Halloumi Tacos with Pineapple Salsa & Aji Verde
These amazing vegetarian tacos feature fried halloumi cheese, pineapple salsa and a drizzle of Peruvian green sauce. You'll love this unlikely combination!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 1, 2024
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Oh boy. We’ve been working up to this recipe all week and I’m so excited to share these tacos with you today!
These vegetarian tacos feature fried halloumi cheese (more on that in a minute), fresh pineapple salsa and aji verde (Peruvian green hot sauce).
It’s a cultural mishmash of components, but the end result was meant to be. Maybe we can call them Mexican(ish).
These sweet-and-spicy tacos are giving my favorite vegetarian tacos a run for their money. Which is fine with me, because tacos can do no wrong.
I propose that you invite some friends over this weekend and make tacos! You can prepare the salsa and sauce before your guests arrive. Ready?
What is Halloumi Cheese?
Halloumi is a magical cheese that you can fry or grill. Most cheeses would turn to mush under those conditions, but halloumi has a very high melting point that works in our favor.
Halloumi becomes super delicious after it’s fried or grilled. It’s creamy and salty, kind of like part-skim mozzarella, and the outside develops a more firm texture after it’s been heated.
It’s been a long time since I ate grilled chicken, but cooked halloumi does have a similarly tender bite. It’s also a fun substitute for fish in tacos or salads.
Where to Buy Halloumi Cheese
For years, halloumi was the magical and elusive cheese that I kept hearing about. I saw it on other food blogs and magazines, but try as I might, I could not find it.
I finally tasted halloumi in Greece last September (halloumi comes from Cyprus). It was everything it was promised to be.
I went home determined once again to find it. And you know what? It’s suddenly everywhere. You can buy halloumi at Whole Foods, near the goat cheese. I’ve even found it at the grocery store nearest me, in the gourmet cheese section.
Halloumi is a little pricy (about ten dollars for one-half pound, which is what you’ll need for these tacos), but it’s worth it to me.
Watch How to Make Hallumi Tacos with Pineapple Salsa & Aji Verde
Halloumi Taco Variations
I love the pineapple salsa featured in this recipe. It’s fresh, sweet and spicy. That said, you can use any pico de gallo or similarly chunky salsa instead of pineapple. Here are some more options:
Don’t skip the sauce, because it really brings the taco components together. Similarly creamy and tangy, avocado-based options include guacamole and avocado dip.
Wondering what to serve with these tacos? I’d start with some tortilla chips for the leftover pineapple salsa, and maybe some margaritas.
For side dishes, I recommend my Green Salad with Jalapeño-Cilantro Dressing, Black Bean Salad or Crispy Baked Tostones, which are fabulous with aji verde. View all of my Mexican recipes here.
Please let me know how your tacos turn out in the comments! I’m always so eager to hear from you.
Halloumi Tacos with Pineapple Salsa & Aji Verde
These amazing vegetarian tacos feature fried halloumi cheese, pineapple salsa and a drizzle of Peruvian green sauce. You’ll love this unlikely combination of flavors! Recipe yields 8 tacos (enough for 4 servings).
Ingredients
- 8 small corn or flour tortillas
- 8 ounces halloumi cheese, sliced into ¼” wide rounds
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
- Pineapple Salsa (you’ll have extra)
- Aji Verde (you’ll have extra)
Instructions
- In a medium skillet (I love to use cast iron) over medium heat, warm each tortilla on both sides until it’s warmed through and developing a few little golden spots. Stack each tortilla together under a clean tea towel to keep them warm.
- Warm the olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Using kitchen tongs, carefully place slices of halloumi into the hot oil (be careful, the oil can splatter). Leave a little room around each piece of cheese so they don’t stick together (I usually cook the cheese in two batches). I recommend covering the skillet to contain any splatters.
- Cook the cheese until the undersides are golden, about 2 to 4 minutes (if it’s taking forever to brown, raise the heat a bit; if it’s browning very quickly or you catch any whiff of smoke, turn down the heat). Carefully flip each piece of cheese with the tongs, recover the skillet, and cook until the other side is golden, about 2 to 4 minutes.
- In the meantime, place a few paper towels on an empty plate or cutting board to absorb excess oil. Place each piece of cooked cheese onto the plate and let the cheese cool down a bit before handling. Slice each piece of cheese into strips about 1″ wide for more even cheese distribution throughout your taco (hooray).
