A Greek salad topped with grilled halloumi. 32 g protein and 11 g net carbs at 461 kcal, ready in 15 minutes.
By Frixos Dimitriadis · Published November 7, 2026 · Updated November 7, 2026
1 serving · Prep 10 min · Cook 4 min · Total 14 min · Per serving: 461 kcal, 31.9 g protein, 13.6 g carbs, 36.5 g fat
A Greek village salad is on almost every table in Greece and Cyprus, and it is already low in carbs. The problem is that, on its own, it's a side: a few vegetables, a slice of feta and a lot of bread for the oil at the bottom of the bowl. Top it with grilled halloumi instead and it becomes a full keto meal you will actually look forward to.
One bowl gives 461 kcal, 31.9 g of protein, 36.5 g of fat and 10.8 g of net carbs (13.6 g of total carbs minus 2.8 g of fibre). The numbers come from the DietSync app, where every ingredient is weighed in grams.
Halloumi is the cheese that doesn't melt. You can grill it in a dry pan until it is golden on the outside and soft inside, and it keeps its shape. That warm, salty cheese on top of a cold, crunchy salad is what makes this bowl feel like a meal.
This recipe uses light halloumi. In the DietSync food database it has 23 g of protein and 225 kcal per 100 g, against 21 g and 321 kcal for regular halloumi. So the 130 g here gives about 30 g of protein for under 300 kcal, and the rest of the bowl has room for olives and a proper drizzle of olive oil.
Almost all of the 10.8 g of net carbs come from the vegetables: the tomato, the cucumber and the green pepper, with a little from the onion, the olives and the cheese. These are carbs that come with water, fibre and volume, so the bowl is big and filling for the numbers. On a strict day, leave out the onion and the pepper and the bowl drops by about 1.4 g of net carbs.
In the DietSync app
Halloumi comes from Cyprus, where it has been made for centuries from sheep's and goat's milk, often with some cow's milk, and folded with a little dried mint. Cypriot halloumi carries a PDO label, so look for it on the pack. Light halloumi is made the same way with less fat, which is why it still grills well. Whichever you buy, check the label for the protein and fat, and log the one you use.
Cut the halloumi into slices about 1 cm thick and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat with no oil; halloumi has enough fat of its own. Lay the slices in and leave them alone for 2 minutes, until a golden crust forms, then turn them and give them 2 more. Grill the cheese last, after the salad is ready, because halloumi is at its best hot: as it cools it firms up and turns squeaky.
Olive oil, a splash of vinegar, dried oregano and a pinch of salt. That's the whole dressing, and it's all a good Greek salad needs. The olive oil is where most of the fat comes from after the cheese, so weigh it: 12 g is a little less than a tablespoon. Pour it on just before you eat, so the vegetables stay crisp. Keep the salt light, since the olives and halloumi are already salty. If you like it sharper, add more vinegar; it adds almost nothing to the numbers.
This salad works for work lunches if you pack it smart. Chop the vegetables in the morning and keep them in a box with the olives. Carry the dressing in a small jar and the halloumi in its own container. At lunch, grill the halloumi if you can, or warm it for a minute in a pan or the microwave, and dress the salad at the table. A tall jar works too: dressing at the bottom, the hard vegetables above it, olives on top. Tip it into a bowl when you eat and the vegetables stay crisp all morning.
Feta is the classic, and it works if you prefer it, though it gives less protein than halloumi. Kalamata olives instead of green ones add a deeper taste with the same macros. Lemon juice instead of vinegar makes a fresher dressing. For an even bigger bowl, add a boiled egg for about 6.5 g more protein.
At 10.8 g of net carbs, this bowl leaves room in a strict 25 g keto day for a low-carb breakfast and dinner, like the meals in our 7-day keto meal plan. It also pairs well with the keto keftedes or the shrimp saganaki as a smaller side.
For a Cypriot breakfast with the same cheese, try the lountza, halloumi and egg plate. The salad is in the DietSync app, in the Keto Main Meals book. Log it in one tap and the app keeps count of your net carbs, protein and fat for the day.
Halloumi has enough fat to grill in a dry non-stick pan. Pat it dry first and don't move it for the first 2 minutes.
Grilled halloumi is soft and golden when hot and turns squeaky as it cools. Grill it last.
10 g of red onion is enough for flavour. Sliced thin, it doesn't take over the salad.
Yes. The vegetables, olives, olive oil and cheese are all low in carbs. This bowl has 10.8 g of net carbs, most of them from the tomato, cucumber and pepper. Skip the bread and paximadi on the side.
Halloumi can be grilled without melting, so it turns a side salad into a warm, filling meal. It also brings more protein: 130 g of light halloumi gives about 30 g.
Yes. It is richer, but 130 g of regular halloumi adds about 125 kcal and has about 3 g less protein than the light version.
Chop the vegetables in the morning and keep the dressing and the halloumi apart. Grill the halloumi just before you eat, or warm it for 1 minute in a pan; it hardens as it cools.
