Labneh
Labneh, the thick, creamy, fresh cheese that is ubiquitous on tables through the Levant, is easy to make at home from store-bought yogurt. We start with organic full-fat regular (not Greek) yogurt. Our recipe uses 1 quart (1 liter), but feel free to cut the recipe in half or double it. Use a little more or less salt, as you like — if you enjoy eating it with honey, you might want to use half the salt.
Makes about 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups / 530 to 590 ml.
Ingredients
4 cups / 1 liter whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. Put the yogurt and salt in a large bowl; stir well to combine thoroughly.
2. Line a sieve with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl to catch liquid. Transfer the yogurt-salt mixture to the sieve, and let it drain (unrefrigerated) overnight, or up to 12 hours. Discard the whey that has collected in the bowl (or use it in place of some of the stock in a soup recipe — it’s full of pro-biotics). Transfer the labneh to a covered container and refrigerate until ready to eat or use. It keeps up to two weeks like that, or, if you pour a thin layer of olive oil on top of it, it will keep for up to four weeks.
Labneh
Ingredients
- 4 cups / 1 liter whole-milk yogurt
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Put the yogurt and salt in a large bowl; stir well to combine thoroughly.
- Line a sieve with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl to catch liquid. Transfer the yogurt-salt mixture to the sieve, and let it drain (unrefrigerated) overnight, or up to 12 hours. Discard the whey that has collected in the bowl (or use it in place of some of the stock in a soup recipe — it’s full of pro-biotics). Transfer the labneh to a covered container and refrigerate until ready to eat or use. It keeps up to two weeks like that, or, if you pour a thin layer of olive oil on top of it, it will keep for up to four weeks.