Emporium Selection Cheese Fries Halloumi-Style Cheese Sticks

As someone who follows Aldi news around the world, I’ve noticed one particular product that Aldi shoppers outside of the United States tend to get excited about: halloumi fries. I had never heard of halloumi fries until reading headlines like the one in The Sun, which reported that Aldi in the U.K. was the first supermarket in the country to sell halloumi fries, and later I saw headlines about Aldi making waves when they introduced the fries in Australia. Halloumi fries overseas tended to prompt Aldi superfans to come out and clear shelves. Then, lo and behold, during a recent shopping trip I discovered Aldi in the U.S. has quietly added halloumi fries to its shelves.

Emporium Selection Cheese Fries Halloumi-Style Cheese Sticks

So, what are halloumi fries? According to Better Homes & Gardens, halloumi is a Middle Eastern cheese from the country of Cyprus. It’s a cheese with a high melting point, so it doesn’t get all gooey and runny when you heat it. It’s traditionally made with goat’s or sheep’s milk, or both, but sometimes these days it’s also made with cow’s milk. Better Homes & Gardens also says halloumi has a tangy, salty taste similar to mozzarella or feta cheeses.

I picked up a bag of the Aldi halloumi fries to try at home.

Emporium Selection Cheese Fries Halloumi-Style Cheese Sticks cost $3.49 for an 8-ounce package at the time of publication. The package states these are “perfect for grilling or frying.” They’re gluten free and keto friendly.

The package states:

This cheese does not melt when it is cooked. It can be pan-fried or deep-fried right out of the package, or breaded and fried for a crunchier snack.

This item appears to be a Regular Buy, which means you can find it at Aldi all year.

Ingredients are: pasteurized milk, salt, and microbial enzymes. If you’re avoiding allergens, this contains milk.

Emporium Selection Cheese Fries Halloumi-Style Cheese Sticks

Emporium Selection Cheese Fries Halloumi-Style Cheese Sticks nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

There are about eight servings per package, and a 1-ounce serving (28 grams) has 90 calories, 7 grams of total fat (9% DV), 3.5 grams of saturated fat (18% DV), no cholesterol, 125 mg of sodium (5% DV), 2 grams of total carbohydrates (1% DV), no dietary fiber, 1 gram of total sugars, no added sugars, and 7 grams of protein.

These can be deep fried using an electric deep fryer, or they can be pan fried.

To deep fry in an electric deep fryer, preheat enough cooking oil to cover cheese to 375 degrees. Once the oil is heated, place a portion of the cheese fries into the fryer basket — not more than half full — and carefully lower into hot oil. Fry 2-4 minutes or until the fries are a golden brown color on all sides. Remove fries from the fryer and place them on a paper towel to drain any excess oil. Serve immediately. Cheese fries are best enjoyed hot.

To pan fry, place a skillet on the stove and pour just enough oil to cover the cheese. Turn the heat up to 370 degrees. Once the oil is heated and bubbling, place the cheese fries in the skillet. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Turn the heat off once the cheese has reached a golden brown color on all sides. Place the fries on a paper towel to drain any excess oil. Serve immediately, as cheese fries are best enjoyed hot.

Emporium Selection Cheese Fries Halloumi-Style Cheese Sticks

Cheese sticks frying in the skillet.

I’ve read that some people grill these kinds of cheese fries, and I think that might be interesting to try next time, but for our first time trying these, I decided to follow the package instructions and I pan fried these in a skillet. I used a food thermometer to check the temperature of the vegetable oil and added the fries once the oil began to bubble and pop a bit. It took longer than the directed 3-5 minutes for these fries to turn golden brown. I ended up cooking them for more like 10 minutes, occasionally turning them to get them evenly browned. Once they were done, I drained them on a paper towel and served them alongside some butterflied lamb leg and a spinach salad.

Emporium Selection Cheese Fries Halloumi-Style Cheese Sticks

Golden brown and ready to eat.

