Keto Crispy Halloumi Chips
Halloumi Cheese Is The Perfect Grilling, Frying and Baking Cheese
If you’ve never tried halloumi cheese before it’s a cheese you should add to your foodie bucket list.
I’ve tasted this cheese in just about every way possible (at least I thought) until I came up with the idea for halloumi chips.
Last year Mrs. CBB who has been living the keto lifestyle for 3 years created the perfect baked keto pepperoni chips.
If you’re on the keto diet you know that the biggest downfall is finding crunchy keto snacks.
You can eat crunchy vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, and radish but sometimes you want something more.
Another favourite crunchy keto snack she loves is Buster Rhino’s flavoured pork rinds made in Whitby, Ontario.
Unfortunately, we were just informed Dec 11, 2021 that they had to close the shop and restaraunt after 16 years.
They have the biggest selection of flavoured pork rinds and other keto products in Canada and offer free delivery over $50.
Pairing crunchy dill pickle pork rinds with halloumi cheese almost sounded too good to be true.
We brought this idea to life by coating thin slices of halloumi cheese with seasoned egg, dill pickle pork rinds and then fried in a mix of butter and avocado oil. (You can also use ghee or extra-virgin olive oil).
The end result was a crispy cheese chip with hints of dill pickle from the pork rinds.
On the side, we created a sour-cream dill pickle dip and that was it, we were hooked.
If you don’t fancy dill pickle pork rinds Buster Rhino has so many different flavours you can experiment with.
Halloumi Cheese 101
What is halloumi cheese?
Originating in Cyprus, rindless halloumi cheese is made from either pasteurized or unpasteurized goats, cow and sheep’s milk.
Halloumi cheese is comparable to cheese curds that you would find in Canadian poutine (fries, gravy and cheese curds).
The texture is spring-like, creamy and chewy with a high melting point which makes it perfect for frying, deep-frying or grilling.
This cheese has a salty taste as it is brined and is a very aromatic flavoured cheese.
Where can I buy halloumi cheese?
You can find halloumi at just about every grocery store for around $8-$10.
However, if you have a Costco membership you can buy a double pack for the same price. Score.
Related: The Ultimate Guide For Keto Shopping at Costco Canada (with photos)
Ways To Prepare Halloumi
Some of you may have experimented with this cheese in various ways which are all delicious.
- Halloumi fries
- Grilled halloumi cheese
- Fried halloumi cheese
- Pan-fried halloumi
- Deep-fried
- Air-Fried
- Baked
Although all of the above variations are delicious creating halloumi chips became a game-changer for us.
Tips For Making Crispy Halloumi Chips
The key to making the perfect halloumi chips is to slice the cheese thin.
Once you coat the cheese with the seasoned egg then into the pork rinds they will fry quickly in the hot oil.
We like ours darker and took crispy to the highest level before they seemed burnt.
Once we remove them from the frying pan we drained them on paper towels.
If you have an air fryer at home you may want to test this recipe as I think it would work perfectly.
We don’t own an air fryer but I’ll be honest to say, we’re considering buying one.
I’ve never tested these in the oven so I can’t comment on how well they will turn out.
Favourite Dips For Halloumi Chips
Keto-Friendly dips for your crispy Halloumi Chips that I love are:
- Avocado Taco Dip
- Queso Dip
- Garlicky Avocado Mayonnaise
- Roasted Garlic Yogurt Dip
- Garlic Scapes Pesto
- Creamy Avocado Blue Cheese Dressing
- Garlic Basil Mayonnaise
- Easy Guacamole
- Cucumber Yogurt Feta Sauce
I’ve even dipped the chips in homemade keto strawberry rhubarb chia jam.
It may sound odd but the sweetness of the sugar-free jam paired with the salty chips is perfect together.
You can use any flavour sugar-free keto-friendly jam that you prefer.
Lastly, a sugar-free BBQ sauce or sugar-free ketchup is also delicious for dipping.
How To Make Crispy Halloumi Chips
Note: Please bear with me as I fix all of my recipes as I’ve changed my recipe plugin.
- 1 pack of halloumi cheese
- 40g bag of crushed dill pickle pork rinds (or whichever flavour you like)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup of avocado oil and 1/2 cup of butter for frying or extra virgin olive oil, ghee)
- Dill Pickle Dip
- 1 container of full-fat sour cream
- 3 dill pickles diced
- 2 tbsps of fresh dill chopped
- 1 spring onion chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Slice halloumi cheese into 1/4 inch slices
- In a bowl add your two large eggs, salt, pepper ,and paprika then mix
- Crush your bag of pork rinds into a breadcrumb consistency and add to another bowl
- In a large frying pan heat your oil and butter up to a med-high heat for frying.
- Dip each slice of the halloumi cheese in the egg mixture then into the pork rinds. Coat liberally.
- Set into the hot oil and butter and fry until golden brown about 2 minutes on each side.
- Remove from the frying pan and set onto a paper towel to drain.
- Serve with your choice of dip or my sour cream dill pickle dip.
- Sour Cream Dill Pickle Dip Instructions
- Add all of the sour cream dill pickle dip ingredients into a bowl and mix.
Pair your chips with a Lemon Dill Cucumber Salad which is also keto-friendly.
Another favourite is a Greek salad of romaine lettuce, kalamata olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta (you can leave this off), salt, pepper, lemon, oregano, and olive oil.
I enjoy my cheese chips with a creamy dill dip and a cold beer.
The acidity of the dill dip pairs perfectly with the saltiness that you crave in a chip.
Discussion: What are some of your favourite keto snacks?
Leave me your comments below and I’ll be sure to respond.
