Homemade Labneh Recipe

The months of April and May are always one of the busiest months in the garden, with the warmer weather, there’s a ton of gardening tasks to be done, and it’s great just spending time outdoors after being cooped up all winter. My husband was home this weekend to help me with heavy stuff in the yard. So we pretty much worked all day out and for dinner, I made a little labneh platter for us.

Labneh is a middle eastern staple and a favorite in our home. High in protein and rich in probiotics, labneh is really one of the best things ever. It can be used as a dip, a base for sandwiches, in salads, tarts, or pasta.  Think of it as whipped cream cheese but with a salty and slightly tart flavor. While you can purchase labneh at specialty grocery stores, it’s so simple and much cheaper to make at home. With a pot of yogurt, cheese cloth, and with little patience you’ll have an unbelievable batch to enjoy!

Labneh is strained either underweight (compression) or by hanging (my preferred method). I provide both methods below. How long the yogurt will strain depends upon what type of yogurt you’re using. I generally leave homemade yogurt prepared with 2 % milk for 24-36 hours [8-12hours (depending on the weather) on the counter and then in the fridge, I have a video of setting yogurt and making Greek yogurt here, you follow the same process only strain it longer.]  Straining the yogurt longer develops more flavor and resulting in that cheese like texture. I share a little secret, I actually make fresh labneh (In India we commonly refer to it as hung yogurt) which makes it perfect for sweet and savory uses. I have a sweet recipe posted here, called Shrikhand. For savory purposes, I add salt after all the whey is drained. There is no need to throw the whey. It is full of proteins that you can drink and it is quite tasty. Or you can add it to curry (Not to lentil else it will take hours to cook) or roti and bread dough!

When it comes to pairing, labneh can be served with practically anything. Like I did with warm makki ki roti, beet chips, and, veggies. You can even roll the finished labneh into small balls, and store it in a jar filled with olive oil and herbs. It can also be paired with fruit and nuts.