Honey Sesame Halloumi Spinach Salad
Updated April 28, 2026
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
- Ready In
- 20 min
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon honey, divided
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
2 cups (12 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved
5 ounces baby spinach (about 5 packed cups)
Salt
8 ounces halloumi, cut into ½- to ¾-inch-thick slices, blotted dry
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 to 4 servings)
38 grams carbs; 50 milligrams cholesterol; 466 calories; 12 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 29 grams fat; 9 grams fiber; 927 milligrams sodium; 18 grams protein; 13 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large serving bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the tahini and 1 teaspoon honey until smooth. Toss in the chickpeas, tomatoes and spinach; season with salt and set aside.
- Step 2
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the halloumi to the pan; cook until the bottom is browned and it easily releases, 2 to 3 minutes. Use tongs to flip the halloumi and cook until just browned on the other side, about 1 minute more.
- Step 3
Top the halloumi with the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey and the sesame seeds, and shake the pan to mix it together. Continue to turn the halloumi over, using them to stir the liquid and honey together, until browned all over and coated with the glaze and any seeds in the skillet, 1 to 2 minutes more. (If the honey threatens to burn, remove from the heat.)
- Step 4
Arrange the glazed halloumi on top of the salad and serve right away.
Private Notes
Comments
Delicious! I've been a fan of halloumi ever since a trip to Cyprus 30 years ago. I'm glad it's easy to find here in SE Michigan and I enjoy trying new preparation methods like this recipe. A couple suggestions: 1. Since mint is used in halloumi I took a tip from head note and added fresh mint with the spinach (generous quarter cup for a half recipe). Also some fresh thyme. Great flavor addition! 2. I like my salads lightly dressed so probably would've been fine with half the dressing from step one. 3. I like the flavor of the glazed halloumi (from step 3) but think it would be more effective to chunk the halloumi just before adding the glaze. I cut it after removing from the pan but the glazing would've coated more evenly if I'd done that between steps 2 and 3. 4. Maybe warm the chickpeas?
This is so good. I added mint as suggested + cucumber + sugar snap peas and took the previous reviewer’s advice and used half the suggested amount of honey. I also didn’t have tahini so I used a spoon of hummus instead. It was delicious!
I have not yet made this, but I think I will sub out the chickpeas for white beans because I prefer their texture. I've made the Taverna salad from this site and the addition of the halloumi cheese was wonderful! So I'm guessing this salad would be just as good and the dressing sounds wonderful! I love a good salad!!
@Christine none of these will give the exact result but I've used feta, panela, extra firm tofu, or paneer when subbing for halloumi.
Can you use anything other than Halloumi, maybe mozzarella?
@Christine. Panela is a milder substitute made with cows milk (grilling cheese)
The whole family loved this and it's going in the dinner rotation. The only change I made was to roast the chickpeas (https://body-change.today/recipes/1025326-roasted-chickpeas%3C/a%3E%29 to add crunch. Yum!