Middle Eastern · Starter · Easy
Labneh
Thick, tangy strained yogurt drizzled with olive oil, the simplest luxurious mezze.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Labneh, in 5 ideas
- Longer straining gives thicker, tangier labneh.
- Whole milk yogurt is essential; low fat will not work.
- Roll into balls and store in olive oil for weeks.
- Zaatar is the classic topping.
- Use the whey in smoothies or bread dough.
What you need
Ingredients
- 4 cups plain whole milk yogurt
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp zaatar
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- Olives and pita to serve
How to make it
Directions
- Stir salt into yogurt.
- Line a colander with cheesecloth, add yogurt, and tie it up.
- Hang over a bowl in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.
- Unwrap the thick labneh and spread it on a plate.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with zaatar and paprika.
- Serve with olives and warm pita.
Money saver. A tub of yogurt becomes luxury labneh for almost nothing.