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A shallow bowl of homemade labneh swooshed and swirled with a spoon to add dimension. Garnished with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, mint leaves, torn dill, and a light sprinkle of za'atar. Served alongside a variety of homemade pickled vegetables, warm pita bread, and Cerignola olives.
Sacha Hirschfeld

Homemade Labneh

5 from 1 vote
This tangy yogurt cheese is easy to make and a much better version of cream cheese.
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Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Yogurt Straining Time 1 day
Total Time 1 day 7 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Appetizers
Cuisine: Albanian, Mediterranean
Calories: 69
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 32 ounce whole milk yogurt
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Equipment

  • 1 strainer small holes is better
  • cheesecloth or linen napkin you can also use a linen napkin instead
  • medium bowl to catch the drippings

Method
 

  1. Stir salt into yogurt and mix well.
  2. Place a strainer in a large bowl. Line the strainer with several layers of cheesecloth.
    Whole milk yogurt straining in a few layers of cheesecloth.
  3. Pour the salted yogurt into the lined strainer. Twist ends of the cheesecloth until the yogurt is covered. This doesn't have to look perfect, you just don't want the yogurt exposed while it strains. Don't forget to empty whey from the bowl a few times during the straining process. 
    Straining labneh with the ends tied up
  4. Let this sit on the counter or in the fridge for 24-48 hours. The longer you let it strain, the thicker your labneh will be. If I'm running short on time, I'll give it a little squeeze every so often to speed up the straining process.
    Labneh in cheesecloth after straining
  5. I normally serve labneh with a generous drizzle of my best extra-virgin olive oil, a few fresh herbs, and a sprinkling of za'atar. 
    a finished puck of labneh sitting in a bowl.

Notes

At a glance this might seem like a lot of yogurt, but keep in mind you will lose at least half of the volume once the whey is removed.
Store in a container with a tight fitting lid in the fridge for 2 weeks.