Vegan Halloumi Bread with Tzatziki and Cucumber-Onion-Mint Salad
Are you already planning where to go on vacation this summer? How about Greece? And why not kick things off with a culinary test run right now? With our vegan halloumi bread, homemade tzatziki, and cucumber-onion-mint salad, we're bringing a taste of vacation — garlic breath included — straight to our kitchen.
How to make vegan halloumi:
It took a few more attempts than expected to get the taste, texture, and look of our vegan halloumi just right. We first tried to make it — similar to our vegan baked camembert — from a cashew-based mixture. But somehow that felt like too much effort for a result that wasn't quite a 10/10. So we thought: less is more!
The result — much like our vegan feta — is a tofu base. For the best texture, we recommend fried tofu from an Asian grocery store or fermented tofu from an organic store. Alternatively, firm plain tofu works too, but it needs a longer marinating time to absorb more flavor.
The magic is all in the marinade: olive oil, plenty of garlic, some herbs, a squeeze of lemon, and nutritional yeast for that umami kick. To get the tofu as flavorful as possible and help it absorb as much of the marinade as it can, slice it beforehand and let it soak for a bit.
And if you then fry the vegan halloumi in a grill pan, it gets that super authentic look and tastes even better. Because as we all know: we eat with our eyes too!
And what goes with the vegan halloumi?
In Greece, halloumi is often eaten in pita. Today, though, we've opted for a very special gluten-free bread mix: the Wunderbrød Original by Bauck Mühle. It's completely flour-free and yeast-free, made entirely from gluten-free oats and seeds in organic quality. Not only does it look healthy when you tip the 600 g mix into a bowl and see a mountain of oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and psyllium husks — it actually is. A truly wonderful source of fiber and protein. And baking the bread couldn't be easier: just mix it with water, let it soak, then shape it into a loaf or press it into a loaf pan and bake. The recipe includes two options: a classic and a quick version.
How to level up the recipe?
Have you ever heard of "hot halloumi" or "hot halloumi pasta"? It was a huge trend on social media, especially last year. Trend or not, we think it pairs perfectly with this recipe. If you like things spicy, give it a go and just add some maple syrup or agave syrup (works just as well as honey) and chili flakes to the pan while frying!
Craving more recipes?
If you're looking for more dishes to match, also try our vegan gyros, our vegan tofu feta in asummer chickpea salad, or Pastitsio, the Greek baked pasta casserole.
Vegan Halloumi Bread with Tzatziki and Cucumber-Onion-Mint Salad
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1 bread mix (e.g., Wunderbrød Original by Bauck Mühle)
- 1 cucumber
- 15 g (0.5 oz) fresh mint
- 1 red onion
- 1 pomegranate
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- salt
- pepper
For the vegan halloumi:
- 400 g (14 oz) tofu (e.g., plain tofu, fermented tofu, or fried tofu)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon (juice)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1.5 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 0.5 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 garlic clove
- salt
- pepper
- hot water
For the "hot honey" option (optional):
- maple syrup or agave syrup
- chili flakes
For the vegan tzatziki:
- 200 g (7 oz) vegan Greek-style yogurt
- 0.5 cucumber
- 2 garlic cloves
- salt
- pepper
Also:
- plant-based oil for frying
Instructions
- First, prepare the bread, as it needs to soak.
For the quick version, mix the package contents with 550 ml (2.25 cups) boiling water in a bowl and let soak for 20 minutes. Then transfer to a greased loaf pan (25 cm x 10 cm / 10 x 4 inches), press down firmly, and smooth the surface. Preheat the oven to 200 °C / 390 °F (convection) and bake the bread for 70 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing.
For the classic version, thoroughly mix the package contents with 500 ml (2 cups) cold water and let soak in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight. Then transfer to a greased loaf pan (25 cm x 10 cm / 10 x 4 inches), press down firmly, and smooth the surface. Place the loaf pan in a cold oven and bake without preheating at 200 °C / 390 °F (convection) for approximately 80 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing.
For the vegan halloumi, cut the tofu into thicker slices and set aside. For the marinade, mix olive oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, dried herbs, one grated garlic clove, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add hot water until the marinade is smooth. Place the tofu slices in the marinade, mix well, and let marinate for at least one hour.
For the tzatziki, add the vegan Greek-style yogurt to a bowl. Grate the cucumber, then squeeze it thoroughly in a clean kitchen towel to remove as much water as possible. Add the grated cucumber to the bowl, grate in the garlic cloves, and season everything with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the salad, finely dice the cucumber, roughly chop the mint, and peel, halve, and thinly slice the onion. Combine everything in a bowl and season with a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Remove the pomegranate seeds and set aside.
Heat plant-based oil in a (grill) pan and fry the tofu slices on both sides. For the "hot honey" option, add a splash of maple syrup or agave syrup and some chili flakes and briefly warm the tofu slices in the mixture.
Toast the bread slices if desired, then top with vegan tzatziki, the salad, vegan tofu slices, pomegranate seeds, and fresh mint leaves.