- To assemble the tacos, place a few strips of cheese along half of your tortilla. Using a slotted spoon or serving fork, top the cheese with pineapple salsa. Finish each taco with a drizzle of aji verde. Serve warm!
- If you intend to have leftovers, store the individual components separately and combine just before serving. You can gently warm the tortillas and cheese in the microwave. Assemble and enjoy.
Notes
Prepare in advance: You can make the salsa and aji verde in advance and store them in the refrigerator for later. Ideally, let them warm to room temperature before serving. Freshly fried halloumi cheese is the best but it also reheats pretty well in the microwave.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten free tortillas.
Make it dairy free/vegan: This is a stretch, but you could replace the halloumi with crispy baked tofu and add dollops of this avocado sauce instead of the aji verde.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
make in advance
Incredible! I really wasn‘t sure before making it but your recipes never disappoint. So delicious :)
I made this for the two of us and we ate them all! They were the best tacos I’ve ever eaten. I made the salsa and the aji verde and they add a lot. Couldn’t be better.
Tonight I’m making HLTs for husband and myself. I know they’ll be great: we love halloumi cheese! Cookie and Kate, your recipes are wonderful!
I love hearing that! thank you for sharing, Diane. I appreciate you taking the time to comment and review.
These are always a winner! We just love them!
So easy and so delicious! I had leftover salsa verde so I used that. And I had frozen pineapple. I thawed it and drained it first. Probably not as good as fresh, but still delicious. Thanks for another winner, Kate!
Made this last night: big win! All the components work together really nicely. We’ll definitely keep this in our rotation.
This is literally the most amazing recipe! And they are the BEST tacos we have EVERY had to eat and my husband said the same thing! Going to share this recipe with everyone! Thank you so so much!!!!
I made these for the first time tonight, with the pineapple salsa and the aji verde. I was blown away by all the wonderful flavours happening in my mouth! The saltiness of the Halloumi cheese with the sourness of the salsa and then the creamy ness of the aji – it was a match made in heaven! I agree the aji was perfect as written. Thank you thank you thank you for sharing such good food with us!!! Best tacos I’ve had. God bless you.
You’re welcome! Thank you for taking the time to review. I’m excited you loved the combination, Martha!
I. Am. Obsessed.
Kate, I love nearly every recipe on your website, but this is my new favorite. Every component was so dang good! This is a new go to for when I want something fresh but also indulgent. The aji verde and pineapple salsa really put this over the top. I was a bit hesitant with both of those and I am so glad I went ahead and made them! I finally found halloumi now that I moved to New England, and I was so excited to have it with anything. Your website was the first I thought of for a place to search. Thank you for the most amazing recipes!
These are delicious! I’ve been eating this as my dinner for the past two nights and I’m looking forward to the last two portions.
The salsa and aji verde keep really well in the fridge, and I grill the tortillas and Halloumi each night.
Love the combination of flavours and hits so many notes (sweet, spicy, fresh, creamy, etc.).
Adding this to my regular rotation. Thanks for the great recipe!
Oh my goodness!!! Soooooo good. I didn’t have mayo so made salsa verse instead but still delicious! Will make again…and again…and again.
One of the best dishes I’ve made in the last year, hands down. The only thing that comes close is C+K’s spicy sweet potato burrito bowl. I’ll definitely make this again for guests (and it will be so easy too! It’s that good. To quote my girlfriend: “These are without a doubt the best tacos I’ve ever eaten. And they say vegetarian food doesn’t taste good?”).
Made this a couple of times and it’s a family favourite. Usually serve with with hummus and crudités on the side. Thanks Kate!
Ummm THIS WAS AMAZING! I just wish I’d bought two blocks of halloumi instead of one!!
Wonderful! My non-veg husband loved these tacos and the salsa so much we made them again for company a few days later. A sure winner; thank you so much for this recipe!
Your’e welcome, Laura! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Delicious!!!
Thank you, Christina!
These were great. I had farmers market peaches in the fridge so I used those in lieu of pineapple and added some extra lime juice to compensate for their lower acidity. My jalapeños were mild so I doubled them in the salsa. I also made homemade corn tortillas (Mark Birman NYT recipe). These tacos were a big hit and each of the components was phenomenal. We’re stoked to have extra aji verde and peach salsa. The overall combination is on the sweet side though, like eating apples and cheddar. I was craving something a little more spicy-savory. Next time I might smear on some spicy refried black beans before adding everything else. Either way I’ll be making this recipe again.
