Homemade Labaneh Recipe (Yogurt Cheese)
Easy to make Yogurt Cheese from the Middle East called Labaneh or Labneh, made from plain yogurt, a great substitute for cream cheese or sour cream.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 100kcal
Equipment
- Cheesecloth
- Colander or Sieve
Ingredients
- 32 oz plain whole milk yogurt, 1kg
- 2 tsp Salt or to taste
Instructions
- Place a colander in a bowl, and line it with a big square of cheesecloth.
- Add the salt to the yogurt and stir, then spoon or pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth.
- Gather the cheesecloth around the yogurt, and tie it up with a clean elastic.
- Hang the yogurt to strain on top of the bowl for a few hours if it's not too hot, then put it back in the colander and in the fridge to strain overnight. Remove the whey as it collects in the bowl.
- Once the whey has drained out and the Labneh has reached the desired consistency, remove it from the cheesecloth, and serve with olive oil. Store in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- Yield: This recipe makes about 11 to 16 oz of Labneh, or 330-450 grams.
- Salt: Adjust the amount of salt in the recipe to your desired amount. A lot of the salt will drain with the whey. You can add more salt after the Labneh has formed.
- Yogurt: Use any fat content yogurt. The higher fat content the easier to get a thicker Labaneh consistency. You can use store-bought yogurt; plain whole milk yogurt achieves the closest authentic Labneh flavor. You can also make your own homemade yogurt, which is easy to make and gives great results.
- Straining: Traditionally the cheesecloth with the yogurt would hang on the sink overnight. Get creative with how to hang the yogurt bag to strain. Or place it in a colander, and place a weight on it to help it strain faster. Place a plate with a can on top of it to create a heavy weight on top of your Labaneh.
- Time: The longer you leave it to strain, the thicker Labneh you will get. Strain it anywhere between 8 hours to a week. For thick Labneh to form balls, I leave it to strain for 5-7 days weighted. I shift the weight throughout that period.