Air-Fryer Halloumi Bites with Hot Honey
These air-fryer halloumi bites are great to serve at a gathering, celebration, or party. Made by coating halloumi cubes in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs and cooking them in the air fryer, this dish can be ready in under 20 minutes. Paired with a simple hot honey dip, each bite has a wonderfully crispy and squeaky texture, with the heat and sweetness of the dip complimenting the saltiness of the fried halloumi.
If you’re hosting a crowd, you could also serve these air-fryer parmesan baby potatoes, these smoked salmon tortilla roll-ups, or any of these other appetizers. In my opinion, you can never make too much food when you’re hosting!
Recipe Ingredients
To make these halloumi bites, you’ll first need the following:
For the Halloumi Bites:
- Halloumi – 8 oz (225 grams) halloumi
- Flour – 2 tbsp all-purpose white flour
- Egg – 1 egg, whisked
- Breadcrumbs – 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, preferably Panko breadcrumbs
- Italian Seasoning (Optional) – 1/4 tsp of dried Italian seasoning
- Oil/Cooking Spray – a light spray or brushing of oil/cooking spray so the halloumi doesn’t stick and has a golden color to it.
Note: You don’t need salt for the recipe. The halloumi is already salty enough.
For the Hot Honey:
- Honey – 3 tbsp honey
- Red Pepper Flakes – 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (plus more to taste)
Easy Step-by-Step (with Photos)
Step 1. Cut the halloumi into cubes. To start, look for the natural line in the middle if present and separate in half alongside it. Then cut into relatively even cubes. From 8oz (225 grams), I get 18 cubes.
Step 2. Add the italian dried seasoning to the breadcrumbs (if using it). Bread the halloumi cubes first in flour, then in egg, and finally in breadcrumbs. Make sure to coat all the sides well on each step.
Step 3. Spray the air fryer tray/bottom of the basket with (oil) cooking spray so the halloumi doesn’t stick to it. Or you can brush a tiny bit of oil using a silicone pastry brush. Spray or brush the halloumi bites lightly with some oil. The light touch of oil will help give the halloumi a nice golden color to the crust.
Step 4. Cook in the air fryer at 390°F (~200°C) until golden, flipping them after about 7 minutes and then keep cooking them until they’re ready (for me, that’s about another 7 minutes; for a total air frying time of 14 minutes).
Step 5. Put the honey in a microwaveable container and microwave just for 10 seconds. Add the red pepper flakes to the honey, mixing well. Give it a taste and add more red pepper flakes if you want.
The bites are tasty enough on their own, but that dip really does compliment them so well.
Variation (Non-Breaded Halloumi Bites): The breaded halloumi bites are such a great party appetizer. But, sometimes, maybe you want a quick appetizer for yourself/for the family and don’t have time to bread them. You can cook the halloumi bites without breading them. Simply cut the halloumi into cubes as shown in step 1. Spray some oil/cooking spray on the air fryer tray/bottom of the air fryer basket. Then air fry the halloumi bites at 390°F (~200°C) for about 8-10 minutes (less time than the breaded version). Flip them halfway through the cooking time. In my book, the breaded halloumi wins the flavor competition but the non-breaded version is great for a quick homemade snack.
I would love to know whether you preferred the breaded or non-breaded version. Also, if you made them, let me know what else you made them with and what the occasion was below.
All-in-One Recipe Card
Ingredients
For the Halloumi Bites:
- 8 oz 225 grams halloumi
- 2 tbsp all-purpose white flour
- 1 egg whisked
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs preferably Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 tsp of dried Italian seasoning
- a light spray or brushing of oil/cooking spray so the halloumi doesn’t stick to the air fryer tray/basket and has a golden color to it
For the Hot Honey:
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes plus more to taste
Instructions
- Cut the halloumi into cubes. To start, look for the natural line in the middle if present and separate in half alongside it. Then cut into relatively even cubes. From 8oz (225 grams), I get 18 cubes.
- Add the italian dried seasoning to the breadcrumbs (if using it). Bread the halloumi cubes first in flour, then in egg, and finally in breadcrumbs. Make sure to coat all the sides well on each step.
- Spray the air fryer tray/bottom of the basket with (oil) cooking spray so the halloumi doesn’t stick to it. Or you can brush a tiny bit of oil using a silicone pastry brush. Spray or brush the halloumi bites lightly with some oil. The light touch of oil will help give the halloumi a nice golden color to the crust.
- Cook in the air fryer at 390°F (~200°C) until golden, flipping them after about 7 minutes and then keep cooking them until they’re ready (for me, that’s about another 7 minutes; for a total air frying time of 14 minutes).
- Put the honey in a microwaveable container and microwave just for 10 seconds. Add the red pepper flakes to the honey, mixing well. Give it a taste and add more red pepper flakes if you want.
Notes
Don’t forget to save this recipe to one of your appetizer or party ideas boards, ready for when you need to go shopping for ingredients.