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Kjersten.
I was struck with a halloumi and pineapple craving tonight, one google later I landed here and HELLO BABY this was one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth! I used tinned pineapple, tomato instead of red pepper because I don’t like it, spring onions (scallions?) because they were going manky in the fridge, and a combo of frozen jalapeño and pickled, because they’re not that easy to find here and everything was store cupboard ingredients. Despite drifting off recipe it turned out amazing and was fun to make. Straight on the regular menu. Thank you!
Hi! This looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it! Just a question regarding the cilantro – the recipe says 2 cups, but according to metric conversions that would be 250 grams, which seems like a lot What’s the approximate weight for the cilantro? Thanks a lot!
Hi Monica, I’m not sure about the metric conversions here, but you will need 2 US dry cups for the sauce. I hope you try it and enjoy these tacos!
sending love to Cookie!
Thank you, Jill!
This is delicious! The flavors were amazing and different than the usual tacos. My entire family loved it. We made the Halloumi tacos along with this sauce and the pineapple salsa. I will be adding this to my list of frequent summer recipes! The flavors are light and perfect for summer.
Wonderful, Kristin! Thank you for your review.
I crave this recipe constantly but can only shell out the money for halloumi every so often, unfortunately. It’s so worth it to get the good stuff though! The combination of the aji verde, pineapple salsa, and halloumi is truly magical and this recipe is so darn easy (bonus)! I love all your recipes but this one is a stand out for me.
It might be not the first time I comment on this one… tonight the twist was strawberry salsa and a little drizzle of zhoug (since I didn’t have any cilantro… which should NEVER happen ;)
It’s finger food at its most elegant, summery and yummy!
I’ve been buying halloumi for a while now. It’s a unique cheese that is fun to eat. People that have never had it are amused by the “squeaking” sounds when it is eaten. I usually grill it. It also makes good hors d’oeuvres when it is grilled and drizzled with some balsamic glaze. Another way I use it is to brush it with evvo, sprinkle some za’atar on it and grill it before wrapping it in a pita or wheat tortilla with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, tzatziki, and maybe some onion. FWIW, Aldi often carries it and it is around $3-$4 for a 7-ounce piece.
I was looking for another use for halloumi and came across this recipe. It was very good and we saved it to have again. The pineapple salsa was very good and would be a good accompaniment to other foods. For some reason, I have never liked cutting pineapples, watermelons, cantaloupes, pomegranates, or anything similar. I almost took the easy way out and bought canned pineapple but I am glad that I did not. The aji verde sauce was also very good. My wife is not a huge cilantro fan but she will eat it. I cut back on the cilantro but it would be better with it. I also did not have cotija so I used 1/2 feta and 1/2 parmesan. I think these would also be good with the shatta recipe that you have shared. We had fresh black bean salad on the side.
Thank you for sharing, Ken!
Delicious! Perfect balance of sweet, savory and salty!
I’m glad you loved it, Neha. Thank you for your review!
I was extremely happy to see your halloumi cheese tacos recipe this morning!
I’ve been making similar “tacos” since halloumi cheese hit my local market a few weeks ago. My version is closer to traditional with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and savory red salsa. I had trouble keeping the tortillas from splitting open. I finally cut them into slices and added them to the cooking cheese. I served the hot tortilla strips and halloumi cheese in a bowl topped with the salsa, lettuce, and tomato. Kind of a “taco bowl.”
I’m looking forward to trying Kate’s sweeter version with pineapple. Sounds like a winner!
Thank you for sharing, Jim!
Love Halloumi! Thanks for this recipe, I’ll try it soon. Just found Halloumi at Costco. $6.99 for 17.6 ounces.
Just a note with the Halloumi Cheese for us Vegetarians out there. Some of the Halloumi Cheese has Chymosin in its ingredients, and that is Rennet from baby cow stomachs. Some of the cheese has it, and others don’t. Just FYI.
Hi, Kate,
My husband is vegan, so I cooked up some tofu for him. I enjoyed the Halloumi. The pineapple salsa is amazing, and because I ran out of cilantro (who does that??!!), I topped it with slices of avocado. So delicious!!!
I love that you both were able to enjoy it! Thank you for your review.