warm through. Scatter over fresh coriander before serving.
Video
Notes
- Substitute the cauliflower for sweet potato cubes or butternut squash.
- Add a handful of baby spinach at the end of cooking. It will wilt in the residual heat of the dish.
- If you're catering for fussy vegetable phobic kids, you can't go wrong with a handful of frozen peas and green beans.
#CookBlogShare
I'm linking this recipe up to #CookBlogShare, which this week is hosted by Curly's Cooking.
Melissa
This sauce looks really flavorful. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Beth Sachs
Thanks Melissa. It's really tasty. Mild and fragrant without being too overpowering.
Cat | Curly's Cooking
I love halloumi and this looks like the perfect vegetarian curry. We are trying to eat less meat and this would be a fantastic option. The flavours in the sauce sound delicious. Thank you for linking to #CookBlogShare.
Beth Sachs
Thanks Cat. Looking forward to being part of #CookBlogShare once again. I used to join in all the time with my other blog and loved the community.
Carrie Carvalho
Love anything halloumi! I've never tried it in curry before though, so definitely giving this a go - it looks delicious.
Beth Sachs
It's one of my favourite cheeses. I love its saltiness.
Choclette
Am I too late for dinner? This sounds wonderful, especially with homemade naan too. Beat my Friday night egg on toast for sure.
Kat (The Baking Explorer)
Absolutely love the sound of this!
Emmeline
Mmm I love the combo of halloumi and curry!! It goes so well with those creamy sauces. I sometimes use it instead of paneer in Indian food - and really looking forward to trying your recipe!
Alexandra
Wow! What a creative and delicious recipe - full of wonderful flavours.
Saif
This looks so mouthwatering. It kinda remind me the indian curry using cottage cheese paneer. I think I will make this recipe really soon.
Lauren Vavala | Delicious Little Bites
I always seen halloumi grilled but I LOVE the idea of using it in curry - so good!
Sue
Wonderful! I love offering meatless meals also, and everyone loved this one. Saving this recipe to make again!
Steve Dent
This is a great recipe. Haven’t cooked indian food for many years so decided to give it a shot. Very easy, straightforward recipe, I opted to add some sweet potatoes and prepared halloumi as directed, as for sauce, I prepared it in advance, reheated added halloumi yoghurt and chutney ans served with home made naan and basmati rice. Will definitely be cooking this again and will try other indian recipes to accompany. Highly recommended AAAAA
Anne
Excellent recipe. Loved the idea of using Halloumi like paneer. Family loved it. I used sweet potato because it’s faster (for lazy me) to prepare for cooking. Will try with cauliflower next time. Thankyou for sharing.
Beth Sachs
Hi Anne. So glad your family liked the recipe. Sweet potato sounds like a great addition!