Labneh (Strained Yogurt Cheese with Za'atar & Olive Oil)
لبنہ (زعتر اور زیتون کے تیل کے ساتھ چھنا دہی)
Labneh is yogurt strained until it's as thick as cream cheese, with a fresh, tangy flavour. It's eaten every morning in homes across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the Gulf: spread on a plate, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with za'atar and scooped up with warm bread, olives and cucumber. It needs only two ingredients and a clean cloth, and South Asian cooks will recognise the method from making *hung curd* for raitas and dips.
- ⏱ Total: 10 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Easy
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Stir the salt into the yogurt. Line a sieve with a double layer of muslin or a clean thin cloth and set it over a bowl.
Pour in the yogurt, tie the cloth loosely and refrigerate for 12–24 hours, until it's as thick as cream cheese. Discard the whey or use it in bread dough.
Spread the labneh on a plate, make swirls with a spoon, drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with za'atar or dried mint.
Serve with warm bread, olives, cucumbers and tomatoes.
Kitchen notes
The longer it strains, the thicker it gets. After 2 days it can be rolled into balls.
Labneh balls: roll thick labneh into small balls, coat in za'atar or chilli flakes, and store covered in olive oil for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Use full-fat yogurt for the creamiest labneh.
Breakfast in the Levant
Labneh is part of the classic Levantine breakfast spread, next to olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggs and warm bread with olive oil and za’atar. It’s also served as part of mezze and used in sandwiches. It’s one of the simplest and most useful things you can make with yogurt.
Straining is everything
Labneh is simply salted yogurt hung in a cloth until much of the whey drips away. Twelve hours gives a thick, spreadable labneh; a day or two gives a firm cheese you can roll into balls. Salt adds flavour and helps it firm up.
Familiar from home
South Asian cooks make something similar called hung curd or dahi ka chakka for dips and desserts. Labneh is the same idea, just strained longer and served with olive oil and herbs.
Serving
Serve at breakfast with manakish, olives and tea, or as part of mezze with hummus, muhammara and bread. It’s also lovely with mujaddara.
Questions people ask
Is labneh the same as Greek yogurt?
Both are strained, but labneh is strained longer and salted, so it's thicker, tangier and more like a soft cheese.
What is za'atar?
A Levantine blend of dried wild thyme or oregano, sumac and toasted sesame seeds, sold in Middle Eastern shops.
How long does it keep?
About a week in the fridge; labneh balls in oil keep for 2 weeks.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 140
- Protein
- 8 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