These halloumi fries were excellent. No one in my family had ever tried them before, but we pretty much all liked them. They were crisp and golden on the outside and firm and cheesy on the inside. They’re not like traditional mozzarella sticks because they have no breading, and the inside is more solid and not gooey like a breaded cheese stick. They were a nice change instead of serving potato-based fries alongside our meal, and I’d buy these again.

The Verdict:

Emporium Selection Cheese Fries Halloumi-Style Cheese Sticks are made with halloumi-style cheese, which is a Middle Eastern type of cheese that has a high melting point. That means you can cook it without it turning gooey. These are easy to pan fry or cook in a deep fryer, or you might even want to try grilling them. They cook up crisp and golden on the outside with firm, flavorful cheese on the inside. Recommended.

About Rachael

Rachael is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. When she isn't busy shopping at Aldi, she enjoys cooking, gardening, writing gothic romance, and collecting more houseplants than she probably should. You can learn more about her at rachaelsjohnston.com.

14 Comments

  1. Catherine McClarey

    Has anyone tried air-frying halloumi cheese fries? A lot of people have air fryers nowadays.
    Also, besides being a breading-free alternative to mozzarella sticks, they would probably also make a nice alternative to deep-fried breaded cheese curds.

  2. Tried these tonight with a burger and loved them! Cooked them in an air fryer (on parchment paper, 400 degrees F for 4 minutes and then flip for another 2 minutes). Excellent — a great potato fry substitute. Crispy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside! To really enjoy them as part of your meal -you’ll probably need to eat at least 2 ounces (1 ounce is a really small portion size). Looking for a nice dipping sauce recipe for my next batch.

  3. Something fishy going on here. The image on Instacart (haven’t got my hands on the actual item yet) says “carb free” right next to Gluten Free on the front of the package. I’m diabetic, and doing a carnivore diet right now, so that really got me excited. I jump on Google to see reviews and such, and lo-and-behold, the images I’m seeing omit the carb free portion, and the nutritional info shows a whopping 16 carbs per package (NOT keto friendly).

    Can anyone comment on what you’re seeing in the store now? Has the package changed, or is someone playing dirty to trick the keto crowd into buying this? I could see them trying to get away with claiming low carb (suggested serving is 1/8th of the package, which is a bad joke –even a little kid’s gonna eat the whole pack, it’s so small), but claiming zero carb if it’s not is asking for trouble.

  4. Anybody know if these can these be frozen?

    • I froze them once. Just give them some extra cooking time, or let them thaw in the fridge for a couple of hours before cooking.

  5. Mine melt into a fried glob every time I’ve tried to deep fry them. Still delicious. I may try pan frying next time. I would love them to keep their shape.

  6. I like these simmered in the Indian-style sauces Aldi sells (the korma and tikka masala). It’s kind of like paneer in a pinch but more salty. I use two packages of the cheese fries to one jar of sauce, which makes 4 nice meal portions for an adult, with some rice or naan on the side. Easy weeknight dinner!

  7. I was so excited to finally find r these after checking 5 aldis especially since i do keto these I thought would be perfect . I was wrong I was totally unsatisfied I bought 5 8oz bags because I was afraid of not being able to find them again at 3.69 each it says 8 ounces in the bag when I open the bag deep is nothing but pieces when I cut them they completely melted there were no french fries it when I open the bag additionally they were just all broken pieces I understand things happened with shipping but come on an 8 ounce bag completely broken to pieces that wasn’t fair I would not recommend this to anybody

  8. Lois J. Bennett

    I tried them they were broken, they melted and had a terrible taste, had to season one to even give it my honest opinion. No, I won’t be buying these again.

  9. I opened the package and they did not look like what I was expecting. I cooked them in the air fryer and to my surprise they were delicious! They turned out nice and crispy on the outside. Even my picky husband liked them.

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